DAF gets after Swedes and Mercedes-Benz
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Its new 3300 is an all-round export flagship while the 2500 addition, with revamped 8.25-litre diesel, has particular attraction for UK operators in the light of Armitage. Steve Gray reports from Holland
NO ADDITIONS have been ade to the DAF range of trucks 'M Technical News January 16) Id its existing 8.25-litre engine is been substantially altered. The new models, one at the p end of the heavyweights and e other filling a gap in the ediums, are designated 3300 id 2500 respectively. Visually, ey bear a marked resemblance the 2800, in the case of the [00, and 2300 in the case of the 430, as they use the same F241 id F220 cabs.
The 3300 replaces the 2800 (S — although the 2800 DKSE id DKTD remain available — At more power has been ueezed out of the 11.6-litre enne. In this form it is designated e DKX1160 and gives 243kW (330bhp) at 2,200rpm with a maximum torque of 1,300Nm (959Ibft).
DAF has shown this engine to be capable of producing more in the past when it designed a vehicle for the Italian market which could meet the 8bhp/ton requirement at 44 tonnes. However, the 3300 application was designed to offer flexibility along with good fuel consumption for long-distance haulage, says DAF.
The increased power has been achieved by changes to the fuelling although the same turbocharger is used. To help drivers get the best from the newcomer, VISAR, its computerised system to advise on optimum gear changes, is being fitted as standard.
In common with the superseded 2800 DKS, the ZF 16 S 130 Ecosplit, eight-speed range-change gearbox with splitter is fitted, giving 16 possible ratios. A single-plate clutch is used and there is the option of a 16S 160 box which has a first gear ratio of 17.28 to 1 and is designed for vehicles used in the building industry or other arduous operations.
On 4x2 vehicles, the hub-reduction 2699 rear axle is used with a variety of alternative ratios available. For doubledrive applications, the 2699T tandem-axle unit has been developed. This has no less than eight torque rods to absorb acceleration and braking forces as well as giving lateral location and has an oscillation of 290mm (11.4in). Air suspension is now offered on tractive unit rear axles.
Externally, the "second generation" F241 cab is indistinguishable from the 2800, apart, that is, from the badginb and additional markings on the doors and side panels. Inside there is a smaller steering wheel, now possible because needle roller bearings are used on the stub axles, which reduces the steering effort and allows DAF to meet the German regulations.
The. VISM device is to be fitted into the dash between the tachograph and the combined gauge unit and the tachograph is to be an electronic one with a built-in rev counter. Double glazed rear cab windows and other sound and heat insulation are incorporated.
There are built-in speakers, although drivers will have to provide their own 24V radio. The sleeping area of the cab is fully equipped with curtaining all round.
Although for UK operators the 4x2 tractive unit is likely to prove the more popular (the 6x4 tractive unit may become equally so if Armitage gets accepted) there are other variants of the 3300, including 6x2, 8x2 and 8x4 chassis as well as 4x2 rigids.
Perhaps even more significant for UK operators, though, especially in the light of Armitage, is the 2500, falling as it does between the 2300, with 230bhp and the 2800 DKTD with 260bhp. The vehicle is fitted with a revamped version of the 8.25-litre in-line six-cylinder diesel which has been in production virtually unrivalled for over ten years.
Both charge-cooled and turbocharged, the engine has been uprated to provide 184kW (250bhp) at 2,400rpm with torque of 915Nm (675Ibft) DIN. Although the cubic capacity — and for that matter the bore and stroke — remains the same the cylinder block has been changed. These changes now apply to all engines in the 8.25 litre series.
The block has been thickened to give both strength and noise reductions. At the top it is reinforced as are the seating surfaces around the water and oil covers. Better distribution of forces is claimed by further re cessing into the block of th main-hearing cap studs an main bearings now have grooveless shell on the bottor to provide a higher oil-pressur retention, and as there is greater bearing area, an e; pected longer life.
A reshaped water jacket to su new base drilling, has been ca to accept the increased loac • and to cut down noise. Coolin is also claimed to be better. double flow of oil has been prr vided by the modification of th oil passages to each mai bearing.
Pistons, too, are change They now have a special Inv; steel insert cast into the alloy 1 !duce the stop between piston id wall during starting when )Id. It is said also to cut noise at is crucial time. Three rings are aw used instead of four to cut iction, and oil consumption is aimed to be reduced by the :ment of a narrower scraper ng. More importantly, perhaps, le undersides of the pistons are I cooled.
Possibly the most significant ianges, though, have been to le cylinder heads of the turbolarged engines which have aen completely re-cast.
Larger inlet and exhaust ports .e incorporated and the inlet 3ssage shape has been corm etely redesigned to give more 'yid. This gives a better air/fuel lixture, which improves cornustion, thus reducing emisons. Narrower injectors, with ip rather than side connections, 3ve allowed DAF to put more !eat around them to improve gidity while also ensuring good aat dissipation.
The heads on naturally aspiited units are the same as-those n the old engine. Head retenan and sealing are improved by le use of a new composite :eel/synthetic gasket and — to pinch Ford jargon — a "torque to yield" tightening technique at the engine plant. This latter process uses a computer program to tighten the head nuts by a special machine in numerical order while checking the stud stretch. This process obviates the need to re-tighten the head after initial running. Fuelling for the largest engine is by Bosch with a revised pump, but the biggest change is the use of a Garrett T45 turbocharger.
It has swept-back vanes to give a higher power take-up at lower turbine, and thus lower engine speed. DAF says this gives a flatter torque curve claiming the 2500 has 90 per cent of maximum torque available between 1,2 0 0 and 2,10Orpm.
DAF has built all the changes into its 8.25-litre engines (except for the heads on naturally aspirated units) and is offering them through its DAF Diesel outlet to other OEMs.
For the 2500 these are three gearbox options — a nine-speed 5S-92 GP, a six-speed box, the S6-90 + GV with splitter and an eight-speed + splitter 16 S-112.
In common with its big 3300 brother, the 2500 with this last box has the double-"H" pattern with the splitter control on the side of the gear knob. It also has the 2699 hub-reduction axle with a capacity of 13 tonnes and a seven-tonne front axle, Multiwheelers are fitted with either the 2699T or 2255T tandem-axle units, depending on application.
The cab for the 2500 is basically that of the 2300 — the F220 — but in "second generation" form. Improved trim and a revised facia, similar to that on the larger vehicle, is used. There is now a top-header rail shelf which houses the radio (when fitted) and switch for the electri cally operated nearside door. Exterior mirrors are now heated and three are fitted on the nearside.
Controls and switches are the same as those on the 2800 and 3300 including the rather cumbersome multi-function wiper/indicator/horn headlamp flash switch on the column. Electrics generally have been tidied up in line with the larger vehicles and a central interior cab-mounted distribution centre is used — an idea first tried on 2800s. Fuses, relays and VISAR wiring is incorporated in this centre.
Hydraulic tilting is used for the 2500 although day to day checks can be accomplished . without the need to tilt.
During a recent trip to Eindhoven, DAF told us we would be able to test drive both the 3300 and 2500. Unfortunately the 3300 turned out to be a 2800 which had been brought up to the bigger vehicle's standard with higher output engine and Ecosplit box, while the 2500 was a prototype which had been hand built for Italian homologation and was missing some sound insulation material!
Nevertheless, after an indifferent start owing to organisational problems, we were able to take their vehicles out for a fairly short — about 40knn — test run on both motorway and urban roads, in and around Eindhoven.
The 3300 was, we were told, loaded to 38 tonnes while the smaller vehicle only grossed at 24 tonnes — well below its design weight of 40 tonnes. Naturally, the 3300 pulled away very strongly being some 17 tonnes down from its design weight. It easily pulled away in second low and it was possible to skip gears through to eighth,. and to use the splitter only as an overdrive.
I found the long gear lever made changing on the Ecosplit simplicity itself. A slight tap across the gate effected the range change and the synchromesh was perfect. A flick of the gear knob mounted switch, and depression of the clutch, brought in the splitter.
The VISAR had obviously been designed for the original engine of this vehicle and gave false gear-change information. By using the green band of the rev counter it was possible to keep the vehicle running smoothly and get it to go along quite quickly. The clutch was the lightest, I think, that I have ever used, but nevertheless retained good "feel". Although not fully laden, the matching of the revised output engine and gearbox seemed perfect — few drivers who are used to, say, the old constant-mesh-boxed DKTD 2800 would complain, I am sure.
Small inclines simply required a split down of half a gear to maintain progress. In town, the big DAF handled perfectly and the new smaller steering wheel, coupled with the needle-roller kingpin thrusts, made guiding the vehicle effortless.
If the 3300 was a mover, so too was the 2500 — mostly because of its light-laden condition.
Unfortunately, it was not possible to get the suspension seat back to a comfortable position — something to do with the Italian job I was told (perhaps they're all midgets!). In spite of this difficulty, driving the new vehicle was no real problem.
The smaller wheel on this vehicle was nice and comfortable, but by far the most impressive aspect of the truck was its brakes. A new foot valve is being used which makes the 2500 virtually stop on a sixpence. Indeed, care was needed to avoid sending the works driver through the screen!
On rutted sections of the motorway at certain speeds there was a distinct vibration through the steering column. My works driver was anxious to convince me that this was strictly because it was a prototype. Despite the lack of sound insulation, the interior noise level seemed pretty low. DAF claims to have cut base engine noise to 83dBA, and I see no reason for disbelief.
After such short test runs with the vehicles, and especially as they are untypical, it's difficult to form an accurate impression of their true capabilities. When I look at their paper specifications, however, DAF seems to have done a good job. A typical 2500 weighs around 40kg (881b) more than its equivalent 2300 with the base engine being about 5kg (111b) more than the old one.
DAF says a 2500, with 3.1m (10.1ft) wheelbase and sleeper cab, has a kerb weight of 6,590kg (6.40 tons). For weight conscious operators, perhaps hedging their bets about Armitage acceptance, a vehicle with this sort of kerb weight yet 40 tonnes capability must be attractive. And DAF has neatly plugged a gap in its model line-up which was being taken advantage of by other makers. Like the 2300 — and indeed 3300 — the 2500 will not just be in tractive unit form but is to encompass multiwheelers as well as rigid drawbar applications.
There is another bonus for operators, too. All vehicles — from the RAI Show which opens in February — have a five-year anti-corrosion warranty on the cabs. DAF's new electrostatic paint treatment plant, zinc primer coating and the use of wax-injected box sections has given the compahy the courage to offer a five-year guarantee against rotting from the inside out and a two-year one for the surface treatment of all cab panelling.
Chassis, too, are painted electrostatically and those col ponents which are subjected strong chipping and scratchil
are treated by a process callcataphoresis, claimed to gF
even better protection.
The new flagship, the 3300, clearly aimed at the big Swed and Mercedes and is a true intE national haulage vehicle. D) hopes it will reinforce its poi tion as one of the biggest e porters — it has a fairly sm, home market.
According to Piet Van Doom DAF is going to be profitable if year and he believes that in spi of its relatively small size it able to match larger manufactt ers' efficiency.
The flexibility of its operatic and a wide model range — e chanced by these additions make it well placed for ti future, he said.