DAF 1700 Recovery Lorry Tilt & Slide (1989)
Tilt & Slide
Reg No. F574 GNE
The DAF 1700 was purchased new as a box van by Burton Biscuits of Burton-on-Trent to deliver their products. It was used for three years, sold at auction to Hunts Recovery of Halesowen West Midlands, and sent to the Recovery Engineering Company to be fitted with a Tilt & Slide recovery body, plus a five ton winch and a second car lift at the rear. This work took six weeks to complete.
The DAF was employed on car and commercial breakdowns/recovery on the M5 Motorway in the West Midlands. After giving good service it was sold in 1999 to West Cheshire Recovery; they used it until 2002 when the company closed. It was parked up until 2003 and then sold to Queensferry Commercial Breakers.
In 2003 David Beckett was visiting Queensferry Breakers to buy a rear truck body. While walking around the yard he noticed four trucks in a line getting cut up; at the end was the 1700 DAF. Approaching the guy cutting up the trucks he asked, "Are you going to cut up that DAF?" The reply was "Yes". David said, "That looks too good to cut!" and was informed, "We sell all the engines, gearboxes and back axles to Africa".
Determined to try and save this DAF he approached the yard's boss and asked if he could buy it, but the answer was no. The next day as he went back to the scrap yard to collect the truck body he had bought, he saw the DAF standing alone among parts cut from other trucks.
When he was paying for the body David asked, "Have you decided not to cut up the DAF?" "No, it should have been cut up by now," David was informed, "but the guy cutting it was ill. Are you interested in it?" David told them he had wanted to buy it the day before but was refused . "Oh that's my dad," was the reply. "If you want it, it will cost you a grand, but you need to get it out of the yard today before the old man comes back."
Rushing out to borrow a set of trade plates, David returned within the hour. The DAF fired up straightway, but the clutch slipped badly whilst trying to climb a steep hill.
The DAF’s speed was down to 10 mph and with a long line of traffic behind them David managed to get it to a Morgan garage for a pre-MoT check. Over 50 defects were found and the truck had been very poorly maintained, the winch and second car lift, plus other major parts had been cut off.
It was David's goal to find all missing parts and make her roadworthy again and after nearly a year this was done. Now the DAF is being used to carry Classic Trucks to vehicle rallies up and down the country and also used to bring classic trucks into the Griffin Trust to be restored.
