15 replies to this topic

[Shiney005]

I originally planned to extend the chassis on my prime mover and fit a pan body with a tail lift for moving cars around, but with the cost of doing so being around the 60-80k mark, I decided to sell the old girl and get something with cheaper rego (less wheels on the ground) and lower running costs.

A 3 owner 5 tonner came up on My105.com so I flew across to Tullamarine last Friday to test drive it. I have driven Mack's, Kenworths, Scanias and Volvo's, but nothing could have prepared me for just how good the M.A.N. trucks are. It is quieter than my Landcruiser and more comfortable as well. At 22 Ltrs/100km over 3,620 kilometers, even the fuel economy was comparable to it. All this with a turbo 6cyl that makes only 250hp, but also 960 nm of torque. The speed limiter can be set to 100kph, but if you come up behind a caravan dawdling along at 90, a button is activated by pushing down a little harder on the accelerator and ten seconds later you are doing 125!! I love it. Even the bunk was comfy. I set off from melbourne at 5.00pm and was in Jurien Bay by 11pm Monday, and I honestly could have turned around and driven it back. 

 

 MAN 4.JPG   170.51K   12 downloads

 

 MAN 3.JPG   167.5K   7 downloads

 

 MAN1.JPG   187.85K   4 downloads

 

This two door Cortina was on the Nullarbor. Nobody who was around knew anything about it so I had to leave it there, which was a shame when I had an empty car carrier. Someone said the two doors were all GT's?

 MAN.JPG   182.82K   5 downloads

 

[Rockoz]

22 litres per 100km?

Thats not a bad number actually.

I could get worse than that in my VE SS years ago, especially on a few certain stretches of tarmac with corners.

But it could get down to 5.5/100 as well.

Nothing wrong with Euro trucks. Typically more comfortable and driver friendly than the US derivatives.

I can remember when Volvo did its huge push into the Aussie market.

A few blokes I knew who were running coal decided to try them out.

They said they were easier on everything. Driver, fuel maintenance etc.

The only drawback for them was that they would not likely to be able to afford to go back to the US derivatives in the future.

But none of them were tempted to anyway.

They got out of the truck after 12 or 13 hours a lot fresher and had more time to enjoy the weekend rather than working on the truck.

 

Nice rig.

Pretty sure not all 2 doors were GTs.

Remember a local having a non GT 2 door.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

[RallyRed]

Luv your work Shiney...no 1/2 measures!

[lx308]

Shiney loves being in a man...

[lx308]

Had 1 out at the farm I worked at occasionally. Very smooth & quiet. Also did a great job dragging this lot around. That rear trailer was a tad heavy when full...
At least it was more closer to legal than the old Loui was

[kiwi-lilj]

Nice lorry Laurie.

[claysummers]

In the Cooper Basin in ‘81 drillers from Toowoomba had a long nose White with RR box, 6wheel drive and balloon tyres that the rear two axles all but touched spinning in opposite directions. You couldn’t fit your hand between them. Bit like oversized nobblys. You could hear it winding up through the gears coming over the dunes. They lost the contract to the SA Mines Dept, who brought out a new MAN drill rig. We thought it was the ducks guts and no doubt would have been if they had the same tyre setup. Just couldn’t get anywhere with the square sided tyres they had on it.


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[sibhs]

Great looking rig Laurie. Are you just taking off decals and leaving it white? Or going to jazz it up?

 

Marty

[skap]

nice mate.

 

What are you planning on doing with it, just personal use?

[Shiney005]

Shiney loves being in a man...

Jeezus. I had never heard the MAN jokes before, but i have now!!

 

Great looking rig Laurie. Are you just taking off decals and leaving it white? Or going to jazz it up?

 

Marty

The whole thing is vinyl wrapped. I was thinking of just covering up "Steve". I reckon Hay Racing would suit me down to the ground.

 

nice mate.

 

What are you planning on doing with it, just personal use?

If anybody wants a car carted around or even east west, I will gladly do it, but even at 22 ltr/100 kays, it means $2000 bucks worth of diesel one way from Melbourne to Perth so it won't be cheap. I will however guarantee a dust and waterproof luxury ride for the car.  I might even put a tow bar on the back of it for the enclosed trailer. Two cars may make it worthwhile. 

[caterham2]

I originally planned to extend the chassis on my prime mover and fit a pan body with a tail lift for moving cars around, but with the cost of doing so being around the 60-80k mark, I decided to sell the old girl and get something with cheaper rego (less wheels on the ground) and lower running costs.

A 3 owner 5 tonner came up on My105.com so I flew across to Tullamarine last Friday to test drive it. I have driven Mack's, Kenworths, Scanias and Volvo's, but nothing could have prepared me for just how good the M.A.N. trucks are. It is quieter than my Landcruiser and more comfortable as well. At 22 Ltrs/100km over 3,620 kilometers, even the fuel economy was comparable to it. All this with a turbo 6cyl that makes only 250hp, but also 960 nm of torque. The speed limiter can be set to 100kph, but if you come up behind a caravan dawdling along at 90, a button is activated by pushing down a little harder on the accelerator and ten seconds later you are doing 125!! I love it. Even the bunk was comfy. I set off from melbourne at 5.00pm and was in Jurien Bay by 11pm Monday, and I honestly could have turned around and driven it back. 

 

MAN 4.JPG

 

MAN 3.JPG

 

MAN1.JPG

 

This two door Cortina was on the Nullarbor. Nobody who was around knew anything about it so I had to leave it there, which was a shame when I had an empty car carrier. Someone said the two doors were all GT's?

MAN.JPG

Not all 2 door Cortinas were GT,s, they started with a poverty pack all the way through to GT, bit like Holden Monaros were in the early days

[Rockoz]

Was chatting to a mate the other week.

He owns a truck.

He wont charge anything under $5 per kilometre these days.

How would that work out with your fuel usage?

 

Cheers

 

Rob

[sibhs]

Was chatting to a mate the other week.

He owns a truck.

He wont charge anything under $5 per kilometre these days.

How would that work out with your fuel usage?

 

Cheers

 

Rob

Wow, that's $40,000 from Perth to Bathurst and back. 

[Rockoz]

Wow, that's $40,000 from Perth to Bathurst and back. 

 

 

That may be a one way charge with no return load factored in to it, so halve it perhaps.

I had a low loader move my tilt tray for me 320 kms for $550.

But that was a year ago and fuel has skyrocketed since then.

So based on that his $5 would be reasonable but only charged one way.

 

Now for an exercise.

Using $5 a kilometre as a good freight rate, and 33000 litres as a good single tanker of fuel, how much are we being ripped off for fuel prices?

Factor in also that a lot of B double operators arent getting any extra rate for the A trailer. So roughly 55000 litres at $5 per kilometre.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

[Shiney005]

320 kays for 550 bucks must have been a back load. I never started my semi for less than $110 an hour (wet hire) which is the going rate over here for a tipper. You can't get anybody else to sit in the drivers seat for less than 30 bucks an hour.

[Rockoz]

OOOps!!

Missed a 1 in the figure.

$1550

 

Should check my content before I post a bit better.

 

Cheers

 

Rob