GPO Vehicles

Make	Commer
Model	2500 (PB)
Type	15 cwt Utility Vehicle Type 4 (Commer)
Body Builder
Use	General Utility
Registration Number
Fleet Number
Date of picture	1970

The Commer 15 cwt utility vehicle was used by an assortment of groups, from Subscriber installation to Fitting and those operations that use a small amount of heavy plant, like Jointers.  The vehicle was basic with three front seats and a side opening door.  Due to the front wheels being further inward than the rear wheels the handling was interesting and this positioning also made changing a front wheel difficult.  On an emergency stop the rear wheels could also lift off the ground if the vehicle was unladen.  Maintenance wise, the front suspension had a habit of seizing up and the bushes were horrible things to remove.  Because of this the GPO mechanics were always greasing these up.

Note the handbrake to the right of the drivers seat, which was the Rootes Group standard practice.  The handbrake operated on the front wheels and rumour has it that early vehicles had a habit of sliding downhill when the handbrake was connected to the rear wheels!

The Postal side used diesels which were very noisy as they were just under the central seat, but the Engineering side used petrol engines which were a lot quieter.

The 2500cc engine was adequate for the vehicle, but when the restyled body of the Dodge Spacevan was introduced the engine was changed to a 1750cc unit, which was not quite up to the job, if the vehicle was fully loaded.  On the plus side the Spacevan had a slightly upgraded cab.

Click here for the Jointers version - TI J2 A6201