DAF T244

[Guest Gimlet]

Anyone converted an ex-military T244 to living accommodation? One would be ideal for my winter work. Wondered if there were different cab/body options. 

[spuddog0507]

2 hours ago, Gimlet said:

Anyone converted an ex-military T244 to living accommodation? One would be ideal for my winter work. Wondered if there were different cab/body options. 

I havent converted one to living accomadation but i do own one, all have same cab and slight variations on the body type, as far as i am aware they came as either a flatbed cargo truck, crane truck with atlas crane mounted behind cab or as a winch truck with a boughton 6 tonne winch fitted underneath the bed between the chasie rails, good sound solid truck that when you look at how they are built you will not break one so easily, all of the t244 s built for the MOD where made just down the road from me at Leyland trucks in Leyland Lancashire and all trucks where fitted with a cummings 6bt power plant which are a very basic engine but very reliable,

[Guest Gimlet]

Thanks Spud. What is the cab? Is it a two seater day cab or a sleeper? 

 

I guess if you wanted to convert one you'd be best off with a flat bed and starting from scratch. 

I looked at Unimogs and MOD Land Rover Ambulances but they're stupid money and the Unimogs are expensive, complex and horrible on the road.

 

A donor DAF at circa 6.5K is a different matter and it's got the cogs whirring.

Edited February 16, 2020 by Gimlet

[Stere]

https://www.trucklocator.co.uk/listings/trucks/for-sale/28701665/1992-leyland-daf-t244

 

This one?

[timbernut]

Buy a chassis cab and put a box on and convert it, loads of hassle to build from scratch onto a flatbed (or demountable box on flat bed so you can convert to work[emoji12])

[Dan Maynard]

Get a flatbed, pop the wheels off an old caravan, couple of ratchet straps, jobs a good'un.

[spuddog0507]

The cab is a fair size and you could put a bed in there once you remove all the gun racking, and securing brackets,will seat 3 people and you would can pick them up for a lot less than the 6.5k you quoted, there is a few about 20 mile from me for around the 3k mark and i have seen them as low as 2k they are very cheep for what they are but the  only thing i can see against them is speed as you wont break any land speed records in one,

[Guest Gimlet]

That's good to know. Not bothered about speed. Reliability and off-road ability are more important. It would be a case of drive to a site and stay there in the truck until completed. I can spend months working on a single farm spending £100 a week on diesel. That saving would pay for the truck in no time and it would allow me to tout for work much further afield. 

[spuddog0507]

The way i looked at this was if it was a milatery truck it would of been built to a high spec with the best of every thing available at the time to give the reliability needed for the MOD and the off road ability from the people i have asked with 2 lads being ex milatery and one lernt to drive in one say they where pretty good at the time,

[Guest Gimlet]

That was my thinking too. And if you get one straight from the military it will have been well maintained. And probably not done big miles.