I just obtained my O-license and about to purchase my first second-hand tractor unit.
I was wondering if you with more experience could give me some pointers as to what to consider before purchasing. Eg:. Auto gearbox vs manual, mileage, 6x2 vs 4x2, service history and records (What to look for?), how to reduce the chances of buying a lemon, how much to spend, MAN, DAF, MERC, SCANIA, RENAULT (Does it matter?), euro standards, buy two cheaper units with higher mileage vs buying one pricier with lower mileage, where to buy from, anything that you can think that could be relevant before buying.
Hi Lucas, congratulations on getting your O licence.
It’s not really possible to say what tractor unit you should get without knowing what work you intend to do and what your budget is, but there is a thread further down the page about 2012 Renault Premiums being sold at auction recently for around the £6,000 mark. In your list the only one I would avoid is a MAN because of the very high price of spares.
Whatever you buy though you should factor in the cost of some major expense in the first few months- firms who buy trucks brand-new tend to sell them when they do because experience has taught them that maintenance and repair costs rise when the truck gets to 500,000km/ four years old, plus they will put ■■■■■■■■■■■■ tyres (“runners”) on them before they dispose of them etc etc etc…
I have found two of your questions very interesting and wonder what makes you ask? which prompts the following.
6x2 versus 4x2?
I guess that you may have work lined up possibly from more than one customer, which does not involve the possibility of running at maximum weight to even consider a 4x2 unit. A 6x2 with lift axle is clearly more versatile especially should work requirements alter, however on the second hand market a 4x2 will be harder to find (and sell) but cheaper to acquire. With less ironmongery the 4x2 will be slightly cheaper to run.
two cheaper units versus one newer, more expensive vehicle?
Sod’s law dictates that if you have two of everything then both will fail at the same time. However there can be an argument for two cheaper units. I have a customer who has run his business very successfully with two almost ancient cheap units. The main thinking behind it being that if one fails he can still work the other one while repairs take place without losing a day’s work. With older, low value units - even two of them - slack periods have not been an all consuming worry. The second unit has also enabled sudden peaks in customer demand to be catered for with only a driver to find. However this business model has worked with 4x2 units plus tandem axle trailers because the units almost never carry more than 9t and usually carry little more than 5t. In addition 80% of the time the vehicles do not operate outside a 40 mile radius and in the other 20% do not exceed about a 100 mile outbound trip.
These points will no doubt be extremely controversial, so I don’t expect many to agree, particularly regarding maintenance costs, however in 20 odd years of running vehicles more than eight years old, and all with 700,000 to 1.3 million km recorded, the biggest repairs excluding brakes have been a couple of head gasket jobs, a starter ring gear and three or four radiators. A lack of bells, whistles and euro bollox has meant less to go wrong. That does not mean that there has not been a constant drip, drip, drip; nor does it discount the fact that there have been two vehicles dripping.
At a constant 44t and long distance work I don’t see this working, but as said it can in the right circumstances.
I’ve no comments on the business side of the question. Cav551 raises some interesting points though. An older vehicle properly maintained and used on light work should have a lot of life left in the engine and drive train shouldn’t it? But other components such as radiators fail more from age than mileage. A vehicle with more miles may have cruising on a motorway rather than accelerating and braking, using clutch and starter more on city work?
I guess I’m saying it’s difficult but you should try to look at the complete picture when buying secondhand. And hope for a bit of luck too.
The experience of another customer is well worth relating. Moving into artics for the first time they have decided to go for a genuine manufacturer approved, dealer maintained used vehicle which I understand is about 4 years old. I do not know the accumulated mileage. On the strength of this it has been bought unseen on the condition it has a full 12 months MOT. The vehicle had been promised for delivery last week. In the meantime it has travelled from one end of the country to the other for Dealer MOT preparation. I am told that there is now a problem, since the vehicle requires a lot of expensive work done before the local dealer is prepared to present it at a test station. The arguments have now begun over who picks up the bill for this work. Certainly not the purchaser, but two dealers and the manufacturer are reported to be arguing the toss. Meanwhile to great annoyance, work has not started even though the vehicle was promised for November 1st.
There is no great problem in this instance because the purchaser has historic influence with the local dealer. Neither is there any valid criticism about buying unseen or from afar, given the supposed top quality status of a manufacturer approved used vehicle. In fact the purchaser is probably in a stronger position because there is no possibility of claiming that the vehicle has been bought ‘as seen’.
However a new start, first time purchaser having no standing relationship with his local dealer would likely find himself in a very different situation.
So for the moment we await developments, like once ready how long a wait for a test appointment?