60cwt Maximum Load?

[Howard]

According to my (rough) maths skills and (rougher) knowledge of weights, I estimate the old Blitz to be carrying about 15 1/4 ton!
Now THAT'S a LOAD!
Newspaper Clipping, Port Lincoln Times (South Australia), Thursday 11 December 1947
H

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Howard

According to my (rough) maths skills and (rougher) knowledge of weights, I estimate the old Blitz to be carrying about 15 1/4 ton!
Now THAT'S a LOAD!
Newspaper Clipping, Port Lincoln Times (South Australia), Thursday 11 December 1947
H

Hi Howard,
Nowadays, if that story had made the papers it would be because the driver and operator had been taken to Court for overloading. How times change!

In the 1930's, Bedford used to actually advertise "good for 50% overload"

cheers Richard

[motto]

No wonder so many of them are stuffed. They must have been stacking as much on as they could get to stay without falling off.
The more you could get on, the fewer trips to the grain elevator. It was a national sport during harvest time.
Coming down the Goulburn Valley Highway years ago an old truck with a high sided tipper body came out of a side road ahead of me on his way to East Murchison grain dump. He was that overloaded he didn't want to stop or slow more than he had to. The truck heeled over to a dangerous angle and so as not to make it worse the driver followed an arc that took him off the opposite side of the road before coming back, lurching to lean to the opposite side and careening off the other side of the road.
The poor old thing was barely under control but after a couple more weaves finally settled down for the run to the dump. When I went past he was hunched over the wheel no doubt with his foot to the floor demanding all it had to give. He must have figured it was worth the risk of being caught by the scalies.
That was the world the Blitzs were born into.
David

[hrpearce]

Howard if you want to see and read about overloaded trucks get a copy of
Trucks
Politics
and the High Court.
By Jeffrey Ffrost.

one photo shows a Bedford truck with a single axle trailer carting 54 bales of wool in 1935. The truck had cable and rod brakes the trailer none.
Some loads in hilly country had a "load jockey" who had to jump off and open gates then catch the truck after shutting the gate so a stop wasn't needed.

[Ganmain Tony]

I seem to remember, having a conversation with you and your Uncle Les Holgate, the latter being the owner of my truck after the war.

Did he not say it'd carry 9 tonnes EASY!!! ??

They really are amazing vehicles....