One more walk through Versteijnen’s jumbo showroom in the south of the Netherlands, with their own Scania T500 V8 4×2 tractor prominently on display. Its first registration was in the summer of 2005, which means it must be one of Scania’s last factory conventionals. In October of that year, the manufacturer announced to discontinue the production of their conventional vehicles.
From then on, it was cabovers only. Scania conventionals are still available though, but they are all aftermarket conversions of factory cabovers, done by companies like Tuft Custom Service (Norway) and Vlastuin (the Netherlands).
Here’s a 2017 Volvo FH 8×4/4 heavy haulage tractor, already sold. Thanks to the color scheme and livery, it’s all too obvious which company originally owned the tractor in the showroom.
There you go, Brouwer ‘nil nobis absurdum’ zwaar en speciaal transport B.V.
A 2008 Mercedes-Benz Actros 2541 6×2*4 flatbed truck with a Hiab knuckle boom crane behind the cab.
Rather anonymous, this 2022 DAF CF Construction 480 FAD 8×4 dump truck. Fairly new and spotless, I bet it was an importer’s or dealership’s demo truck.
No ground clearance issues on rough terrain, thanks to the straight front axles. Similar heavy-duty 8×4 chassis are offered by all truck makers in Europe, commonly equipped with a dump body, concrete mixer, roll-off system, or working as a crane carrier.
The DAF chassis-cab got a Meiller dump body from Germany. In the Netherlands, such a straight truck is rated at 37 tonnes (81,571 lbs) gross weight, assuming that the steering axles have a nine tonnes weight limit per axle.
That’s all fine and satisfactory, until you walk by a 44.5 tonnes (98,106 lbs), 2002 Ginaf X 4345 TSV 8×6 widespread dump truck. That’s 20 years older than the DAF CF, yet the Ginaf clearly has the same cab structure. In essence, both of them are merely an evolution of the DAF 65/75/85-series’ tilt cab, unveiled in the early nineties, so there’s that.
Dump body by Piet Ruizeveld, an old and established name in this line of business.
The first, third, and fourth axle are the Ginaf’s drive axles, the rearmost axle (counter)steers. For more detailed pictures, have a look at this 2006 Ginaf X 4241 S.
As an aside, both Ginaf and Tatra are moving over to the latest generation of DAF tilt cabs (photo courtesy of Ginaf Trucks).
Back to the used vehicles, a 2009 MAN TGA 35.400 8×4 truck with a roll-off system. At the front, a Nido mounting plate for implements, like a snowplow or broom.
Beefy, this 2012 Volvo FH 8×2*6 tractor with a Fassi knuckle boom crane.
The last of the tour, a 1982 DAF 3300 Turbo Intercooling 6×2 wrecker. The 1973-1994 DAF F241-series of heavy trucks and tractors was known for its simplicity and durability, many were put to work in Africa and the Middle East after their career in Europe.
All of them were powered by the truck maker’s 11.6 liter inline-six. That whole series of power units -originally introduced in 1968- derived from the license-built, 11.1 liter Leyland O.680 diesel engine. So one can say that the history of PACCAR’s current in-house turbodiesels starts with the Leyland O.680 from the fifties.
Somehow I think this is a keeper and will get a restoration at some point. Let’s hope so, it would be a terrific showcase for the company.
All indoor pictures were taken in September 2023.
Really like the look of the DAF 3300, all function, no flash, the Volvo 240 of trucks? (but just slightly larger). Fun to see all these workhorses that we never get to see on this side of the pond, thanks !
No-nonsense in optima forma, yet designed with the driver in mind.
Heavy wreckers are always fascinating. Around me they were always kind of rare as a kid only a few companies had them, and now they seem pretty common. About a decade ago I worked for a company that had a contract with a decent-sized local towing company. The owner told me that in from about 2000-2012 lots of companies bought new heavy equipment, one because finance was somewhat cheap but also because triple A had killed the reimbursement rate for most light duty tows but you could still make a lot on heavy tows. But then competition increased and rates came back down so now most have kept their trucks but use them less and only a few buy brand new ones regularly similar to how it was pre 2000. Having these older paid for trucks that don’t see a huge amount of use makes for fun stuff to look at during truck shows. In some rural areas you even find things like Whites and Auto Cars that sit in the garage most days but still go out to work once in a while.
I didn’t see which company made the DAF’s wrecker equipment. Holmes, maybe?
These are always fascinating. You may have said in a prior post that I missed but are you in the business, just a fan, or what? Thanks
I’m an enthusiast -to put it mildly- since my very early youth (dad was a truck driver). Now I have relatives, acquaintances, and clients (through my job) who own and/or drive heavy trucks.
Professionally, I’m mainly in the agri-business, the financial side of it.
Farmers (vegetables/flower/fruit/mushroom/tree growers etc.etc. included) and truckers. My kind of people. I must have visited hundreds of farms since the early seventies.
DAF CF tipper looks like an ex rental to me, all singage removed ready for onsale, Where I last worked some of the owners old trucks had been restored one of his previous racing trucks was in the paintshop going into fleet colours, Anything that suddenly turned white was for sale.
I doubt it Bryce, there was not even the tiniest scratch or spot on the whole truck and it had only 1,011 km on the clock. ‘New truck!’ it said on the yellow windshield sticker.
Exactly the same set-up as the CF 8×4 I caught at the DAF factory, see link below. By the way, I have yet to see a Dutch dump truck (all brands) with a German Meiller body. Domestic manufacturers supply those bodies, like the Ruizeveld on the Ginaf.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-global-daf-cf-480-fad-and-lf-290-fa-construction-8×4-is-twice-as-heavy-as-4×2/