By 1985, the 28 / 3300 range was over 10 years old and Daf were then planning its (95 series) replacement. This N2800 was built specifically as a support vehicle for the 1982 Paris – Dakar rally.
This 3600 was a competitor in the ’88 running of the Paris – Dakar event.
GCS Johnson of Barton in North Yorkshire received good long term service from their heavy haulage Dafs.
Initially Pollock of Edinburgh adopted a 2+3 approach for 38 tonne work. Geoff Milne photographed the evocatively named ‘Rolling Thunder.’
“Its chrome gear lever knob had a globe imprint and as you tended to drive while holding the gear lever, you were left with a lasting impression of that globe on your hand”
22 DAF Driver // Spring 2017
were to become the No. 2 UK importer in that heavy truck market. By ’82, Daf was taking 13% share of the tractor market (28 tons and above). The dedicated staff and dealers of Daf GB worked hard at putting themselves about and the Daf Roadshow – which they called Showtrekker – was a regular sight around the country in the late ‘70s. On a personal note I was very impressed with Daf demo’ driver Lesley Smith, Lesley had been taken on to the show team by Phil Ives after being voted Lady Truck Driver of the Year. Modest in stature, she had a sunny demeanour and she handled the fully-freighted Daf 2800 with ease. I recall thinking that her effortless demonstration of the Daf no doubt generated the thought – by any prospective customer: “If this slip of a lass can handle the motor so easily then any of my big tough drivers can do just as well.” By 1980, the 2800 was being given some cosmetic changes although mechanically, it was always available with a wide choice of engine – and gearbox – variations. Daf used letters
like DKSE to indicate engine outputs as not every version of the 2800 produced 280bhp. Original gearbox had been the ZF 12-speed splitter but Eddie Hennessy recalls the change to the much-loved 13-speed Fuller: “Its chrome gear lever knob had a globe imprint,” he says, “and as you tended to drive while holding the gear lever, you were left with a lasting impression of that globe on your hand.” To coincide with the long awaited step up to 38 tonnes gross operation for artics (provided they used at least five axles) DAF began offering the 3300 variant. This had the DKX version of Daf’s 11.6 litre power plant producing 330bhp. It didn’t replace the 2800 as this was still available with engine outputs of 260 or 280bhp. Not every operator wanted the bigger power as after Gibb’s of Fraserburgh took their first big 38 tonne 6x2 Daf – a 3300 – subsequent orders (for about 10 more 6x2s) were to be 2800s. Although then 10 years old, the 28 / 3300 range was still a big favourite with companies like Robson’s of Carlisle.
Strangely, Stan Robson had abhorred the idea of a truck driver sleeping in his cab and had long spec’d all his vehicles with day cabs. The 2800 looked a mite strange with a day cab but Robson’s eventually came round to fitting the well liked twin-bunk F241 sleeper. From ’84, the Daf cab grew bigger when a Space Cab version was available while the final part of the 2800’s evolution came about when the 3600 DKZ engine was unveiled. While – thanks to the input from DAF GB’s Peter Symons – the addition to the badging of the letters Ati (Advanced turbo intercooling) added a touch of class to this highly respected Dutch built load carrier. TOO GOOD TO KEEP A lot was to happen in 1987 with Daf and Leyland merging. Coinciding with this, DAF launched their new 95 model having the previously used 3600 Ati engine as its heart. Not everyone wanted to see the back of the 2800 and Eddie Hennessy recalls that Daf France continued with a version known as the 3200. Some right hand drive examples were sold into the
UK but Eddie recalls, the standard engine on offer in this model didn’t really excel. History will tell you that the 28/33/3600 won a lot of UK friends across the entire general / heavy haulage domain so you might think quite a few would have been saved for the preservation / classic scene. In fact, very few seem to have survived and Leeds based Rod Milner explains why.
Carlisle based Mick Philliskirk set up as an owner driver in 1979 and of all the vehicles he had, this Space Cab 3300 was he reckoned the most cost effective motor you could buy – even though it was six years old when he bought it in 1992.
After stepping into retirement after a life in the industry, Rod chanced upon a fine example of the 2800 tractor unit which he planned to restore and then rally: “I didn’t do much to the Daf,” he recalls, “before I got an offer on it that I couldn’t refuse. “And the next thing I knew, it was being exported to go back to work in sunnier climes. They reckoned that even such an old truck
Edmund Brewer thought highly of the Space Cab Daf which he operated on sub-contract to Eddie Stobart.
had a fair bit of work left in it and the export market was crying out for any such Dafs – their customers loved them.” One very special 2800 was WJH 288T which was built following consultation between Tom Llewellyn – MD of Econofreight Transport – and Robert Kieft of Daf. The 6x4 unit was a FTT2805 DKS360 which was fitted with a fully automatic Allison HT700 series 5-speed gearbox. Initially, the Daf proved to be something of a learning curve both for Econofreight’s drivers and Daf but after its rear axle ratios had been lowered, it proved a very versatile heavy hauler. Being an automatic meant it was ideal to double head another tractor as it was always in the right gear whatever the situation. It also proved very strong because when on site in Scotland, it single handedly moved 300 tons gross without any bother. n
“They reckoned that even such an old truck had a fair bit of work left in it and the export market was crying out for any such Dafs”
Not a lot of weight in this one piece house removal, seen going contra-flow round Binns’ Corner in Hartlepool. The two shots Tyne Tunnel shows the unit in ballast tractor form. Econofreight paid £1,100 for the exclusive use (at 2am) of the Tyne Tunnel to get this fabrication north of the river. Driver of the DAF was Steve Ford. Next shot shows the Daf coming out of Foster Wheelers Power Products in Hartlepool. With automatic transmission it was ideal for carrying awkward things like this. Then a shot picking up the Police escort on the Durham / Cleveland border on the A66 road. This point was known as the Ivanhoe because there was a garage there called the Ivanhoe Garage.
Spring 2017 // DAF Driver 23