RGS20inophir
Member
- 90
- 13
- 8
- Location
- Socorro, New Mexico
What an adventure! 200 miles, tons of smiles, 10 bald tires, one blown tire, and death wobble!
I found a DAF-YA-126 on Craigslist a while back, told a buddy about it, and he just HAD to have it! So we brokered a deal and decided to meet the previous owner in Show Low, Az, a little over 200 miles from Socorro, NM. We left around 0600 after getting all the gear together to do a recovery and possible in field repair.
We decided on a three man crew, we had a Chevy 1/2 ton pickup and a 7Klb trailer as a support and possible tow rig, knowing full well that we would be right at the limits with the DAF.
We made it into Show Low around 1100, met the previous owner, did the exchange of paperwork and goods, and everyone left with smiles on their faces.
We drove around Show Low for a while, just to get a feel for the old gal. The tires are DONE, the gas tank senders do not give an accurate reading as to the level in each tank, the turn signals do not work, the tach does not work, the speedo is broken, and she was leaking out nearly every seal of the H drive.
At around 1300 We decided to try to take it out of town. After a quick trip to wally land for some fresh ice in the cooler, some energy drinks, and a couple of radios to communicate between the trucks in the cellular dead zone between Sprinerville and Socorro, we were on the road! Until we hit 48MPH....
DEATH WOBBLE!!! I have NEVER experienced anything quite like that. Between 48-52MPH the truck starts bucking like a bull at the grand national rodeo. EVERYTHING felt like it was going to come apart. We pulled over, checked the truck, and gave it another go... once again, DEATH WOBBLE! So we pulled one of the wheels off (the suspected culprit) and found nothing behind the wheel or on the hub. Hit the road again, and got death wobble again. We made the decision to try loading the DAF on the trailer for a bit, just to see how it will do being a trailer queen for a while....
PSSSSSST!!!! POP! BLUB BLUB BLUB BLUB!!!!!! We blew a trailer tire going up grade with an 18 wheeler behind us. After making it to the shoulder we re-assessed the situation and decided that the best course of action was to drive the DAF and keep the Chevy as a support vehicle on this recovery.
So we drove... and drove... and drove... at the BLAZING pace of 35-40MPH the entire way. Somewhere between Springerville,AZ and Quemado, NM we lost the license plate on the trailer. When we stopped for a break in Quemado we decided to split, two people would go in the DAF towards Socorro, and one would back track to see if he could find the plate. This was around 8pm with a little over 100 miles left to go.
I was crewing the DAF the entire time, switching between the other two as driver and passenger when someone got tired of driving. At around 0000 we pulled into Magdalena, NM and decided to wait for the support truck. We had been out of contact for hours... and it seemed like he should have caught up with us by THAT time. Not to mention the COLD... We had all forgotten jackets during this recovery because we figured we would be home by 1900... man were we wrong.
At around 0030 the town Marshall pulls up... this should be fun... all of the paperwork for the truck is in the Chevy... GREAT. After talking with him for around 20 minutes he is sufficiently convinced that we did not steal a ~61 year old Dutch military vehicle he leaves. The bit that convinced him... was looking at my DL, the FIRST thing out of his mouth was "OH!!!! You are the guy with the Deuce and the other crazy truck in Socorro!!! HAVE A NICE NIGHT!!" I guess owning some OD Green hardware has it's advantages!
We decided to head into Socorro, where we could get cellular reception, and call the support truck (different carrier with service in the boonies). We got back into Socorro around 0200, grinning from ear to ear, shaken to the point of needing a kidney belt, covered in gear lube, grime, and petrol.
WHAT A TRIP!
So, now I have a few questions for you guys...
1) Has anyone else ever worked on a DAF?
2) Does anyone have a translated copy of the TM?
3) Does anyone have some good 9.00x16 NDT or NDCC tires they are willing to part with for a decent price?
4) Does anyone know what other wheels and tires will fit on this thing so we can have a nice road set and a nice authentic set?
5) Any suggestions on how to re-jet and tune the carb on the 6cyl Hercules gasser?
Questions, comments, silly remarks?! It was a total blast! Here are pictures of the old gal!
I found a DAF-YA-126 on Craigslist a while back, told a buddy about it, and he just HAD to have it! So we brokered a deal and decided to meet the previous owner in Show Low, Az, a little over 200 miles from Socorro, NM. We left around 0600 after getting all the gear together to do a recovery and possible in field repair.
We decided on a three man crew, we had a Chevy 1/2 ton pickup and a 7Klb trailer as a support and possible tow rig, knowing full well that we would be right at the limits with the DAF.
We made it into Show Low around 1100, met the previous owner, did the exchange of paperwork and goods, and everyone left with smiles on their faces.
We drove around Show Low for a while, just to get a feel for the old gal. The tires are DONE, the gas tank senders do not give an accurate reading as to the level in each tank, the turn signals do not work, the tach does not work, the speedo is broken, and she was leaking out nearly every seal of the H drive.
At around 1300 We decided to try to take it out of town. After a quick trip to wally land for some fresh ice in the cooler, some energy drinks, and a couple of radios to communicate between the trucks in the cellular dead zone between Sprinerville and Socorro, we were on the road! Until we hit 48MPH....
DEATH WOBBLE!!! I have NEVER experienced anything quite like that. Between 48-52MPH the truck starts bucking like a bull at the grand national rodeo. EVERYTHING felt like it was going to come apart. We pulled over, checked the truck, and gave it another go... once again, DEATH WOBBLE! So we pulled one of the wheels off (the suspected culprit) and found nothing behind the wheel or on the hub. Hit the road again, and got death wobble again. We made the decision to try loading the DAF on the trailer for a bit, just to see how it will do being a trailer queen for a while....
PSSSSSST!!!! POP! BLUB BLUB BLUB BLUB!!!!!! We blew a trailer tire going up grade with an 18 wheeler behind us. After making it to the shoulder we re-assessed the situation and decided that the best course of action was to drive the DAF and keep the Chevy as a support vehicle on this recovery.
So we drove... and drove... and drove... at the BLAZING pace of 35-40MPH the entire way. Somewhere between Springerville,AZ and Quemado, NM we lost the license plate on the trailer. When we stopped for a break in Quemado we decided to split, two people would go in the DAF towards Socorro, and one would back track to see if he could find the plate. This was around 8pm with a little over 100 miles left to go.
I was crewing the DAF the entire time, switching between the other two as driver and passenger when someone got tired of driving. At around 0000 we pulled into Magdalena, NM and decided to wait for the support truck. We had been out of contact for hours... and it seemed like he should have caught up with us by THAT time. Not to mention the COLD... We had all forgotten jackets during this recovery because we figured we would be home by 1900... man were we wrong.
At around 0030 the town Marshall pulls up... this should be fun... all of the paperwork for the truck is in the Chevy... GREAT. After talking with him for around 20 minutes he is sufficiently convinced that we did not steal a ~61 year old Dutch military vehicle he leaves. The bit that convinced him... was looking at my DL, the FIRST thing out of his mouth was "OH!!!! You are the guy with the Deuce and the other crazy truck in Socorro!!! HAVE A NICE NIGHT!!" I guess owning some OD Green hardware has it's advantages!
We decided to head into Socorro, where we could get cellular reception, and call the support truck (different carrier with service in the boonies). We got back into Socorro around 0200, grinning from ear to ear, shaken to the point of needing a kidney belt, covered in gear lube, grime, and petrol.
WHAT A TRIP!
So, now I have a few questions for you guys...
1) Has anyone else ever worked on a DAF?
2) Does anyone have a translated copy of the TM?
3) Does anyone have some good 9.00x16 NDT or NDCC tires they are willing to part with for a decent price?
4) Does anyone know what other wheels and tires will fit on this thing so we can have a nice road set and a nice authentic set?
5) Any suggestions on how to re-jet and tune the carb on the 6cyl Hercules gasser?
Questions, comments, silly remarks?! It was a total blast! Here are pictures of the old gal!
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