Bedford Lorry

Oberon

Oberon

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I had a Bedford AWD (my first lorry) who never let me down but the cab was rotten and as it went out of plate I sold it to an enthusiast a few months ago.

I have no need for a lorry at the moment but will do in the future.

I know old Bedfords are hard to get parts for and slow and scruffy.

But I LOVE them
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. I love their look and the beautiful growl and snarl of the engine.

Am I crazy to shun a more modern lorry in preference for a Bedford?
 
Yup. Parts will be an absolute pain to find
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And if you do find them, they'll cost you an arm and a leg
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Brakes and suspension are not, in general, as good as the more modern lorries.

Happy hunting though if that is what you want
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I understand why you like it. We have one with similarly dissolving cab. we are having it mended. They have disadvantages but they do have strengths.

They are as solid as a rock so they give nervous horses confidence as they dont rattle and rock. They are (the AWD TL not the TK!) easy to drive despite what they look like). They are big enough to be able to safely and legally (depending on fit out) carry a couple of enormous horses or three smaller ones in comfort - most boxes cant do that.

Weve never found parts that expensive, and weve had a few!
My OH refuses to sell ours anyway as he says it is a lot more resilient in tems of starting than more electronic modern boxes.

so you are not mad!
 
I have a bedford and TBH parts are not an issue, people say they are but we have sourced everything we need. I have spoken to a few lorry garages (not horsebox specialists) and they can happilty get parts so I would stick with a bedford. My horse loves his
 
If you wanted to replace your washing machine you wouldn't go & buy a boiler & a mangle would you?

You need to move with the times & when you look for another lorry go for as new a model as you can afford. It will be cheaper in the long run & there will be no issue over getting replacement parts & having to kep welding up problems.
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Had a Bedford up until last year - was given a MAN chassis cab so swapped box over - Bedford was extremely reliable and the small parts I did need like gaskets etc were never a problem to get hold of.

Have to say though the MAN is lovely and a darned sight quicker than our old TL (old 4 speed non turbo!)
 
I have a 30 year old Bedford and have no problems getting parts for her. Remember the British army are still using Bedfords. You will have more problems getting parts for modern vehicles such as Iveco's and Eurocargo's than Bedfords as Bedfords parts are almost standard for their entire production range. There are a number of specialist Bedford Part spares specialists around the country and if anyone has problems with parts just contact me for a list of them.

Modern commercial vehicles can not be abused as much and left to stand for month on end as a Bedford. Bedfords have no electronic parts in them and once switched off are off unlike modern vehicles. Also Bedfords have plenty of space around the engine and do not require a tilting cab unlike modern commercial vehicles.
 
I have a very very old Bedford (1973) bought to get round the LEZ and I love it solid reliable and never let me down..and Touch wood never had trouble getting parts
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We have always had Bedford Lorries I love the look and old Charm of them
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I have a Bedford TL570, currently off the road
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It was sat for a few years and needs a new floor, however it also needs a new water pump which we are unable to find. Any suggestions on where to get one are welcome!
 
We bought our first horse lorry 2 years ago Bedford (AWD), at her plating last october all she needed was a new headlight £15:00
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I love my little lorry our ponies and my horse all travel well, we have stayed at badminton twice in it and once at blenheim, 2 adults 2 kids and 2 dogs
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Travels really well on the motorways, but now we need to sell it want to do more with my horse and really need something a little bigger for him and something with a little larger living.

For me i'm really gutted it has been a really good starter lorry for us and i love my little Bedford
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Well, I feel much better at my Bedford fever. It seems I am not alone in my appreciation of these grand old machines.

They have so much more heart and character than other trucks.
 
I had a bedford TL AWD and my OH made me sell it and buy a new box.

I so miss that lorry, i scour the ads to see if it is for sale again. I would buy it back in a flash!! it was a G reg, i had it resprayed a beautiful blue and i loved the decals!!
Note to self, never listen to non horsey OH again.......
 
Loved my old TK, until some bar steward stole the gearbox out of it and I found that replacements were like rocking horse sh!t.
Got one eventually, welded it in, and carried on until the uppy downy bits in the engine decided they'd like a change and tried going sideways. Cue big bang, flames, extra ventilation on the block and a tow back home. Paid a local thieving liar to swap the body onto a Leyland, bought the chassis then ended up losing the lot when he didn't complete the job and threatened harm when we asked for it anyway. Turns out the 'recommended' git was the local mafia and we ended up walking away.
I loved driving my bedford, beautifully smooth ride, but I agree with another comment above, move with the times! There are loads of decent trucks out there that go a bit faster up those hills too!
 
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