Tridem Trusted

It’s still an unusual spec for the UK, but DAF’s CF440 FAQ tridem has much to offer in the right applications.

- Andy Stewart

British tipper operators have never had it so good, with myriad options available to suit pretty much any configuration you could care to name. But where eight-wheelers offer robust off-road durability, manoeuvrability can be an issue for those who need to enter small farmyards, tight building sites, or pokey refuse locations.

Such operators may do well to look a tridem. Manoeuvrability is key with this spec, and drivers have found they can often get such vehicles into places where more traditional rear-steer eight-wheel rigids may struggle.

DAF introduced its Euro 6 CF FAQ tridem back in May 2014 and while it has gained some followers on these shores (waste glass recycler URM very recently took delivery of a couple), take-up has been cautious. So the Dutch manufacturer has added a new CF440 FAQ 8x2 to its British demonstration fleet to give operators an opportunity to try a different kind of vehicle for their applications, rather than stick to a more standard eight-wheeler.

The FAQ has a leading rear axle, a driven rear axle and a steered trailing axle, meaning it can be threaded into tight spaces with relative ease. And of course, payload also receives a boost over FAQ’s similarly manoeuvrable (yet smaller) 26-tonne CF 6x4 FAT stablemate, which has been welcomed by firms engaged in refuse collection or shifting heavy containers.

When unladen, the FAQ’s axles can be lifted independently so it essentially becomes a 4x2, thereby reducing tyre scrub and brake wear.

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