Truck Questions.

[Sailorsam]

first; how often do you see pickup trucks with wood slats added? I think they're called stake trucks. good for hauling livestock?

like this. (the ones down home weren't as shiny new)
saw one out in town today and started up some memories.

other question; here in the USA, when I was growing up, a lot of locals would take old pickup trucks, cut off the front, and use the bed for a trailer. was this done much over there? anyone remember? maybe just a southeastern US thing?

 

[ForkieX30]

I've personally never seen stake sides in the UK but I've seen old photos from the 50s and 60s so it did happen at one time.

Never seen a pickup turned into a trailer but it used to happen a lot with bigger commercial trucks. My dad's was made from an old Bedford or Thames or something, probably in the 60s or 70s.

 

[Kidds]

I have seen similar in Ireland and Australia but don't remember ever seeing them in UK even years ago.

 

[Netherfield]

Anyone old enough to remember the Scammell Scarab 3 Wheeler on the railways, they pulled a trailer with an automatic coupling.

Farmer local to here made dozens of bale trailers from these when BR were getting rid of them.

We had one which was fine except as soon as BR stopped using them the supply of Wheels and or Tyres dried up, I put the axle from a Howard 150 spreader under ours.

Also as @ForkieX30 dad did I made a bale trailer from a Bedford TK that dad had bought new in 1964, lasted until around 2000 when carrying round silage bales the chassis snapped over the axle, again I'd swapped the axle because the Bedford diff would drag if the going was a bit wet.

 

[ForkieX30]

This is the type I mean, maybe more of a dropside, not really sure.

 

[Netherfield]

This is the type I mean, maybe more of a dropside, not really sure.

Looks like a Coal man's delivery truck, with greedy boards fitted.

 

[sjt01]

This is the type I mean, maybe more of a dropside, not really sure.

We used them for beet cart

 

[colhonk]

Yep,still got our scarab converted railway trailer,original wheels and tyres, + 4 course of straw idiot blocks on it.

 

[mobileweld]

Local traveller boys have a couple Vauxhall Brava pick ups with stake sides. Both mint condition, look smart.