The GINAF Chronicle

Page 1

By Niels Jansen (North Holland 2024)

The beginnings

The brand name GINAF was first seen on a dump truck in 1967. But the history of the family business goes back to before the Second World War.

In 1933, Evert van Ginkel senior founded a car dismantling and car trading company in Ederveen in the Dutch province of Gelderland. Business was good at first. But times changed on May 10, 1940, when the German army invaded the Netherlands. After five days of fierce resistance, the Netherlands capitulated. For almost five years, the Germans ruled ruthlessly over the small neighboring country, as they did over Belgium, Luxembourg and large parts of France. In 1944, Allied troops liberated these countries from German occupation, and on May 8, 1945, World War II ended in Europe with the surrender of Germany.

The economy was shattered, towns and villages were destroyed and people had to find ways to make a new start. Evert van Ginkel saw his opportunity in converting surplus American Army trucks. He already had experience with pre-war Ford Model A cars, which he converted into agricultural tractors.

Shortly after the end of the Second World War, Evert van Ginkel began converting disused American army trucks for private use. He had already gained experience in converting A-type Ford cars into agricultural tractors with a loading platform. The enthusiastic group of children in the photo certainly had fun as the young driver drove them around in such a vehicle.

In addition to this activity, he now began adapting US Army surplus trucks for the civilian market. For this venture, van Ginkel acquired a large stock of vehicles and parts from military depots. This material proved to be very valuable in the construction of heavy dump trucks. In 1948, Evert van Ginkel's sons Adrie and Wulfurt joined the company. A short time later the delivery of the hundredth Van Ginkel Ford A-tractor took place. Through the sons' efforts, the focus in the 1950s increasingly shifted to the conversion of former American troop transport trucks to civilian dump trucks.

From GMC and Diamond-T to REO

In addition to Dodge Power Wagons and Willys Jeeps, the Van Ginkels acquired dozens of GMC two-and-a-half-ton CCKWs with 6x6 drive. They replaced the thirsty gasoline engines with new diesel engines from Leyland and strengthened the suspension and rear axles. The changes increased the load capacity to seven tons. The Van Ginkels bought the swing axles from their competitor Terberg.

After the Second World War, the van Ginkel brothers acquired dozens of disused GMC Army trucks of the CCKW type and converted them for civilian use. It is not certain whether the example shown here was actually built in Ederveen, as there were also various other companies in the Netherlands that had set themselves the task of converting army trucks.

In 1959, the company name was changed to Gebr. van Ginkel Automobielbedrijf. After the third brother, Evert-Jan van Ginkel, joined the management of the company, the three decided to produce new trucks from the enormous stock of parts from the army depot. This involved two models, based on the "small" REO M 34 and the heavy M 52. The M 52 was also referred to as the "big REO" but was actually a Diamond-T. The M 34 could carry six tons of payload and the Diamond-T twelve tons. Both were equipped with closed cabs from the coachbuilders Gebr. van Dijk and Van Eck.

In 1966, the Diamond M 52 was marketed by the van Ginkel brothers as a large REO with the designation TF 12. The former US military truck could transport twelve tons of cargo.

The GINAF TF 8 was also based on an ex-army truck from Diamond. The GINAF logo was already emblazoned on the robust radiator grille and bumper in 1967.

Customers could choose between DAF six-cylinder diesel engines with 120 and 165 hp. The pool of REO tippers and parts obtained from the U.S. Army in 1959 was so extensive that the company was able to draw on it for almost 30 years.

In 1963, the hundredth truck left the new production halls in Ederveen. Business flourished and barely two years later the production figure was one hundred tippers per year.

At the beginning of the 1970s, the former army trucks at GINAF were given a more elegant look. Instead of the robust radiator grille, which had been adopted from the American original, this TF 10, for example, drove onto the construction site with a discreetly designed radiator grille.

This photo probably dates from 1972 and shows a Diamond-based GINAF TF.12 VL in the exhibition halls of the Bedrijfsauto RAI in Amsterdam.

The fire engine superstructure of this GINAF N 1000 was used to fight forest fires. The vehicle had originally started its working life as a tipper in 1972.

Different cab-over-engine designs

In order to offer customers more engine power, the Van Ginkels soon offered their tippers with 180 hp Leyland diesel engines and, after 1965, with the option of a Fiat or Scania-Vabis engine. Transmission choices were primarily Spicer six-speed and Timken transfer cases. Other equipment included Timken Rockwell axles and air-assisted Bendix hydraulic brakes. In 1963, a cab-over chassis with a DAF cab was built on a trial basis. Two or three were built with a cab that strongly resembled the DAF 2000 DO. This cab-over model with a small, flat "snout" was designed by Van Ginkel to accommodate the larger DAF 575 diesel engine and the protruding steering housing. The DAF 2000 DO was equipped with a Leyland diesel engine. In the mid-sixties, a few models appeared at Van Ginkel with a noticeably flat cab, and also about ten examples with Fiat cabs and the same diesel engine. In addition, some chassis were fitted with square-edged cabs manufactured by Van Dijk and Den Oudsten coachbuilders.

From the early 1960s, GINAF experimented with various cab-over concepts. The example shown here was created from components of the Diamond M 52 and also received its type designation. The cab came from Den Oudsten, the engine from Leyland. When GINAF became a brand in 1967, this series was given a new type designation: FS 200, where FS stood for Frontstuur (cab-over) and 200 for the approximate engine power.

Around ten GINAF trucks with Fiat cabs of type 682 N left the factory in Ederveen in 1965. The radiator grille bore the Diamond lettering, which indicated the origin of most of the components of these 6x6 vehicles.

This 1966 M 92 with Diamond lettering was very similar to the DAF 2000 DO. The "protruding lower lip" was to accommodate the steering gear.

GINAF also tried out various engine options. This cab-over with the designation FS 200 from 1967 was powered by a Scania-Vabis engine, the D 11.

GINAF FS 200 with a cab from Van Dijk. The 6x6 truck could be equipped with various engines: the DAF DK 1160, the Leyland 0680 or the Scania-Vabis D 11.

In 1967, the brand name GINAF was registered, an acronym for "Ginkels Automobiel Fabriek". Consequently, the REO, Diamond and DAF badges disappeared from the vehicles. Automobielfabriek Gebr. van Ginkel, as the company was now called, had developed into a genuine truck manufacturer specializing in the production of 4x4 and 6x6 chassis with tipper bodies for the construction industry. The REO M 34 conventional truck became the GINAF TF 8 and the M 52 became the TF 12. The cab-over models were henceforth called FS 138 and FS 200.

From 1967 the FS 12 6x6 for a payload of 12 tons was built. It featured a DAF cab, which of course carried the GINAF logo. A similar 6x6 was built on a Diamond-T chassis with DAF cab from 1963. In 1971, the 1000th truck left the factory in Ederveen.