BVB (Bas van Buuren) Substrates is a producer of growing media. The company recreated one of their heavy DAF trucks from the eighties, in a period correct livery and all. A roll-off chain hoist system for transporting an open top container completes the picture. By the way, the truck seems to have a leaky tire.
That’s an in-house, planetary drive axle for sure. With the tag axle up, the turning radius is the same as if this were a 4×2 chassis with an equal wheelbase.
The 25 tonnes (55,115 lbs), 288 DIN-hp truck is powered by an 11.6 liter inline-six from the DAF 1160-family of diesel engines that sprouted from the Leyland O.680, back in the late sixties. The transmission must be a synchronized ZF 16-speed with a double-H shifting pattern.
The chain hoist system is mounted on a tilting frame and can also put a container on and off a full trailer, towed by the truck. One trip, two containers.
Some wonderful BVB-DAF pictures, taken around 35 to 40 years ago, I guess. A DAF 2800 Turbo Intercooling from the early eighties and a somewhat younger, more powerful 3300 Turbo Intercooling at work (photo courtesy of Kekkilä-BVB/Menno van Leeuwen).
Even without the brand name and model designation, anyone with a low level of truck enthusiasm will immediately recognize the DAF F241 (sleeper) cab.
It was introduced at the end of 1973 as a wider and taller version of the truck maker’s F218 tilt cab. Initially marketed as the 2800-series, replacing the good ol’ 2600, these heavy trucks and tractors really got DAF going on the European market for heavy on-highway vehicles, the UK included.
Worth mentioning is that it was also powered by the first turbocharged and intercooled truck diesel.
In the eighties, the 2800 was accompanied by the 3300 and later on the 3600, the latter with a maximum power output of 373 DIN-hp. By then, the F241 options were a day cab, a day cab with a top sleeper, a sleeper cab and the Space Cab sleeper cab with a raised roof.
The F241 cab was updated in 1980. On the outside, the brand name moved over to the left side of the grille and the model designation appeared on the right side (courtesy of Dutch Model Truck Club).
After the introduction of the brand new and rather generic looking 95-series in 1987, the whole F241 family was kept in production to offer a cheaper alternative to the new generation of heavy DAF vehicles. One last, minor cab update followed in 1990 and the F241 lived on for a few more years, marketed as the DAF 2900 and 3200.
I doubt if the 95-series will ever reach the same top-cult-status as the distinctive 2800/3300/3600. There is an exception though!
Here it is, caught in the same lot, a 1994 DAF FT 95.500 Super Space Cab, powered by a 14 liter Cummins engine. Cult status guaranteed!
I love the design of this 80’s DAF. Also like the color combination of the truck in the photo, I think every truck should have a touch of yellow.
What catches my attention the most is the interior, quite modern for the time (looks more like the 90’s), if we compare it with other trucks.
The 1973-1980 interior, obviously nothing changed drastically.
You always find the coolest trucks!
It’s only a matter of being in the right place at the right time…
In this case, just visiting the ‘Heart for DAF Days’, early October, organized by the DAF Museum. The indoor part is inside the museum, the outdoor part takes place in the central lot of the DAF factory premises. Transit of visitors between those places by classic buses, one of them is visible in the background of the last picture.
It’s extremely attractive, and of course oh-so-blocky, except for the lights whose roundness really accentuate everything else and still somehow makes it all work together. And then a color combination that seems like it shouldn’t work but in fact does so extremely well.
A lovely truck, and the period pictures are the icing on the cake, an excellent find.
A very good truck, it was followed here in Greece in its years. Very reliable to work with.
The truck that I liked the most from the mid-80’s was the Iveco Turbostar 190-42 with its V8 engine, its sound was a delight. Surely Johannes must know him well.
‘The Beast from Greece’ (see roof side), picture taken on the same day.
Not only are there abandoned ones, many still continue to work, especially in rural areas. These DAFs, the Volvo, Scania, Mercedes L-series from the 70’s. And they will probably continue to be in circulation for many more years. People here have a certain affection for old vehicles, including trucks.
Yes, many F241 DAFs headed south (literally) -the African continent included- after their career in Northwestern Europe. They were sought-after used trucks and tractors -because simple and durable- that could be kept on the road with just a ‘hammer and a pair of pliers’, as they say.
When talking in-house engines, all heavy DAFs from 1968 to 1997 basically had the same 11.6 liter inline-six, it just evolved gradually throughout all those years.
Similar to what we call a roll-off truck here in the U.S.. One difference is however is that our trucks usually don’t use a chain hoist to load the container. The most common set up here is a horizontal hydraulic cylinder with a sheave and a cable with a hook to grab the container. As the hydraulic cylinder extends it draws the cable up and pulls the container up the rails. The rails tilt like a dump truck to facilitate getting the container on the truck, and can also be used to dump the container once it’s locked on to the rails. Another style of roll-off is the hook lift, which simply has a hydraulic arm that grabs the container and draws it up the rails. That style is becoming more popular.
https://www.customtruck.com/read-this-before-you-buy-your-next-roll-off/
Right, there are three types of roll-off systems: hook-lift, cables, and chain. All of them are also capable of putting a container on and off a trailer.
All types are widely used here, because of their versatility. For example, a second cousin of mine has a five-axle Scania that can be used as a dump truck and as a concrete mixer truck.
Shameless self promotion? Just kidding! It’s been more than 40 years since I worked for the trash company, at that time we still used a winch/cable system, twin opposed cylinder and cable systems were still fairly new. Don’t know if I hold a record but I picked up a 40yd box of construction on a tandem axle L9000 Ford 210 Cat and crossed the scale at 73300#. BTW Robert nice equipment!
All done with hydraulically powered hook now, I did garbage in NZ driving transfer trucks to landfill, 58,000kg sticker and did you get in trouble crossing the scales @60,000kg yep. Our prime movers tipped but the trailers had walking floor systems, requiring the trailer to be disconnected to tip the prime mover, great fun in mud you can barely walk on.
First factory intercooler turbo charging was old tech by then.Ive driven the FT series prime mover but with 430 CAT engine and ZF range shift box that truck had just turned over 1,000,000 kilometers at the time and went really well, didnt like the step on engine brake in it the Foden badged version we also had in the fleet had a Jacobs engine brake, more effective descending 10% grades@44,000kgs.