Mack Snow Plough

David_Hayward (RIP) · #1 10-02-07, 17:52

This was taken in 1963...any idea which model it is? Is it ex-WW2?

gordon · #2 10-02-07, 19:02

It's the standard council Mack, some had gritter bodies fitted, some carried grit as ballast on the ww2 bed, virtually all hand hand-operated hydraulic pump on the cab floor for the plough.

Super-reliable - only the cost of petrol killed them, and most got junked with just a few hundred miles on the clock because of salt corrosion and petrol price.

NM3 had hard cabs, NM4 and NM6 had open cabs which councils tinned-over

Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP) · #3 10-02-07, 19:22

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but what in hell is that silly little thing passing the Mack? Don't think I've ever seen anything uglier...

gordon · #4 10-02-07, 19:31

It's one of those horrible Reliant three-wheelers, not a Robin - more likely a Regal

You can blame WW2 for them too. A load of army types got motorcycle licenses during WW2 but no car or truck license, and you could (still can) drive a three-wheeler up to a certain weight limit on a motorcycle license. Slightly cheaper tax and insurance, cheaper to run, but a positive liability if you try to turn a corner at speed where they make a jeep look like a paragon of stability.

http://pages.zoom.co.uk/elvis/regal.html

Jon Skagfeld · #5 10-02-07, 19:33

Quote:

Originally posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball
Don't mean to hijack the thread, but what in hell is that silly little thing passing the Mack? Don't think I've ever seen anything uglier...

Don't you watch British telly, Geoff?

There was a blue one(seemingly driverless) which used to haunt Benny Hill in various episodes.

Dunno if you can make it out, but it's a three wheeler.

Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP) · #6 10-02-07, 19:38

Quote:

Originally posted by gordon
It's one of those horrible Reliant three-wheelers, not a Robin - more likely a Regal.

Amazing the country that can produce an MGA, bug-eye Sprite and E-type Jag, never mind a Triumph Bonneville and Norton Commando, and the Hurricane, Spitfire, Stirling and Lanc, can come up with something like that. No wonder the Empire has collapsed. Someone call HMQ and complain, please.

gordon · #7 10-02-07, 19:42

not only has the Empire collapsed, but the Odeon, Gaumont, and ABC are well on the way.

Remember that AC, who produced the superb AC Ace, AC Cobra, etc, also made those horrible blue plastic invalid carriages - now gone and not lamented at all.

Anyway, it's a nice Mack, but would be a bear to drive with that weight on the front, not to mention pumping up the plow by hand every time you had to.

Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP) · #8 10-02-07, 19:48

Quote:

Originally posted by gordon
...not to mention pumping up the plow by hand every time you had to.

At least it would give your hand something else to do than where it would seem to be normally employed... or are we referring to the same thing?

David_Hayward (RIP) · #9 10-02-07, 21:59

Reliant were in Tamworth, Staffordshire and from cycles they moved to motorcyles and then three-wheelers.

http://www.chrishodgephotos.co.uk/pixcma/aao433.jpg

They used Austin 7 engines, then produced their own version which eventually grew from 700 cc to 850 cc I think. Anyhow, they were all-aluminium engines in the end, ohv, and you could drive a three-wheeler Reliant Regal (that's a new one in the terrible winter of 1962-3) on a motorcycle license because a three-wheeler was originally meant to include a motorcycle + sidecar or a tri-car, such as a Morgan with twin wheels at front and single at rear provided that it hd no reverse gear. The other renowned company that used Villiers engines was Bond who made the Minicar, a horrible alternative to the bubble car.

http://www.chrishodgephotos.co.uk/pixcma2/bond2.jpg

Bond were eventually taken over and merged with Reliant.

If the Reliant had its reverse gear blanked off then it was a tricycle, but once you had the ways and emans to graduate and pass the car test you simply unblocked the bolted plate and lo and behold it was a car! They were sprighlty but horrible to drive and no where for your feet to go with that front wheel in its housing. Full marks though for a niche market, and use of GRP early on for lightweight bodies and 60 mpg.

http://www.chrishodgephotos.co.uk/pi...croftantar.jpg

Pete Ashby · #10 10-02-07, 23:47

Quote:

Originally posted by David_Hayward

They were sprighlty but horrible to drive and no where for your feet to go with that front wheel in its housing. Full marks though for a niche market, and use of GRP early on for lightweight bodies and 60 mpg.

I'm amused you’ve not seen one before Geoff, as Gordon and David note they were very popular in the fifties and sixties over here, in fact I passed one on the M4 going west only 3 weeks ago it was making a steady 50mph while skidding around on the tram line ruts of the 30 toners’ in the slow lane.

Bloody awful things and dangerous too, the first dead body I ever came across was in one of those things one foggy night. The guy had missed a bend and climbed a tree in it.
It was common knowledge in the emergency services that if they got called to an RTA with a three wheeler involved you took a dustpan and brush for the car and a body bag for the driver !!

They are known as resin rockets over here

Nice Mack though David
there were 4 of them all ex Wiltshire council gritter ploughs in the same yard that my son David got his WK60 from.

Pete

Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP) · #11 11-02-07, 00:01

Quote:

Originally posted by Pete Ashby
Nice Mack though David
there were 4 of them all ex Wiltshire council gritter ploughs in the same yard that my son David got his WK60 from.

Pete

Except for the bit about 'nice Mack' absolutely none of your statement made a word of sense to the rest of us.

Ref the car, we have the same problem over here with Rice Rockets. Have seen some not-nice stuff once they leave the black stuff between the trees at high speed, or try to bore holes through oncoming cars. Amazing the amount of blood the human body contains.

Richard Farrant · #12 11-02-07, 00:09

Quote:

Originally posted by Pete Ashby
They are known as resin rockets over here

Just to confuse Geoff even more

down here we called them Plastic Pigs.

There was another one built by Bond with a Hillman Imp engine, the car was the same shape and colour as a wedge of Cheddar cheese. Made good wheels chocks for heavy trucks!

David_Hayward (RIP) · #13 11-02-07, 10:28

Richard there are two Bonds here: the first had the Imp engine and a respectable body and the other was designed by Mr Bond, and then built by Relaintas the Bond Bug in 700cc and 750cc forms. Amazing and could motor well!

Nick Balmer · #14 11-02-07, 21:03

Hello,

Rutland District Council had at least two of these Mack NM6's operating around the county until the late 1970's.

They were taken over by Leicestershire County Council, and were kept in a depot at Croft.

In about 1989 one was still there with an FP number plate. You could still see the Rutland County Council coat of arms under the layers of yellow paint.

I was told that it was still operable, and was in fact invaluable on the steep section of M1 going up past Leicester and Charnwood, because the modern Foden gritters didn't have low enough gear ratios, and once they had to stop on the gradients, they couldn't get re started on the ice and snow.

The Mack's could crawl their way up the worst of the slopes, and steer around stationary trucks, going on the verge if necessary.

The only complaint was the fact they had no heaters to speak off.

Regards

Nick Balmer

David_Hayward (RIP) · #15 11-02-07, 22:12

This one {Mack) seems to have a 1956 registration suggesting that that is about the time that it was demobbed.

Neil Ashley · #16 12-02-07, 08:55

Wiltshire County Council where I work also had a fleet at one time.

Judging by the many adverts for these vehicles in recent years, I would suggest that the last were not retired from Councils untill the 1990's. I believe there may be any ex-snow plough example advertised on Milweb at the moment.

Les Freathy · #17 15-02-07, 23:37

Geoff, you think thats ugly take a look at its predecessor all drivable on a motorcycle licence. Funny little story back in the mid 1960s a pal had one of those Regals and as i had recently passed my test said you have a drive i feel lazy, off i went at the age of 17 flat out as would be expected untill we came to a long curve, the bloody thing slowly began to tip and like a fool i kept going over we went but slowing by now untill we came to a halt with one of the rear wheels cocked up in the air and me on top of my mate in the passenger seat. The guy following ran up and with no regard to our plight said it looks like a dog having a piss amongst the abuse he recieved from us we all managed to get it on 3 wheels again as he hung on the side and i trampled my mate to get back in the drivers seat to shift the balance, amazing days
Les