What is a truly versatile 4x4 truck?

"Ian Rawlings" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 2005-07-08, Huw <hedydd> wrote:
>
>> Not in the same league as a JCB Fastrac. Used ones are plentiful and
>> cheap[ish].
>
> You and your Fastrac, I'll bet you've got pictures of them on a wall
> somewhere!
>

Not really. Funnily enough I am not such a big fan of these machines. The
bigger ones are unwieldy, wide and have a poor steering lock while the
smaller ones with four wheel steering are not as fast, but fast enough
maybe. Although I recognise their many other superb qualities, I have no
inclination to go out and buy one. Yet.

It's odd that some here lust after the generally inferior Unimog though.

Huw

On Wed, 06 Jul 2005 04:10:15 GMT, Omega <[email protected]> wrote:

>I need a truck that is versatile.
>
>By this, I want to be able to tow 38 ft "toy hauler" (many having ATVs in the
>back, the American 5th wheel is interesting). So I need to have a towing
>package and most likely a 1 ton truck (six or eight ft bed). But I also want to
>be able to have decent fuel economy when I am not towing, thus a diesel and some
>form of two speed rear axle. But then I do want to be able to go off road as
>needed.
>
>Any suggestions as to what type of truck meets these requirements?
>

http://www.audiusa.com/model_home/0,,bodyStyleId-6,00.html?bodystyle=allroadquattro

How's this?

--
Keith

>
>---
>"If ye love wealth better than liberty ... servitude better than ... freedom,
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> - Samuel Adams

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On 2005-07-09, Huw <hedydd> wrote:

> It's odd that some here lust after the generally inferior Unimog though.

AFAIK they're two very different vehicles for different purposes, mog
for carrying stuff, JCB for pulling stuff, if I wanted to lug a load,
materials and crew across rough terrain I'd go for the mog, if I
wanted to pull 20 tonnes of cow flop across rough terrain I'd go for
the JCB. I'm not sure trying to do a direct comparison between them
would work.

--
For every expert, there is an equal but opposite expert

"Ian Rawlings" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 2005-07-09, Huw <hedydd> wrote:
>
>> It's odd that some here lust after the generally inferior Unimog though.
>
> AFAIK they're two very different vehicles for different purposes, mog
> for carrying stuff,

JCB has a similar rear platform.



JCB for pulling stuff, if I wanted to lug a load,
> materials and crew across rough terrain I'd go for the mog, if I
> wanted to pull 20 tonnes of cow flop across rough terrain I'd go for
> the JCB. I'm not sure trying to do a direct comparison between them
> would work.

Both are advertised and used for similar work. Both can be had with towing
gear and rear three point linkage with electronic control. Both are very
versatile machines with the JCB being more versatile by far. The unique
selling proposition of the Unimog is not its carrying capacity but its cab
which can be had with an easy conversion of driving side. The JCB driver is,
of course, sensibly positioned in the middle.
No matter what its used for, the JCB does it better.


Huw


>
> --
> For every expert, there is an equal but opposite expert

On 2005-07-09, Huw <hedydd> wrote:

> JCB has a similar rear platform.

Hmm, not really, it's got more of a rear platform than the fastrac,
especially the long wheelbase version. I've seen Fastracs with load
platforms and they're very short indeed, shorter than even the short
wheelbase mogs.

It's more road-going than the fastrac too, a bit faster for example.
I think the reason they sometime go up against each other is that the
mog is a 4x4 going-on tractor, while the fastrac is a tractor going-on
4x4 and they're close-ish to each other.

I still reckon that the mog is the one for carrying gear and people
while the fastrac is for pulling stuff around.

--
For every expert, there is an equal but opposite expert

Huw wrote:
>Ian Rawlings wrote:
<snip>
>> AFAIK they're two very different vehicles for different purposes, mog
>> for carrying stuff,
>
>JCB has a similar rear platform.

Can you be more specific? The 404 Mog has a 3m (9.8') x 2 m (6.6'')
bed. I looked at the JCS website and don't see any bed dimesions on
the specs page. From the pictures, at
http://www.jcb.com/(dsnetc45tm2k5cyydr0udc45)/products/product.aspx?rid=43&ind=agriculture
, the bed appears to be tiny or non-existent.


R,
Tom Q.

"Tom Quackenbush" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> Huw wrote:
>>Ian Rawlings wrote:
> <snip>
>>> AFAIK they're two very different vehicles for different purposes, mog
>>> for carrying stuff,
>>
>>JCB has a similar rear platform.
>
> Can you be more specific? The 404 Mog has a 3m (9.8') x 2 m (6.6'')
> bed. I looked at the JCS website and don't see any bed dimesions on
> the specs page. From the pictures, at
> http://www.jcb.com/(dsnetc45tm2k5cyydr0udc45)/products/product.aspx?rid=43&ind=agriculture
> , the bed appears to be tiny or non-existent.
>
>

The beds are small. They are not lorries in the same way that Unimogs are
lorries. These are heavier duty vehicles that can excel as tractors and
transport pullers of fast trailers in the same way as lorry tractor units
if you like. Some are used with sprayers on the bed but the linkage carrying
and towing versatility is such that most loads are large and towed. The
linkage is attached to the back axle not in the traditional Mog manner of to
the chassis so much heavier loads can be lifted with true draft control as
well as position control. Several single/double acting remote spool valves
are standard fit, though I believe that only open centre fixed displacement
is offered. Front linkage and PTO is often fitted to complement the standard
fit rear. The control system for the linkage is standard Bosch fare so is
second nature to most operators within a mixed fleet, providing a fair
degree of automation without going over the top.
Lots of fun to be had for the recreational user. For the serious business
user it ****es all over the Unimog in almost all areas.

Huw

Huw (hedydd[nospam]@tiscali.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like
they were saying :

> For the serious
> business user it ****es all over the Unimog in almost all areas.

Unless that "serious business use" requires something closer to a truck
than a tractor.

Horses for courses.

Besides, the Fastrac scares the living bejesus out of me - I've met 'em
hooning down narrow lanes once too often... (Never quite "met-as-in-
impact", but it's been close. Their drivers seem to take the "fast" bit of
the name far more seriously than the "trac"(tor) bit.

"Adrian" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Huw (hedydd[nospam]@tiscali.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like
> they were saying :
>
>> For the serious
>> business user it ****es all over the Unimog in almost all areas.
>
> Unless that "serious business use" requires something closer to a truck
> than a tractor.
>
> Horses for courses.

You can count the annual sales of Unimog in the UK on the fingers of one
hand, or at the most two hands. Mind you Fastrac sales are just about the
biggest disaster ever for JCB with sales declining in the UK. The UK
agricultural income is low and regulations are fast killing it off.



>
> Besides, the Fastrac scares the living bejesus out of me - I've met 'em
> hooning down narrow lanes once too often... (Never quite "met-as-in-
> impact", but it's been close. Their drivers seem to take the "fast" bit of
> the name far more seriously than the "trac"(tor) bit.

Does that also mean they use it more like a lorry than a tractor? ;-)

Huw

Huw wrote:
> "Adrian" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>Huw (hedydd[nospam]@tiscali.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like
>>they were saying :
>>
>>
>>>For the serious
>>>business user it ****es all over the Unimog in almost all areas.
>>
>>Unless that "serious business use" requires something closer to a truck
>>than a tractor.
>>
>>Horses for courses.
>
>
> You can count the annual sales of Unimog in the UK on the fingers of one
> hand, or at the most two hands. Mind you Fastrac sales are just about the
> biggest disaster ever for JCB with sales declining in the UK. The UK
> agricultural income is low and regulations are fast killing it off.
>
>

They seem to be doing OK in West Aus as a cheap alternative to a tractor
.. There has been a couple of dealersips spring up while we was there and
a couple more popped up since we moved .

>
>
>>Besides, the Fastrac scares the living bejesus out of me - I've met 'em
>>hooning down narrow lanes once too often... (Never quite "met-as-in-
>>impact", but it's been close. Their drivers seem to take the "fast" bit of
>>the name far more seriously than the "trac"(tor) bit.
>
>
> Does that also mean they use it more like a lorry than a tractor? ;-)
>
> Huw
>
>
>


--
you dont make old friends

you lose them

"myal" <[email protected]> wrote >>
>
> They seem to be doing OK in West Aus as a cheap alternative to a tractor .
> There has been a couple of dealersips spring up while we was there and a
> couple more popped up since we moved .
>
>>
>>


Over here they are an expensive alternative to a tractor, at least new ones
are. Their residual value is not good, at least not as good as others in
percentage of retained value. Maybe some of our used ones are exported to
Australia?

Huw

Huw wrote:
> "myal" <[email protected]> wrote >>
>
>>They seem to be doing OK in West Aus as a cheap alternative to a tractor .
>>There has been a couple of dealersips spring up while we was there and a
>>couple more popped up since we moved .
>>
>>
>>>
>
>
> Over here they are an expensive alternative to a tractor, at least new ones
> are. Their residual value is not good, at least not as good as others in
> percentage of retained value. Maybe some of our used ones are exported to
> Australia?
>
> Huw
>
>

They not used , but brand new , I fitted up stereos and two way radios
into them .

--
you dont make old friends

you lose them