Anyone know what this is?

[562C]

The back section swings underneathe the frame on it's own circle, I should have taken better pics but I was in a hurry when I saw it.

 

[Nige]

It's a good old Ambling b*****d ....... (aka Aveling Barford). I did my apprenticeship with them. A-B graders did not have an articulation hitch like most but pivoted the rear bogie using the hyd. cylinders seen in the 3rd photo. It's an AWD (6 x 6) but someone has disconnected the front driveline and turned it into a 6 x 4. A shame really because by god those things could pull. What it'll probably do now is spin the rears with those narrow tyres on it.

Tell me what engine it has in it and if the transmission is powershift or manual and I'll tell you what model it is.

 

[562C]

Didn't recognize the engine, 6 cylinder, in line pump, turbo.
Can't tell you what trans it has.
Didn't get up in the machine.....

 

[CatGrader]

It's a good old Ambling b*****d ....... (aka Aveling Barford). I did my apprenticeship with them. A-B graders did not have an articulation hitch like most but pivoted the rear bogie using the hyd. cylinders seen in the 3rd photo. It's an AWD (6 x 6) but someone has disconnected the front driveline and turned it into a 6 x 4. A shame really because by god those things could pull. What it'll probably do now is spin the rears with those narrow tyres on it.

Tell me what engine it has in it and if the transmission is powershift or manual and I'll tell you what model it is.

Jesus Nige your on the ball. I remember back in the sixties when I was a kid, And I asked my father what sort of Grader is that. And he said to me.....Its an Ambling b*****d there a heap of tish lol...... funny that. ( by the way we always use Cats )

 

[Nige]

A-B's were a bit like Poclain excavators. You needed maintenance staff who were on the ball and knew how to look after them to get the best out of them, but back in the day they were the only 6-wheel drive grader on the market. The SG (Super Grader) used solid steel bar for the frame instead of the hollow section used by the lighter models. It was amazing to watch the press in the Plate shop bending those bars, even after they'd been heated in an oven it still used to make it creak a bit I can tell you. I spent 2 weeks once during a summer shut-down scraping in the crankshaft bearings for the water pump that ran that press (yes it was a hydraulic press using water as the fluid, not oil). Happy days ..........

The SG weighed in at about 21 tonnes and used an 8V-71 GM engine for power. Thinking back to the early/mid-70's a Cat 16 wouldn't even look at some of the work an SG could handle.

The one in the photos looms like an MG, the "lighter" 6 x 6 machine. Depending on its age it could have either a Leyland 680 or a Scania engine in it. This one looks fairly recent as it has a ROPS, so most probably a Scania. The transmission would be an Allison.

562C - Go back some time and have a better look if you can. The Serial Number plate should be on the LH side of the frame somewhere close to the cab door.

 

[562C]

NOT an 8V71, that I would recognize. I'll get back and have a look, but it might be a while.

 

[MagnetGenerator]

It's a good old Ambling b*****d ....... (aka Aveling Barford). I did my apprenticeship with them. A-B graders did not have an articulation hitch like most but pivoted the rear bogie using the hyd. cylinders seen in the 3rd photo. It's an AWD (6 x 6) but someone has disconnected the front driveline and turned it into a 6 x 4. A shame really because by god those things could pull. What it'll probably do now is spin the rears with those narrow tyres on it.

Wow Nige - You really know what your talking about. What is your experience with them?

We specialize in Magnetic Generators.

 

[LakeRat1]

I was wondering if this Rig The AB is any kin to the Old Autin Western Grader that i Operated Back in the early 60s, it didn't have a tamden rear drive, but the Front wheels pulled & you could steer both the front & rear, it Had a UD 14 Int. Engine, it was a good old grader, you could get in tight places with it, what makes me wonder about if these Machines are Kin is the front of the AB looks just like the front of the AW, Just wondering

 

[562C]

Wow. Just looked at the pictures of the Austin western on the steering box thread. I'll bet they shared the front axle. Look at the pictures in the 2 threads that are taken of the front end from the back side.

 

[Nige]

Aveling Barford AFAIK bought out either part of Austin Western or some of the patents that Austin Western had developed. A-B also had a 4 x 4 grader with a single axle at the rear instead of a tandem. But that was before my time, I'm only going on heresay and vague memories of conversations that took place about 40 years ago.

 

[LakeRat1]

I wonder when they quite making the Austin Western Graders? I know back in the Late 50s Austin Western was making Cherry Pickers, did Gallon Buy them out, i know for the next 30 or so years you would see Gallon pickers on lots of Job Sites,

 

[Nige]

Aveling Barford AFAIK bought out either part of Austin Western or some of the patents that Austin Western had developed. A-B also had a 4 x 4 grader with a single axle at the rear instead of a tandem. But that was before my time, I'm only going on heresay and vague memories of conversations that took place about 40 years ago.

Update. Aveling-Barford manufactured Austin-Western graders for sale in the UK & the British Commonwealth under license from A-W from 1950-1973, replacing the engine used in the US with a British-built Leyland. They started with the A-W 99H and then also manufactured the Super 500. A-W was taken over by Clark equipment in 1971. A-B continued manufacturing graders under their own name until 1999.

 

[CatGrader]

Nige Im not sure but I think some of them over here in oz had Gardiner Engines in them. And they had a 4x4 model to for memory. But I stand corrected it was a long time ago.

 

[CatGrader]

Yep they did Nige it's a Aveling Barford based on the American Austin-Western 100 series “Pacer” this 4x4 model from around 1967.

 

[Nige]

Gardners would be before my time with A-B, although I remember 6LW and 6LX Gardners in trucks like Fodens & ERFs'. I remember their adverts like it was yesterday - "L. Gardner, the Great British Diesel. Patricroft, Manchester". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Gardner_and_Sons

I only remember A-B graders with Leylands of varying models (the 680 was common) and Detroits.

 

[oldtom]

we had one in the salt in wa just out of carnarvon have a cummins 335 in it but run alot of 350 so the two had to meet ripper on the rear

 

[Dwan Hall]

Here is a 1963 Austin Western super 300 to compare. The Austin Western Pacer model only had 1 rear axle unlike there Super model.

 

[mitch504]

Hey Dwan, my 1963 Super 366 came with a blade where yours has that bare cylinder hanging out, in case you didn't know what that's for.

Seriously, that is one sweet restoration, and when you get ready to do another, I'll trade you one just like it in "unrestored" condition, so you won't run out of something to do.

 

[Dwan Hall]

Here is why I am missing that part that is suspose to be under the grader.
Had to remove it to fix this.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . I seem to remember some of the early DRMCO graders had phased cylinders like that for the circle turn . . . I thought it was a pretty neato setup.

Cheers.