2nd December 2019 | Ford & Slater DAF

DAF returns for Crouch Recovery

  • DAF XF 530 FAS 6x2 is added to leading vehicle recovery fleet
  • Specialised recovery gear fitted by Boniface Engineering
  • Dedicated driver enjoying cab comfort and overall performance
  • 1994 DAF 3300 on fleet and still able to work
DAF returns for Crouch Recovery

Crouch Recovery has added a DAF XF 530 FAS, a 6x2 rigid with rear lift-axle, to its recovery fleet as business continues to grow for the specialist UK operation. With contracted work and emergency calls from across the UK and Europe, the operator now runs some 125 vehicles out of six modern bases spread across the Midlands, making it one of the largest in the country.

The company’s Network Manager, Rob Garner, says growth has come about organically as the operation’s reputation has spread, “We have been careful to promise only what we felt we could deliver, and more and more operators have come to trust and rely on us. Today,” he says, “though the majority of our work is UK based, well over 80%, we also get European recovery work on a regular basis, so the new DAF XF was delivered fully MAUT prepared.”

As if to prove the point, the new DAF XF was sent out to Germany on its very first recovery mission, to bring back a failed rigid truck. “Ironically,” adds Garner, “it was actually a German-made truck, but the owners wanted it brought back to the UK for repair.”

DAF returns for Crouch Recovery

The DAF has a dedicated driver, Ian Ashby (AKA ‘Fluff’), who Rob describes as, “Our go-to guy for European recoveries.”  Fluff has been working in the specialised arena of recovery for over 20 years, and already prefers the cab comfort and overall performance of his DAF XF with its Super Space Cab to his previous ride. “He’s very happy in it,” Confirms Rob Garner, “and that’s always a very good sign. In any form of transport, it’s the drivers that can make or break a truck, so we like to give them the best trucks we can for the work they do, and the new DAF XF is a prime example of that.”

The latest truck was spec’d by Crouch Recovery Director, Adam Crouch, a son of David and Barbara Crouch, and grandson of the late Jack Crouch, the founder of the business over 70 years ago.

Talking about the new DAF, Adam Crouch said, “We hadn’t had a DAF for a while, but in the past we had always had a great relationship with Ford & Slater in Leicester, D.W Commercials and F.W Abbotts, the local DAF dealers and repair agents, that we work closely with, so we trust the quality of the trucks. Because of the work we do, however, we sourced this latest DAF entirely through Boniface Engineering. We wanted them to fit the latest specialist gear that we needed on it and give us an all-round supply and service support package on their equipment and bodywork. Boniface bought the XF 450 FAS through Chassis Cab, the DAF dealer in Ipswich, though aftersales support for the truck itself will now be handled through Ford & Slater.”

DAF returns for Crouch Recovery

On delivery, the DAF XF had been fitted by Boniface with its MK 6 Interstater with an additional twin winch and a Maxireach Lowline Under-Lift. The winches handle up to 30,000lbs and the Maxireach Under-lift is claimed to be the lowest and longest in the industry, capable of handling up to 33 tonnes. The Boniface Interstater has a reputation as a versatile unit that can handle tough recoveries, being equipped with rear outboard legs with pivoting feet that provide a flat pad or a spade depending on surface conditions.

Though this is Crouch Recovery’s most recent DAF acquisition, it does boast a 1994 DAF 3300 on the fleet. It was acquired some years ago and fully refurbished and liveried in the distinctive Crouch Recovery colours and, while it is primarily a show vehicle, Adam Crouch proudly confirms that it is still capable of modern lift and tow recovery work.

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