After a 6 month wait my employer finally delivered my new daf XF tractor unit I had high hopes for this vehicle always believing this unit looked good and assumed that because of its popularity among long distance hauliers that it was a good drive…However after just one day the units ride is as hard as nails, the seat is awfull and for the first time in 15 years of driving trucks i got back ache. Aside from this major problem the dashboard material appears to be moulded from wheelie-bin plastic and the interior has a mid- 90’s feel about it, although i could probably ‘live’ with the interior the back breaking ride is another story.
The outgoing unit is a TGA M.A.N a rented unit and the quality of the ride and interior is worlds apart from the DAF.
What has my transport manager done, has he costed out all the good bits from the DAF and purchased a worse than basic model or is this just the way it is with these units.
You’d probably need to play around with the seat controls to find something that’s comfortable, although I guess now that you’ve spent the £80k on the truck you might not want to get a custom seat fitted for more comfort…
Oh, sorry, yeah, you’re EMPLOYER has allocated you a new vehicle. Well, you can complain to him but they might not be pleased and suggest you give it a try for a while to get used to it…
Welcome to the forum by the way, I see it’s your first post here. Would you like to take some photos and write something up about the unit for us other drivers who have not been so privileged to be allocated a brand new truck, or, in some cases, don’t even have a full time job driving and have to scrape by with the agencies
Pictures max size of 800x600 please, I’ve only a little screen here…
I actually quite like the XF. The only couple of problems I find with them is the beds are totally the wrong colour material (like a light beige) and tend to get very dirty with different drivers throwing their bags on there and also the rear suspension tends to develope an annoying creek when you go over speed bumps but thats nothing really. The cabs are a decent size even if you only get the space cab. The main thing about them though is that they are easier to work on for mechanics than say an actros and a hell of a lot cheaper on parts etc.
Something doesn’t sound quite right, i’m not a fan of the XF, find them far too ■■■■■■■■■■ and prefer the manual CF (to most current stuff) but luckily i don’t have to kip or live in the thing so horses for courses.
However, the few XF’s i’ve driven have all had a comfortable enough ride if a bit wallowy, so can’t quite work out why yours is giving your back some stick, presume you’ve played around with the suspension ride height thingy (not trying to teach you to ■■■■ eggs here)…oh and is the trailer your usual one and is the suspension on that working correctly, had some trailers that have really upset the tractor ride at times…whatever your feelings on the Daf it should give a good ride.
All the DAF cab interiors feel like they came from Lidl’s on a buy one get one free offer, and whoever designed the placement of the switchgear must have been ■■■■■■ or crosseyed, but they’re not a bad working tool overall if fitted with a gearbox instead of lucifer designed evil auto crap thing and the 460 or higher engine.
Mind you the MAN switchgear in a difficult to see row down by your left shin is hardly a piece of design flair, backlit in a dull red in order to make it impossible to work out what’s what in the dark…the ever helpful interior interrogation light shining straight in your eyes …‘‘for you Tommy ze var iss opher’’ style just puts the icing on the cake.
Ive had all the dafs from my n reg to a brand new 08 reg ssc and found them all excellent.
I dont know where your coming from about build or quality bed or storage. I had an 06 reg man and it was one off the worst trucks ive ever had.
I drive a volvo xl at the moment and would swap it instantly for a ssc.
where the gap between the first two buttons/ levers is as I remember there is another lever ■■■■■ button. All the way up stiffens the air ride of the seat and all the way down makes it more “bouncy”.
This may be your problem but if you already knew that I apologise.
Sorry if I have it slightly wrong.
2TONE:
‘Play around with the seat a bit’…well i guess that clears that problem up, why didnt i think of that
I don’t think he was trying to be funny. I drive one motor only, but when in for repair or service I struggle with my back in the hired vehicle.
Not wishing to touch a nerve(!) the air dump button on the seat is not activated?
daf upgraded the seats about 4 months ago, the sister truck to mine got the new seats mine the old style, new ones aint nice at all. the other driver who has driven mine reckons thay are not a patch on mine ( or the ones in the truck i drive if you like)
i totaly love mine only a space cab but does the job for a week away.
the bed is the best iv ever slept on and dont think the build quality is too bad.
my previous trucks were,
man tga xxl 57 plate.
volvo fh xl 54 plate.
merc actros mega space 06 plate.
scania 4 series topline 04 plate.
i would choose daf over all these and the man tga well lets just say i hated that thing unreliable clumsey, gearbox awfull and windscreen too big.
suppose its each to their own but thats my view.
The ride seems to have suffered due to the lack of air suspension on the cab, they have gone back to steel spring, totaly 20th century tech.
I swapped a magnum for a 105 SSC and regretted it straight away it was an 11 plate, had it for 18 months, swapped back to a 62 plate magnum now, far superior ride, gearbox, traction and driver comfort than the DAF.
The DAF 105s I have driven all seem to have heavy steering, clutch and gear change on manuals, mine was auto so could just about live with it.
Much much happier with the magnum!!
DAF have gone down the same route as all the other manufacturers… A few years back a big cab was top spec but now everybody wants big cabs they are built in a variety of specs. In DAFs case just compare the standard kit in a 95 SSC and the equivalent 105. Air ride cab, air passenger seat and remote locking were all standard in the 95 but have to be specced as options with the 105.
You’ll probably find that yours has a steel sprung cab and these do give a rough ride if you are used to an air sprung cab. Some of ours have steel sprung cabs and I find the solution is to ease back on the seat damper a bit to give it a bit more reaction. I’ve not personally tried the new seats but DAF seats are normally pretty good it just takes a while to find the settings that suit you.
2TONE:
Thanks everyone for your thoughts and facts…by the answers things need fine tuning,perhaps a new seat… many thanks anyway fellas .
Seat in the XF is one of the comfiest things I have ever say on. It will take a while to get it right.
If your bothered about the build quality. Just think. Your employer could have bought you a cheapo crappy unit I.e merc axor. On my opinion the MAN TGX I drove was felt the poorest built. Although it had 500k on the clock.
Once your settled in your gonna be fine.
Welcome to the forum.
Don’t get me wrong it’s good that the job has changed for the better ( be it only in maybe one way after saying that ) that drivers EXPECT and take for granted things like a big cab, comfort, luxury, good storage etc, and a good ride (ooer mrs ) and rightly so we should !..end of!.. some are even bothered about colour scheme, ok…each to his own, but I wonder if anybody else on here are having a laugh to themselves who remember earlier days driving around in crap, sleeping in day cabs with boards across the seats, no night heaters, and when PAS was a luxury . So if the only problem is a BRAND NEW hi spec motor with a seat that has too many adjusters to get it… just right, or the interior colour is …soooooo las year … We aint doing so bad are we? … NOT having a pop lads HONEST , but some of you don’t know you are born … God I feel old!!
daf3300:
them were the days ROY sleeping across the seats or the bonnet but at least if you fitted your own curtains you could get the colour scheme right
Didn’t use curtains Paul, a copy of the sun pinned up was better insulation AND I could read myself to sleep at the same time …By the way how are you doing mate??
robroy:
Don’t get me wrong it’s good that the job has changed for the better ( be it only in maybe one way after saying that ) that drivers EXPECT and take for granted things like a big cab, comfort, luxury, good storage etc, and a good ride (ooer mrs ) and rightly so we should !..end of!.. some are even bothered about colour scheme, ok…each to his own, but I wonder if anybody else on here are having a laugh to themselves who remember earlier days driving around in crap, sleeping in day cabs with boards across the seats, no night heaters, and when PAS was a luxury . So if the only problem is a BRAND NEW hi spec motor with a seat that has too many adjusters to get it… just right, or the interior colour is …soooooo las year … We aint doing so bad are we? … NOT having a pop lads HONEST , but some of you don’t know you are born … God I feel old!!
) and rightly so we should !..end of!.. some are even bothered about colour scheme, ok…each to his own, but I wonder if anybody else on here are having a laugh to themselves who remember earlier days driving around in crap, sleeping in day cabs with boards across the seats, no night heaters, and when PAS was a luxury 
. So if the only problem is a BRAND NEW hi spec motor with a seat that has too many adjusters to get it… just right, or the interior colour is …soooooo las year 
but at