Bedfords haulin the Hume

August 27 was the date for what was perhaps the biggest truck-based road run ever seen in Australia to date. More than 140 vehicles ran the old portions of the Hume highway from just outside Sydney, over 'Razorback', through the 'hole in the wall' and on to Yass.

The superlatives have all been used by everyone who was there and those who have seen the photos online so I won't go on about it too much. However, every superlative used doesn't come close to the camaraderie and good times that were had.

The next run is scheduled for 2013 and interest in attending has already been received by the organisers. My one disappointment was that there were no big British trucks - the Leylands, AECs etc - on the run. That will change for the next one. This year, however, the Bedfords carried the flag!

50 years of Bedford advertising

Decades after the last truck to wear the Bedford name rolled off the production line not only do we still see them working on farms, and even on the streets adding some class to a modern world, but they still appear in ads on TV and in print. It seems companies that like to promote their product as 'natural' and 'farm-grown' lean towards a Bedford as the truck of choice. No argument here.

So, here we have an a trade ad from 1961 promoting the sense in buying Bedford and, as a small indication of the popularity and continuing appeal of the make, a current ad featuring a J1. Whether it's 1961 or 2011, you really do see them everywhere.

A new lease of life for this J2

Several months ago, an advertisement appeared on the HCVC of Australia’s forum for a 1961 J2. In good condition, as affirmed by the photos included with the details, the truck was said to be complete and running although on that latter point she wasn’t perfect. Last licensed in May 2010, here was the perfect opportunity for a good Bedford to find a home.

Enter Jeff Smith. Jeff lives near where the truck was laid up – Dandenong South, a south-eastern suburb of Melbourne – and it was love at first sight. Bought on his 21st wedding anniversary, Jeff’s new truck was about to be put to work doing what she does best. First, though, she required a bit of work herself.

Finding himself bitten by the love bug, Jeff didn’t waste any time getting back down to the Beddy and firing her up. As the ad had said, she ran a bit rough but after a “muck about with the timing”, there was some improvement. A further visit was very productive with the Beddy receiving a new set of plugs, fuel drained from her carburetor and filter bowl and 20 litres of premium fuel in her tank. Quite the birthday but, really, don’t all Bedfords deserve that sort of treatment?

Jeff also reset the points gap and set the timing right. The result? “Running like a Swiss watch”! The brakes have also been sorted so she now pulls up straight.

While Beddies in general are pretty intoxicating, this little J2 has proven even more so for Jeff as he realised it is the same model as the truck he first ‘drove’ at the age of eight when carting hay!

As you can see from the photos, the body was cut down once there were no takers for it complete. This was done after Jeff got the truck home. The Bedford has also found a fan in Jeff’s son.

“Watching him drive it, I’m not sure who had the biggest grin on their mug, me or him!”, said Jeff.

“He did alright too, although the re-entry into the farm was a bit quick but he kept it shiny side up!” The drive home was not without its drama either with a small electrical fire under the dash proving a challenge as Jeff was “singing” along at 40mph.

Another challenge faced the Beddy at her new home with enough hay cut to make 1,000 small square bales. It could be argued the J2’s power proved too much for Jeff’s father-in-law as he kept launching bales over Jeff’s head and back into the paddock but it was simply because he hadn’t used a bale elevator before – second gear and 1500 rpm is a bit too much! Having said that, the Beddy did get a load of 60 bales in 10 minutes!

Above: first load for the J2. Note the bale under the front axle - a product of Jeff's father-in-law launching bales off the elevator!

Despite being a joy to operate, the J2 still has some issues to overcome. Jeff discovered the float wire pivot mounted upside-down which was causing flooding at idle and “pops and farts” under load besides over-fueling/plug fouling. Jeff’s last words about the J2 before I wrote this story were “we got 600 bales in yesterday before the rain beat us.”

Above: a few loads in the shed and the J2 is ready for more.

Can’t keep a good Beddy down.Thanks to Jeff for the details and photos. If you know of any working Bedfords (or any Bedford!) and reckon they are worth a story, please let me know.

Above and below: Oh yes, Jeff found the original delivery slip in the glove box! The original owner a Mr TA Seiffert of Leopold, Victoria (just SSE of Geelong). The truck's serial number is J2LC2/96658/M. Can't quite make out the dealer - it looks like Esler & Belton Motors of Geelong.