question Leyland DAF Vs Bedford MJ

[stal108]

TM way forward lol,,, r u sure you can run contam in the mk as it is?? they say multifuel but i am sure i was told it can not std??? and the power you will loose if you thought it was slow it gonna die.

they look cool though best of the lot.

[paulob1]

problem with contam is that it needs first clearing of any water, then it needs filtering to remove any other contamination...in the TK I would think as long as you ensure that you dont run on neat contam and always run a 50/50 mix you would always be fine..., even my zils will just about manage 50/50 and they are petrol engines...although they really only like about 10-15% maximum diesel in there...I always mix any contam with 50% petrol minimum, and if it is strongly diesel i will put that into the FV432...

[LoggyDriver]

problem with contam is that it needs first clearing of any water, then it needs filtering to remove any other contamination...in the TK I would think as long as you ensure that you dont run on neat contam and always run a 50/50 mix you would always be fine..., even my zils will just about manage 50/50 and they are petrol engines...although they really only like about 10-15% maximum diesel in there...I always mix any contam with 50% petrol minimum, and if it is strongly diesel i will put that into the FV432...

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you want an engine to run on contam then a Reo is the truck to have. My mate put gallons of contam in his for W&P. I had a look at it one day and it was yellow in colour. I said to my mate that I've never seen that colour before. We then drained the filters and there was what we thought was water coming out. All three filters were full with crystal clear liquid. We then had a go at the main fuel tank and that too gave up about two gallons of clear liquid. It couldn't have been water as the engine wouldn't have run, but I was amazed he drove all the way from Cornwall and back without any problems, and even more surprised that it didn't seem to effect the engine.

 

He has since drained the whole system and is sticking to neat diesel from now on. I would have loved to have known what the clear liquid was, but the truck kept going none the less...:-D

[eddy8men]

the fuel injection pump on the mk has a lockwired cap on one end which can be removed when running on contam, i was told this would increase power by 10% to allow for the reduction in power when compared to deisel, i couldn't tell you what was under that cap as we never ran the mk's on anything other than diesel but i would assume it was a stop that acted on the fuel control rod which could be removed to allow more fueling.

i'm still not committed to any deals when it comes to what wagon to buy so i'm still open to ideas, i'm also skint which helps to stop me making impulse buys

 

eddy

[psychoman]

I'm in a similar position and just found this thread. So the big question: what did you do in the end, Robin???

[Richard Farrant]

the fuel injection pump on the mk has a lockwired cap on one end which can be removed when running on contam, i was told this would increase power by 10% to allow for the reduction in power when compared to deisel, i couldn't tell you what was under that cap as we never ran the mk's on anything other than diesel but i would assume it was a stop that acted on the fuel control rod which could be removed to allow more fueling.

 

 

I have only just seen this post and realise it is a year old. Just a word of warning to anyone with a Bedford MK multi-fuel. Do not be mislead to think you can use a contaminated mix of fuel in them ( ie diesel and petrol), it will cause you big trouble. The Bedford 330 Multi-fuel was designed only for Diesel or Aviation Turbine fuel.

Edited August 31, 2011 by Richard Farrant

[dave2162]

Dafs are crap cross country always getting stuck, MJs wins time and time again slow to drive no powered steering but a simple well built design,

[N.O.S.]

Dafs are crap cross country always getting stuck, MJs wins time and time again ....

 

It's not rocket science - merely the fact that there is almost a ton more on the front axle of the Leyland DAF! If you can keep the front on top you're more likely to get through :cool2:

[berna2vm]

I think that the Daf is a great little truck. The MK/MJ is a great truck too. As a collectors piece it is obviously more desireable than the Daf. However as a collectors item the RL has more appeal than both of them, in abundance...

The Daf is better as a daily driver though and the Cummins engine, 60mph top speed and PAS do it for me. The cross country performance of the Daf is blighted by the crap (off road anyway !) Goodyear G288 tyres. If they were both on all service bargrips there would not be much in it.

[eddy8men]

glad this thread got resurrected as i bought a daf about 3 months ago but things haven't gone to plan as i bought it from a tosser on ebay who told me the v5 was in the post and that was nearly 3 months ago now, i'll probably speak to the dvla and see what they say. so my plan to get a useable truck has fallen by the wayside for now. when i get some money together i'll buy one from withams as the daf just makes more sense if you intend to use it regulary and i don't intend to show it, just use it to move the carrier around. with regard to the fuel i'm going to try making my own bio deisel and see how it goes.

 

rick

[afvnut75]

It is just as I suspected, the DAF is the unloved one of the two and will likely evaporate into obscurity in 20 years time while we will see scads of MJs forever.

 

I wish our MJs had a tilting cab, I have often wondered how hard it would be to retrofit a kit to make that happen.

 

R

 

Not if i and my misses have anything to do with it i wont have a bad word said against my daf and at 165 pounds for 12 months tax im thinking of getting another one Cheaper than my land rover 110 So a comms body variant with a winter heating system is on the list for me !

i at present own a gs standard cargo variant or troop carrier which im using to move house in ,But the thats getting comandeered by my misses whos now joined the ta royal logistics and all those in her troop love the daf as much as i do and dont want to have anything to do with mjs .

In my view mjs look nice and classic at shows but i personally wouldnt touch one with a barge pole ! Reliablity and ease of maintainance and driveablity is paramount for me and i do love the solid look of a daf its utilitarian but i love it !

[paulbrook]

Funny old thing...

 

In my uniformed yoof I ran the user trial on these 2 (and a Volvo as it happens....) and guess what? The Leyland was the better all round truck. The Volvo was nice though (and fast, utterly reliable and superb off road) and might have pipped the Leyland except for the size of the cab and a couple of other details.

 

If you ask me nicely Ill tell you why the Leyland has an Edbro and not a Marshall body..

[robin craig]

There is much made of the tyres on the DAF as being poor off road.

 

Our MJ had bar grips on it, but after getting sideways on the road in a rain storm we changed them to the latter style which at least can let water out rather than the continuous contact of the bar grips.

 

Any comments?

 

R

[m109a3uk]

Funny old thing...

 

In my uniformed yoof I ran the user trial on these 2 (and a Volvo as it happens....) and guess what? The Leyland was the better all round truck. The Volvo was nice though (and fast, utterly reliable and superb off road) and might have pipped the Leyland except for the size of the cab and a couple of other details.

 

If you ask me nicely Ill tell you why the Leyland has an Edbro and not a Marshall body..

I'm asking nicely:cool2:

[berna2vm]

glad this thread got resurrected as i bought a daf about 3 months ago but things haven't gone to plan as i bought it from a tosser on ebay who told me the v5 was in the post and that was nearly 3 months ago now, i'll probably speak to the dvla and see what they say. so my plan to get a useable truck has fallen by the wayside for now. when i get some money together i'll buy one from withams as the daf just makes more sense if you intend to use it regulary and i don't intend to show it, just use it to move the carrier around. with regard to the fuel i'm going to try making my own bio deisel and see how it goes.

 

rick

If I was you I would definately buy one from Withams,Rick.

[stal108]

Yes be intresting to know or just a look at your arms will tell if you have a mk/j or a daf,,

[david56]

"60mph top speed"

 

The DAF won't do 60 mph for any length of time. 60 is on the red line for the engine, I don't think that the transmission will take it either that's why there is a plate on the heater that states that 30mph max for roads and 40 for motorways. I do a lot of motorway miles in mine and I find that 45/50 is about right.Also at 50+ the fuel consumption rockets. To be honest the fuel is not much worse than my disco and 3.5 ton trailer (going a lot faster though)

 

Off road I have had mine on the top of coal slag heaps and in the bottom of open cast mines at full loaded weight with no problem but show it a soft damp field and you need to send for a tractor.

 

What is the point of buying one of these from a dealer unregistered. These guys know that they are very difficult to register, if it was as easy as they say why don't they do it. Sadly a V5 "in the post" is probably a con. I looked at many on ebay none registered these were double the witham price. I bought mine on the Auction part of the Witham site I had a look before bidding, bid up to the reserve paid my money and waited for it to be delivered. I had already decided how to register it, insured it and sent off the papers to the DVLA and waited about a fortnight later the V5 arrived, job done.

 

Echoing the Harley Davidson thread if you intend to buy from the Tender it is essential that you go and have a look a friend of mine bought one unseen only to find on delivery that the transfer box was in the back in bits needing a front plate he had to buy another accident damaged truck to get the first one going.

 

There was nothing wrong with mine except the drivers seat is worn and a couple of bulbs needed replacing & it could do with a paint. It came with the military service history showing 40K miles and not moving for 4 years except for servicing and rust proofing, oh and the cupola lid blew off anybody got one?

 

If I had the money I would have gone for an EX RAF with the winch the ones I saw looked in very good condition but £7K Then at that we are in DROPS country and that, is a machine!

 

I did look at a marshall bodied MJ at Vass in Ampthill but it was expensive and needed some work doing to it.

[berna2vm]

I'm asking nicely:cool2:

Me too !!!

[N.O.S.]

....If you ask me nicely Ill tell you why the Leyland has an Edbro and not a Marshall body..

 

Anything to do with Marshalls being in control of Bedford by this time, hence in direct competition with Leyland DAF? Or was this before Marshall takeover?

[Richard Farrant]

Anything to do with Marshalls being in control of Bedford by this time, hence in direct competition with Leyland DAF? Or was this before Marshall takeover?

 

Or a geographical reason, or logistical. Leyland DAF being built at Leyland, and Edbro being at Bolton, where as Marshalls are at Cambridge, which was handy for Bedford when they were built at Dunstable, but considering the distance from Lancs, perhaps this was costed out.

 

On another note, when AWD bought Bedfords, there were a small amount of MJ's delivered with AWD badges on, no other differences, but only as cab/chassis, we (REME workshops) were removing bodies from cast MJ's, refurbishing them and putting on the new chassis'.

[robin craig]

Richard,

 

ours has an AWD badge on it.

 

R

[Richard Farrant]

Richard,

 

ours has an AWD badge on it.

 

R

 

The badges were painted same as the truck when they came from the factory, IRR Green.

[paulbrook]

Just in response to the Edbro question - initially all the trials vehicles had Marshalls bodies. They had all been built to a WD specification which went back to the year dot, whereas the "user" expected something a bit more up to date - and something which could be operated (if you can operate a cargo body) and reconfigured by a single person.

 

After a bit of a three way dust up (MOD procurers, the people who had to use them, and the manufacturers who quite rightly said hang on - this is what you have asked for) Leyland bit the bullet and in a very short period of time came up with the body you now see.

 

It wasn't the reason that the Leyland was chosen, but Leyland were determined to try and meet the users requirement, not the requirements of the suits behind desks and their chums the beancounters.

[dan]

I have had both and would go for a daf gs anyday,

cummins v bedford daf1

5speed v box 4 speed daf2

tilt cab v fixed cam daf3

permenant 4wd v rear selactable 4wd daf4

pas v non pas daf5

Price value??? daf6

looks bedford1

daf faults front tow hitch on a daf is very far back makes it hard to push things with a stright bar as you damage bumpers. as far as bedfords bomb proof em,,, my friend has a mk, first problem was a front oil seal turns out the crank had been damaged took lots of work to sort, it also had water pump, alt ,starter ,transferbox .front prop .fuel pump. it a mint truck not many better but was made on a friday. I gave the daf death worked it hard, old bedfords are not in the same league, The test is drive either 100 mile see how you are??? i bet the daf drive will be quieter faster same easier to drive with pas. As far as what is better its the daf. A bedford is a classic army truck but old.[/Your friend is an unlucky sod, I have an MJ '86, for over 2 years have done 10,000K not a bother! Only thing the weld cracked around the filler pipe to the fuel tank. If Speed was my thing I would buy a farari!!QUOTE]

[dan]

The proof is in the pudding! I have had an MJP For over 2 years now done 10,000k not a bother. She looks beutiful, lots of shows & lots of fun for all the family. Only outlay is fuel, oil & antifreeze. She is not fast, but if I wanted speed I would have gone for a classic sports car.