The Classic Machinery Network

newbie to site.... after buying a interesting restoration project i hit a brick wall and can not find infomation to restor my 3 wheel dumper. the engine is a petter ava1 so the info on that is readaly avalable. the dumper is a percy bilton ltd if any one could point me in the right direction to gain pics of one restored i would be so greatfull. many thanks....

Hi Marcus, welcome to CMN I am sure that somebody on here may be able to help you.

Jeremy

Bump, no one seen one? It looks like a late 50s or learly 60s, guess only.

m.p.thompson wrote:newbie to site.... after buying a interesting restoration project i hit a brick wall and can not find infomation to restor my 3 wheel dumper. the engine is a petter ava1 so the info on that is readaly avalable. the dumper is a percy bilton ltd if any one could point me in the right direction to gain pics of one restored i would be so greatfull. many thanks....

Hi Marcus,
When I read your post I thought "that's not right, Percy Bilton was a builder/property developer"
Still think that but having done a bit Googling e.t.c I can only find reference to Percy Bilton's charitable works and almshouses e.t.c., but the available information does suggest that he had his finger in many pies!
Is it possible that your dumper was owned by one of Percy Biltons's firms rather than built by one? If it has an id plate does it suggest that it is a manufacturer's plate or could it be a plant register of fleet number?
In the mid 60s I worked for a heavy transport and crane hire company and at the back of my mind there is a thought that we used to do work for Percy Biltons, but time has passed!!!!
Don't give up - there is going to be someone out there who knows!
Best regards
Angus

many thanks for your research and time i had done a little myself but couldnt find very much. but now you have shon new light on it a think you maybe right with it being a fleet no plate many thanks for taking the time to post that. i will try add a pic of the plate

the Dumper looks like a Thwaites 1 Tonner they came out in the early 1950s they had no gears only forward and reverse
clutches and drive chains. very cheap to build and maintain. I was about 15/16 years old and drove one for a firm called Tileman and Co Ltd in the Tunnel Cement Works , West Thurrock, Essex. Percy Bilton was a Civil Engineering
company, They did a Lot of ground work and sewers They also done Housebuilding in the Home counties. I have seen
one of these Dumpers on a web site I will see if I can locate it for you.
Regards, Brian Crowther.

Yes looks like one of the very first Thwaites. Their's one in the 'Earthmoving Vehicles' book but I can't find mine at the mo!
I'd say the plate was the owning company plant no.

I think this is a photo of the same model Thwaites, restored, and in the original red livery.
Fred

Some years ago i was commissioned by Thwaites to make a model of this 30cwt dumper for a retiring employee ... i got the measurements from one that was renovated by Leech Lewis .. i believe the dumper was made in 1955.

Martyn

Hi
I've just joined the site. I have an early thwaites 3 wheeler with a shuttle box which is un-restored and still in use on our farm. If you need any photos or want to see it, let me know...