Apart from the lighting on the roof top, I don’t see any aftermarket bits and pieces on this fairly new DAF. A straight(forward) truck in the pure and simple, yet effective livery of the Kuijpers scrap metal recycling company. A clean and cool work truck, I like it!
The DAF is powered by the 12.9 liter MX-13 engine, used across the PACCAR board. Its DIN-hp rating is stated on the left side of the grille. Loven, on the right side, is the name of the dealership.
The letters FAN in the model designation refer to a straight cabover truck with a 6×2*4 drivetrain, which means it has a counter-steering and liftable tag axle.
With the factory 10 tonnes front axle, the truck’s GVWR is 29 tonnes (63,900 lbs). In the Netherlands, that’s as far as you can go with a standard 6×2 or 6×4 truck/tractor chassis.
Now let’s have a look inside the control room.
The current series of heavy DAFs, the XF, XG, and XG+, was introduced in the summer of 2021, with a refresh last year. Pictured is the XF’s standard Hexagon interior.
Optional are Argenta and Natura. For the seats you can opt for fabric, alcantara, or leather. Yes, times have changed drastically in trucking. This also applies to the transmissions, the DAF top models are only available with a ZF TraXon automated manual transmission in Europe.
Back to the great outdoors. Naturally, a 530 hp straight truck comes with a trailer coupling.
The complete Hyva hooklift system with its auxiliary frame is bolted on the DAF’s frame rails.
Also worth showing, some instruments of the local fanfare orchestra, stored underneath the cab floor.
The DAF in its element. A mighty fine picture, I assume it was taken by the driver. The angle is just perfect and the DAF is shining bright against that rather gloomy industrial building in the background.
Kuijpers’ other XF is a 450 hp 4×2 tractor, towing an end dump semi-trailer. Just as clean and cool.
Nice trucks I dont like the ZF AMT, they think and down shift very slowly and erratically, and manual mode isnt actually full manual control, yes DAFs have a brilliant retarder system and downhill control feature but uphill, nope awfull.
I guess you’re referring to the ZF AS Tronic, introduced in 1997. Their latest version of the current TraXon AMT is on a par with Volvo’s I-shift, so I’ve been told.
Beautiful DAF.
The interior of the truck is what I like most. You can take a long and fun trip in that beautiful cab.
These days, even short-distance delivery trucks are quite nice inside. Pictured below the DAF XB, their lightest model.
Agree wholeheartedly – unadorned and ready for work – looks impressive.
‘unadorned’, that’s a perfect description Jim! A translation into Dutch resulted in ‘onopgesmukt’, and that’s exactly right.
That aluminium versie reminds me of the DAF 44/55 on here a few days back!
The XG’s probably far nicer than the majority of car interiors these days – more functionality, less demented overstyling.
Better come up with something modern, comfy, roomy, ergonomic, and functional these days. It’s simply what the market demands, otherwise you won’t find a driver to let it roll.
Are there no real trucks in Europe. With a hood
Oh yes, that again. ‘Real trucks’, ‘Europe’, and ‘hood’ in one short comment.
Outside North America, conventionals are dead and buried. So to begin with, cabovers are not only a European thing. And about real trucks, what does a road-legal Class 8 straight truck with three axles typically weigh in the US, max?
Thank you for responding but intuition leaves me suspicious of why conventionals only continue in America. I suspect it’s partly big brothers regulations and corporate greed with their thumbs on the scale favoring COEs. I just don’t know many drivers who prefer that style here there is a choice
Length restrictions. In the US, only the length of the semi-trailer is restricted. In most other parts of the world, the overall length of the whole vehicle is what matters (so tractor plus semi-trailer or straight truck plus trailer).
Yet on the other hand, US haulers are seriously hampered by the low gross vehicle and combination weight ratings, just 80,000 lbs for the typical US ’18-wheeler’, for example. A lot of length, not so much weight.
Furthermore, a cabover is easier to maneuver and its front axle -especially a set-back front axle on a Euro truck/tractor- substantially contributes to the weight distribution. The article’s DAF has a 10 tonnes (22,000 lbs) front axle for a reason. Besides steering the vehicle, it also carries freight.