Review: DAF XF105 510

Name: Review: DAF XF105 510
Brand: DAF

Queensland turf company are more than happy with their pair of sharp-looking DAFs

With a more than 12-months experience under their belt since adding the first XF105 to their DAF fleet and the recent addition another XF105, the verdict of Queensland based, Twin View Turf, is that this is a truck that’s frugal on fuel and brimming with driver comfort features.

The first of the two XF105s is in the hands of senior driver Doug Chicken who has notched up over 160,000 kilometres in the last 12 months. Throughout that time Doug has carefully recorded fuel usage and found that the XF105 has returned consistent average fuel consumption in the low 3km/litre. Figures logged during a recent round trip to Melbourne showed that figure rise to an even more money-saving level in the mid 3km/litre.

On top of that Doug enjoys the comfort provided by the big DAF’s spacious cab. “I’ve found it one of the most comfortable cabs I've had the pleasure of living in,” Doug says. “When I’m on the road it offers great all round visibility and an excellent driving position. On the odd occasion I’m required to spend the night away sleeping in the cab the structure and size of the extra comfort bed ensures that I always get a good night’s rest and the high capacity fridge also makes life a lot easier.

“Whether driving on the highway to interstate destinations or around southeast Queensland in and out suburbia I've found this truck very good indeed, especially with the turning circle which makes it easy to manoeuvre in tight spots. Overall I'm very impressed with the XF105 – it's a strong, reliable, comfortable and very easy to drive truck.”

Twin View Turf’s two DAF XF105s are the 6x4 model and they run at 45 tonnes gross weight with both curtainsiders and flattops depending on the load requirements.

Power is from the 12.9 litre DAF MX engine rated at 510hp (375kW), which at 45 tonnes GCM delivers a comfortable power to weight ratio of 11.33 hp/tonne. Good driveline matching that includes a ZF AS-Tronic 16-speed overdrive automated gearbox with an oil cooler and the use of a 3.73:1 ratio rear axle combine to achieve the exceptional fuel figures.

Image is important to Twin View Turf and it keeps its two DAF XF105s and CF85s in immaculate condition. The DAFs are in a distinctive green and white livery, which along with polished tanks and bullbar makes them real head turners.

Doug adds that the DAFs present a very good professional image to customers. “At the end of the day they’re a tool to be worked with,” he said. “And when they’re proving so fuel efficient and all of our drivers like them so much, that’s a winning combination that means we get higher productivity, safer driving and a better result on the bottom line for the company!”

Maurie Brown from Brown and Hurley’s new Burpengary dealership supplied the two DAF XF105 trucks as well as the earlier CF85s. B&H’s new 27,130 square-meter site includes a large workshop with 30 drive-through bays and a component rebuild section as well as a huge retail parts display backed with a 1500 square-metre parts warehouse.

Brown and Hurley provide ongoing parts and warranty support while routine inspections and maintenance are carried out in Twin View Turf’s own well-equipped workshop at their Wamuran depot.

“One advantage for choosing to purchase DAF is the support offered by the Brown and Hurley after-sales team, whether it be service or parts. Their dealer network ensures that wherever our trucks are operating there is always a DAF dealer close to hand,” Doug says.

“However, it was the safety aspect of the DAF product that also played a significant part in our decision to continue to specify the larger DAF models,” Doug continued. “We were impressed with the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) which is a cruise control system with enhanced functionality that helps the driver to keep a safe distance to other traffic ahead and alerts the driver if manual intervention is required.”

Maurie Brown explained that the ACC means driver fatigue is greatly reduced and safety improved.

“The ACC uses a radar sensor to check for moving objects ahead in the same traffic lane. ACC will maintain a set constant vehicle speed as long as no other traffic is detected. If a preceding slower vehicle is detected, ACC will reduce the engine power and – if necessary – apply retarder systems and brakes to maintain a set safe following distance automatically.”

Another standard feature in the DAF XF105 is the lane-departure warning system (LDWS), which is intended to prevent inadvertent lane changes and roadway departure accidents by alerting the driver if crossing of the lane markings at either side is imminent.

“We also have Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) fitted on the XF105s, which is an electronic active safety system that helps the driver to stay in control of his vehicle during a critical manoeuvre,” Maurie revealed. “VSC significantly reduces the risk of oversteer, understeer with jack-knifing, or roll-over of the vehicle combination”.

“The VSC uses various sensors to continuously compare the driver's steering input (steering wheel angle) with the motion of the vehicle (wheel speed, yaw rate, lateral acceleration),” Maurie said. “As soon as a potential loss of control is detected, VSC cuts the engine throttle and brakes individual wheels to stabilise the driving conditions within the physical limits of the vehicle combination.

The trailers are custom built by Vawdrey trailers in Melbourne and feature load-restraint roll over side curtains. Continuing with the safety theme the trailers run the BPW Trailer Electronic Braking System, which offers the Roll Stability Program.

Maintaining the leading edge in a fiercely competitive industry such as the turf industry is something Twin View Turf takes seriously and the company invests heavily in the latest technologies and marketing to maintain their upper hand.

“We rely on the efficiencies and productivity of all our DAF trucks to give us the competitive edge,” Doug concluded. “That stems from the truck’s image through to the economy and reliability and that’s what we are getting from our DAF trucks and back up from Brown and Hurley.

Twin View Turf

Twin View Turf is a family owned and operated business, located in Wamuran with over 500 acres of turf in production. From humble beginnings in 1965 cultivating tobacco and small crops, to current day as Brisbane’s premier turf supplier they are dedicated to agricultural efficiencies and pride themselves on best environmental practices.

They produce high quality turf for lawns, sports fields, golf courses and public spaces to a diverse range of clientele.