"The 65 Series models in
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particular have been very successful" Richard Teece
EST (Edwin Shirley Trucking), based at Stratford, east London, works with a high. profile clientele in support of rock concerts on tour all over Europe. While the company operates 30 of its own trucks as well as some on contract hire, it has only two 17-tonners and they, like most of the rest of the fleet, are Leyland Dais and 65 Series.
The first of the two 24ohp models was purchased in 1997 and the second, a CF version, in 1998. Richard Teece, who works in EST's transport department, told CM: "We want the extra power for when we run fully loaded and we like the extra advantage it offers for long-haul operations. The 65 Series models in particular have been very successful. They superseded the 1900 and we have had few problems. One has the standard sleeper cab while the later one has the advantage of the Hatcher cab extension. It offers more room for the driver out on tour and he is pleased with it. With one-driver operation the truck becomes home for long periods so they do look after them. The stowage facility is better in the later one and the general build quality is better from Daf than it used to be," he says.
"Some of the time we run near to maximum weight and and we expect to move up to 18 tonnes for that reason. We have conventional GRP box bodies built by Billings to our specification, incorporating four rows of load locks on the interior. With the tail-lift it gives us a payload of 9.o to 9.5 tonnes. But because of the nature of our business we do run light a lot of the time.
"The trucks' reliability has been very good and, although neither of the 65 Series has needed to call upon Daf s roadside rescue, we are impressed with DafAid backup. It was one of the contributory factors in buying Dafs. Latterly the 65CF is offered with two years' free repair and maintenance. It allows us to budget costs much better and we plan to extend the service contract as appropriate. The earlier of the two trucks returns between 12.0 and r4ompg while the later one is about 5% better. We are told this is because of the improvements to the engine and certainly the driver notices the difference in mid-range torque.
"Mileage is quite low, around 8o,000km a year. We usually trade the vehicles in after five years. We have been dealing with Harris Commercials at Grays for the past zo years so you can say we have a good relationship with them. The part of our business for which we use the 17-tonner is expanding and from time to time we have hired in other makes of truck when we have the need, just to see what they are like. But when we do buy, we expect to add to the number of 65s we have on the fleet.
"Tyre replacements are few and far between. We favour Michelins and use them over about 90% of the fleet. The initial investment is higher than for some other makes but it pays off in reliability, quality and long-term value.
"I have looked through the service records md we really haven't had any problems with either of our 65 Series—if we had any :omplaints you would know of them. laving said that, a larger cab with more rtorage space would be an improvement 'or our long-distance haulage operation,le adds.
0 will not appear dirty so quickly, while the seat upholstery is of the same high quality as that used in the 95XF Series.
The Daf NS 156 6.2-litre engine is a relalively high revving unit, developing maximum power at 2,50orpm and maximum torque at 7,700rpm. A 5.63:1 final drive gives the 210 model a geared speed of 66mph while a 4.56:1 axle ratio gives the 240 a top speed of 65mph. At the legal motorway limit of 85km/h the engine revs at 2,033rpm, and at 40mph in top gear it turns over at just 1,515rpm—well below maximum torque. With axles rated at 7.5 tonnes front and 11.5 tonnes rear, the i.o-tonne tolerance should make it relatively easy to cargo up to the full r8 tonnes without axle overload. ECAS four-bellow electronically controlled air suspension enables the chassis to be raised or lowered quickly and precisely to match dock loading heights from outside or inside the cab. Big 4 iomm diameter drum brakes, working at a high pressure of io bar, are designed to give a short response time and long lining life.
Total 65 Series sales number some 2,850 units. The 210 model is more popular but the demand for the more powerful version is on the increase and currently accounts for about one third of 65 Series sales figures. In reality there are only a few operators who use the 240hp engine in front of a drawbar trailer.
For more than 25 years Daf has placed great store in the value of its backup services. Many Daf workshops remain open overnight and on Saturday and Sunday, while DafAid roadside assistance, if taken up, is available 24 hours a day all year.