*HELLFIRE* EPIC ZF RETARDER & SLIPPAGE - DAF SB220

Welcome on board DAF 981, a rare Northern Counties Paladin LF bodied example of a DAF SB220 GS, the Paladin LF was initially built on the very early examples of the SB220GS, before Plaxton superseded it with the Prestige, however one of the major differences was built quality, with the rare Northern Counties examples being the better built ones.

[@r852prg8]

Sounds great. Good to see some Prestiges are in preservation, a sorely missed part of my childhood.

[@danielpicken4669]

A GNE one was going to be preserved but caught fire.

[@NorthEastbuses01]

Thanks for the kind comments. Prestiges were a part of my childhood too and I was heartbroken the day the last ones were withdrawn. It's a shame a north east example wasn't preserved but nevertheless it's still a rare vehicle haha. T916 KKM which was an Arriva Southend one has also been preserved

[@ChilternTransportProductions]

@@NorthEastbuses01 I say the same of my Arriva Shires and Carousel Buses Prestiges, most buses from my stomping ground really!

[@theoriginalgamerhd6477]

I love this engine Like all DAF buses, it has a lovely engine

[@NorthEastbuses01]

Sorry I thought I had replied :( Yeah DAF engines have a really distinctive clatter :)

[@theoriginalgamerhd6477]

yep and I like the DB250 on a LJ03 alx400 best thing ever

[@ChilternTransportProductions]

@@theoriginalgamerhd6477 Really? A euro 3 one? Surely you’d rather a euro 2 one like a Y-UGC or something?

[@brisbaneguy41]

Although it's very slippy that ZF sounds great! Good vid

[@NorthEastbuses01]

Unfortunately the gearbox is very slippery but the engine makes a beautiful noise :) Thanks for the comments by the way, it's great to see my videos reaching the other side of the world :)

[@brisbaneguy41]

No problem :) One of the many pluses of youtube lol

[@trevordawson6995]

+NorthEastbuses01 the 4428 arriva ticks too

[@Stevoj3026]

What a beast!!!

[@johng.lidstone2236]

I do enjoy a good bit of transmission music. Nice.

[@jetstream454]

She's smoking a fair amount too

[@Alabaster335]

That ZF sounds like she's done her fair share of milage, hopefully someone has rebuilt it or will rebuild it.

[@UK012]

I've never heard a ZF sound this bad before, sort of funny hearing it. I'd love to preserve a bus but don't have a clue about getting one, other than looking on Ebay. Just curious how much roughly did this bus cost you?

[@NorthEastbuses01]

I'll warn you in advance lol. There's a lot more than just the cost of the purchasing the bus, on top of that you have the recovery fee if the vehicle isn't roadworthy or if you don't have a licence, then there's the storage fee which can become expensive in itself. On top of that you also have your usual running costs, fuel/tyres etc. Plus parts are obviously more expensive than a car. This bus is the first one I've ever owned and luckily it seems I bought a gem without even realising. If you're looking to buy a bus then take into consideration the reputation of the company you're buying it from, if they're not well known for maintenance then you may be forking out thousands of pounds in repairs. If you do ever go to look at a bus and they offer to let you use their pits so you can inspect the vehicle for yourself then jump at the opportunity. If you don't know what you're looking for then take someone who knows the mechanical side of buses and get them to have a good look over it :) And in all honesty I got this bus for an incredibly good price because the previous owner had already preserved it but no longer had anywhere to store it, so he had to sell it or scrap it.

[@UK012]

Does sound like it'd cost an arm and a leg, which is a big deciding factor for me. It'd be from Arriva the Shires so I think in terms of the maintenance it's sort of hit and miss, some depots seem better than others. Unfortunatly I don't know of any mechanic let alone a bus mechanic, lol. I'll keep this in mind though, thank you for your help. :)

[@NorthEastbuses01]

Also bear in mind that Arriva are unlikely to sell you a vehicle directly from their fleet. Usually they sign (or apparently they do) a bulk deal with the scrap dealers, so the scrap dealers expect an X amount of vehicles from them which is the basis for the price they have agreed, so the more vehicles the larger the scrap price usually. So on that note Arriva would probably be unlikely to sell you a vehicle directly from their fleet, and if you wish to purchase one from the scrap dealers then it's best to make your interests known to them well in advance so they don't cut up the bus you want into coke cans

[@UK012]

That would explain why pretty much all Arriva buses just get sent to scrap after they're withdrawn. Though I do remember seeing a ATS bus on Ebay recently. Well I think I have time but seeing they're W reg I have a feeling they may be withdrawn fairly soon. It's knowing which scrap dealer to contact, I was thinking PVS Barnsley but have a feeling they use Hardwick, difficult to decide when they're near enough next to each other and lol about the coke cans.

[@lle8500]

a beautiful Dutch product🤙

[@heavemsgeloshi4265]

sounds amazing

[@jdtayloruk]

I don’t there are many left. Stagecoach did have one or two well near the time the Babraham park and ride was going low floor. I think possibly over 18* years?

[@BusThrash]

quite a bus you got there

[@NorthEastbuses01]

Thanks haha, even better now I know it's the rare NC Paladin LF body ;)

[@SouthCoastBuses]

epic video :), what body is this?

[@NorthEastbuses01]

This is where it gets complicated lol. Plaxtons bought out Northern Counties but from what I gather the earlier low floor SB220's such as this were bodied by Northern Counties and thus received the Northern Counties plaque. Plaxtons then took over production of the bodies from Northern Counties, the bodies look exactly the same but the NC bodied ones were known as the Paladin LF (low floor) and the Plaxton bodied ones were known as the Prestige. Although it really is difficult to tell the difference, apart from the superior build quality on the NC examples. I only found out this was an NC body by checking the body builders plaque. I believe it's the only low floor Northern Counties example preserved in the whole country. There is an Arriva Southend low floor DAF preserved but it's a Plaxton body. Thanks :)

[@SouthCoastBuses]

+NorthEastbuses01 right haha that is complicated lol

[@jaggass]

Has the gearbox been fixed yet?

[@NorthEastbuses01]

Yes :) New video coming soon

[@TheTruth_187]

That engine sounds and clags like its cold :) Be carefull with DAF engines and driving them like this while theyre cold. Headgasked will blow rather quickly.

[@NorthEastbuses01]

The engine had been ticking over for at least 15 mins before this video was taken. These particular DAF engines have always clattered and each one sounds different

[@TheTruth_187]

NorthEastbuses01 That also explains the blue smoke :) I used to drive a DAF truck with exactly the same engine. I blew the headgasked after a week. (It's my special talent) The clattering is normal and that's what makes them so wonderfull.

[@NorthEastbuses01]

Plus it's apparently on it's original engine, although I'd have to check with DAF to be sure. But if it's on it's original engine then it's not doing bad for nearly 19 year old

[@TheTruth_187]

It depends on the milage...

[@cidertom5140]

Not surprised it slips engine idle is too high

[@ukroadtravel9630]

is this your bus?

[@NorthEastbuses01]

It certainly is :)

[@theoriginalgamerhd6477]

Wait what Ohhhh that's why it has no blinds