Of late I seem to be noticing quite a few on the road, mostly tippers but the occasional beaver tail and the odd artic unit.
Are they cheap or something, if I was in the market for a vehicle I’d consider the availability of parts and service. Surely there are only a few agents about.
not sure if its hino but im sure i read that one of the jap firms had done deals with a lot of the foden dealers to take on new franchises. i think hino planning to launch artic soon as well
a lot of the paddy’s in the midlands have been running them on demolition work for a good while now
there was a dealer called KELMAC that was pushing them big time in the late 80’s - they were based at the conbase in brum. seems a lot of the “firms” that bought motors off them got into trouble and stopped paying the hp. when the repo lads went to ■■■■■■ them back they found the companies didnt exist - and so no trucks to be found. a lot were discovered sitting in a field in ireland later on !!! in the meantime, kelmac had obviously had their bit off the finance people and done very nicely out of it. Cue the arrival of Plod & co…
Consider a Hino 8 wheeler as the truck equivalent of a Toyota Hi-lux/Corolla,they are unstopable and bombproof on muckaway/demolition type work.
I know there is a Hino dealer in Hoddesdon, which is not far from my yard but I keep seeing them about in other places too. I suppose most being tippers on demolition etc, it is all localish work and probably convenient for a dealer. Have seen two units on the road now, one of them was being run by a company with Hino tippers as well.
It’s just that spending a sizeable of cash on a new vehicle that is almost unheard of in the UK seems a bit odd. If Isuzu or Mitsubishi had brought some of their bigger stuff over it would make a bit more sense as they already have smaller vehicles over here in number. I am sure they are probably Ok as have seen loads in OZ, along with bigger Isuzu’s & Mitsubishi’s
Hino’s and UD’s sell well here in the small truck market. GM has its finger in the pie . 
somehow
AS One person has posted they have been around for a long time
not sure if they still come in as complete knockdown form or are ready for use
they where i belive sent into Ireland in CKD and then imported into the UK;
have only seen one artic version and that was many years ago,
There is a dealer in Newport (S Wales) and we have had a demo at the quarry for a few days now - a bit early for reports but looks ok.
Tradditionally Hino are as tough as thy come but a bit heavier than their rivals so cutting the earnings
Truck and Driver did an 8 wheel tipper cab test last month and really rated the Hino. As others say, they are almost bomb proof. And they are cheap as well.
dealer local to me at killamarsh, the have rigid chasis cabs and artic units up for sale.
Got a good reputation as tippers but yrs ago i was on corley msa talking to an irish lad who had a new tractor unit. I asked him what it was like and he said,its a one off YOU BUY ONE YOU NEVER BUY ANOTHER.
Regards Dave
hino is or was part of toyota. they are a great truck. solidly built and ultra reliable. they are one of the market leaders in the medium range here in australia. the motors last for 7-800,000 klm easily in the up to 16 tonne total weight area here. they wont let you down when you need them. it is common here to see 15-20 year old examples still making a good living for the owner driver… they aren’t as flash or luxurious as the european makes but also have less to go wrong. it is extremely rare to see one broken down on the side of the road. they carry their full weght well. I run a 1989 200hp non turbo model as a 3 car carrier. it is great I have friends who have the currnet model and they are more than happy with them.
comparing against the europeans in this class they are a little thirstier but much more reliable in our harsh conditions.
remeber here temperatures get to well over 40oC for days on end.
and roads can be pretty rough.
cheers
meggala
Over here in Ireland they are probably the most popular 8 legger on the road. I’m a tipper operator and swear by volvo but the hino is a bullitproof truck that’ll take a good bit of punisment. They are brilliant in bad ground and will go where a vovlo or scania will fail. I just think they’re too rough around the edges and too thirsty for my liking. And as for the weight issue they are selling them here with alloy bodies wheels and tanks are are a wee bit lighter than the compitition… And as for price there isn’t a lot in it. the cheapest tipper on the road in Eire is the Daf.
Still wouldn’t have a Wino though 
Cheers
John
I know they assemble the kits at a factory at Catterick and you can see into it off the A1.
On my way to work this morning saw a 06 plate 8 wheeler in Hansons colours on the A59
Checked over one at Driffield show and they look OK screwed together well and have all the right bits - not flash but will do the job.
At Barnard Castle show there was an artic one with a short tipping trailer that looked good.
At the end of the day if they are cheap to buy and dont cost an arm and a leg to run and you are making as much revenue as the top spec all bling motor then you are ahead of the game