VBD2 is closed. Please go to https://vbd3.co.uk instead.

I expect these are well-known already, but I've spotted several casting differences between my white SF Daf and the later green model.

First, the gap between the cab and the bed is filled on the green version. There is a distinct U-shape on the RW and white SF models in this picture. It's visible - but hard to see - from the side too. Probably associated with this, there's also an obvious casting line across the top of the vertical part of the bed. There's also a change at the back of the bed, where a ridge is cast. My white Daf has three axles with hollow wheels and one with solid wheels, and it's the base with PAT APP cast on, so it's not the very first of the white SF Dafs. I don't think it's just the difference between paired moulds, as this infill doesn't appear on either of the RW moulds, which are helpfully numbered 1 and 2.

DrJeep wrote:My white Daf has three axles with hollow wheels and one with solid wheels,..

Um...are you sure about that? (All of mine have only three axles.)

When Members give topics titles, could they please thing about searchability. IMHO, the title should give the complete model number (i.e. incl. letter suffix) and, ideally, the generally accepted model name. (In this particular case, I've updated 58 to 58c.)

Idris wrote:Um...are you sure about that? (All of mine have only three axles.)

Just testing! You’re quite right, of course. It’s the rear axle that has solid wheels.

Idris wrote:When Members give topics titles, could they please thing about searchability. IMHO, the title should give the model number (incl. suffix) and, ideally, the generally accepted model name. (In this particular case, I've updated 58 to 58c.)

I agree, but that doesn’t seem to happen much on SFs in this topic, I suppose because this is either the 58c or 58a depending on whether you use Charlie Mack’s SF system or not. Very few posts use either!

DrJeep wrote:

Idris wrote:When Members give topics titles, could they please thing about searchability. IMHO, the title should give the model number (incl. suffix) and, ideally, the generally accepted model name. (In this particular case, I've updated 58 to 58c.)

I agree, but that doesn’t seem to happen much on SFs in this topic, I suppose because this is either the 58c or 58a depending on whether you use Charlie Mack’s SF system or not. Very few posts use either!

Either way, if the model name is included in the topic title, then it should be possible to perform a successful search.
(Oh dear, we're drifting off-topic - again! Hence I've started a new topic here)

New to me. I will have to take a closer look at these, if I ever find the time...

I have had a look at my examples now - three white and five green-gold - , and I find it very difficult to see any significant differences.

There is infill between the cab and the bed on all of them, even on the RW models. It is just very slightly higher on some of the green-gold models, but the difference is hardly noticeable to me even under a magnifying glass.

The horizontal casting line on top of the vertical part of the bed is absent on all white models, and among the green-gold models it is absent on some and just about noticeable on some others. It is rather less obvious than on the green-gold model pictured above. This may be the result of wear of the dies during production. Among those examples on which I can see the line, it does not look quite identical on any two of them. I see no point in trying to catalogue this.

The most obvious difference to me is the ridge at the rear: the three white models do not have it, three of the five green-gold models do not have it either, but the other two have it. I am about to introduce this as a sub-variation in my listing, although I am not sure if it came about due to a difference between the dies or if it was introduced at some point to all the dies. It would be interesting to find out whether white examples exist which have this ridge at the rear. (BTW I do not see a correlation between the ridge at the rear and the horizontal line on top of the bed.)

This may be a similar situation as with the later MB 50-B (50d) Articulated Truck, on which a ridge at the rear of the bed can be seen on about half of the later issues, but seems not to exist on the earlier ones. Maybe this means that it was added to one of two dies at some point while the other die never got it.

I will have to change this from a main variation to a sub-variation on the Articulated Truck too.

thanks for looking, Christian.

To me, the infill behind the cab seems like a deliberate modification. It's the second time this area was changed: the earliest regular wheels DAFs have a straight cab wall. Perhaps it's clearer on this picture:
On the green DAFs the infill is smooth, but on the white DAF here there's a 90 degree angle between the infill and the bed wall.

I found this white DAF on the internet, with the later infill:
This picture shows the smooth gradient up to the bed very clearly.

And here's my white DAF, from a similar angle:
That means it was a modification made before the green DAFs were produced. I agree that whether this is worth cataloguing is questionable. I will take this opportunity to echo Hugh's comment from yesterday about the enormous value of your site - thank you!

Here is my picture of the sub-variation concerning the ridge at the rear:



And three different casting lines on top of the load bed:



I have decided that I will not distinguish the latter as there seems to be an infinite amount of slightly different shapes.