A DAF with a nose job - A Jansen BV

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A DAF with a nose job
By Niels JaNseN • photos: lep vaN der Meer
It is hard to believe there
will be only two of this
unique DAF XT105
The cockpit of the bonneted
XT is similar to one in the
XF coe. Below: the bonnet
and grille were specially
designed for the XT. Right:
the design of the front end
matches well with the Super
Space Cab.
64 NZ TruckiNg August 2012
Heavy trucks with a bonnet are not produced
anymore in Europe, apart from
the off-highway Mercedes-Benz Zetros
and the ‘Australian’ Iveco Strator. We can
now add the DAF truck in this article to that
very small list.
This unusual DAF was custom built for the 40
year anniversary of transport company A. Jansen
BV in Son, Holland. Jansen owns a fleet of 120
trucks, and with the exception of three units
they are all DAFs.
CEO Anton Jansen is fond of trucks with a
bonnet and for many years the firm used DAF
NTT and NAT models. In fact they still own two
of these trucks, because the boss is just too much
of a DAF fan to get rid of them.
Henrie Geboers used to drive one of the old
bonneted trucks. That was a NTT3300 6x4 tractor
of 1982 vintage. Officially, this model did
not exist and was in fact a NTT2800 that Jansen
later equipped with a stronger 3300 engine. The
DAF was used for many years in heavy earth
moving and demolition work, but after more
than four million kilometres with four new
engines the truck was decommissioned.
Driver Henrie Geboers still regrets this decision.
“I loved to work with the NTT,” he says, “but
when I was on holiday and came back another
driver had made a mess of it. The engine started
loosing oil in a big way. In fact the only option
was to replace the engine for the fifth time.
Jansen decided to keep the rare DAF, but it was
never put to work again. Instead, they gave me a
DAF XF105 cabover. A super comfortable truck,
but I could not forget that old bonneted beast.”
In September 2011 Henrie was more than 12
years with the Jansen firm and there were the
usual celebrations with pastries and the watch
with inscription. All very well, but the real surprise
followed a few months later. During the
festivities of the 40th anniversary of the company
the brand new DAF XT105 was unveiled.
Company director Anton Jansen had the
XT105 specially built by DAF dealer De Burgh
in Eindhoven. The conversion took place in
deepest secrecy and besides the people that
worked on it, nobody ever knew what was
going on at De Burgh’s shop. Everybody was
impressed with the new bonneted truck but
nobody said anything about the lucky one who
was going to drive this unique DAF.
Henrie: “A few days later the boss told me that
I was going to drive it! I just couldn’t believe my
luck, I was overwhelmed!” When you climb into
the nosy Super Space Cab, first thing that strikes
you is the entrance that has been moved backwards.
However, inside the cab all has remained
the same.
Henrie: “The engine hump is still visible in the
cab. But because I am a small guy the 10cm high
tunnel comes in handy because the upper cabinets
are way up high. The tunnel has another
advantage because the free space underneath is
used to mount the tank with hydraulic oil for
the tipper trailer. That way there is more space
on the chassis to fit a big fuel tank.“
The unique DAF has now been on the road a
few months and its driver enjoys every kilometre
in it.
“This rig really drives like a dream. Surprisingly,
the steering character resembles that of my old

DAF NTT. Of course this DAF has a smoother
ride and handling. The cab is much quieter and
has also more comfort and space. The tractor
is fitted with air suspension and that is also a
big improvement. This XT is even more comfortable
than the XF I recently drove. That is
because the driver’s seat is situated more backwards,
I guess.”
The Dutch trucker also enjoys all the attention
that his new steed receives wherever it
turns up and he willingly explains what this
unique DAF XT is all about.
But work has to go on. That means making a
lot of kilometres. With the 3-axle tipper trailer
the rig weighs in at about 50 tonne in total.
The 460hp six-cylinder PACCAR MX diesel
coupled to an automated 16-speed AS-Tronic
transmission has no problem with this weight.
But the engine is more noticeable than in a
comparable XF105 cabover, especially when the
Henrie is proud of his new
rig and washes it every
week. Below: to prevent
damage to the rig, driver
Henrie Geboers often hops
on a shovel himself.
August 2012 NZ TruckiNg 65

The Jansen company
transports mainly sand,
gravel and recycled
concrete.
Clockwise from left:
Henrie Geboers (50) loves
bonneted trucks, so his
boss had one custom built
for him.
To reduce outside noise, the
PACCAR MX-diesel is fully
encapsulated.
The old DAF NTT3300 has
been restored and now
forms part of the family
heritage.
66 NZ TruckiNg August 2012
turbo whistle comes in. Geboers does not mind
a bit of ‘engine music’ and is just having the time
of his life.
“The old NTT was very noisy in comparison
to this.” he says, “I am really glad with this new
long nose. For safety, we have fitted with a
Groeneveld Greensight camera system in the
grille and in under the right hand mirror. It
works very well. In addition to the LED screen
there is also an acoustic system installed.”
The unique DAF XT from the Jansen firm may
be joined by a second version soon. The order is
already given and it will be configured more or
less identical to the first one. The base will be a
DAF XF105.460 FTT tandem drive tractor with
a nine tonne front axle again, but than with a
slightly longer wheelbase. The latter will make
it technically easier to move the cab backwards.
De Burgh developed a new cab suspension for
the XT whereby the Super Space Cab sits on
a steel suspension. Luckily the wiring harness
had the right length which made things easy to
install. The complete chassis with all the ins and
outs of the XF remained untouched. The Front
Underrun Protection remained intact too. The
new by De Burgh developed bonnet is hung at
the same spot where the front of the COE cab
was attached.
The overall design just looks as if it came from
the DAF drawing board. Not only the bonnet,
but also the plating under the doors, the connection
between the cab and bonnet and also
the side fenders were developed by De Burgh
in house. The bonneted DAF XT in this 6X4
configuration weighs in with SSC cab and tipper
PTO at 9440 kilograms, which is indeed a bit
heavier than an XF cabover.
The construction of the truck has already created
a deluge of comments from Europe and as
far as Australia. DAF Trucks have, however, no
plans to add this model to its product line. They
claim that the market is just too small for it.
DAF dealer De Burgh is considering a continuation
and is working on a market research concerning
the possibilities. But for the time being,
the two Jansen tractors are the only XT105’s in
the world. �