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EYE-CATCHING DAF XF480 FAW A STAR OF THE FOREST
The ancient Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire has changed many times over the centuries. In medieval times it was a royal hunting forest, before becoming a source of timber for the navy’s Tudor warships. By Victorian times it was a major site of industry, with coal mining and tramways punctuating the landscape. Today, it attracts some of the world’s major stars; the most famous movie to be filmed in the Forest of Dean is “Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens,” and some parts of the Harry Potter movie series are also filmed here. But if you went down to the forest more recently you’d have seen a totally different star - DAF’s latest XF480 FAW 8x4 rigid – which is where Export & Freight’s Phil Eaglestone became more acquainted with the tipper, with many thanks to DAF trainer Mandy Wannerton. There’s little doubt this new DAF XF has built on the excellent standards of driver comfort for which DAF’s top-of-the-range truck is renowned worldwide. It offers the biggest interior space available on the market, the best and largest bunks and a completely new, attractive look and feel. The new 8x4 FAW chassis has a GVW of 32 tonnes and, thanks to the steered trailing axle, can be manoeuvred with great precision, while a turning circle kerb to kerb of 15.4m makes it ideally suited for transporting large or heavy loads to sites where there is relatively little space. With increased ground clearance that helps avoid rough terrain obstacles such as rocks and stones, the chassis lends itself perfectly to operation as a tipper, as well as to other applications
including concrete mixer, for bodywork with a rear mounted crane or for a combination of a loading crane with a hook lift system.
Some operators will clearly appreciate the extra space, storage and comfort offered by the XF cab, and with many specialist operations being double manned or have a lot of kit that needs to be stored in the cab, this makes the XF an ideal workplace. And, of course, drivers will certainly choose the XF when looking for the ultimate sleeping and living space, as we did, having overnighted in the cab ourselves! The steep inclines and winding roads through the Forest of Dean gave us ample opportunity to experience its handling and performance in ideal conditions, and later we went off-road in a nearby local quarry. It didn’t disappoint at any stage.
Fuel Efficient The DAF XF is powered by the multi-torque PACCAR MX-13 engine with new power ratings, including an extra powerful 390 kW/530 hp variant. Many innovations result in even more torque at lower rpm for highest fuel efficiency. Vehicles can now cruise at only 1,000 rpm, resulting in extremely low noise levels found in top class luxury cars.
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