What an amazing plant. In my youth Foden we’re some of the very best trucks. When you look at this video it seems hard to believe such a manufacturer would no longer exist. I always thought the Haulmaster and Super Haulmaster designs were innovative and modern, and Foden cleverly used a wide variety of engine choices to keep them competitive.
my two bobs worth back the day they were a great truck to think of the conditions they worked in out here pulling road trains approaching 100 tons the Australian built Fiberglass cab was never a big seller out here Foden's were getting a bit old fashioned by then but some people were still using them on interstate work up until the early 90's great stuff and thanks for sharing
Foden, I think, were quite special and had something different to offer. They were'nt for everyone but from what I saw they were tough, efficient, lightweight and long lasting. Sadly I came in to the industry as the last of the modern Fodens were coming to the end of their lives. I remember as a child though the mid 70's Haulmasters coming in through Aberystwyth from West Wales back in the day. What a sight, and sound, they were. I ended up with a driving career mainly on Scanias. Good film.
Yes a well-built machine, not necessarily good from the driver's point of view, I always say built with steam engine mentality. That said I have had one of these S95's since 1988, and which I am currently restoring (the progress is on my channel) and would put it up against any of the opposition. Thanks for viewing.
Great film, I'm Edwin Fodens X3 great grandson and still live a stone's throw away from where he was born in Smallwood nr sandbach. A real shame what happened to this great company. The government were pushing UK industry to modernise, which Foden did with the new plant that was in the end a bad move. The downturn in the economy meant they couldn't pay the crippling repayments on the massive ultra modern facility. They did ask the government for a tide over loan, and I have a copy of a letter from Mrs Thatcher to Fodens basically saying we're not interested in heavy engineering any more, goodbye. Maybe if Fodens attempt to buy Atkinson had succeeded or they had accepted the offer from Rolls Royce to work with them they would still be here today. They were a stubborn lot, and thought the way they did things was the best. And it probably was
Thank you for commenting. This is interesting information, and will hopefully correct some of the negative comments and opinions we get on social media nowadays regarding British lorry manufacturing being left behind by European and Scandinavian products. I am currently putting together another video on this very model highlighting how far advanced it really was. Unfortunately, Foden's were a victim of circumstance like many other UK manufacturers. This type was one of the last true Foden built, luckily I have one myself.
Thanks for sharing, The arguements for or against different makes and models will rage on forever, and we are all entitled to our views.I know of an owner driver who now runs a Volvo fh with 750 engine, He has also run MAN and DAF, But tucked away in his barn is his old 1995 FODEN with CAT 450 engine (tweeked to 500), and he would not hesitate to use it on any run he does now, Great Truck that has lived up to its makers reputation.He did ask once if he could have a FODEN with the original daf XF cab with a CAT engine, Sorry but PACCAR said NO !. maybe thats why paccar killed off FODEN, Not the engineering behind the make.
The real reason British truck making failed, was not the product but the fact the uk manufacturers concentrated on the U.K. market. Scania and Volvos home markets in Sweden is very small so those companies concentrated penetrating other markets. They ended up selling more trucks made more money and had a bigger budget for research and development not to mention a Europe wide after sales service back up.
great vid , shame there trucks were already playing catch up to volvo scani a etc it was only the 6 & 8 wheel tippers that made than last as long as thay did
Partly agree with DraxIndusties1,British manufacturers were late on the scene for cab design/driver comfort and limited engine output/spec.Volvo and Scania,inparticular,just did this better by Mid 1970's.By 1980's we were playing catch up,which failed,except for small Daf's still built here.Compared to European Manufatures,Japanese trucks aren't as sophisticated,but they're everywhere around the world,because of reliability,cheap cost,good backup etc.I work for a truck conversion company,we work on Scania,Volvo,Renault,Merc,Man,Daf and Iveco.
Which makes me wonder.. when the Bedfords we all came to know and use became oldfashioned, GM just dropped the make. What if they rebadged Isuzu (also GM) trucks as Bedfords and sold those in traditionally British-buying markets?
More crap getting spouted by the pro euro brigade,blame the unions for poor cabs designs by forbidding the drivers to sleep in them so no need to develop a sleeper variant.Foden was also the only maker that produced a tractor unit that could legally run in the uk at the correct construction and use lengths.As for "crap" engines besides ERF who offered a choice like Foden,and please just remember without Cummins there would be nothing today,their PT fuel system paved the way for today.Comparing a TD 100 or 120 to an 855 what a joke.
The two strokes had finished by the early 1970s and wouldn't have had the horse power anyway, the last Mk7 made 225BHP. The Coventry Motor Panels cabs were in the minority on Fodens, their own fibreglass ones being the favorite. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Don't know, Radiomobile was a popular choice for truck makers though. I never had a new lorry, they were usually about 10 years old when I got them and all you could get on the radio was alternator whine. The one I am restoring will have an up to date but not to fancy make, S95's have good sound insulation so you can actually hear it.
@@SMayleification Showed a Radiomobile pushbutton MW LW radio in the cab roof being turned on, the radio aerial will have been mounted on the cab roof at an angle to ensure good reception.
And yet. And yet ... ... So why have we now no indigenous truck industry at all? I occasionally see a Foden belonging to the Building supplies merchant: Glendenning. Where do THEY come from? But apart from that, today's trucks are all bloody foreign! What went wrong? And back in the 1980s, I worked in Saudi arabia for three years. I never saw a Foden. I saw a couple of Scammells. I sincerely hope they were: Crusaders. But the market had been cornered by Mercedes Fucking Benz - in which Arabs had acquired a controlling interest. So what went wrong for British Trucks? I have a suspicion that the EU played its part. Along with switchback British economic policies. Such as the "boom and bust" cycle which during the most recent boom period Gordon Brown assured us he had brought to an end. Just before it all went bust again. Leylands, as we all know, were killed by the communists in Longbridge. God. How I hate those bloody socialists.
Yes. Same again with car industry. Bought by the Germans and then dispensed with, Rover, one less manufacturer, which means more sales, with a reduction of choice.🤔.
The perfect demonstration of why the British truck industry collapsed, hopeless dated engineering, crap engines with equally crap gearboxes and no regard to driver comfort...long live Volvo and Scania..
+Draxindustries1 How can you call Cummins and Fuller crap, a world beating combination, proven in countries all over the world in far more arduous conditions than we have here. The cab interior on this model is at least equal to owt from the continent and so is the ride quality. Volvo's weren't without their problems either, more smoke than a knackered old Gardner when cold, liner seals and pump drive plate failures, clutch hydraulic faults, splitter engagement troubles and automatic brake adjusters that never did, with stupid manual override that broke shafts inside the adjuster. Not pleasant to drive either with that short gear stick, the Scania was marginally better than a Volvo I'll give you that one, but no motor ever made was perfect, they all had their own set problems, I've drove and repaired them all so I do know what I'm talking about.
+SMayleification Ive driven many an old British trucks from Ford D series, ERF's with Rolls Royce Eagles, L10 Cummins at 290-325hp, 14litre Cummins 320hp, A series with 220 Cummins, a few Sudden Accidents, Cargos with Perkins V8 ect ect and they were all nothing but a mish mash of parts cobbled together crap. An old 78 F10 with the classic '10 Turbo Six' moniker was a revelation in comparison. Some European trucks are better than others (an F7 224hp at 36 tons) wasnt the best but since driving an F12 (360 and 400hp) an FH 12 420 and a variety of Scanias and finally doing long distance Scandinavia to Costa del Sol for 3 years in my own F16 470 (long gradients in top gear) im totally sold on Euro trucks and stand by my comment on Brit rubbish..
Hence M.A.N, Mercedes, Scania and Volvo still churning product out employing thousands. Foden and ERF are finished because the product was crap and the product was crap because the engineers designed shite working for clueless managers and shoddy assembly.
This is not strictly true. The British makers were appealing to a different market, or perhaps didn't understand the one they were trading in. They deliberately built trucks that operators and 'gaffers' wanted. Even in the late 90's, ERF's main advertising campaign was that it was 1mpg cheaper than all the other units. What the 'foreign' boys were doing, was building up a brand with the drivers, not the gaffers. After a few years of this, it almost became fashionable to have a Volvo, and then a Scania. Now, with the driver shortage, if you brought back a modern equivalent to the EC10, you would struggle to find drivers, 1mpg extra or no.
You really don't know trucks , do you, i am a 40 years truck mechanic, apprenticeship in the U K in 1977 , worked in France, Canada, Australia, i would say Cummins / Fuller , would be the most popular truck engine transmission combination world wide, we have Cummins/ fuller doing a million kms in triple road train, 140 tonnes trouble free, go to when this was released, 240 Gardener were slow revving but big torque, very good on fuel , Based model 9 speed fuller, was million times better, and easy to ues , compared to the 10 speed Scania, i all ways recond the Volvo engines were week , in this time , you had to drive the Volvo, witch bernt more fuel, and they didn't like getting hot , you blow liner top O rings , and volvos were heavy,
am I the only one that did like them. Lol horrible motor. Dated engineering. Fifth wheel beds cracking. nightmare gearbox to remove in comparison to other vehicles. horrible dated adjustable trackrod ends. Bullshit video. ok for museums.
+cosgrove notts Anybody who has worked on Foden's of old, knows they were designed with steam engine mentality, and that the driver was usually an after thought. That was until this this motor came along,. a totally different ball game. If you read the text you will see the only Foden made assembly was the front axle, and I will disagree with you on that point. I've had my S95 since 1988 and never fitted a steering joint yet, any slack, just tighten the joint. We could do with going back to that method now with the amount of joint failures on modern motors !
Such a shame that (like almost all British companies) our great companies were pissed up against that wall and went bust or were bought out and now we have NOTHING left, just a loads of call centres (even they are disappearing fast) and fast food outlets (all foreign owned)...
My late father, Bill Greenwood, worked for Foden vehicles at the Elworth Works all his adult life. From apprentice to retirement.
Them old trucks Weare more sturdy u just had too drive right
I've always had a soft spot for Fodens and for me it's a real - albeit rare - delight to see them on the road.
Great film of proper wagons! I drove an S95 8 wheeler all over Ireland for 12 years, it was 100% reliable. Thanks for sharing this film.
Superb , thanks for posting . 🏆🏆🏆🏆
What an amazing plant. In my youth Foden we’re some of the very best trucks. When you look at this video it seems hard to believe such a manufacturer would no longer exist. I always thought the Haulmaster and Super Haulmaster designs were innovative and modern, and Foden cleverly used a wide variety of engine choices to keep them competitive.
Thank you very much for the upload. I love those films, on the other hand it makes me
so said when I see what has remained.
compliment
my two bobs worth back the day they were a great truck to think of the conditions they worked in out here pulling road trains approaching 100 tons the Australian built Fiberglass cab was never a big seller out here Foden's were getting a bit old fashioned by then but some people were still using them on interstate work up until the early 90's great stuff and thanks for sharing
Foden, I think, were quite special and had something different to offer.
They were'nt for everyone but from what I saw they were tough, efficient, lightweight and long lasting. Sadly I came in to the industry as the last of the modern Fodens were coming to the end of their lives. I remember as a child though the mid 70's Haulmasters coming in through Aberystwyth from West Wales back in the day. What a sight, and sound, they were. I ended up with a driving career mainly on Scanias. Good film.
Yes a well-built machine, not necessarily good from the driver's point of view, I always say built with steam engine mentality.
That said I have had one of these S95's since 1988, and which I am currently restoring (the progress is on my channel) and would put it up against any of the opposition. Thanks for viewing.
Machines looked so much more tougher, interesting and functional back then.
I love the production music
Those engineering could have gone onto even more technologically complicated goals
Great film, I'm Edwin Fodens X3 great grandson and still live a stone's throw away from where he was born in Smallwood nr sandbach. A real shame what happened to this great company. The government were pushing UK industry to modernise, which Foden did with the new plant that was in the end a bad move. The downturn in the economy meant they couldn't pay the crippling repayments on the massive ultra modern facility. They did ask the government for a tide over loan, and I have a copy of a letter from Mrs Thatcher to Fodens basically saying we're not interested in heavy engineering any more, goodbye. Maybe if Fodens attempt to buy Atkinson had succeeded or they had accepted the offer from Rolls Royce to work with them they would still be here today. They were a stubborn lot, and thought the way they did things was the best. And it probably was
Thank you for commenting. This is interesting information, and will hopefully correct some of the negative comments and opinions we get on social media nowadays regarding British lorry manufacturing being left behind by European and Scandinavian products.
I am currently putting together another video on this very model highlighting how far advanced it really was.
Unfortunately, Foden's were a victim of circumstance like many other UK manufacturers.
This type was one of the last true Foden built, luckily I have one myself.
Thanks for that info, it turns out we're in the same town right now. Will have to pop into his office to say hello.
Fantastic Steve.
Thanks for sharing, The arguements for or against different makes and models will rage on forever, and we are all entitled to our views.I know of an owner driver who now runs a Volvo fh with 750 engine, He has also run MAN and DAF, But tucked away in his barn is his old 1995 FODEN with CAT 450 engine (tweeked to 500), and he would not hesitate to use it on any run he does now, Great Truck that has lived up to its makers reputation.He did ask once if he could have a FODEN with the original daf XF cab with a CAT engine, Sorry but PACCAR said NO !. maybe thats why paccar killed off FODEN, Not the engineering behind the make.
Was hoping to see a Tarmac S83 or Haulmaster or even a John Beisty tipper from the Buxton area.
I live in hope ... :)
The real reason British truck making failed, was not the product but the fact the uk manufacturers concentrated on the U.K. market. Scania and Volvos home markets in Sweden is very small so those companies concentrated penetrating other markets. They ended up selling more trucks made more money and had a bigger budget for research and development not to mention a Europe wide after sales service back up.
great vid , shame there trucks were already playing catch up to volvo scani a etc it was only the 6 & 8 wheel tippers that made than last as long as thay did
2020 when did you last see a foden truck on the road? All gone. No proper trucks made in the UK. What a shame.
every daf you see on british roads is made in this country
Any that are left tend to be with fairground/showmen
Drove one of these, good motor but a bit scary trying to stop it with a load of steel
Partly agree with DraxIndusties1,British manufacturers were late on the scene for cab design/driver comfort and limited engine output/spec.Volvo and Scania,inparticular,just did this better by Mid 1970's.By 1980's we were playing catch up,which failed,except for small Daf's still built here.Compared to European Manufatures,Japanese trucks aren't as sophisticated,but they're everywhere around the world,because of reliability,cheap cost,good backup etc.I work for a truck conversion company,we work on Scania,Volvo,Renault,Merc,Man,Daf and Iveco.
Which makes me wonder.. when the Bedfords we all came to know and use became oldfashioned, GM just dropped the make. What if they rebadged Isuzu (also GM) trucks as Bedfords and sold those in traditionally British-buying markets?
Check out the fella breakdancing at 7 20 give him a yorkie
love it instant like
More crap getting spouted by the pro euro brigade,blame the unions for poor cabs designs by forbidding the drivers to sleep in them so no need to develop a sleeper variant.Foden was also the only maker that produced a tractor unit that could legally run in the uk at the correct construction and use lengths.As for "crap" engines besides ERF who offered a choice like Foden,and please just remember without Cummins there would be nothing today,their PT fuel system paved the way for today.Comparing a TD 100 or 120 to an 855 what a joke.
most of the the cabs were made by Motor Panels of coventry,did not see a Foden 2 stroke engine in the film,
The two strokes had finished by the early 1970s and wouldn't have had the horse power anyway, the last Mk7 made 225BHP.
The Coventry Motor Panels cabs were in the minority on Fodens, their own fibreglass ones being the favorite. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Phwoar! Look at that IBM System 370!
At least you could make a move on on Westminste bridge..
Did Fleetmasters generally come with a Radiomobile pushbutton MW / LW radio as standard? Or was it an optional extra?
Don't know, Radiomobile was a popular choice for truck makers though.
I never had a new lorry, they were usually about 10 years old when I got them and all you could get on the radio was alternator whine.
The one I am restoring will have an up to date but not to fancy make, S95's have good sound insulation so you can actually hear it.
@@SMayleification Showed a Radiomobile pushbutton MW LW radio in the cab roof being turned on, the radio aerial will have been mounted on the cab roof at an angle to ensure good reception.
what about the foden s80 12 speed gearbox with overdrive and a rolls royce engine reg number VTB 713M
That old thing ended up with TJ Whyatt's traveling their skid ride.
Does it still survive?
Is Adrian Graves still around? He hails from my home town of Haverhill and new him when he got the job at Fodens.
Indeed he is, a great bloke, Adrian was very helpful with this video and some S95 history as well.
He seems to be doing well, www.adriangraves.org/
Wheres the big stuff?
all these skills gone to waste
And yet. And yet ... ...
So why have we now no indigenous truck industry at all?
I occasionally see a Foden belonging to the Building supplies merchant: Glendenning.
Where do THEY come from?
But apart from that, today's trucks are all bloody foreign!
What went wrong?
And back in the 1980s, I worked in Saudi arabia for three years.
I never saw a Foden.
I saw a couple of Scammells. I sincerely hope they were: Crusaders.
But the market had been cornered by Mercedes Fucking Benz - in which Arabs had acquired a controlling interest.
So what went wrong for British Trucks?
I have a suspicion that the EU played its part. Along with switchback British economic policies. Such as the "boom and bust" cycle which during the most recent boom period Gordon Brown assured us he had brought to an end. Just before it all went bust again.
Leylands, as we all know, were killed by the communists in Longbridge.
God. How I hate those bloody socialists.
Looks like he,s coming back because the germans wouldn,t let him in with his plastic cab!!!
They should do it's an all steel cab, that why these were produced.
The Best Of British AND To See All The Car Makers Closed Down Because of Greedy Unions wanting more money for its workers .
Why did they go out of business?
+David Okanagan Good question !
Superb motors, I've had mine since 1988, maybe that's the reason, to good.
Yes. Same again with car industry. Bought by the Germans and then dispensed with, Rover, one less manufacturer, which means more sales, with a reduction of choice.🤔.
The perfect demonstration of why the British truck industry collapsed, hopeless dated engineering, crap engines with equally crap gearboxes and no regard to driver comfort...long live Volvo and Scania..
+Draxindustries1 How can you call Cummins and Fuller crap, a world beating combination, proven in countries all over the world in far more arduous conditions than we have here.
The cab interior on this model is at least equal to owt from the continent and so is the ride quality.
Volvo's weren't without their problems either, more smoke than a knackered old Gardner when cold, liner seals and pump drive plate failures, clutch hydraulic faults, splitter engagement troubles and automatic brake adjusters that never did, with stupid manual override that broke shafts inside the adjuster. Not pleasant to drive either with that short gear stick, the Scania was marginally better than a Volvo I'll give you that one, but no motor ever made was perfect, they all had their own set problems, I've drove and repaired them all so I do know what I'm talking about.
+SMayleification Ive driven many an old British trucks from Ford D series, ERF's with Rolls Royce Eagles, L10 Cummins at 290-325hp, 14litre Cummins 320hp, A series with 220 Cummins, a few Sudden Accidents, Cargos with Perkins V8 ect ect and they were all nothing but a mish mash of parts cobbled together crap. An old 78 F10 with the classic '10 Turbo Six' moniker was a revelation in comparison. Some European trucks are better than others (an F7 224hp at 36 tons) wasnt the best but since driving an F12 (360 and 400hp) an FH 12 420 and a variety of Scanias and finally doing long distance Scandinavia to Costa del Sol for 3 years in my own F16 470 (long gradients in top gear) im totally sold on Euro trucks and stand by my comment on Brit rubbish..
Hence M.A.N, Mercedes, Scania and Volvo still churning product out employing thousands. Foden and ERF are finished because the product was crap and the product was crap because the engineers designed shite working for clueless managers and shoddy assembly.
This is not strictly true. The British makers were appealing to a different market, or perhaps didn't understand the one they were trading in. They deliberately built trucks that operators and 'gaffers' wanted. Even in the late 90's, ERF's main advertising campaign was that it was 1mpg cheaper than all the other units. What the 'foreign' boys were doing, was building up a brand with the drivers, not the gaffers. After a few years of this, it almost became fashionable to have a Volvo, and then a Scania. Now, with the driver shortage, if you brought back a modern equivalent to the EC10, you would struggle to find drivers, 1mpg extra or no.
You really don't know trucks , do you, i am a 40 years truck mechanic, apprenticeship in the U K in 1977 , worked in France, Canada, Australia, i would say Cummins / Fuller ,
would be the most popular truck engine transmission combination world wide, we have Cummins/ fuller doing a million kms in triple road train, 140 tonnes trouble free, go to when this was released, 240 Gardener were slow revving but big torque, very good on fuel ,
Based model 9 speed fuller, was million times better, and easy to ues , compared to the 10 speed Scania, i all ways recond the Volvo engines were week , in this time , you had to drive the Volvo, witch bernt more fuel, and they didn't like getting hot , you blow liner top O rings , and volvos were heavy,
am I the only one that did like them. Lol horrible motor. Dated engineering. Fifth wheel beds cracking. nightmare gearbox to remove in comparison to other vehicles. horrible dated adjustable trackrod ends. Bullshit video. ok for museums.
+cosgrove notts Anybody who has worked on Foden's of old, knows they were designed with steam engine mentality, and that the driver was usually an after thought.
That was until this this motor came along,. a totally different ball game.
If you read the text you will see the only Foden made assembly was the front axle, and I will disagree with you on that point.
I've had my S95 since 1988 and never fitted a steering joint yet, any slack, just tighten the joint.
We could do with going back to that method now with the amount of joint failures on modern motors !
Such a shame that (like almost all British companies) our great companies were pissed up against that wall and went bust or were bought out and now we have NOTHING left, just a loads of call centres (even they are disappearing fast) and fast food outlets (all foreign owned)...