David G Davies takes the Euro-6 plunge with Daf XF
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By David Wilcox THE UK'S FIRST Euro-6 Daf XF tractor has entered service with the 15-strong fleet of Glossop, Derbyshire-based operator David G Davies & Sons.
After been shown earlier this month at Truckfest South West in Malvern, the 4x2 unit is working on UK-wide distribution of housing insulation for Davies and is expected to cover about 120,000km a year.
Talking about his decision to opt for Euro-6 six months ahead of the deadline at the end of this year, Davies transport manager Chris Davies said: "We have to have it sooner or later, so we thought we would try one to get some early experience."
He was coy about the additional cost, other than to say: "Daf gave us a good deal."
The XF has the 510hp rating of the M X13 engine, which, along with the Super Space Cab, enhances its residual value, according to Davies. The company buys its vehicles outright and usually sells them after three years. Also part of the high-end specification is the Intarder hydraulic auxiliary brake on the ZF AS-Tronic gearbox. "We've had Intarders on our last five or six new ones and they're brilliant," said Davies. "You hardly need to touch the brakes, and this is a hilly area. They help with the residual value too."
In its first week, the XF returned 9.9mpg10.1mpg, which Davies said is already better than the Euro-5 XF units in the fleet.
"You can feel the difference that the new chassis makes, and the gearshift is so good now that it rivals I-Shift in my opinion," said Davies.
He praised his local Daf dealer, F&G Commercials in Barnsley and Oldham, which supplied and maintains the XF. "It is superb — one of the main reasons we buy Dafs."
The new addition has been specially airbrushed and is the latest in a series of animalthemed designs on the Davies fleet.