Truck Shite

[oldcars]

Saw this Iveco Daily?? on a D  plate couple of weeks back.

[martc]

Interesting to here critical reviews of lorries something the majority of us have little experience of. I've always thought that if I was a haulier I would have a fleet of MAN's, they just look right - good to see they would be a sound choice.

 

I would have thought that the big Hino's would be the commercial worlds version of a Toyota car (same company)- does it's job well but without character, shame to hear they are dreadful. What has happened to them? There was a rash of them from around 08 to 12 but I don't think I've seen a newer one.

 

What are the smaller Japanese lorries like? There's hundreds of Mitsubishis and Isuzu's about, some the Isuzu's are quite large (the "Forward").

[scruff]

The firm I do work for have a DAF XF, for a wagon it's knocking on now as it is 02 plate but has only done 400k. Been a good motor AFAIK. Assuming I pass my HGV it'll be my steed along with an 04 plate ERF ECT four wheeler which is really a MAN with a Cummins engine and a different badge.

The haulage firm next door - and who also do all our maintenance - run a mix of DAFs and Scanias but recently took on some Iveco tractor units, not very popular with drivers!  

[cms206]

The EuroCargo is a definate case of worse improvement; how they started with the original Cargo and ended up with the EuroCargo I'll never know.

Maybe I'm biased having been launched from the cab of one, or been party to them being a dirty bastard in the wet, but my time on EuroCargos was not a happy one to the point that my preferred fleet vehicle at the end up was a G-reg Volvo FL6 instead of an 02-plate EuroCargo.

Hateful, hateful, hateful.

[scruff]

I've seen a couple of Turkish Ford Cargos over here a few times now, wonder what they are like?? 

 

[Jon]

Do you love them enough to want one? I know of one almost certainly for sale, though unsure of price yet. I'd have it myself just for a laugh but it's a pipe dream at the moment.

 

Bit far for me to travel, Billy! They're easy to drive though and seem to pick up speed nicely, just like the Dennis recycling lorries I used to drive occasionally back in Britain. I'm guessing that most ageing fire engines over there are now ex-party trucks? 

[Grundig]

Warren T Claim posted a list a while back showing what the equivalent car make was for each truck make. Unfortunately I can't remember any of them but I'd say a DAF lorry was roughly equivalent to a Ford car- not the best but good enough for the job.

 

..As for drivers, I'd say Scania drivers seem to be much the same as Audi A3/BMW drivers - Renault drivers are pretty much good eggs though

[Cavcraft]

Haha, I've just seen your location, sorry Jon!

[Stroller133]

Saw a 1972/3 L-reg Volvo truck this morning. It looked like it was working too, had some kind of a load on a flatbed trailer - sorry no pics. I didn't think Volvo went back that far. I've seen a 1983 tipper when I worked in a quarry back in late 90s.

[willswitchengage]

It's Britain's most photographed truck. Gets everywhere.

 

[Stroller133]

That's the one - today it was near Mansfield.

[Pillock]

And last week it was on the M40 because I about crashed the car trying to get a decent look.

 

It had a "Euro 5" badge on the side. Given the clag it was kicking out, that was 100% wonderful bullshit.

[Split_Pin]

I was thinking the other day, do they actually make manual gearbox 44 ton trucks anymore?

[Richard]

Yes they do. The STGO Cat 2 Daf XF low loader that we use for weighbridge calibrations has a manual box.

[oman5]

Manual boxes tend to be an extra cost option these days but are still available. I drove a Scania 440 with a stick recently, it's a far more pleasant drive.

[Felly Magic]

Even lowly 7.5 tonners these days have that bleedin awful ZF manumatic box as standard. They are utter shit to drive

[Grundig]

 

DAF CF - the autoshite money shot 
 

[Stroller133]

What about tests, if take it in an auto, can you only drive autos?

[cms206]

What about tests, if take it in an auto, can you only drive autos?

Not any more; PCV and LGV test vehicle requirements have changed recently meaning test vehicles should be no older than 2006 IIRC; as most vehicles since about 2000 were automatic you get manual entitlement as standard.

[Cavcraft]

Are Linkman owned by Nobrot Dressingtable now?

[Grundig]

Are Linkman owned by Nobrot Dressingtable now?

 

Yeah - 4 years ago

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TDG_Limited

 

http://www.norbert-dentressangle.co.uk/News/Norbert-Dentressangle-integrates-TDG

 

Douglas Bay Capital are also connected in this, so the writing is on the wall there

 

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/business-news/eddie-stobart-offload-majority-stake-6779325 

[Cavcraft]

Oh dear, heard first hand (a couple of years ago) what a bunch of wankers that outfit are from a couple of people unlucky enough to work for them.

[Vantman]

i would have thought that the big Hino's would be the commercial worlds version of a Toyota car (same company)- does it's job well but without character, shame to hear they are dreadful. What has happened to them? There was a rash of them from around 08 to 12 but I don't think I've seen a newer one.

 

 

 

I saw a 57 plate Hino eight wheel mixer this morning on the A28 at Ashford. Probably a Robt. Brett one.

[Wackeldackel]

They had an 58 plate out of Canterbury driven by Phil Milkybar, and a couple on 57 and 08 from Maidstone, schwing stetter 8m3 mixers if I remember rightly. LX08APU was one of the Maidstone ones I think.

[willswitchengage]

Older Hino FYs can also be seen if you look carefully

 

 

Likewise, also surprised that they're not liked by the HGV piloting community

 

[Wackeldackel]

All the hinos I saw, mostly the Brett mixers mentioned by Vantman and a few ragged tippers, all had Jimmy Kelly dealer plates or stickers, from somewhere in Ireland. Main dealer or importer or some such?

[rml2345]

Hinos have been popular in Eire for ages but I don't think they took off here due to them being a bit clunky and spartan. They were also selling mainly to the construction industry just as the arse fell out the housing market and the likes of DAF and Volvo started offering really good deals to win busiess.

[Vin]

From the 1970s Hinos were built in Ireland so that's why they were popular there...

 

They've always been in the UK but mainly 8x4 chassis in small numbers. For a time it looked like Hino had finally captured a sizeable chunk of the 8 legger tipper market by taking the place vacated by Foden when they went defunct in 2006. Don't know how successful they were though...

[Grundig]

 

 

A.K Hale used a fleet of Hino tippers in the 90's

[Split_Pin]

Nearly all Automatic now eh, Blimey. No more Eaton double-splinted halfpiece malarkey then.