As some of you may be aware, I along with two other TNUK members volunteer twice a year for a charity that takes humanitarian aid to Kosovo. The two units that the charity owned ( M reg Iveco eurotechs ) are both now passed their use by dates so earlier this year we started looking around for replacement trucks.
A large transport company that will remain unnamed offered us a very good deal on a couple of trucks that they are selling after the xmas rush, but the trucks that are on offer at the moment are both single sleeper cabs and as we mostly double man they arent really suitable. Because on the last aid convoy in October we were single manning they loaned us the use of the two trucks for that trip on the previso that if anything happened to them then we either had to repair or pay them the price they offered the trucks to us.
On the return journey the engine in one of the trucks blew up just south of Koln. We have been told it will cost a fortune to either repair or replace and def more than we where going to pay for the truck in the first place. It looks like we will pay the asking price for the truck and then sell it for breaking to try and recover some of the money (its an 06 MAN 26-440 tga 6x2).
So my question is does anybody have an idea has to how much it would cost to recover a unit MAN 6X2 from St Augustin just south of Koln back to Cirencester ?
How much could we expect to get for the said truck if we where to sell it for breaking? It has over 1 million kms on the clock.
Recovery will be extremely expensive, unless you can find a low loader someone doesn’t mind you borrowing.
If you get the vehicle back over here and put a new engine in it, make sure the replacement engine has had the oil pump mod done (it’s more than likely why the original engine failed).
You could try and see if a company with a low loader can do it as a backload, provided it can be got onto the trailer.
I know of a race team that had got a new Tractor unit as part of a sponsorship deal, but it was in Italy and they weren’t able to drive it back. They were quoted a fortune to have it transported to the UK, but got a reasonable deal from Richard Longs to bring it back.
I’m sure others can give you names of other companies that have machinery transport trailers that would also do the job.
Might able to get a good deal if you don’t have a to tight timescale for the truck to be brought back.
You might be as well to advertise it as is in one of the free truck sales magazines as you can bet your bottom dollar, most of the old trucks will be going back East or into Africa
Don’t put any more money into it and cut your losses is my advice
Ask Lawman Commercials 01530 231235 at Leicester for an estimate of how much they would pay for the vehicle and then get your quote to recover it and do the sums. you may be better just to get it scrapped in Germany and save the recovery costs.
The truck would only be worth maybe £8-9,000 if it was in working order as a trade in so you can imagine what it would be worth as a scrap vehicle.
annitram:
. you may be better just to get it scrapped in Germany and save the recovery costs.
My thoughts exactly, why bring it halfway across Europe just to scrap it? If anything you would get more for it in Germany as it would probably find its way to eastern Europe for repair.
there must be dozens of secondhand man engines around koln, take a trip in your car ask around it does not have to be fitted by an man dealer does it, stick one in and drive it back, i would rather breakdown in germany than any of the southern european countries.
Could you not contact MAN and ask for their assistance? Explain the situation and see if they will help to recover or repair the truck as sponsorship of the charity? Might be worth a call?
Similarly, for future trips why not contact truck manufacturers and see if they will provide a truck as sponsorship. They get good PR out of it and you get a truck thats new and suitable?
Thanks guys for the replies and suggestions. One other option that I am looking at is if we can get the unit into one of our stepframe tautliners. If we can then I may ship out with our own old Iveco in between xmas and new year and bring it back. It will only cost us the ferry and fuel that way and we may get a better deal in the UK for it.
Paul:
Thanks guys for the replies and suggestions. One other option that I am looking at is if we can get the unit into one of our stepframe tautliners. If we can then I may ship out with our own old Iveco in between xmas and new year and bring it back. It will only cost us the ferry and fuel that way and we may get a better deal in the UK for it.
Paul
i think the only way you’ll do that, is by putting it on from the side. you could borrow a low loader though. there isn’t much doing for plant over christmas.
we would charge about £5000.
Paul:
Thanks guys for the replies and suggestions. One other option that I am looking at is if we can get the unit into one of our stepframe tautliners. If we can then I may ship out with our own old Iveco in between xmas and new year and bring it back. It will only cost us the ferry and fuel that way and we may get a better deal in the UK for it.
Paul
By the time you’ve paid fuel and ferry cost there and back it might work out cheaper to see if somebody can do it as a back load.
This is the company I bought my F16 from, Tim speaks great English and they are used truck dealers selling all over the world so will deffo have some ‘eastern’ outlets for your MAN as a project, tell him the full story & I’m certain he will be in a position to buy it or help. They are based just south of Fulda so not a million km’s away from your truck.
You could try Armistead European, we use them for our imports from Germany. They have a machinery trailer, so could probably whack it on with a return load.
Speak to Andy (T) 01524 734 222.
if your going to put it on a step frame trailer then just watch the height, german and french police will have great pleasure in taking your money off you for being over height.
Good news guys we managed to sell the unit for breaking in Germany, not sure how much we got for it but all concerned are happy with the outcome.
Thanks for all the replies and suggestions.
Paul:
Good news guys we managed to sell the unit for breaking in Germany, not sure how much we got for it but all concerned are happy with the outcome.
Thanks for all the replies and suggestions.
Only just seen this thread - been off TNUK for quite a while.
My 13th convoy, and the first one where I came back without my truck…
Quite scary how fast things happened - first warning “Oil temperature high” (which we thought was probably down to the retarder putting too much heat in the oil, as we were in a relatively hilly area), then 30 seconds later “Low oil pressure”, at which point I immediately stopped, but it was too late. £500 to tow off the Autobahn, and €35,000 for a new engine…
Real piece of bad luck, especially as you had sort of borrowed the units. Pleased that you found what was probably the cheapest solution to the problem.
