buying a truck- advice

[msman]

hey all,

my cousin is wanting to buy a 12 pallet tautliner, about 9ton. he's got a offer of sub contract work with lynfox.
budget $55 000
its already been decided to go isuzu, hino or ud. comments?

were finding alot with tailgates, can tailgates be removed, sold. and the truck then has no evidence of tailgate ever of being fitted?

any other websites to see other than,
truckhub
truckworld
besttruck

any particulars dealers to go to? or avoid?

any other sugestions or comments welcomed.
we have very limited experience/exposure to trucking so any and all comments welcomed.

(i know there is a truck thread but i thought it best to start a new one)

[smoo]

What about a Mitsi.

Can't go wrong with one of those Jappas. Ever thought about comitting financial suicide and going for one of the small MANs? lol, they're nice to drive, but you'll know about it a few years down the track.

[Agent86]

tell him to get something that has a lazy axle. He will appreciate the extra weight capacity. also, look into 14 Pal. they offer future scope for work.

Whatever the people offering the contract work say, take 1/3 off the top. if its not affordable, forget it. I have worked with linfox and found they exagerated the amount of work you get, and if it goes quiet, their own trucks get a look in first.

Daf trucks while being an ok vehicle, are backed by the most arrogant, non-sensical people i have had the displeasure of meeting.

Isuzu have a good record of being good hard workers.

Tailgate loaders can be removed, but best look for a body that has rear doors, as some use the tailgate as the door.

www.truckhub.com.au is good
deals on wheels
Just trucks
trading post

[AU2PWR]

One of the Guys at my Work is Selling his UD ..

Has the Following from Memory , If your Interested ill get more Info and Pics ..

• Thermo-King Freezer
• Hi-Lift Tailgate
• 12 Pallet Capacity
• Air Adjustable Shocks
• Hi-Lift Rechargable Pallet Jack
• Eaton-Fuller Roadranger Gearbox
• New Tyres

The Tailgate can Be Removed and you could Sell it Second Hand for $10k Easy. Runs the RoadRanger Gearbox so its a H Pattern Hi-Lo Box .. Meaning you Shift 1 - 4 , Flick the Switch and Shift the Same Pattern for 5 - 8 ..


This Guy (Andy) Cleans it every weekend , and its only ever had Ice in the Back since Day 1 .. Its 10 Years old next Month and he is Buying something else ..

If i had the cash , id Buy it .. Also Comes with Work .. but if you have it lined up .. Awesome ..

[mad cow]

i worked for a company at which i ended as management, we ran a fleet which included kenworth, international, mitsubishi, mazda and hino trucks and i can say without a doubt to go for the hino trucks, we were running them as concrete agitators and they never let us down ever. we always ran them overloaded abused the hell out of them and never even warmed them up, the oldest one we had has done in excess of 700,000 ks and unknown hours and at 15 years old it still had not even had its head off. a few people i know have tried UDs and all have had engine troubles but all in all the jap trucks are the way to go.

[msman]

the moneys good, we have a extended relative currently working there.
cheers for the tips ace, will let him know about lazy axxel and 14 pal.

au2pwr thanks for the offer mate but he has already ruled out freezer trucks because of the extra outlay.

[Pinch]

Good experiences with both Isuzu and Iveco. Our family company is currently lunning a few Iveco EuroCargo 6t tautliners. No real issues.

[Agent86]

IVECO

Italian Vehicle Every C..T Overtakes ;)

[sfr rob]

We have now had 6 HINO's, they are fantastic, never had a problem apart from a shocker failing. It's worth looking around though, as some trucks are far too over priced for what you get.

[XR Martin]

According to our wheel aligner, the shocks are crap in Hinos and should replaced with better quality stuff. Also they need a wheel alignment from new as they are never correct. We just spent a heap re-bending the front axle.
We've had a fan clutch go on one, which caused it to overheat (luckily no further damage though) Was still under warranty
I always thought when a fan clutch goes it should lock on, not freewheel.

A minor point, but the aerials are a crap design, and are always falling out.\

(im talking about the Ranger models)

The Dutros are garbage apparently.

[DODDO]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

According to our wheel aligner, the shocks are crap in Hinos and should replaced with better quality stuff. Also they need a wheel alignment from new as they are never correct. We just spent a heap re-bending the front axle.
We've had a fan clutch go on one, which caused it to overheat (luckily no further damage though) Was still under warranty
I always thought when a fan clutch goes it should lock on, not freewheel.

A minor point, but the aerials are a crap design, and are always falling out.\

(im talking about the Ranger models)

The Dutros are garbage apparently.

I totally agree with you there!


Im a mechanic for a state government organisation who run mainly Jap trucks.
All our trucks cop abit of a flogging of the blokes, because, to put it simply, they dont own them. We run mainly Isuzu's and Hino's, but we have the odd mitsubishi, Acco, freightliner and Iveco's.
My reccomendation is the Isuzu's. They are a fantastic truck, bulletproof, if they are well maintained. We have one in the fleet wth the equivelant of around 900,000 km's on the clock-running off the hourmeter, and 300,000 road km, in its 12 years of service and we have barely touched it. The engine has not been pulled down at all. Its remarkable. Sure, we have done the usual wear-and-tear items like brakes and clutches, but i would not hesitate in buying one at all.
For the trouble they are worth, i would stay away from anything from Europe or America, due to the engines not being as relable, the replacement parts being more expensive to replace and they are not as comfortable IMO.
Most of the jap trucks these days are running American drivelines now, but they are very reliable.

Hope this helps, goodluck.

[Agent86]

A mate of mine has an isuzu with almost 2,000,000 on the odo.
Still going, although its understandably tired now.

With care taken when driving and proper maintenance, there is no reason why things cant last.

Pay a little extra for quality up front and reap the long term rewards

[msman]

sorry to dig up the thread but were just about to buy the truck.
the manager changed at lynfox the new one said no more contracts.

anywho we have gotten a offer from another company, its a better deal so were not complaining.

just wanting to know how much a 2000 isuzu fvr950 single axle 12 pallet about 9tonne is worth?
theres one on truck hub for $66K 97 model were thinking around $70-75K for 2000 model is this a fair price?

[351EL]

Have you priced up a new one? That should give you some idea.
I have just brought a 97 acco 6x2 (lazy axle) with a 14 pallet tautliner for $45,000 and it is a acco that everything works. :

[Tickford Kid]

Have you seen the price of diesel?
I'm a heavy vehicle mechanic and my advice to you is don't buy a truck. You'll drive it all day and work on it when you get home.
Don't do it. Drive someone elses truck.