The Leyland 262 was one of the models in the Leyland tractor range that British Leyland created after the 1968 merger of BMC and Leyland Motors. Built at Bathgate in Scotland, it was part of the line that succeeded the Nuffield tractors and remained on sale until 1982.
Leyland 262 at a glance
| Maker | Leyland Tractors, British Leyland |
|---|---|
| Model | 262, one of the models in the Leyland tractor range |
| Created | 1968, after the BMC and Leyland Motors merger |
| Predecessor | Nuffield tractors |
| Production site | Bathgate, Scotland |
| Colour | two-tone blue instead of Nuffield poppy red |
| Cab | Leyland’s own design, to meet safety regulations |
| Engines | 98-series 4/98 and 6/98 in the range |
| Gearbox | nine-speed 3×3 synchro with flat cab floor |
| Range sold | 1982, to Marshall Tractors Ltd |
| New home | Gainsborough, Lincolnshire |
The 262 is listed only in the English Wikipedia article on Leyland Tractors; this page is based on that single source.
History of the Leyland 262
A new range after the merger
Leyland Tractors was formed when the British Motor Corporation merged with Leyland Motors to create British Leyland in 1968. Nuffield Tractors had been started after the Second World War by Lord Nuffield, whose Morris Motors had joined BMC in 1951. Leyland moved tractor production to Bathgate in Scotland and adopted a two-tone blue colour scheme in place of Nuffield’s poppy red. The Nuffield name still appeared until 1969 before it was dropped.
The 262 in the line-up
The 262 was listed among Leyland’s models together with the 154, 184, 245, 253, 255, 270, 272, 282, 285, 2100, 344, 384, 462, 472, 482 and 485. The first Leyland tractors used Nuffield skid units, including 3.4-litre and 3.8-litre engines and a ten-speed gearbox with high and low range, with new bodywork and a Leyland cab built to meet safety regulations. Later the range received the 98-series 4/98 and 6/98 engines and a nine-speed 3×3 synchro gearbox with a flat cab floor.
1982 and after
British Leyland sold Leyland Tractors to Marshall Tractors Ltd in 1982, and production moved from Bathgate to Gainsborough in Lincolnshire. The 262 therefore belongs to the fourteen years in which Leyland built its own blue tractors in Scotland.
Design and features
- Two-tone blue paint: the Leyland colour that replaced the poppy red of the Nuffield years.
- Bathgate production: the Scottish plant that Leyland used for its tractor range.
- 98-series engines: the 4/98 and 6/98, named for their cylinder count and bore.
- Synchro gearbox: a nine-speed 3×3 unit with a flat cab floor in later tractors.
Leyland 262 versions
- Early Bathgate tractors: Nuffield-derived engines and a ten-speed high/low gearbox.
- Later tractors: 98-series engines and the nine-speed 3×3 synchro gearbox.
- Harvest gold models: the later 302, 602, 604, 702, 704, 802, 804 and 904XL were painted in a different colour.
The 262 was in the same range as the smaller Leyland 154. More Leyland vehicles are in the Leyland collection.
Sources
- Leyland Tractors, English Wikipedia: model list, engines, colour, Bathgate, sale to Marshall
