david56

I use Air Products as well they have depots all over the country so you can collect them to reduce the charges. The cylinder rental is only £0.80/week/ cylinder, but there is a transaction charge every time you collect a new cylinder so better to change them at all at once.

DAF won't do 65mph unless you run it above the red line + the tyres are not rated for anything like that speed. I can't belive that it does 17mpg @ 65mpg. I find that the best speed to drive mine is between 45 and 50 anything more and it gobbles up the diesel, above 50 it is hard going. On the cab sticker on the heater directly in the drivers line of sight is a notice 30mph on roads and 40mph on motorways.

You can make up your own side and under run or buy some second hand ones from a breaker. The VOSA web site is not very clear how they need to be made only that they need to be strong and gives some dimensions. Most new lorries have them made out of aluminium so they are not that hefty. The Tachograph is always a problem and if you fit a digital one and drive for a living how will that work? I met a bloke who had a bedford with a hiab fitted after it left the services and he had that registered as a Mobile Crane no Tacho, no MOT Red Diesel. Thing about registering things as what they clearly are not is there will always be a risk. Also what about insurance? David

I to would like to fit a voltage dropper so that I can charge my phone and sat nav any idea what to buy that delivers a stable voltage? David

Both of these trucks are very easy to buy but not easy to register. There are always a few on Ebay but very rarely are they carrying number plates though they are offered with the "correct" Paperwork! I spent a considerable time looking into the options you must take into account the all the regulations operators licence, MOT, Tachograph etc I wanted one for my work and originally planned to register it as Agricultural however the restrictions on Agricultural are quite strict and the two that concerned me most are the 80km radius and the non motorway use. Though the red diesel use was very tempting. In truth it is very difficult to register one of these as agricultural unless your work is in forestry and you intend to use it mostly off road I investigated a recovery registration this looks easier especially if you have a winch or one that has a recovery style crane. It needs an MOT but is exempt from the Tachograph regulations. You wont be able to register an ordinary one as Recovery. I registered mine as a Special Vehicle on the form and did not fill in any of the parts referring to Type Approval when the v5 came back it was Special Vehicle ( Tanker) which as you can see is what it is. I also sent off some pictures. As construction Plant it is exempt from MOT and Also Operators Licence as I use it for work and driving is not my primary occupation then I am exempt from the Drivers cpc. I was told by VOSA and a tester that it would need a Tachograph if i registered it as HGV and it would have to have a Tachograph and speed limiter and that the Tachograph would need to be digital this looked like £2k and would make the whole enterprise to expensive. On the quiet though it was suggested that if a second hand analogue was fitted the tester might well assume that it was original and let it through (no main stream tachograph centre would do this for you it is against the regulations). For the MOT it will need side bars and rear underrun protection. My advice would make absolutely sure of what you can and cant do and what you will be allowed to use it for before buying one. The guys that are selling them know all this and won't give you your money back. If you plan to use it on the road for pleasure my advice would be to buy one that is already registered for unrestricted road use and be very careful of promises that all you need to do is send off the papers and it will be ok because it almost certainly wont. You must have the Blue MOD CAST form or get a letter from DAF to confirm the date of first use. You will also have to send an insurance cover note with your application (more expense) They can be registered as under 7.5 tonnes but they weigh 6.5 empty so can't carry any weight. They will still need a Tachograph as the Tacho rules come into play at 3.5. I would stay clear of motorway service stations as VOSA hide out in the carparks. David Crouch (0116 279 2245) will sell you a registered one but the price bears no relationship to the prices offered by the likes of Withams. The emission regs mean that you will never be able to use it within the M25 with out paying the LEZ charge. The only exemption is Agricultural. Thats what I ment by good luck. David.

Spotted the other day there was a Gazelle Helecopter as a gate keeper as well. They all looked a little sad and could have done with a clean and a coat of paint.

The DAF has no electronic management not even an electrical engine cut off with the ignition just the plain old cable connected to the injector pump. The DAF cab is much bigger I have slept in mine but mainly use it for storing materials and tools. There are plenty of spares for both ( Try David Crouch) but they will get more expensive as time goes on. Both these trucks are being phased out of service, so there is no manufacturers support and no new parts being made but the DAF is still related to the current models. The Bedford's are nearly all gone but those that are coming up for sale seem to be ex reserve where the DAF's are in all conditions. The winch trucks are much more expensive, but they can be registered as "recovery". When I was looking to buy I was offered Standard DAF for £4k and Winch for £7.5K by Withams. The MOT exemption is dependant on how it is registered and age. The cheap DAFs around now now seem to have rusty front wings and the bottom edge of the front panel which is double skinned so a pain to repair. I bought mine on a Witham Auction and to be honest it is not the tidyist to look at but everything works though I have had lots of trouble with the transmission which I think may be related to using it on the motorway at 50mph which is a little fast. Thats me on google street maps last summer. What you decide good luck.

When submitting the forms to the DVLA with the V112g it gives a list of possible exemptions if yours falls into one of these then you will be OK I used Engineering truck (4) for my DAF. But I was registering it as a Special Vehicle. But that was for a Goods Vehicle the exemptions for ordinary vehicles are less. When you tax it then you have to take the form to the post office they never asked me any questions.

When you MOT it they will give you the plating certificate. Its ok to book a MOT as there can be quite a wait, but best find out from the testers what you have to do first. Silly things like wiper blades can fail. Did you get the service records with it? mine had stood for 7 years only moving to have the emissions tested. If you plan to use it a lot change the seats I welded discovery seats to the original frames beware though the drivers seat is quite off set to get round the engine cover. Next time I am your way I would like to drop in and compare notes, David

This is covered by the MOD release form and the letter from DAF. Below is the text of the letter I received. based on this I got a Plate beginning with a J which is between 01/08/1991 and 31/07/1992 so I guess they used the manufacturers dates. Registered Office: 9400 Garsington Road, Oxford Business Park, Oxford. OX4 2HN Registered in England No. 2815777 DAF Trucks Limited Eastern Bypass Thame Oxfordshire OX9 3FB Tel: 01844 261111 Fax: 01844 217111 www.daf.co.uk 07 February 2011 To whom it may concern The following Leyland DAF model FAV 45.150, chassis number *XLRS2D39E******** was manufactured in week 34 1991 and according to our records first used on 16 September 1992. The model was Type Approved under Certificate no 058N102T although a Certificate of Conformity was not issued at the time of first use by the MOD. Des GB Tyres Axle 1 5000 5000 12.00 x 20 154/149 Single Axle 2 7500 7500 12.00 x 20 154/149 Single GVW 10800 10800 GTW 16260 16260 . Should you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact us.

Hi, I had mine on a weighbridge last week it weighs 6050kg with out the canvas and sides so you are about right. the Max plated weight though is only 10800. I run mine at 13000 off road and the single tyres do struggle on soft ground. The trucks were made under type approval certificate of conformity number 058n102t but none was ever issued because they were delivered to the MOD. You can get a letter with a lovely stamp from DAF to confirm this just contact them at Thame or via their Web site, with the Chassis Number. I did attempt to register mine as a HGV but was told it needed a Digital tachograph and speed limiter. Digital because it had never had a Tacho before. This would have cost more than the vehicle. Also for the MOT it will need side bars and rear under run see the current discussion on the RB44 I just feel that there are now too many hurdles to climb in registering these for commercial use. You will never be able to drive it in within the M25 unless paying the emissions fine. they are Euro 2. (£200.00/day) Not to mention the road tax! If you want to make money out of it then Private HGV is no good (if you are stopped and the VOSA guy is suspicious that you are involved in "commercial activity" they ask your insurance status it is a catch 22 if you have Social and Domestic then they do you for no insurance if you have commercial then they do you for using a private HGV for commercial work.) A very few are registered as Agricultural/ Forestry but the restrictions are quite clear these are the only ones that can be run on Red Diesel. If you plan any commercial work then you will need an operators licence, not easy to get, a HGV licence which is not that cheap either and now you need a drivers CPC. It would be nice if there was a special way of registering these for a limited mileage arrangement but it is not so. What about "Showman's"? david

There is a huge difference from bringing in stuff from the EU and Non EU. From outside the EU you will need an agent though this usually comes from the shipping company. It is not simple to do it yourself and if anything goes wrong the Quayside charges can mount up very rapidly. You will have to pay duty and VAT. the goods will not leave the port/ bonded warehouse until Customs are paid up and satisfied . You will need a commercial invoice from the supplier given to the shipping agent preferably while the goods are at sea From the EU its easy there is no VAT on import of vehicles over 6 years old. A new thing to watch out for is some countries in the EU have a scrappage scheme and there is no universal "roadworthy condition" provision. It may be impossible to register any vehicle that has been scrapped so make sure that you get the current registration document if not get a very good reason.

A bit nerdy but if you watch the beginning where there is a brief montage of ads I am sure that one is Millweb and the name Dallas Auto's appears which means that they must have known that parts could be bought in the UK. I hope the trouble with the gearbox was not because mike did not know how to double de-clutch!

If you are planning to drive them to the MOT station it is fine with out plates but you must have it pre booked with a station that is near by and take the shortest route. Also check that the station has a ramp big enough for RB44 they are quite wide. Also it will need to be insured fine on the Chassis no. If the Dvla decide to inspect the vehicle I am not sure what the rules are I drove my jeep with no plates but it had an MOT by then and was insured. The reason to inspect is to check that it is not stolen and has the correct engine and chassis numbers are good. nothing mechanical. I thought that Withams wrote them out there and then mine for the DAF was soaking wet and the Ink had run. It took about 2 weeks for the number to come through ant there was the Tax Disc in the envelope which I almost threw away. David

Re DAF Things I've learnt the hard way. Do not take is for a first drive on soft wet grass it can get stuck. Yesterday I was working on a site where the 6WD Volvo Dump trucks were sliding so was I but we kept going. The Diff lock only locks the centre Diff in the transfer box not the axles. This must never be used on hard ground other wise it wrecks the transfer box and they are expensive. Check the universal joints on the front and rear propshafts and grease them including the sliders. both mine were knackered. the rear let go driving up Saltash high street. Make sure that all the clips and catches are fitted and tight on the cupola mine was last seen frisbeeing across some mud flats. The GS body parts and sides are very heavy. I sold all the sides, Hoops and Canvas on Ebay. when you take the sides off there are some very substantial brackets on the edge of the body that can catch on to gate posts fences etc. Steer clear of Gurkha security bods they tend to go dewy eyed when they see the old 4 "tlonners" Fuel consumption is quite shocking if you wind it up. watch out for leaky fuel tanks I managed to register mine as a Special Vehicle. so no MOT, Tachograph. Remember empty they weigh 6.5 Tonnes so forget 7.5 tonne if you intend to fit a camper. Dave Crouch is the man for Parts. 0116 279 2245 Watch out because they will demolish the average garden wall no problem. If there is a large vertical dent in the door somebody has tried to open the door while the cab is tilted they are very heavy and can be badly distorted. it is very hard work trying to lift the cab if there is any weight behind the seats. Even so every time I see mine I just want to drive it! David

The stickers in the cab on mine say 40mph max on motorways. also 56mph is the maximum allowable speed any how. travelling at 45 seems the best for mine as noise ok wheel wobble controllable fuel not too bad. after three hours my bum aches and I feel my teeth loosening time to stop.

I found this in a derelict bit of land in Pages Walk, South East London. It can be seen on Google. Any body know about it?

this was close !

I have often wondered if I could buy a 50gall drum of red fill arrive at Dover ferry port almost empty. Fill with red in Calais drive to italy and use all the red until it ran out then refill with white making sure that the tank was full with white when leaving Calais. If I was stopped here the tank would be full of white diesel but it seems that this would not be worth the aggro. Plan foiled

They must be clearing out these engines see how many there are on the Withams Tender this month

Mine will go anywhere and I loose my bottle long before it falls over. Also it looks the part. Its a tomo vincovitch with a 18hp lombardini nothing stops it. the downside it is incredibly noisy. David

I was in Withams yesterday, I have never seen the yard so full. They have sold all of these. BTW the guy said that the MOD are selling all their trucks and Land Rovers to be replaced by Leased stuff so over the next few years loads of stuff will come for sale and when it is all gone that will be it.

Have you tried David Crouch?

On Ebay their is this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Benz-Unimog-U1300L-really-excellent-condition-/110802611293?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item19cc59ac5d at £4k it must be a bargain! those seats.