Almost 36 years old, sitting and waiting at a house construction site in the freezing cold. But what a surprise it was, catching this classic series of DAF trucks, still being used as a workhorse. It’s earning a living as a mobile crane, working for a building contractor.
The oh-so-recognizable DAF F220 steel tilt cab of yore was originally introduced in November 1969, as the then all-new F218 cab. That’s forward control (cab over engine) and 218 cm (85.8”) wide.
Its shape and main design features go back even further, to the 1962 DAF 2600 series of heavy-duty chassis-cabs.
The Ur-F218 cab, with flush fenders on the light models and wide fenders on the heavier trucks and tractors (axle/track width related).
It was produced well into the nineties, modernized and updated throughout the years, naturally. The F218/F220 cab was used on a whole range of medium-heavy DAF chassis, from a 4×2 to an 8×4. A sleeper cab was also offered.
Halfway, the cab is at its longest. Exactly where the dashboard is, thus leaving more room for both driver and passenger.
The driver (and passenger) visibility was phenomenal. All around, as a circa 10 to 13 years old me can confirm.
The 2500, this one has a sleeper cab, was introduced in the early eighties as the top model of the DAF mid-sizers. These were powered by the DHS 825 engine. An inline-six, turbocharged and intercooled (obviously) diesel engine with a displacement of 8.25 liter, making 250 DIN-hp.
The transmission was either a 9-speed Fuller or a 16-speed ZF. Unlike engines and axles, DAF has never built their own transmissions for the heavy vehicles. I guess the rubber belts would have become too long and floppy.
The full and registered model designation of the truck is FAT 2525 DHS 455. FAT means it’s a forward control, 6×4 truck chassis; 2525 for a 2500 with a GVM-rating of 25 metric tons; the DHS is the engine; 455 is the wheelbase in cm (first to second axle).
Now here’s some serious Van Doorne construction work. A set of type 2699 rear drive axles with hub reduction and a factory axle load rating of 13 metric tons (28,660 lbs) each.
The crane, evidently not fully folded down, was built by the German ZEMAG company (as in Zeitzer Eisengießerei und Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft). The roots of the company go back to the mid-fifties. Of the 19th century, that is.
May the ol’ DAF-ZEMAG couple pick up many new things for years to come.
Postscript: the same mobile crane, reaching for the sky, as caught later on…
…and a fine example of DAF’s current version of a heavy 6×4 truck with a day cab, this 2018 CF-series (owned by the same building contractor).
This is the cab I still think of when I think DAF, and remains one of the most distinctive, characterful and some how non-aggressive designs there was.
Thanks for posting.
Roger, I fully agree. Together with the older 2600 plus the bigger F241-cab of the 2800/2900/3200/3300/3600, these can not be confused with any other cabover on the market. Anywhere, anytime. Historically, the quintessential DAF trucks.
The 3300 ATI SpaceCab remains one of the most amazing trucks ever made in my opinion
…it speaks for itself that I built this 1/24 Italeri kit when I was a kid, not a SpaceCab though:
That looks stunning.
BTW, after leaving that comment yesterday i stumbled upon the history of the Dakar TurboTwins, the first ones being 3300 or 3600 (not sure)-based
Heck, the 95 X1 overtaking Ari Vatanen in the best car of the bunch was breathtaking.
The 3300/3600 were called “ship of the desert” because those were quite common in Africa I’ve been told by my DAF colleagues of the day. The chassis and axles were said to be over-engineered because haulers in Africa were known for not always complying with maximum payload numbers and DAF did not want any truck to break up under load. This line was called “frietsnijder” (fry cutter) because of the pattern of the grille. Best looking cab ever and impressive machines if you walked over to final assembly and stood in front of one, especially a multi-axle tractor. They were superseded by the more slick-looking F95 in the eighties.
Indeed. These F241-DAFs were known for their ruggedness, longevity and -also important- simplicity. They were also praised for their good fuel efficiency.
This is what happens when engineers build a truck.
I’m curious – how much progress has there been in heavy truck design since this was made? To my untrained eye, it still looks modern, apart from the flat three-piece windshield. When I was a kid there were a lot of British trucks on the roads in Australia (always holding up traffic), some big American rigs (POWER!!) and European trucks (when you saw one) seemed miles ahead. What would one of these be like to drive compared to its modern equivalent?
The ultra short version? Over here, automatic transmissions have become the norm, even in on-/off-road trucks. Plus you’ve got a truck load of electronics aboard, with a ditto load of electronic nannies.
Top model cabovers (which the 2500 certainly wasn’t) float, the road feeling is mostly gone.
Oh yes, and Big Brother (at the HQ) is watching you, all friggin’ day long. In the widest sense of the words. This applies to bigger fleets, not to the owner/operators (yet).
Thanks Johannes! I was curious because a nephew is an interstate truck driver here. You get to hear stories…..
I expected all the electronics and electronannies, but the automatic is a surprise; Nick’s is a manual, and all the big rigs I hear going through my town (mostly carting timber or livestock to the port, sometimes hay in season) sound decidedly manual. We have mostly KWs and Western Stars out here. Oops – there goes an exhaust brake now – they’re not supposed to use those coming down the hill into the town. I guess Big Brother would catch that in Europe. Hopefully he would just get a reprimand from the boss for that, not a fine in the mail.
I imagine the floating cab would be a relief after the old days, but would take some getting used to at first.
Thanks for sharing Peter, and greetings to Nick.
I’ve got several relatives and acquaintances who drive and/or own modern, heavy Euro-trucks/tractors.
Until recently, my brother worked for a hauling company. Around 25 units, mostly Volvo FM (the mid-sizer). All new and recent trucks/tractors had an automatic transmission. In the office, they could follow and monitor each and every move (or non-move) of the driver, no matter how far from home.
Another hands-free example: a brand new Tatra Phoenix 8×8 (DAF cab and engine) off-roader with an automatic, 16-speed ZF TraXon.
Peter – I drive a 2019 Freightliner automatic and it’s really an “automated manual”. It sounds just like a manual, complete with clunking noises and revving on downshifts. The vast majority of late model American tractor units are automatic nowadays because they get better MPG, and there’s a driver shortage and an increasing number of drivers with automatic-only licenses. A manual would be a special order in most cases.
I’d imagine the Eaton Fuller crash boxes are still a popular choice in American brand trucks in rural Australia. I worked in WA in 2010 and plenty of big Japanese trucks had them – I don’t know but I’d guess those would mostly be autos nowadays.
I used to drive trucks in the UK and never saw a sign restricting use of engine or exhaust brakes, but really loud Jake brakes are not common there. I’m not sure how Big Brother would detect that. More like Aunt Clara writing an indignant letter to the local paper.
The truck I regularly drive at the mo is automatic 18 speed eaton fuller smart shift it works fine on the highway but is awfull in town at traffic lights very very slow shifting and gets confused easily but in manual mode it still shifts very slowly Detroit series 60 shoves it along ok Jake brakes take the speed of and sound awesome thru the twin stax, by comparism Ive just had 3 days in a Molvo(Mack Granite) also automatic but Volvos excellent Ishift transmission they really are good its just a shame Mack Australia who built the truck deleted all the ride comfort real Volvos have, autos are fine in trucks but need to be driven manually up and down hills.
Fun to see. Thanks Do you have photos of aimilar rigs with the crane full extended? It looks like it has quite a reach.
This collection gives a good impression, especially the pictures further down,
ZEMAG Movilift, type 300:
http://www.gerd-lintzmeyer.homepage.t-online.de/homepagezemag/html-dateien/mlhtm/ml300.htm
Thank you The crane itself is an engineering triumph and it was fascinating to see it going up.
I just found a 10 years old picture of the same DAF, road-ready:
https://www.hv-fotografie.com/albums/fotogalerij/opsporings-lijsten/daf-2500/image/bn-20-xl-2/
Lesney Matchbox got some good mileage, or kilometreage out of the DAF cab.
I remember as a kid how modern they looked, though I never saw a real one.
Really sweet! Do these models date back to the sixties, or early seventies? DAF 2600, all of them, judging by their looks. Back then, that was the top model, see picture in the article. These had a non-tilt cab.
Late sixties IIRC. I remember having the girder truck back then though I’d never seen a DAF truck at the time.
Right, thanks. In those days, DAF Trucks was pretty much still a local affair, just like many other Euro truck brands. The Netherlands and Belgium were their home-markets. The 2600 did quite well in Germany. Other than that, maybe France and a few to the UK.
Johannes, the two smaller versions were intrduced in 1968, this pic. is from the 1968 catalog which was probably printed late in 67.
This was not unusual for Matchbox back then who worked with vehicle manufacturers to bring up to date models out.
They did the opposite to this in 1965 when they issued a 1964 Chevrolet and had to run with it until 1969 !!!
Edit -meant to say Peter was right !!!
I remember something not dissimilar and thinking they looked more modern than trucks we saw.
Back then, a (full size) DAF in the UK was unusual
Cool find! Never seen anything like it before on a fixed platform. I think this a one off build. The Daf started it’s life in a different color (Red) without the Zetam crane. You can find a picture at: https://www.truckfan.nl/picture/1023504/
Wonderful, thanks!
What’s strange is that the Euroveer-2500-cab has the newer face (grille) and fenders that the old generation of DAFs got after the introduction of the 1987 DAF 95, with similar black strips.
The Schot-2500-cab has all the period-correct, early/mid-eighties parts.
Definitely the very same rolling chassis-cab though.
Regarding “one off build”: I spoke to the driver of the DAF CF (last picture) and he told me they had built the truck-crane combination themselves.
Don’t forget the short lived F198 version which was replaced by the Club of Four after only a few years.
Short lived indeed. I caught one, 5 years ago. A 1972 FA 1200 tanker truck.
Neat truck. I’ll bet they get another 20 years out of it based on how good it looks. That crane probably cost a fortune if not more than the truck. All the more reason to maintain it well rather than fork over all the dough for a new rig.
I remember those well from growing up in Israel and someone even had a custom model of a local truck built.
More
A high quality model for sure, very well done. Scale 1/50?
WSI offers a whole range of 1/50 DAF 2600 die-cast models, an example below.
I remember I had a die-cast toy of a 1966/1967 Dodge Charger, I’m very sure it was made in Israel. We’re talking more than 45 years ago. I just googled around a bit, it must have been the Gamda Koor Sabra toy.
Could be based on the WSI model and modified by the builder.
The Israeli model was by Gamda Koor, yes. Had them all as a kid and wish I kept them, in particular the Leyland Royal Tiger one which nowadays goes for over $500…
Johannes, once again you are treating the old man to seeing European models. I enjoy the pictures, the information and the comments from all of the members. I was just at Frank’s Truck Center in Lyndhurst, NJ today for a repair that was performed while I waited. Another customer asked me, when he heard that I drive thirty miles to get there, why I would travel so far. I told the man that a good truck dealership makes repairs that are done aa complete. There is no reason to return because of an error. So, even my light-duty, six-bolt circle vehicle gets maintained well. Keep the information coming! Thanks.
Was a version of this truck the “4-tonner” that the Dutch military used for many, many years? I got my (military) truck drivers license in a DAF YA4440 back in 1985.
Only the tilt cab was the same. The YA4440 4×4 had the smaller DT615 turbodiesel.
Was that the one with four propshafts outside the chassis to improve off road ground clearance?
The van Doornes (well, Hubertus) couldn’t not do innovative drivetrains…
The DAF trucks started off with licence-built Leyland engines. They realised their mistake and rapidly re-designed them to their own design.
Anyway, the Leyland 500 was a complete disaster whereas DAF’s 825 DH was good from the start, being an entirely different design.
DAF cleverly launched DAFaid, a 24 hour response service since they were too tiny to have a proper dealer network. Including a loaner truck if they could not fix it.
So a funny little Dutch company was rapidly able to eat the lunch of what was once Europe’s biggest truck manufacturer – in the UK!
The 2200, 2300 and the 2500 were a big part of the story.
And they all lived happily ever after – as parts of PACCAR…
The propshafts on the outer side of the frame rails were only used on the DAF military vehicles of yore, like the YA 328 6×6:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-history-daf-ya-328-artillery-tractor-and-some-other-cold-war-relics/
The later ones, like the YA4440 that Dion mentions, had a traditional AWD set-up.
Hello I see in this forum, our truck with crane on it, we want to sell it. are there any interested parties? Kind regards Construction company shot