Was the fuller box a good match in the 2800? Only ever drove them with the zf, back to front constant mesh and right way round synchro. Did try to move one with a fuller as an apprentice… didn’t go well 
but that’s another story 
Patrick
patrick 68:
Was the fuller box a good match in the 2800? Only ever drove them with the zf, back to front constant mesh and right way round synchro. Did try to move one with a fuller as an apprentice… didn’t go wellPatrick
IMHO the Fuller box wasn’t a particularly good installation in the 2800, not anywhere near as good as in MAN or ERF but a bit better than SA. Robert
Maybe that’s why I think more 2800s seem to have been fitted with the ZF, unless there was a big difference in Price when Purchased?
The one I, unsuccessfully, tried to move belonged to Northern Commercials. They were dropping a new trailer off in the yard and the rep who brought it just abandoned it in the middle of the yard, my gaffer, Norman Winteringham, told me to go turn it round and park it up.
Climbed in, started the engine, looked at the gear lever, had a think, thought it must be some sort of 4 speed with 2 splits or a double range change ■■? I was only 16 at the time. Anyway put the switch in 1 and went for 3rd gear, BIG grinding noise so let go of the stick. Tried again but waited about 20 seconds with the clutch in and tried again, BIG grinding noise again so let go of the stick. On hearing the noise Norman and the rep appeared, ■■■■■■■ themselves. I got out of the cab and said I think there’s something wrong with the clutch or gearbox. The rep, still ■■■■■■■ himself says “there’s a technique to getting it into gear” he climbs into the cab, starts the engine, gives it some revs and as the revs drop puts his foot on the clutch and proper bangs the lever into gear… The whole front end of the unit looked like it jumped a foot off the floor. I said to Norman if that’s normal I’m glad we don’t have any of them boxes and buggered off back into the garage.
Patrick
Hey, my 2800 which lasted about 2.500.000 km which only needed one piston in its live.
This 3600 was the best of our 3600’s and did 1.600.000km before an overhaul, and even for a 3600 never needed a head gasket,
Was a Platinium (specially built to customer), but pitty it was ZF geared, because the boss was a Wally to drive.
Eric,
Some nice looking motors
Patrick
Before Fridco it had belonged to a Grangewood subbie, Jimmy Buckle.
Here it is in Grangewood colours seen in Dover.
David
Smart as always David.
History of Company for anyone interested
This was our first DAF 2800 DKS with 13 Speed Fuller cost £11,000.00 new in 1974.
Was the first truck from Scotland to do trips to the M/E.
The second one was DAF 2800 DKS 6 x 4 great machines.
Scotnat:
History of Company for anyone interestedThis was our first DAF 2800 DKS with 13 Speed Fuller cost £11,000.00 new in 1974.
Was the first truck from Scotland to do trips to the M/E.
The second one was DAF 2800 DKS 6 x 4 great machines.1
0
Great stuff Alex! Good to see ‘Geordie’ in the galleries too!
All the best,
John.
One of the great things about the 2800 (etc) cab was the ability to ‘concertina’ if that’s the right word, the top bunk down, so it was about 8 inches (about 20 centimetres if we’re still in later today what I thought was just a common market!) above the bottom bunk.
When the gearbox back bearing collapsed on the 140 on Bolu, and I managed to nurse it back to the mocamp, and Aydin said he needed a Scania bearing, I was stuck. For some reason, it was next to impossible to source and get said bearing to Istanbul.
An empty England bound Daf, with two guys from Whitefield, Manchester, agreed to piggy back me home. A returning NODAG (my firm) driver agreed to take my Qatar bound trailer from the cafe on Bolu and left his empty trailer for me to take home. A morning in Taji Kocman’s office, above the Bosphorus sorted out the complicated paperwork.
So, there were three of us in the cab, except that the owner driver agreed to take a hitch hiker, a pretty girl in her twenties, who had been teaching English in Iran, home as well!
‘Where’s she going to sleep?’ I bleated. ‘With me.’ He replied with a smile. The bunk became a seat for me and the co-driver, the girl sat in the passenger seat.
Actually, we hardly slept at all. The truck owner drove night and day, he allowed the other guy and me a couple of hours now and then, but any false change on the Fuller was greeted with a loud tut and an ‘I’ll drive it!’ Response. We went through East Germany, paying an ‘over length’ tax at the borders - the trailer hung about 10 feet over the back.
We arrived at Bremerhaven in 3 days.
He did get to sleep with her on the ferry to Harwich. He also picked up 2 nurses who were on their way back to Preston, so now there were 6 of us in the Daf cab. But it seemed to work.
Through the narrow streets of Harwich, the air horns he’d bought in Istanbul reverberated and evoked squeals of joy from schoolchildren who were inches from our wheels.
We dropped the owner driver’s new best friend off at Cambridge Station, where she got the train for London, and the nurses at Preston. When we arrived at Scania Garstang, the gearbox was missing! Since we hadn’t stopped for 4 days I still have no idea who stole it, but suspect it disappeared at the mocamp before we even set off.
John.
^^^Great post! Robert
