Here's a video of me heading to the freeway in my 1957 Commer Knocker, not to show my gear changing skills but to let you hear it. Ear plugs are not for show!
I used to work in Ketley in Telford in the 1960s and you could hear these things and the Foden 2-Strokes coming for miles. The garage mechanics I worked with used to run to the double doors and give a round of applause in appreciation of the glorious sounds (not noise !) that they made.
It is a beautiful sound isn't it. I'm from wolverhampton im56 now and remember them as a kid in the 70s i used to go wolverhampton to Sheffield every day in the summer holidays in his AEC. Then in 76 he had a brand new ERF. Oh those memories are so precious
What makes these trucks is the amazing TS3 engine. 3.5 litre 2-stroke horizontally opposed pistons, and an amazing power/weight ratio. 3.5 litre in an articulated truck!!! The mpg is better than what you get today. Made 1954-72. A TS-4 prototype was made, dos search on it on u-tube. If Chrysler never ditched the engine it would have evolved to an even more brilliant engine today. Chrysler wanted to promote their existing range which were vastly inferior to the TS-3. Fools! Who went bust
I'm too young to know these trucks personally, but have heard many stories from older truck drivers. Drivers today whine if the air conditioning isn't cold enough for them, but these trucks could wear you out early by comparison. I've driven Japanese trucks in the far north of WA, which are uncomfortable compared to the likes of Macks and Kenworths. But still good to see not all these antiques are dead
Turns fuel into noise, the byproduct being about 8hp for traction. IIRC The Loy's or maybe Chrystal soft drink company in Melbourne in the 70s had them. We could hear him doing deliveries for an hour before he got to us.
I remember Cranfields the flour merchants had a fleet of these in Ipswich and when they went up crane hill fully laden it was a sound to behold, after about 55yrs i can hear them screaming away now, sweet music.
I remembers the publicity literature boasted that Commer's opposing piston engine was designed to be low profile so that it would occupy less room and could be accomodated under the cab, kind of flat bed engine, Rootes Group owned Commer trucks and vans, lots of those yellow commer vans were used by British Telecome which used smaller 1725 cc rootes engine that was also used in Hillmans and other Rootes cars, including Humber Sceptre, Sunbram Rapier etc etc.
Yes these do sound like the 6-53 and 6-71 Detroit Diesel engines I grew up listening to in the 1950's.We lived a mile from the GM Fisher Body assembly plant in Tarrytown,N.Y.When they were busy,that's the sound you heard day and night for weeks on end.I liked it and still do.I ended up driving trucks and repairing them and eventually anything with a diesel engine.Worked on tugboats with EMD engines which are the biggest that Detroit Diesel made.They had 10.5" pistons and each cylinder had 645 cubic inchs,with 20 cylinders.They sound more like a 4 stroke engine,and turned 900 RPM's.
I didn't know emd was Detroit only reason I reckonized emd is that I work on a tug and I'm a gear head look at a 6-71 for a rat rod project I fell in love with the Detroits and no mileage isn't great but the sound would turn heads and this commers would be great to sounds about the same
You should do the project,but consider the weight of the engine you'll use.For example,the 6-71 weighs approximately 2200 lbs.The 4-71 is about 1800 lbs.The 3-53 is just under 1000 lbs.There's a wealth of info on all of Detroit Diesel engines.Happy motoring to you! Skip Jamison.. Titusville,Florida
Camshaft lubrication and air box draining might be a problem,but maybe not.The early 1970's buses had their 8V-71 engines mounted sideways where one bank was laying almost flat,( horizontal ).
We had a local company that made garage doors I believe and I used to walk to school past the place. They had hundreds of Commers and I used to be lucky enough to be walking past every morning when they came roaring out fully loaded! Amazing growling sound!
Geez, that old Knocker is going faster than any Knocker I ever knew! Don't break or wear out anything in that motor - parts for them no longer exist! I drove one from Geelong to Norseman in Dec 1995, delivering it to the buyer. Man, what a trip that was!! The old girl had no lights, a battery that wouldn't start her when she was hot, and it used 4 litres of oil, and 4 litres of water a day! Then, I got to Caiguna, and the compressor crapped itself - so I drove the last 400 kms with no brakes!
Hi Mr Magoo, Made by Rootes Group, it is a 105hp flat 3 horizontally opposed two stroke diesel with a supercharger, no turbo. First came out late 1954 (England), mine is a 1957 model and they finished about 1971 when Chrysler took the Rootes Group over. Cheers
@@millomweb Two stroke diesels need a supercharger with positive pressure from start up to scavenge. The giant 2 strokes in EMD railway engines have both, in that at low revs it's clutched to the crank, and once above idle the clutch opens with the exhaust gases driving it. A two stroke diesel simply will not function without a supercharger.
@@robertrich663 What type of charger uses both mechanical drive and exhaust gas - screw or centrifuge ? As turbo and supers are different charger types, having one powered either way seems a bit odd.
This takes me back - 40 years in an instant. Our school bus had a TS3 engine. Ours didn't burst into tears on a hill thouugh: one morning, it simply burst. So we all walked back home.
We used to hear those Commer's coming from miles away, which was a good thing for us haystackers, if we heard a V8 sound, it would be the Dodge which carried heaps more bales.
We used Terex TS40 (extended TS24) scrapers for moving coal. Some had the GM 6-110 Detroit diesels which were more reliable than the much bigger Cummins turbo engines.
I can remember going to Peterborough with my dad to collect 7tons of spuds and back to Kent ? it would never stop pulling all the way noise yes very but most lorrys was like that then no creacher comforts you was part of the motor then
Local British company had a fleet of these in late50s -early 60s the engine sound ways reminded of the American truck in the Cannonball US tv series featuring Paul Birch and William Campbell
Noise pollution? Be damned! It's a poorer person who hasn't heard a TS3 giving its all. I remember a small fleet of these hammering past our home when I was a kid. What a magnificent sound!
I must say, I am listening to it on my cheap phone, it doesn't sound that great. I'll try again on good speakers. So jus to be clear. We are talking about an opposed pistons 2 stroke diesel engine, right?
@@xylosfurniture That's correct. The TS3 is a three cylinder, 6 piston opposed piston design with supercharger - all of which made a LOT of noise. Hearing protection would've saved a lot of drivers from long term hearing damage. If quirky engine designs are of interest to you, I suggest doing a google search for this motor and look for a diagram. It's possible a fair amount of my love for this rowdy old motor is due to nostalgia (almost all of these trucks were flogged to death and pensioned off decades ago) but the sound of it accelerating through the gears still gets me every time.
@@tonyking402 I understand why. Do you know why they are not on the road anymore? Surely we can do something about the noise. But there has to be a way they can compete with 4 stroke engines. They are simple and in my experience this means reliable...
My dad used to drive an artic 28 tons gross if I recall correctly and also if I recall correctly the reg LNV (827?) E - saw the other comment about flames from the exhaust- its true!!!! I have seen it going through an unlit village (flat out I guess) and then letting it overrun (of course I was only 4 or 5 at the time and didn't know what overrun was). Happiest days of my life travelling all over with him from the age of about 2 and a half until I went to school then every holiday and weekend
Hi Normy It has an early number 4 Eaton with a 2 speed, g/box is a 4 speed synchro soon to be replaced with an original 5 speed crash box. Glad you like it.
I put heavy sound proofing in mine back in 74 mine was a later model and I had a radio in it too, it never go that hot in the cab loved driving that truck
I have a friend in the UK that has a Commer/Harrington bus with TS3 that used to be used by the GPO at sporting events as a means of relaying scores back so tha they could be broadcast by radio. Hippies had owned it, but much of the original equipment was stillin the overhead lockers, untouched over the years. Reg'd SLO 24 if you want to Google a picture.
Thanks for reply. I have a 1970 Dodge KT900 6-wheeler with 2 x 16500 Eaton 2-speeds on Hendrickson suspension and 5-speed Rootes box. A V8-510 Perkins supplies the sound effects. Nearly finished restoring her.
worked on these as a 19 year old apprentice mechanic. boy was the de-coking with those rifflers some fun. They used to set fire to the hedgerows by blowing out hot carbon on a test run.
jeffbubble I did the decoke on these engines when I was an apprentice too! We had a special tool to get around the exhaust port at the bottom of the cylinder! We knew it needed a decoke when the boost pressure got too high. Great engine and lovely noise eh!
Had a nasty moment when cleaning the oil bath air filter once. I overfilled it and also didn't blow the paraffin out of the filter mesh. The engine ran uncontrolled on the paraffin and oil for a while, frightened the life out of me and lucky not to do any damage!
Hi there. Back in my youth in the UK, (circa 1960's,), Commer trucks, (lorries), were the favourite of bread and pie delivery companies. They were driven by budding Formula 1 drivers who were up at 4:00am, loaded up by 5:00am and round to the shops & cafes by 6:00. I drove a diesel 1954 Land Rover, rag top, ex farm and worked to near death by my father and rescued and rebuilt by myself, eighteen years old at the time. One day, late for work, I had a race with one of these 'knockers', guess who ended up winning? I ended up with a broken crankshaft! 😢
When I was a kid, these were loud. It was a common sound on a quiet night, to hear one of these droning all the way up the steep grade from the coastal plain up Brookton Highway to the crest where the first downhill started. You don't hear the modern trucks reach the first downhill. It is probably a good thing. I imagine a few drivers would have had significant hearing loss by the time they retired.
Used to deafen you going uphill with a good load on if you were a pedestrian. What a racket at 12mph. I was told they were good coming home empty. Fast !. Ecurie Ecosse the Scottish racing team had one at one time I remember. Wonder if it was scrapped.
Hey Phil, I happen to know this man and his amazing truck very well - never heard it running till now! The earplugs are definitely not for show with any 2 stroke diesel - especially the Detroits!! LOL Joe
Phil, Further about my comment last night: holy hell, no-one would get complaints if a Commer, espcially this old girl, coming past my bedroom window at all times! Joe
My dad drove a CommerTS3 rigid for Stewarts Supermarkets in Belfast in the late sixties it had a drawbar trailer for carrying bread you could here it miles away
IPEC had a few of those doing overnighters from Sydney to Melbourne in the 60s, i was driving and old Ford Thames which was bad enough, but the noise of those commer knockers would have been deafening on a trip like that.
My dad drive one of these when I was very young. It had a ts3 but the body was an Austin or Thames Trader. Maybe it was repowered ?? I'll never forget the noise though!
@VolksDragon People weren't big on overdrives in the 50s, very few motorways or good straight long distance roads, more emphasis on using trains rather than trucks for trunk work. And complex multi-speed gearboxes were both bleeding-edge, and expensive. So the emphasis was more on low speed flexibility with a limited number of ratios. You see the same thing with old cars. Take them on a freeway type road and floor the accelerator in top gear and you'll find the valves start to bounce... at 100k!
You'd get no complaints from me if I lived near you. Hell, I'd be hanging out the bedroom window shouting to you to go past again so I can listen to it! lol...
The earmuffs are not for show. I remember truck drivers almost all wearing earmuffs when I was small. Some trucks used to make horrendous amounts of noise. This engine I don't mind. It's sweet as a nut.
Southdown bus co used to have a few TS3 engined coaches for the London to Sussex trip. They were noisy and earned themselves the name of Doodlebugs. I believe that there was a TS4 engine also...with 4 cylinders and 8 pistons. I think that they had Roots blowers to provide supercharging/enhanced scavenging...no relation to Rootes
I used drive was of these 45 years ago and it was great. But the A1 had round bounds so it was slow at is it pulled about, the blower broke and it was no good, was fixed. A great lorry pity , l haven’t seen one recently
@ebu97 No, no, you guys sit in the wrong side of the cab :-) Haven't seen an old Commer on the road over here in Adelaide for at least 20 years, good to still hear one running.
ts3cunningstunt Drove a Commer TS3 in the 60’s (JFC 651F). Engine had to be raced,if you made it work hard at low revs it would wear out in no time and clog the exhaust system up.Could achieve 70 mph in the dead of night on motorway. 11/12 mpg loaded 18 mpg empty. TS4 would have been a winner. I lowered in cab noise by lining with sound deadening material. Loved driving the beast.
das erste mal wo ich den Motor gehört habe war bei der Bundeswehr. M113 Manschaftswagen der USA, Ich war in der Werkstatt beim Millitär und seit dem fazieniert mich der Motor und sein unversechselbarer Sound des 2 Takter
That is awsome, and your somewhere in Vic by the look of it. I am just buying a similiar one, but it will take time to get it fully running. Am also in Melbourne. You just have to love that sound. How about a pic from the front.
There is very little that isn't sheet steel in the cab - there's basically no sound insulation at all; noisy cabs were the norm. My father drove an old Seddon in which, at certain revs, it was impossible for a passenger to hear the driver shouting. Driver comfort (and safety) wasn't considered necessary back then; thinly padded seats basically bolted rigidly to the vehicle and hard suspension meant that running light (especially solo tractor units) they would also give the occupants a good shaking. As a ten year old I remember being catapulted off my seat and hitting the cab roof pretty hard when we drove over some stone setts (where the Midland Red buses used to stop) at around 30mph. Modern commercials are light years different - thank goodness!!
Allways had a soft spot for these compared to a tk bedford they were luxury. Hang a 12 ton trailer on the back and you never really had too many problems with excess power or speed - the speed limit for trucks when these were current was only 40 mph so the low gearing was needed to cope with the weights.
I used to work in Ketley in Telford in the 1960s and you could hear these things and the Foden 2-Strokes coming for miles. The garage mechanics I worked with used to run to the double doors and give a round of applause in appreciation of the glorious sounds (not noise !) that they made.
It is a beautiful sound isn't it. I'm from wolverhampton im56 now and remember them as a kid in the 70s i used to go wolverhampton to Sheffield every day in the summer holidays in his AEC. Then in 76 he had a brand new ERF. Oh those memories are so precious
What makes these trucks is the amazing TS3 engine. 3.5 litre 2-stroke horizontally opposed pistons, and an amazing power/weight ratio. 3.5 litre in an articulated truck!!! The mpg is better than what you get today. Made 1954-72. A TS-4 prototype was made, dos search on it on u-tube. If Chrysler never ditched the engine it would have evolved to an even more brilliant engine today. Chrysler wanted to promote their existing range which were vastly inferior to the TS-3. Fools! Who went bust
Commer "Ditched the TS-4" because they felt that they were _threatened_ by the rapid growth of Commer, so they _had_ to destroy them.
Remember these as a kid. The noise (a kind rattling scream like someone cutting up roofing iron with a chainsaw) was unmistakable.
they love xd-100
😂🫴👍👍
Most two stroke diesels sound remarkably similar. The Detroit Diesel Series 71 and a number of GM designs were similar.
I'm too young to know these trucks personally, but have heard many stories from older truck drivers. Drivers today whine if the air conditioning isn't cold enough for them, but these trucks could wear you out early by comparison. I've driven Japanese trucks in the far north of WA, which are uncomfortable compared to the likes of Macks and Kenworths. But still good to see not all these antiques are dead
Turns fuel into noise, the byproduct being about 8hp for traction.
IIRC The Loy's or maybe Chrystal soft drink company in Melbourne in the 70s had them. We could hear him doing deliveries for an hour before he got to us.
Great memories there mate , had them deliver Loy's in them at Forest Hill , Vic .
great engine design, Honda would turn these into UFO technology today!
I was an owner driver of one of these remarkable beasts in the seventies fantastic sound great economy happy days
I remember Cranfields the flour merchants had a fleet of these in Ipswich and when they went up crane hill fully laden it was a sound to behold, after about 55yrs i can hear them screaming away now, sweet music.
I bet you can never to be forgotten i also remember those lorry along the ipswich quay
I remembers the publicity literature boasted that Commer's opposing piston engine was designed to be low profile so that it would occupy less room and could be accomodated under the cab, kind of flat bed engine, Rootes Group owned Commer trucks and vans, lots of those yellow commer vans were used by British Telecome which used smaller 1725 cc rootes engine that was also used in Hillmans and other Rootes cars, including Humber Sceptre, Sunbram Rapier etc etc.
Yes these do sound like the 6-53 and 6-71 Detroit Diesel engines I grew up listening to in the 1950's.We lived a mile from the GM Fisher Body assembly plant in Tarrytown,N.Y.When they were busy,that's the sound you heard day and night for weeks on end.I liked it and still do.I ended up driving trucks and repairing them and eventually anything with a diesel engine.Worked on tugboats with EMD engines which are the biggest that Detroit Diesel made.They had 10.5" pistons and each cylinder had 645 cubic inchs,with 20 cylinders.They sound more like a 4 stroke engine,and turned 900 RPM's.
I didn't know emd was Detroit
only reason I reckonized emd is that I work on a tug
and I'm a gear head look at a 6-71 for a rat rod project
I fell in love with the Detroits and no mileage isn't great but the sound would turn heads
and this commers would be great to sounds about the same
You should do the project,but consider the weight of the engine you'll use.For example,the 6-71 weighs approximately 2200 lbs.The 4-71 is about 1800 lbs.The 3-53 is just under 1000 lbs.There's a wealth of info on all of Detroit Diesel engines.Happy motoring to you!
Skip Jamison.. Titusville,Florida
It would be interesting to see if a 3-71 would fit on a Commer TS3 it would have to be mounted on its side though.
Camshaft lubrication and air box draining might be a problem,but maybe not.The early 1970's buses had their 8V-71 engines mounted sideways where one bank was laying almost flat,( horizontal ).
And another note to the buses some engines had opposite rotations
We had a local company that made garage doors I believe and I used to walk to school past the place. They had hundreds of Commers and I used to be lucky enough to be walking past every morning when they came roaring out fully loaded! Amazing growling sound!
Westland Garador fleet I guess? They were still being used in the early 70s when I was doing my apprenticeship at Westland Helicopters.
Sweet reminder of a time when you DROVE the truck. Love it much.
Geez, that old Knocker is going faster than any Knocker I ever knew! Don't break or wear out anything in that motor - parts for them no longer exist! I drove one from Geelong to Norseman in Dec 1995, delivering it to the buyer. Man, what a trip that was!! The old girl had no lights, a battery that wouldn't start her when she was hot, and it used 4 litres of oil, and 4 litres of water a day! Then, I got to Caiguna, and the compressor crapped itself - so I drove the last 400 kms with no brakes!
Hi Mr Magoo, Made by Rootes Group, it is a 105hp flat 3 horizontally opposed two stroke diesel with a supercharger, no turbo. First came out late 1954 (England), mine is a 1957 model and they finished about 1971 when Chrysler took the Rootes Group over. Cheers
Why say 'no turbo' ? Of course it hasn't ! It doesn't have a petrol engine either - but you forgot to mention that !
@@millomweb your comment is useless and also pointless so congrats
@@millomweb Two stroke diesels need a supercharger with positive pressure from start up to scavenge. The giant 2 strokes in EMD railway engines have both, in that at low revs it's clutched to the crank, and once above idle the clutch opens with the exhaust gases driving it. A two stroke diesel simply will not function without a supercharger.
@@robertrich663 What type of charger uses both mechanical drive and exhaust gas - screw or centrifuge ? As turbo and supers are different charger types, having one powered either way seems a bit odd.
Opposed piston
Learnt to drive HT in a 57 super charged knocker was a real beauty, ear plugs ear muffs & it still was deafening but a heap of fun.
@ts3cunningstunt
Not normal horizontally opposed (boxer) but opposed piston.
3 cylinders , 6 pistons.
This takes me back - 40 years in an instant. Our school bus had a TS3 engine. Ours didn't burst into tears on a hill thouugh: one morning, it simply burst. So we all walked back home.
For their day they were very powerful and fuel efficient. Noisy but in those days nobody cared about that.
Thanks, glad you like it. It is totally unique to drive and good fun
We used to hear those Commer's coming from miles away, which was a good thing for us haystackers, if we heard a V8 sound, it would be the Dodge which carried heaps more bales.
We used Terex TS40 (extended TS24) scrapers for moving coal. Some had the GM 6-110 Detroit diesels which were more reliable than the much bigger Cummins turbo engines.
When the M1 was being built near where I lived Limmer & Trinidad Lake Asphalt had a fleet of them driving past all day. Great trucks.
Takes me back. Good to see the old girl still revving as freeely (and noisily) as ever.
Our local fire station had a Commer fire engine. You could hear it setting out from the fire station across the fields, especially at night..
my mate had one of these back in the '60s, said it went like stink on the flat, but burst into tears on the hills
I can remember going to Peterborough with my dad to collect 7tons of spuds and back to Kent ? it would never stop pulling all the way noise yes very but most lorrys was like that then no creacher comforts you was part of the motor then
trigger ;-)
Bob Smart how odd is that ...my dad did that trip from Dorset in a flatbed commer ts3 to pick up spuds.
thank you for your story, bob.
Local British company had a fleet of these in late50s -early 60s the engine sound ways reminded of the American truck in the Cannonball US tv series featuring Paul Birch and William Campbell
Noise pollution? Be damned! It's a poorer person who hasn't heard a TS3 giving its all. I remember a small fleet of these hammering past our home when I was a kid. What a magnificent sound!
I must say, I am listening to it on my cheap phone, it doesn't sound that great. I'll try again on good speakers.
So jus to be clear. We are talking about an opposed pistons 2 stroke diesel engine, right?
@@xylosfurniture That's correct. The TS3 is a three cylinder, 6 piston opposed piston design with supercharger - all of which made a LOT of noise. Hearing protection would've saved a lot of drivers from long term hearing damage.
If quirky engine designs are of interest to you, I suggest doing a google search for this motor and look for a diagram.
It's possible a fair amount of my love for this rowdy old motor is due to nostalgia (almost all of these trucks were flogged to death and pensioned off decades ago) but the sound of it accelerating through the gears still gets me every time.
@@tonyking402 I understand why. Do you know why they are not on the road anymore? Surely we can do something about the noise. But there has to be a way they can compete with 4 stroke engines. They are simple and in my experience this means reliable...
My dad used to drive an artic 28 tons gross if I recall correctly and also if I recall correctly the reg LNV (827?) E - saw the other comment about flames from the exhaust- its true!!!! I have seen it going through an unlit village (flat out I guess) and then letting it overrun (of course I was only 4 or 5 at the time and didn't know what overrun was). Happiest days of my life travelling all over with him from the age of about 2 and a half until I went to school then every holiday and weekend
Hi Normy
It has an early number 4 Eaton with a 2 speed, g/box is a 4 speed synchro soon to be replaced with an original 5 speed crash box. Glad you like it.
some had the 2 speed rear axle they could reach a mind blowing 80 MPH sorry for the pun
I put heavy sound proofing in mine back in 74 mine was a later model and I had a radio in it too, it never go that hot in the cab loved driving that truck
I have a friend in the UK that has a Commer/Harrington bus with TS3 that used to be used by the GPO at sporting events as a means of relaying scores back so tha they could be broadcast by radio. Hippies had owned it, but much of the original equipment was stillin the overhead lockers, untouched over the years. Reg'd SLO 24 if you want to Google a picture.
Thanks for reply. I have a 1970 Dodge KT900 6-wheeler with 2 x 16500 Eaton 2-speeds on Hendrickson suspension and 5-speed Rootes box. A V8-510 Perkins supplies the sound effects. Nearly finished restoring her.
Sounds very interesting … you might consider doing a walk-around of it on TH-cam
Just beautiful. I spent many hours driving a Commer tipper plus our transporter transporting diggers around. Just loved driving them.
Beautiful sound!!!
I shall never forget the Commercial coal delivery wagon with the roar and whistle between gear changes
Commer not Commercial.
Commer is short for commercial
@@MattyC62185 i didnt know that
@@paulnicholls8683 Yes it was short for commercial cars limited which was the name of the company
Always sounded better outside than in! I remember the little mirror and the hand signal lever. Ahh the memories
worked on these as a 19 year old apprentice mechanic. boy was the de-coking with those rifflers some fun. They used to set fire to the hedgerows by blowing out hot carbon on a test run.
+jeffbubble
Damn, hahah!
I'm 19 :P
jeffbubble I did the decoke on these engines when I was an apprentice too! We had a special tool to get around the exhaust port at the bottom of the cylinder! We knew it needed a decoke when the boost pressure got too high. Great engine and lovely noise eh!
Konrad think they were officially called 'Rifflers' when you went on a test run the vehicle would set fire to the grass!
We installed the marine Version into Workingtons Pilot Boat - what a sound over water!
Had a nasty moment when cleaning the oil bath air filter once. I overfilled it and also didn't blow the paraffin out of the filter mesh. The engine ran uncontrolled on the paraffin and oil for a while, frightened the life out of me and lucky not to do any damage!
Great sound, i love it
Hi there. Back in my youth in the UK, (circa 1960's,), Commer trucks, (lorries), were the favourite of bread and pie delivery companies. They were driven by budding Formula 1 drivers who were up at 4:00am, loaded up by 5:00am and round to the shops & cafes by 6:00. I drove a diesel 1954 Land Rover, rag top, ex farm and worked to near death by my father and rescued and rebuilt by myself, eighteen years old at the time. One day, late for work, I had a race with one of these 'knockers', guess who ended up winning? I ended up with a broken crankshaft! 😢
A TS3 in a coach was good for 18 mpg so I've been told. Not bad for a 41 seater.
When I was a kid, these were loud. It was a common sound on a quiet night, to hear one of these droning all the way up the steep grade from the coastal plain up Brookton Highway to the crest where the first downhill started. You don't hear the modern trucks reach the first downhill. It is probably a good thing. I imagine a few drivers would have had significant hearing loss by the time they retired.
Used to deafen you going uphill with a good load on if you were a pedestrian. What a racket at 12mph. I was told they were good coming home empty. Fast !. Ecurie Ecosse the Scottish racing team had one at one time I remember. Wonder if it was scrapped.
+Crobular I Not scrapped... They flogged it for £1.6 million! Search for "Ecurie Ecosse Commer", a video of it is on TH-cam.
Hey Phil,
I happen to know this man and his amazing truck very well - never heard it running till now! The earplugs are definitely not for show with any 2 stroke diesel - especially the Detroits!! LOL
Joe
Kept waiting to hear the shift to another gear.
Phil,
Further about my comment last night: holy hell, no-one would get complaints if a Commer, espcially this old girl, coming past my bedroom window at all times!
Joe
Albion had 6 speed overdrive constant mesh gear box's from
the early nineteen fifties good for 55mph at 2400 governor speed on the 7 ton Chieftain.
My dad drove a CommerTS3 rigid for Stewarts Supermarkets in Belfast in the late sixties it had a drawbar trailer for carrying bread you could here it miles away
a great engine indeed
IPEC had a few of those doing overnighters from Sydney to Melbourne in the 60s, i was driving and old Ford Thames which was bad enough, but the noise of those commer knockers would have been deafening on a trip like that.
It does have a "ring a ding ding" 2 stroke quality like a Bantam or MZ motorcycle probably because like those it is piston ported.
Those engines seem to go really well ! 👍
Pure music. Great memories.
I remember these well
As a kid you heard em screaming around!
good job in wearig ear plugs, two stroke diesel and gas engines are really loud. excellent video.
Heavenly sound. Love it thanks for sharing.
Wow, that's awsome sounding.. loud for sure. Like the 2 stroke Detroit's here, seem to be getting slim.
😂😂😂 reminds me of my Dad's DKW Junior 3 cylinder 2 stroke, that little car was fast! 😂😂😂
Love the ear plugs.
My dad drive one of these when I was very young. It had a ts3 but the body was an Austin or Thames Trader. Maybe it was repowered ?? I'll never forget the noise though!
yes, I heard that- on the over run they would de-carbonise themselves throwing out all bits of glowing soot
drove a commer with bogie trailer tipper for pioneer concrete 1974,slow,hot and noisy.
That gave my subwoofer a workout!
@VolksDragon People weren't big on overdrives in the 50s, very few motorways or good straight long distance roads, more emphasis on using trains rather than trucks for trunk work. And complex multi-speed gearboxes were both bleeding-edge, and expensive. So the emphasis was more on low speed flexibility with a limited number of ratios. You see the same thing with old cars. Take them on a freeway type road and floor the accelerator in top gear and you'll find the valves start to bounce... at 100k!
You'd get no complaints from me if I lived near you. Hell, I'd be hanging out the bedroom window shouting to you to go past again so I can listen to it! lol...
He wouldnt've heard you shouting if you were sitting in the cab next to him lol
somewhat sounds like a 6v92 detroit
The earmuffs are not for show. I remember truck drivers almost all wearing earmuffs when I was small. Some trucks used to make horrendous amounts of noise.
This engine I don't mind. It's sweet as a nut.
Had a Commer myself in the early 70s , used it as surf wagon
Best sounding lorry on the road.
Southdown bus co used to have a few TS3 engined coaches for the London to Sussex trip. They were noisy and earned themselves the name of Doodlebugs. I believe that there was a TS4 engine also...with 4 cylinders and 8 pistons. I think that they had Roots blowers to provide supercharging/enhanced scavenging...no relation to Rootes
you are correct they had this engine in an 4 cylinder version on trial but was not used
Lovely sound 🔊
I used to drive a Foden 2 stroke back in the 70s, It’s an absolute miracle that my hearing is still fine, eh what’s that? what did he say?🤣
its like a twisted cousin of the detroit diesel
must have been a pleasure to drive 600 miles a day lol
notice the ear plugs...........totally essential!
Rev that bastard! Love it !!
Music! Bloody Music!
Sounds as if the big ends are knackered...
I recognise the sound too well, the old school bus.
Liking the drivers earplugs
A very distinct sound....... nice
I used drive was of these 45 years ago and it was great. But the A1 had round bounds so it was slow at is it pulled about, the blower broke and it was no good, was fixed. A great lorry pity , l haven’t seen one recently
great an australian TS3 vid
That's a BEAST! Good on you for running it.
What a beast.
Am curious to know , there were Commer Trucks used as tractors to haul trailers, what was the load these TS3 powered Commers were capable of ?
That's a coincidence - so does mine!! Thanks for the comment.
You truckers back in the day.... This thing on the motorway for hours would break me
@ebu97 No, no, you guys sit in the wrong side of the cab :-) Haven't seen an old Commer on the road over here in Adelaide for at least 20 years, good to still hear one running.
That's all she had mate, 2400 revs at 80km/h
ts3cunningstunt Drove a Commer TS3 in the 60’s (JFC 651F). Engine had to be raced,if you made it work hard at low revs it would wear out in no time and clog the exhaust system up.Could achieve 70 mph in the dead of night on motorway. 11/12 mpg loaded 18 mpg empty. TS4 would have been a winner. I lowered in cab noise by lining with sound deadening material. Loved driving the beast.
Yes but they could pull a stud bull off it’s dam.
das erste mal wo ich den Motor gehört habe war bei der Bundeswehr. M113 Manschaftswagen der USA, Ich war in der Werkstatt beim Millitär und seit dem fazieniert mich der Motor und sein unversechselbarer Sound des 2 Takter
You are on the wrong side of the road. Loved the video, thanks.
Sounds like Detroit Diesel.
DieselPowerFinland a bit like a 3-71 or 3-53 detroit.
@TahreyUK Thanks for the explanation! (And you got me to watch this again)
The "what" was knocker Commers dragging their loads long loud and slowly up a long hill.
That is awsome, and your somewhere in Vic by the look of it. I am just buying a similiar one, but it will take time to get it fully running. Am also in Melbourne. You just have to love that sound. How about a pic from the front.
An equivalent to a screaming Detroit
Sounds like a 53 series Detroit 2 stroke.
fantastic 10 stars
I am wondering why it is so noisy in the cab. It had a flat underfloor engine, surely not difficult to insulate the noise under the floor.
There is very little that isn't sheet steel in the cab - there's basically no sound insulation at all; noisy cabs were the norm. My father drove an old Seddon in which, at certain revs, it was impossible for a passenger to hear the driver shouting.
Driver comfort (and safety) wasn't considered necessary back then; thinly padded seats basically bolted rigidly to the vehicle and hard suspension meant that running light (especially solo tractor units) they would also give the occupants a good shaking. As a ten year old I remember being catapulted off my seat and hitting the cab roof pretty hard when we drove over some stone setts (where the Midland Red buses used to stop) at around 30mph. Modern commercials are light years different - thank goodness!!
The sign in the background says Yass Canberra .. where's this truck based.
Allways had a soft spot for these compared to a tk bedford they were luxury. Hang a 12 ton trailer on the back and you never really had too many problems with excess power or speed - the speed limit for trucks when these were current was only 40 mph so the low gearing was needed to cope with the weights.