Lol. I never got to drive any of those trucks, but my dad had an F86 with a rear mount knuckle boom on it. We also had a second F86 with a dumpster lift on it.
I grew up in those trucks with my dad and my grandfather behind the wheel.
Oldest truck I ever had myself was a 1976 Bedford TK, wide fender style, 3 way dump and front mounted knuckle boom. Bought it from an oldtimer that treated me like I was his own son. That truck had been babied from day one, and was in great working condition. Perkins Diesel, no turbo. It was slow, but moved at pretty much the same speed fully loaded or empty. Lol. Short wheelbase which made it perfect for getting into peoples yards in the older neighborhoods.
There is a moving company in my hometown, a buddy of mine still works there, and they had an F89 tractor in service until about 10-15 years ago. Wouldn’t be surprised if it still has plates on it, and is occasionally used. They sent my buddy to Finland in that truck in the early 2000’s, and everywhere he stopped the old guys would flock around him getting all nostalgic and teary eyed. Lol
There was also a version called G, instead of F, and it had the front axle pretty much at the front bumper. Specialty model to get around some of the axle load allowances in certain areas. Mostly because of bridges, I believe.
Looked very similar to a lot of the older COE’s here in the US, with the steps behind the front wheel.
