ERF DUMPTRUCKS

With their shared ancestry it is not surprising that Foden and ERF had many common strands. Edwin Richard Foden was a son of the founder of Fodens Ltd, where he worked until retirement. In 1933 he went back into business with his own diesel lorry just as the old company was entering the same field. Foden was a manufacturer through and through, whilst ERF believed in specifying the best and lightest components at the best price from outside suppliers. Though Foden made its own two-stroke diesels from 1940-70s, it actually relied on Gardner for most sales. ERF, going down the same premium route but from a different direction also preferred Gardner, as did their close rival Atkinson.

There were three schools of thought about tippers. You bought the cheapest mass-produced Commer, Bedford, Ford, Morris, Dodge or Austin and ran it into the ground, or you went for something with reserves of strength that withstood the hard life and was worth maintaining and upgrading. The third school favoured ex-military vehicles for off-road use as they were cheap and expendable.

The cheap and cheerful