Essential repairs August 2026.

​After 62 years of almost uninterrupted use, 240FLM, as you would expect, was in need of a little “TLC”!  During the early part of this year, it was becoming clear that the hydraulic hoses, of which there are many, were on the whole starting to show their age as was the now very smelly and loud exhaust system that runs from under the engine cover, inside the front cab, down through the myriad of mechanical parts and arrives under the front offside of the appliance, site of the silencer box.
As a group, we always knew this day would eventually arrive so the hunt recently started to locate companies, reasonably near Romford, professional, clearly experienced enough to trust with our old girl and at the right price.
For the hydraulic hoses, our search landed at a lovely little company down in sunny Essex, not far from Southend, home of the Kurzal, Ice Cream and the longest pier in the UK!
And so it was that on a bright, sunny and very hot August day, 240FLM was handed over to Leigh Baxter Hydraulics and into the capable hands of our assigned engineers, Nick & Jordan at a farm very near to Southend for the work to be undertaken.
Leigh Baxter have over 100 years of combined experience and were formed in 1977 so they clearly know their business.
The initial works could only include the multitude of hoses situated within the fulcrum frame upon which the ladder sections are bolted and the whole assembly then sits on the top of the chassis and bodywork. A daunting task indeed given that little space exists in the fulcrum frame and grazed knuckles must be a regular occurrence.  There are a variety of hydraulic hoses located underneath the appliance mainly supplying the oil to the ladder rams and turntable control systems which are also scheduled for replacement, however, with several imminent commitments, there was only sufficient time to replace the ones “up top”. The remainder will be replaced once the groups busy schedule calms down in a few weeks.
As will be evident from the photos, the farmyard provided many benefits for the work, easy access, plenty of space, haybales to serve as props which being soft would alleviate any risk of damage to the underside of the main ladder section and, no one around to hear the swearing when spanners were dropped or knuckles grazed.!
 Further into August and after a couple of pre booked commitments, the next costly replacement element, the exhaust system. It is the original and also now beyond repair.  This time, our search arrived, also in Essex, at the friendly little company, Hayward Scott in Basildon.
After a full discussion and assessment by Ian, the owner of Hayward Scott, it was agreed that the job would be theirs. The brief, a full, stainless steel replacement complete system from the engine to the final mounting point under the front of the appliance and also to be made to look as close as possible like the original to maintain the authenticity of 240FLM.
The pictures do in fact tell the story far better than words so on behalf of the group, we would like to say a huge thankyou to both Leigh Baxter Hydraulics and Hayward Scott Fabrication for their superb skill and professionalism and understanding of what we are about.
 
Since the formation of our little group in 2014, about 50% of the membership has continued to pay a small monthly subscription, this subscription, and a notable few large donations, have enabled us to undertake these essential maintenance tasks. The group were absolutely determined that 240FLM WOULD be maintained irrespective of the costs and to all those who have, and continue to contribute, the results are here to be seen. Your contributions have enabled us to spend just over £4,300 on these essential maintenance items.
In closing, if you are interested in getting involved and are either serving or retired LFB and would be willing to contribute less than the cost of a “Big Mac Meal” per month, why not get in touch. We don’t bite, we all speak the same old rubbish from round the mess table and are all getting older, rapidly!  Young firefighting blood is very welcome, especially if you drive HGV’s and fancy the challenge of driving an iconic vehicle, and a challenge it is!

Please note that all images are copyright protected to the 240FLM TL Preservation Group.

The hydraulic hose replacements.

The Exhaust and Silencer works.