Hi I am fairly new to this forum so thought I would introduce myself first.
I run a forklift hire & repair company & we run a couple of trucks to move mainly ours but sometimes otherd forklift about.
Due partly to a change in our circumstances & partly due to good old Red Ken & his wonderful LEZ we are having to replace one of our rigid lorries.
I have already ordered a specialist Low loader Trailer due for arrival late January 2008 & we need to buy a tractor unit to go with it.
Due to financial constraints we are looking for a tractor unit that is around 4-5 years old.
We dont ever do any nights out so dont need or want a huge cab as we deliver into farms quite a bit, we are looking for a 6x2 but plated at 36 ton, this may seem a bit strange but our reasoning behind this is lower VED & because of the imposed weight through the 5th wheel.
We were thinging of A Volvo FM12 420, a MAN TGA LX 410 or maybe A Merc Actros Long Distance 2544.
I would appreciate any opinions you may hove on these trucks or any others you might think suitable.
Hi Evvo. Personally Id stay away from the Merc as I dont like the V6 engine. The cab is too small (even for a day wagon) so that leaves the MAN !! What about a Renault Premium !! I like the latter shape Volvo FH and a driver would thank you for not getting the FM !!
I’d go with the Renault Premium too,around 18K should get you a 2003 6x2 420DCI with a warranty from a Renault truck dealer.
As your not running full weight the 420DCI engine has more than enough power and the truck is cheap for parts and relatively easy on the fuel and there are plenty on the used market.
Hi all thank’s for the replies we actually run a Renault premium 18 tonner rigid which has been suprisingly good although we have found the parts dearer than the Scania we run!
The Volvo FM was actually my drivers first choice & he doesnt seem bothered about having a bigger cab & we used to run a 420 FH which we found very good.
Anymore opinions would be greatly received as I have not had that much experience of 4-5 year old trucks
I would rather carry fork trucks to Hades and back by hand than to suggest anybody strays into the NIGHTMARE WORLD OF RENAULT!
Our premium 6x2 nearly finished the business, everything on the truck was chronic.
Every six weekly the fitter would come out of the operating theatre with that look on his face which signified another trip to JDS to be told that a brake caliper is £700.
I can see some good in anything mechanical but don’t play with Napoleon’s revenge.
Scania parts seem always to be on special at the mo if the regular mailshots from Scanlink are owt to go by.
Hi Madders, we have also had the brake caliper go on our Premium & I could of cried when I was quoted the price for a new one, also the rear air bag is twice the price of one for our scania.
The bit that worries me a little with the Volvo is our local dealer is a shower of you know what.
My other options are another scania maybe a R124-420 or perhaps a Daf CF, if anyone has experience of these I would be interested as I know the Daf engine has changed from the old Daf 95 11.6 litre that I once drove & wouldnt pull the skin off a rice pudding, are the newer 12 litres any better?
know everyone will laugh but if it was me buying the wagon for that sort of work i’d buy a late ec11 no hesitation, maintanence cost is probably half of what it would be for anything else sugested and it’ll just run forever if looked after, other than that it’ll be the volvo either fm or flatroof fh which mechanically are sound, downside is you need to spend good money to get a clean n’, wouldn’t touch another daf, renault seems to be a trip into the onknown with everyone you talk to having a different opinion, scania seem ok but again you pay a lot of money for the badge at 5-6 years old, i run a merc which i’m happy with but wouldn’t go anywhere near an early one which seemed to a bit experimental to say the least.
i absolutely hate these trucks but they do seem very good at off road work and plenty of companies swear by them and are extremely upset at the fact they are no longer being produced.
FODEN
they are reasonably priced and i think the amount of travelling funfairs using them should offer something towards their reputation for durability and ease of repair.
Buy which ever you want, there all much of a muchness. No two identical vehicles are ever the same, so no ones opinion however valid, is ever right.
Personally I have had…
Foden 4350’s which cost me nothing to buy and nothing to run.
A Renault Magnum which cost big money, to buy and nearly bankrupted us!
A mercedes 2543 Mega space auto which was expensive in both regards and a rubbish ttruck to be honest.
ERF EC’s which were very reliable, comfortable, fuel efficent and cheap to repair when they did go wrong.
Volvo FH12’s fGlobetrotters, from 420 to 500 (Chipped) which are spot on, but use more fuel than the…
DAF 95XF SSC which is a really good mnotor although I havent had it long enough to give a thorough evaluation.
Dealer service and being able to get on with the people there is a major factor when it comes to buying new vehicles in my book, although the DAF was bought purely because I was offered the rright money on the Crappy Merc as an incentive to buy, still they seem to be very good.
Good luck buying secondhand trucks, I fear you’ll need it.
My only advise would be, be carefull of ex contract maintained. In my experience this means doing the minimum to keep the vehicle roadworthy, and this has been with Scania, DAF and renault. I had the premium for 2 years, it’s first 2 like, and it was absolutely no problem whatsoever. I now only have an 85 DAF, and it’s served me well.
If it were me I would maybe look at an ex Post Office wagon, or something similar, as they are normally very cheap, and have been run at low weights. I know they are only 4 wheeler units, but they will be more manouverable on farm and more economical, obviously axle weights would have to be watched, but a 19t unit give quite good leeway.
Also avoid ex tippers or tankers, as they will almost always have been run fully freighted and flogged to death, well mine have anyhow
06 mans with 350,000 on at our place drive ,look and feel like theyve done that kms wheras the 54/55 scanias with 650,000 to 800,000 drive like there new trucks and feel like theyve got a lot of life left in them.
dont know anything about price to buy, run etc but if it was my money id buy a scania every time
Thought I would post a quick update as my driver is doing his class 1 this week yesterday he was driving a 420 premium & despised it so they are definetly out also the driving school runs 3 Daf CF’s all of which were broke down yesterday , which I have to admit has put me off them a bit.
But the biggest shock is he is driving a Merc Axor & really likesit & he has asked me if that is what he can have.
To be honest that sound fine to me as you can pick them up relatively cheapley, so what are these like to run?
!! I like the latter shape Volvo FH and a driver would thank you for not getting the FM !!
, which I have to admit has put me off them a bit.
& he has asked me if that is what he can have.