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The DAF CF75 is the archetypal all-rounder. Steady and reliable,

28th January 2010
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Page 34, 28th January 2010 — The DAF CF75 is the archetypal all-rounder. Steady and reliable,
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it forgoes any flashy gimmicks and crafty marketing campaigns more commonly associated with other products on the market. It is, to all intents and purposes, a gaffer's truck, and the facts don't lie.

According to the figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, DAF Trucks finished 2009 with 29.8% of the 29,528 trucks registered at 6.0-tonnes and above, placing it first among its peers and producing a market share record for the marque.

In the three-axle rigid tipper market, its presence is even more dominant — one of every two bought was a DAF. That may sound glamorous, but only 225 three-axle rigids were sold with tipper bodies, a number that is further diluted by single and double-drive bogies, and tippers with grab cranes. Moreover, that total is only 6% of the total three-axle rigid market, where 33% of the 3,746 registered last year were refuse vehicles.

The tipper sector has dropped from 431 registrations in 2008, and the whole three-axle market is down from 5,350 units for a similar period. Three-axle tippers aren't exactly rolling off the production line for any company, and a substantial order from one utility firm or tipper operator could easily change those figures...

Through the early part of this century, before the recession and resultant scaling back employed by hauliers on their operations and products, driver influence was at its height.

However. the CF, unlike the XF —95 and 105 — has rarely stood out in a crowd. DAF Trucks has adopted the phrase 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it and little could reinforce that fact more than if we take a look at the previous DAF CF75 test (CM 25 March 2004) and compare it with this one.

Six years ago, it was a Euro-3 version of the vehicle, with a 9.2-litre engine that offered 355hp at 2,200rpm. 4.10:1 final-drive ratio, a standard eight-speed ZF manual transmission and optional ZF Intarder. The chassis had a 4,550mm wheelbase; and it had the original shortened day cab and Wilcox-built 14m3Wilcolite body.

Its price tag for the chassis cab was £60,900, and CAP valued it at £25,575 after three years, which would have been 2007, and £16.700 after five years.

According to CAP, its value today is £13,050. The kerbweight for the chassis cab and body with steel wheels, a full 340-litre diesel tank and 75kg driver was 9,625kg, offering 16,375kg net payload. The chassis cab weighed 8,044kg.

In 2010, OAF is using selective catalytic reduction (SCR) to meet the European Union's Euro-5 emissions targets, but the vehicle's engine, power and rear-axle ratio remain unchanged. Torque is lower at 1,275Nm, and the vehicle's transmission has advanced from the eight-speed manual, which remains the standard spec, to the optional ZFAS-Tronic 12-speed auto.

Today's CF75 also has the extended day-cab there is a choice of sleeper and Space cab, and, like the 2004-test, the 4.550mm wheelbase remains the shortest of the four available; 6,000mm being the longest.

Further specs on the 2010 model include the front underrun protection (FUP), and the rear double-drive bogie is single reduction with cross-axle and inter-axle cliff locks.The tyres are 295/80R22.5 and alloy wheels replace the standard steel examples. It has disc brakes on the front axle and drums on the rear.

Options fitted to the standard chassis cab are, and by no means all, an AS-Tronic 12-speed automated transmission, ZF Intarder. polished Alcoa wheels, front camera system, cab side collars, driver's luxury air seat, hands-free mobile phone kit, 340-litre aluminium diesel tank, hazard beacons, leather steering-wheel finish and central locking.

Ail of that added to the £88,200 asking price for the chassis cab totals £106,090 (plus VAT).

On top of that is the Wilcox 13.6rd lightweight aggregate body with front-end lifting gear and Dawbarn Wraptor sheeting system, which costs £14.750 (plus VAT).

Vehicle depreciation on such an outlay, according to price monitor CAP, is £22,500 after three years and £14.875 after five years. Contract maintenance is £5,936.

With 10 alloy wheels, a full 340-litre diesel and 45-litre AdBlue tanks, a 75kg driver, and additional ZF Intarder, the kerbweight for the chassis cab is 7,863kg, which gives operators 18.137kg for body and payload.

On the scales, the test vehicle with the Wilcox body weighs in at 9,820kg, which offers 16,180kg net payload.

On the road

Behind the wheel, very little has dramatically changed in the DAF cab over the years. Its handling is accomplished, and from a low seating position, a driver will feel planted without having to experience any of the lateral movement created by the cab's suspension that taller trucks tend to incur travelling around corners and roundabouts.

Key to the handling is the 12-speed automated transmission. The transmission controls sit on the left side of the dashboard. To change gear and alternate between manual and auto, you use the right-hand stalk on the steering column. The dash will show which option you are in.

In auto— and when you are on the level—the transmission does like a block change or two to ninth before settling on single changes to top, especially because it has a 4.10 finaldrive ratio; top gear is reached by 64km/h There is a chance the engine's computer will make an unnecessary change at the brow of a hill or on steeper hill climbs, which negates the temptation to leave it alone. Since the computer errs on the side of caution, a change will be made at the detriment of progress and fuel economy, so driver intervention, or the manual option, comes into play.

On the M42 hill climb, with a short rear-drive ratio, we dropped to 80km/li and 1,650rpm, and recovered before the brow' without recourse to change down. On Birdlip Hill. which includes a roundabout halfway up, the climb is more about recovery than it is time The truck dropped to eighth gear on the initial ascent before easing off for the roundabout and recovering well on the second section of the hill. On the latter hillclimb, we employed driver intervention and switched to manual to stop any unwelcome changes.

The truck engine-management system can only read the road it is on, so when we decided to change back up the gearbox, the fact the truck didn't stall is testament to our belief that a driver can make an informed decision.

Changes came economically. and when it needed a quick shift under duress, the DAF"s transmission obliged.

ZF's AS-Tronic is a sound application, although drivers will still attempt to second-guess it, Once confidence is gained, though, your time would be better spent secondguessing other — more unpredictable — road users.

Part of driver training is cutting the amount of service braking applied while out on the open road, and DAF's decision to add the ZF Intarder means a driver can prolong the life of both disc brakes and brake shoes. It does, though, add 70kg plus and .£4,400 (plus VAT) to the kerbweight and price, so it does need to be used once it's fitted.

With the right training, we found that with 70% of situations on the open road, such as entering roundabouts, running into motorway junctions, judging hill descents and corners, the Intarder replaces the service brake.

The truck also includes a camera that works when moving forward at low speeds. a nice touch for site work, and a positive addition in t;:rms of health and safety.

Nifty Productivity

CM has a new route for tippers, and with that comes new fuel figures So the CF75.360 sets the pace for others to follow.

While we were conducting our test, the weather was still only hinting at snow-covered mayhem.This meant that apart from a brief hold-up on the motorway for debris, the conditions were good.

The new route previously employed by sister magazine Motor Transport, comprises of three sections: the motorway, followed by the A-roads, and then the city challenge. For this test, the total distance is 254.8km, On the motorway section. the CF75 enjoyed 10.88mpg. which was its best figure on the route.

Through the A-road section, the vehicle returned 8.77mpg. before achieving 8.28mpg through the city. Overall, this amounted to 9.49mpg with 4.85% AdBlue consumption of the diesel used.

It's worth stating that overall fuel figures and road speeds are beholden to strong A-road sections.

Cab comfort

Day cabs, loved by the boss, loathed by the driver, remain a bugbear. but if there is a guiding light on how to make the most of a day cab, the DAF is it. At 1.13m, the cab floor height offers a low enough entry point to allow a driver sufficient headroom.

Internal measurements include 1,600mm from footwell to ceiling, 1,770mm from windscreen to the back wall, and 2.110mm door to door. All this combined gives the driver 5.97m' of internal space to operate in which is more than Mercedes-Benz's Axor day cab with its extended back wall. Only the Seania R-Series day cab comes close, but this is with a longer cab and a higher cab floor, and less headroom.

There are two steps to the cab floor and two grab handles to ease into a seating position. If you choose the 'luxury air seat', you'll need to raise it as far up as you can to elevate yourself from the CF75's low seating position.

Even with the seat at full height, the ceiling doesn't feel like it is pressing down on you like it does with cabs that have high entry points.

The height of the engine cover is on three levels, and a tray emanates from the central console complete with two decent-sized cup holders and a rubber-matted surface.

Further storage is available on top on the central console, and the dash to the left of the steering offers a couple of cubbyholes for phones, coins and a few bits and pieces. •


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