Can any experienced owners give a non-professional some pointers as to purchase considerations between the above at 7.5t?
Will be a pre-owned vehicle - for use as a horse transporter lorry - and main criteria is that it has to be Euro 6 and would prefer an auto. Am uncertain as to merit of rear air suspension but wonder if it would give better ride for horses, and ideally I’d want safety features such as airbags.
Any comments as to fuel consuption, ease of maintenance, unladen weight differences and what specifications can be found (eg heated mirrors, heated windscreen, exhaust brake, multifinction steering wheel appear in some adverts) would be appreciated!
I had been tending towards DAF (had avoided MAN & Merc due to unladen weights?) but Iveco’s appear to be readily available at lower cost although perhaps there is a reason!?
Thanks!
personally DAF for me, iveco cheaper for a reason, daf pay now iveco pay forever,
Both manufacturers attract a lot of, in many ways, prejudiced criticism from those who are sold on other makes. The DAF and Iveco 7.5 tonners are very similar, sharing basically the same driveline components so faults found on one are similar to the other. IIRC the one difference is that the Iveco Tector- branded version of the same DAF Paccar- branded ■■■■■■■ engine is that the Tector does not use EGR. The difference mainly being in the manufacturer’s cabs, software, wiring and installation. Both though as makes have gained a reputation for electrical issues, but then other more ‘popular’ makes also have issues, it is just they are not talked about so much - it might spoil the image.
You appear to be looking for a high-end spec vehicle, so make sure that your money is spent on the vehicle and not concentrated on Dobbin’s accommodation and fancy paintwork. This particularly applies to Euro VI vehicles, they can be expensive to maintain and accurate diagnosis of fault is key. I cannot stress too highly NOT to build the bodywork over the top of the cab, the vehicle has been designed for the cab to tilt for maintenance. If you ignore this it will bite you hard in the wallet. You will be assured by the bodybuilder that they can accommodate the need to tilt with their design. It will leak and it will rattle and it will still end up costing you more for maintenance. A significant factor to be aware of is that any vehicle does not like long periods of disuse and your application by definition encouages just that.
As with all commercial vehicle purchases the local dealer support can make all the difference between having a good experience with a slightly poorer vehicle and a bad experience with a better one. You will probably do well to start by having a look around the main dealers’ forecourts to see what they have on sale and who operated it before. Avoid tipper chassis.
You need to plan what you want bodywise before you look for a chassis so that you buy the correct wheelbase and know how much the body plus contents is going to weigh. A long wheelbase Iveco with a curtainside body with an internal length of 7 metres is going to weigh just under 5000kg . Iveco or DAF spec sheets will give you bare chassis weights for every wheelbase offered, but read the small print regarding how much fuel etc is carried. Also worth considering is that the shorter the wheelbase, the worse the ride quality. Air suspension will definitely improve this but you will have to look harder to find your vehicle. You will have to look even harder to find a vehicle with a genuine automatic transmission (epicyclic gearbox). You will find one with an Automated gearbox. ie a manual gearbox with automated gearchanging, but expect this to be more troublesome than a standard manual gearbox. It will also give a more jerky ride although even a manual 'box will require care with clutch control to ensure truly smooth progress and seemless gearchanges.
Not much said about comparing? no, much the same in my opinion but I know more long-term Iveco users than I do DAF ones.
The link may be useful but I can’t find one for Iveco.
Cav551, thanks very much! Most imformative, some really good poits!, Have noted the tilt can issue, some bodybuilders were going to end with no tilt facilty & just a hatch!, which I;d reckoned would make maintenance expensive! The gearbox issue is interesting, hadn’t realised they were automated, had wrongly assumed they were ZF’s & like my car’s ZF with paddle shift which is excellent for smooth braking!
Thanks.
I am also considering a cheap used daf 7.5 fridge to do local deliveries that my trailer can’t get to.
It will only work 2 days a week and will do almost no miles, all drops are within 5 miles of base.
Don’t want to lease one or pay much as it will be on such light duties. Do you think this is a false economy?
IIRC an 8 pallet fridge body on a 7.5 tonner will only carry about 2 tonnes. Even allowing for the intrusion of the chiller needing a reduction in height for the first two pallets, the front axle weight will be an issue in practice unless you are lucky with the product carried.
cav551:
IIRC an 8 pallet fridge body on a 7.5 tonner will only carry about 2 tonnes. Even allowing for the intrusion of the chiller needing a reduction in height for the first two pallets, the front axle weight will be an issue in practice unless you are lucky with the product carried.
Thanks cav
Yes can’t get much on there but it will probably only need to take 3 or 4 pallets per drop at around 500kg each so should be ok.
Do you think a cheap truck could still cause many headaches on such light use?
HorseLorry:
Cav551, thanks very much! Most imformative, some really good poits!, Have noted the tilt can issue, some bodybuilders were going to end with no tilt facilty & just a hatch!, which I;d reckoned would make maintenance expensive! The gearbox issue is interesting, hadn’t realised they were automated, had wrongly assumed they were ZF’s & like my car’s ZF with paddle shift which is excellent for smooth braking!
Thanks.
It will be a 6 speed ZF Auto and as previously said it is a manual with a power pack …Main issues with the box itself is the input shaft bearing fails ,not a difficult repair …On the DAF the power feeds to the gearbox fail again not a difficult fix ,but like all faults if you do not know it can become expensive …The DAF runs on full air brakes ,the IVECO has hydraulics…Though you may not need to run on a tacho ,it is very important if the vehicle is parked up and the main batteries go flat .if it is fitted with a VDO /siemens tacho the tacho will stay alive using its own battery ,when that goes flat then a new tacho head is required.As it will activate various warnings and you will have no milage display …The stoneridge tacho battery has a 10 year life ,the vdo needs changing every 2 years …I have not heard of issues with the stoneridge dying …Since i hate horseboxes i recommend you buy an iveco lol
idrive:
Do you think a cheap truck could still cause many headaches on such light use?
Depends a fair bit on whether it is parked for those 5 days a week on concrete/tarmac or rough, damp ground. Also whether it really actually warms up in that 5 mile radius. Standing still disease affects any vehicle but the older it is the more often and the worse it will be.