Page 69 - It's a Rum Life Book 3 "Ivy House Tales 1970 to 1984"
P. 69
It's Wonderbun again.......
FJK 140 GOES TO DAGENHAM
A few months had passed and due to some international problem the Ford Tractor Factory
at Dagenham in Essex was short of tractor tyres to fit on the hundreds of brand new
tractors they were producing every day.
A close friend and co member of our local “Town Hall” management committee, Ivor Bush,
who was one of the largest tyre retailers in the County had been asked by Ford if he could
help out.
Not only was he one of the largest tyre retailers in Lincolnshire, but he was the largest
local clients of tyre manufacturer Good Year, add to this, the fact that Lincolnshire is the
largest agricultural county in the UK.
Ivor had access to Good Year tractor tyres through his wholesale/retail trade account;
access which Ford could not get at,
as their account with Good year was
purely for ‘original equipment’
supply.
Ivor Bush agreed to supply Ford
with as many as he could of the
sizes of tractor tyres that they
needed.
We were one of the local haulage
companies Ivor called upon to
deliver the tyres from his base at
Horncastle to Ford at Dagenham.
Herbert Epton, of ‘wonderbun’ fame
was the other haulier.
Ford worked their factory 24 hours
every day and our first delivery was
to be on a Sunday morning.
On the Saturday, we loaded with tyres front and rear
and large and small, with all the inner tubes stacked
down the middles. Ford had their own tyre fitting
department on site at the factory.
Michael came with me for the experience and chance
to look around the factory.
‘Wonderbun’ made the trip without a hitch, it was just
on the return journey on Sunday afternoon we
encountered a problem.
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