Early DAF adopters? I wonder why.
The only thing I remember about Ackworth, those little strange looking Dafs that I didnât fancy at all. Only much later when Econofreight gave me a brand new 3300 did I appreciate the marque.
I was somewhat put off when, first day back after injury one snowy February morning, my new steed was on the lower part off the yard coupled to a low loader ready for me to collect a machine for London docks. But I couldnât get up the slippery slope and had to be pulled up by another lorry with a diff lock. Thatâs how I found to my surprise that it didnât have one.
You can spec the big DAFs with diff-locks so I suspect your fleet buyer cheaped out.
Quite possibly, or perhaps they didnât realise that. They already had some heavy duty F89s including some 6 wheel units so perhaps someone made a mistake. This of course was over 50 years ago. I met my DAF again many years later when I called in at the Thornaby depot where the old 2nd in command at Leicester was by then boss of the whole company, to get help with a broken airline on a Foden, and saw my old girl a bit forlorn being used as a yard shunter.
They went on to BL Crusaders and Buffalos
If you ask me, Iâd rather we discuss this (1500 cu. ft. luton, TK860, Turner 5-sp, Armstrong steering)
⌠than bollydicks here. Just my tuppence-worth.
[edit] this thing was my introduction to the art of âslipstreamingâ. The knack was to tuck in behind something faster but not so fast you couldnât keep up with it. It was frowned upon, but we all did it. /edit
Clessieâs finest verses the boat anchor.
Very interesting film - most informative! Cheers.
1 Like
The early Ford Transits with a Luton body had to be the worst. You were luck to get above 40 mph on the motorway. It wasnât a slipstream you needed it was a tow rope.
1 Like
The BMC JU Luton with the 2.2 diesel in it was even worse! Proper ârice puddingâ job.
Never drove anything that old 
Did once bring a Ford D0607 with a petrol engine back up to Glasgow from Erith. This was in the late 70âs and this thing must have been at least 10 years old. It was kitted out as a mobile workshop and had been working over in Hong Kong before being shipped back to the UK. Couldnât get it over 35mph on the motorway and that was with my foot pressed hard down on the accelerator pedal. By the time I got to Scratchwood services my right leg had virtually seized up so I managed to find a bit of wood that I cut to the right size and jammed it between the dash and the pedal. If I had to brake I just dipped to brake pedal without de-celerating. Fortunately the motorway was quiet and I managed to get about 200 miles like this, giving my leg a decent break. I think the complete journey time was about 15 hours - completely illegal of course 
1 Like
Like my old Scammel Highwayman on Ilkeston Haulage, 38 mph flat out with a piece of wood jammed between the throttle and a screw sticking out of the dash facia.
Talking trailers and tilts on here , this a curtainsider but what is the bit at the front top. I never did general so looking to the experts. A 2009 bilbobagweed photo.
The âSageâ of Leatherhead appears to have gone âel silencioâ unless he is busy surfing the net and will come storming back to tell us that this video is total bollox and the earth is flat !
1 Like
York diesel and a can of Easy start
Looks like one of those Euroliners, where you could adjust the roof height
1 Like
Youâve brought back memories of the A series. What a pigs ear that was.
2 Likes