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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 5:04 pm
by lutonlagerlout
our trusty old tata pickup has finally given up the ghost after 6 years,(mind you not bad when you consider it cost 6k new)and we want to get something with a bit better weight carrying ability and with at least 8' by 4' clear on the back
most of our work is local so fuel consumption is not a big issue
what do the brew crew recommend????
pls dont say chevy blazer TL ,our hoddy has one of those and it only does 10 to the gallon 
regards LLL
p.s. budget is about 12k for something fairly newish IYKWIM
Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 6:57 pm
by Ted
Are you only interested in pick-up trucks? Is a van with a tipper or dropsides too big?
Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 7:00 pm
by Ted
Of the Japanese pick-up trucks I would go for a Toyota then a Nissan Navara. But if I had one of those bling Navaras I wouldn't want to chuck much in the back and spoil the paintwork.
Land Rover also do a number of good trucks. I have seen Land Rovers with tippers. Some also have PTOs. But they are not cheap and drink loads and loads of fuel.
Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 7:13 pm
by lutonlagerlout
i was thinking something like a cabstar tipper,or ford
i had a bedford tk 350 but that was 20 yrs ago,small pick ups are a bit of a liability when picking up packs of slabs or bricks so i was looking 1.5 t load
definately do not want any more car derived pick ups!!
cheers LLL
Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 7:20 pm
by Ted
When it comes to vans, I really like the Nissan Cabstar. They are very narrow (mine is 6' 6" wide, I think) and I have done a good number of jobs in the past year where a Transit tipper or dropside (my last one was 7' 6" wide, I think) simply would not have got us as anywhere near such good access. Cabstars also have very tight turning circles which is handy and mine can carry two tonnes easily although I don't think it is quite supposed to, but a transit is normally only 1.5 tonnes on the back where as a Cabstar is more like 1.8 tonnes. The fuel economy is excellent too. However, I don't particularly like going much above 60 mph in it and you do bounce around a bit when the back is empty (speed bumps can be a nightmare!). And it is also a bit too cosy with three in the cab! But I far prefer it from my previous Transit dropside.
Ideally I would get the Cabstar crewcab with a tipper (a 3 way one ideally). I think the other Japanese trucks are probably pretty good/similar too (ie, the Mitsubishi Canter, the Isuzu one and the Toyota one. The Canter probably has an even better payload but it is almost a lorry.
Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:28 pm
by lutonlagerlout
ye i had a transit tipper a few years back and the mots were a nightmare,rust deluxe i would say
i have heard the mitzis are good but being able to get in tight spaces is more important to us
i suppose no matter what the load ppl will always try for a bit extra,but last summer i had 15 m2 of indian sandstone on the back of the tata,nd it was wandering all over the road i was scared to do more than 20 mph in case the chasis snapped or something
c'est la vie
LLL
Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 11:56 pm
by Stuarty
We used to run merc sprinters, they are very good on the diesel, and have a tight turning circle too. The sprinter pickup we had only could carry about 1.5 ton, and it was very easy to overload. That was the 3.5 tonner though, if you went for the 5 tonner you could stick just over 2.5 T on the back.
We now run the VW vans, they are exactly the same ( not the brand new VW vans ) as the mk1 sprinters, but with a VW engine and their very good i must say, but they are a bit heavier on diesel.
If you go for anything over 3.5T make sure whoever is driving it has the correct license. If you passed before 1997 your fine, if you passed after you need to sit another test for over 3.5T or if you wanna tow a trailer over 750kg mgw.
And if you overload, dont get caught. A workmate was done twice for this. His first fine was £700. Second fine was £1400. Not worth it in my book.
Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 1:08 am
by lutonlagerlout
passed in 85 stuart know about the fines
dad had £1000 for starters and £2000 the 2nd time plus the points,
cheers for the advice
LLL
Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 5:45 pm
by dig dug dan
You cannot beat a cabstar on price, reliability and engine/carrying capacity.
I am now on my fourth one since I started in '93.I started with a dropside, then a tipper, then a double wheel tipper and I now have a double cab tipper, not three way though ted as these are a waste of money.
There is a new cabstar due out any time now, and it is the mutts nuts. It will knock spots off the competition. My mate has just ordered a single wheel tipper in silver, and he may be the first in the country to receive the new model.
Nissan will be offering single wheel, and twin wheel, single and double cabs, 2.5 or 3.0L engines, and it is supposed to be bale to tow 3 tonne!
Forget transits. Far too expensive, and the pikeys always have them. Besides, ford have the worst customer service.
LLL, if you are lucky, you can pick up a white single wheel tipper old model now for silly money.Email me if you want a number of my bloke who is getting hold of one for my mate. Never buy direct from a Nissan Dealer. Way too expensive!
I would go for mitsubishi next, but the cab is much wider so it is not as manouverable. Toyota's are a bit tinny, and again, lack of customer service is a factor.
Hope this helps! 
Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:44 pm
by Ted
dig dug dan wrote:I am now on my fourth one since I started in '93.I started with a dropside, then a tipper, then a double wheel tipper and I now have a double cab tipper, not three way though ted as these are a waste of money.
I only said I would ideally have have a three way tipper. Why do you think they are a waste of money? I think in cities where space is at a premium and unloading is difficult it is very handy. After all if you can't use your tipper because you can't back in, you have to shovel the shite off anyway.
So I just have a dropside as tippers are more expensive to insure and it doesn't even take five minutes to shovel off a ton of sand.
Anyway mine is Y reg Cabstar single cab with 120,000 on the clock and still going perfectly. I should get another 100,000 miles out of her. My former K reg Transit dropside had pretty much had it by 110,000. I found the Transit a real pain in cities as the body sticks out much wider than the cab. The turning circle wasn't great either. I prefer the design of the Japanese models where you sit over the wheel although they probably aren't very good if you crash. The Transit was no more comfortable on the motorway really as it was much louder even if the seating was slightly more spacious. I am sure Transits are much better these days though. I hired an 06 Renault Lo-Loader van the other and it was a dream to drive with 6 gears, but like the Transit those vans where you sit behind the front wheels tend to have poor turning circles.
Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 5:32 pm
by dig dug dan
The amount of extra cash a three way tipper cost, and a further reduction in legal payload, it is better to just shovel off the side.
I cannot think of a single situation where I would have used one.
My mate just brought a cabstar dropside, simply because he can carry 1.7tonne, as apposed to only 1.4 tonne with a tipper.
Most of the time he is shoveling into barrows, so tipping is not an option.
Three way tippers tend to have an under floor ram, rather than a scissor ram. The scissor ram is much stronger, and quicker to tip.
If you forget to lock in the rear corner before side tipping, you can do some damage!
But each contractor has different jobs, so if it can be justified, then fair enough.
Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 12:40 am
by lutonlagerlout
i think for me personally tipper are a bit of a waste,when i had one it was always a source of extra money for the garage come MOT time,plus like ted says how long does it take to shovel a tonne of sand off?
it looks like the single ,drop body cabstar is winning,i saw one of the mitzis today and they are like readymix lorry width(well nearly) but i wouldnt fancy the chances of getting them between some of the drive piers on our jobs
thanks for the input guys, i suppose the tata for 6k was good value at £20 a week but it started falling to bits as soon as i got it when it was brand new
cheers LLL
Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 1:04 pm
by MatthewWakeman
Nissan Cabstar 3.0 tippers bought 2 new ones in july 0% VIA NISSAN best purchse we have made in a long time. A little bit slippy in the wet when empty but other than that bullet proof
regards
Matthew
drivewaycompany.co.uk
Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 4:28 pm
by dig dug dan
quote right matthew. The new ones have limited slip dif, so that problem has been cured. You can't beat 0% either.
Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 11:22 am
by lutonlagerlout
thanks for the replies,we now have a brand spanker of a cabstar on order for mid feb
cheers ppl
LLL