Joseph Lewis discovers a newly restored 1964 Bedford TK tipper at this year's Bath & West Country Festival.
The Bath & West Country Festival 2021 was held over the August Bank Holiday weekend (27th-29th), and replaced the usual Royal Bath & West Show for one year only. A newly created layout included the regular and enjoyable commercial vehicle class with knowledgeable and helpful section leaders, John and June Coakes.
One of the commercial vehicle stars was a newly restored 1964 Bedford TK tipper lorry owned by Dean Wareham from Poole, in Dorset. Dean acquired the TK from a haulage contractor in Frome, Somerset, with the original owner believed to be a construction company in Wiltshire, where the tipper was used as a gritter, complete with a front-mounted snow plough.
The TK was purchased in poor condition. The third cab in the lorry’s life required a new skin and the sides on the tipping body were re-made. Interestingly, this TK is designated a KHTC model, with the uprated features of the Leyland 400 four-cylinder engine and Turner five-speed gearbox with the Eaton two-speed axle. There is also the unusual eight-stud wheels, instead of the more often seen six-stud versions running on 900 x 20 tyres, plus a striking bull-bar attachment.
Plated for 13-tonne GVW, this TK has always been an underfloor ram tipper, though the original colour would have been green when working for the construction company. Dean favoured the appearance of Oxford Blue.
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