anyone no much about these done search but dont reveal much .
just after opinions on pepole who have driven or oporated them and what is there verdict ,
also what was the reliabilty like .
looking both at foden alpha 420 with ■■■■■■■ engine
or one with the 450cat engine
many thanks
basically, they are a cheaper version of the DAF CF, all parts are Paccar, same as DAF.
the ■■■■■■■ engine is bulletproof, the CAGT engine will have plenty of torque, both very reliable engines.
never driven one, but looked at a few regarding possible future purchases
sounds like we are singing from same sheet 
noticed there basicly a daf inside probaly best move they did as there orignal cab design along with erf was shoddy to say the least and looked like designed by a child with a set of crayons
just seam very good value for a first truck
currently on ebay, there is an 03 plate CF430 6x2 (mini mid lift) Skycab in red for £8450
alternately, there is an 05 plate Foden Alpha XL 420 ■■■■■■■ 6x2 midlift twin steer in red for £7350
out of the two, i know which one i would go for 
shuttlespanker:
basically, they are a cheaper version of the DAF CF, all parts are Paccar, same as DAF.the ■■■■■■■ engine is bulletproof, the CAGT engine will have plenty of torque, both very reliable engines.
never driven one, but looked at a few regarding possible future purchases
am sure the ■■■■■■■ is a cracker on fuel econ and yes its basically a daf
Apparently the Cat is a stonker, ■■■■■■ ■■■■■■
am sure jody1980 on here is selling 1 !!
the firm i work with currently has had the foden alpha with the cat 450 and boss says he will never buy another truck with the cat engine again because there wasnt a week went past when it broke down, in the two years he had the truck he spent well in excess of 10 k in parts and labour and breakdown costs, they also like to drink the fuel ( best the driver got out of it loaded was 5.6 mpg), wwe currently have the foden alpha with the 420 ■■■■■■■ and it’s nearly round the clock and in the seven years we had it its had 3 intercoolers, new airdrier, new compresser head gasket and 2 exausts, it returns 7 mpg reguarly pulling a 65 cube bulk tipper, the boss wouldnt hesitate to buy another ■■■■■■■ again
good to get some feedback , i was lead to belibe the cat engine was bit rubbish no matter what truck it was in as a lot of usa complain about there’s low weight and 540bhp cat motors not been great .
■■■■■■■ on other hand grew up around old 290 erf and e14 both brillant trucks in my opinion .
looking at price diffrence the cat engine does seam to be cheaper
shuttlespanker:
currently on ebay, there is an 03 plate CF430 6x2 (mini mid lift) Skycab in red for £8450alternately, there is an 05 plate Foden Alpha XL 420 ■■■■■■■ 6x2 midlift twin steer in red for £7350
out of the two, i know which one i would go for
thats a decent price for a 05 plate n must be a rare one coz aint ever seen a twin steer midlift on a foden alpha
shuttlespanker:
currently on ebay, there is an 03 plate CF430 6x2 (mini mid lift) Skycab in red for £8450alternately, there is an 05 plate Foden Alpha XL 420 ■■■■■■■ 6x2 midlift twin steer in red for £7350
out of the two, i know which one i would go for
Me too, the DAF every time! On bulk work you would (all else being equal) get that extra 1100quid back in well under 6 months due to it being getting on for a ton lighter (mini mid lift + alloys).
[edit: I’ve just spotted that the Foden already has tipping gear fitted which would make a big difference if you were going on to bulk work and might swing my choice as that’s another 2k saved compared to the DAF, and you can always fit alloys to it to get the weight down a bit]
Of course if unladen weight isn’t an issue for you, the Foden is probably the better bet.
Paul
repton:
shuttlespanker:
currently on ebay, there is an 03 plate CF430 6x2 (mini mid lift) Skycab in red for £8450alternately, there is an 05 plate Foden Alpha XL 420 ■■■■■■■ 6x2 midlift twin steer in red for £7350
out of the two, i know which one i would go for
Me too, the DAF every time! On bulk work you would (all else being equal) get that extra 1100quid back in well under 6 months due to it being getting on for a ton lighter (mini mid lift + alloys).
[edit: I’ve just spotted that the Foden already has tipping gear fitted which would make a big difference if you were going on to bulk work and might swing my choice as that’s another 2k saved compared to the DAF, and you can always fit alloys to it to get the weight down a bit]
Of course if unladen weight isn’t an issue for you, the Foden is probably the better bet.
Paul
Wasn’t there a thread recently discussing the two motors? I’m sure someone on there said that having alloy wheels only saves you a piddly amount of weight and not worth the money?
cant go wrong with a foden.
At my old firm i had both a ■■■■■■■ and a Cat engine Fodens the 420 ■■■■■■■ was excellent on fuel and was quiet light with a lightweight vaccuum tanker i could just get 30 ton on it legally the only problems were the electics and it would get stuck alot (working on landfill sites in mud would struggle to get out of sites)
The Cat had a better interior kit fridge electric windows half leather etc a bit heavier on fuel by 0.5 to 1 mpg and would pull as hard as our V8 480 Scania never got stuck anywhere i went and was about half a ton+ heavier.Problems camshaft bearings wear through and it moves backwards and forward and destroys the top end it happied to both of our 450s same electrical proplems as the ■■■■■■■ both good trucks if looked after properly
Steve-o:
Wasn’t there a thread recently discussing the two motors? I’m sure someone on there said that having alloy wheels only saves you a piddly amount of weight and not worth the money?
Depends on how much “the money” is I suppose. Roughly speaking on a normal 6 axle setup you’ll save 160kg on the unit and 140kg on the trailer from fitting alloys. 160kg weight saving on a grain bulker might work out to about 700quid a year in extra revenue. There’s a set of 8 second hand alcoas on eBay at the moment with an asking price of just that - 700quid, so on that basis you would get your money back in a year and of course if you swapped your wagon you could always swap the old wheels back on before you sold it and keep the alloys for the new one.
When you’re talking about older trucks like this though then unless you happen to have a set already (or find a very cheap set second hand) then most people would consider it to be too much of a faff to buy and fit them on financial grounds alone. If you like the shiny bling though it might be a different matter.
Paul
Here’s another Foden at a sensible price if you’re after one:
walkermovements.co.uk/spec_s … nitID=3982
£8950 which is £1600 more than the one shuttlespanker found on eBay but it’s done 100k less km and it’s a better spec (alloys, fridge, bumper inset spots). Also comes complete with tipping gear if that’s relevant to your line of work (and if it is, that’s almost 2k you’ve saved compared to a truck that doesn’t already have it).
In the unlikely event that it’s still there in March/April time I might well go for a look myself.
Paul