Rikki Chequer, Biglorryblog's community manager mate at Britain's best drivers' website TruckNetUK has sent me these pictures of the former Econofreight Unipower which BLB featured a couple months ago. Rikki says: "It is still alive and well and working in the Middle east, although I'm unsure where exactly. It is now in the colours of ALE (Abnormal Load Engineering) who bought Econofreight off Brambles and seems to have a Arabic number plate." And for a pie whose cab did Unipower use? And what's underneath the hood?
Rikki goes on to add that: "RobV8 posted the two photo's attached of it on the TruckNetUK photo forum, he says it's OK for you to use them if you wish." I wish Rikki and thanks RobV8..presumably a Scania fan! Now click through here for one more shot of a mighty Unipower...
And here it is a 8x8 cabover ALE Unipower---picture from Andrew Mytton...and for good measure here's another...
At least I think it's a Unipower--and if it isn't what is it?
And my apologies to Mike Blekinsop for not remembering that he kindly sent me this picture which is of course of an AWD--DOH!
the unipower cab is a converted volvo"f" series, the engine i would guess is a cummins?? the other truck (wrecker) is a mystery to me,though the cab looks as if it's a bedford tm.
Looks like the old F10/12 cab,and a Cummins Badge on the grill
The bottom picture is an AWD, cummins powered & has a Bedford TM cab. I believe it was built AWD built it for a tank transporter contract.
It's great to hear about 'Hercules' as it was named at Econofreight. The 6x6 Cummins powered Unipower was originally registered N523 YAJ when it came to Econofreight (on Teesside) on a three month trial in 1995 but the company liked it so much, they bought it. This was a prototype and Unipower called it their 'C' Series apparently after the Scammell range of Constructors and Contractors. As you say, the Volvo F10/12 cab was used. Only three vehicles of this type were built - a 6x6 went to Indonesia and a 6x4 went to Pakistan.
As foden-boy says, the secondimage is of an AWD.
Very close in general outward appearance to a Leyland Landtrain cab, with a hint of Scammell Commander thrown in for good measure.....
Hi guys,
C'mon BLB,get your picture library info sorted out!
This is my picture of the Unipower tractor, Cummins powered, built as a contender for the British Army Tank transporter build contract.
I blogged on it in these hallowed pages back in 2006. It ended up working as a wrecker in Middlesborough and this photograph was taken at Christmas 2005 on the Durham interchange as it waited for recovery duties due to a contra flow operating on the A1M.
The 'Auto Recovery Services Tonka'is the one-off prototype tank transporter tractor built speculatively by AWD/Bedford before the company went belly-up in 1992.
Never read an incorrect caption under a picture before you do a blog or 'the brain' goes into mistake mode, sorry , to all, the last picture of the snow-bound truck is the TM cabbed AWD, even the numberplate helps I.D. it.
also see Richard Stanier's blog 13/11/07 for pic in Army trials.
is MAYBE A MERC ENGINE OUT OF THE QUESTION?