Looking for a new truck...

I'm hoping some of you might make some recommendations. We (angus beef property) are after a new multipurpose farm truck and dog/pig trailer. It will be replacing our lazy axle Hino GH1J and basic requirments are:
-bogie drive (with diff/PD locks)
-new
-28' min tray -I assume this makes it cab over only?
-rated for dog/pig - ~450hp
-not have too low ground clearence/heaps of flimsy plastic trim bits that will break off

Basically it will cart quite a lot of cattle, mostly very local between properties and the odd trip to maitland. Also carting hay and other general farm duties. This will include some pretty rough farm tracks, although there's mostly a made road woo boys can be high and terrain is steep. Had a bogie drive isuzu come in with a drill rig recently and he ripped the fuel tank off (although we did offer to lower that particular woo boy)

The owner got a quote for a new volvo, pig and stock crates (trailer will be almost exclusively for stock). Was in the region of $300-350k... But me and the manager put the brakes on that as we haven't done much research and looks very very highway friendly/off road unfriendly. Somone has said UDs are good at the moment and they were light, but this raises alarm bells for me - what has been compremised to reduce weight? Even our road out is pretty rough so we're after something fairly durable. Manger's asked me to do some looking.

So what's out there we should be looking at? What do Isuzu have in this range, it would be a natural starting point I'd guess? What US options are there - only freightliner and kenworth? I assume there may be a few to check out at agquip but otherwise not sure where to start.

Wedgy
Gudday M8

eye'm biased to the yanky iron
but with all the pewter crap on any make truck ..eye shudder
coz ifn U got a lemon it could brake U



MB have a truck with a small diff housing th@ offers good ground clearance Scania iz nuther good name

Eye'd B inclined to go for something th@ has good back up n service in your area

2 cents worth tax free 2day

Cya

Not sure if the jap HP is measured in draught horses or sea horses.. But 450hp is getting up there one option see what manufacturer offers the best warranty ( and backs there warranty) I've had older 15ton Gvm UDs and they have been tough

Wedgy
Gudday M8

eye'm biased to the yanky iron
but with all the pewter crap on any make truck ..eye shudder
coz ifn U got a lemon it could brake U



MB have a truck with a small diff housing th@ offers good ground clearance Scania iz nuther good name

Eye'd B inclined to go for something th@ has good back up n service in your area

2 cents worth tax free 2day

Cya

don't mind a bit of yanky iron myself... So is there anything besides freightliner and kenworth? How come you said MB/scannia over everything else? Having a look at their websites, I still worry about all the low lying plastic behind the front wheels, the low front skirts and low fuel tanks. Also, do any euro trucks have a manuel gearbox? Can't see volvo or MB offering them, no one round here wants a slush box although the owner's probably not fussed and likes his euro stuff...

I know everything has computers now I don't like it either, in fact I don't understand why they won't consider a second hand truck at least it'd have a simpler emissions system.

Guessing jap stuff will have better support round here.

one option see what manufacturer offers the best warranty ( and backs there warranty)

good point. But I'd love to know who doesn't back their warranty... Name and shame time?

-28' min tray -I assume this makes it cab over only?

Wedgie, you can got to 12.5M overall for a rigid, so you CAN have a Bonnet.
It will just reduce the space available for the trailer.(19M overall)

Call me silly, but If your going New, don't rule out the ACCO...

Have you considered a MAN? A harvesting contractor has a fleet of them up here, they get flogged on the highway and offroad in the cane with no major dramas to speak of. IIRC they are a high clearance 6x6 spec but are only bogie drive.

The brother in law has a high clearance single drive (4x4), 330 HP with a hiab and tipper. Now that thing will go anywhere and do anything.

I'm with hayseed defiantly don't rule out a acco .. At a guess I'd say their pricing would be good and they would defiantly have some heavy duty running gear available.. My old cummins powered acco defiantly gets the job done with max payload

DD those MANs look just the thing, might be perfect in fact. Will have to enquire about wheel bases. Shame they don't do a manual though.

I looked at ACCOs first up as I like them too, but max HP listed is 340, not sure how that'll go with the truck and trailer full with cattle...

Wedgy, the Iveco Stralis is the big brother to the Acco, and has HP up to 560hp although 450hp from the Cursor 13 is an easy ask. Its got metal everywhere, and worth a look. Prices on them are real keen at the moment, BUT then again I have visited a lot of dealers this last week and pretty much all the big boys with real trucks have good stock.
A Western Star day cab is also not out of the question, all yank gear, easy to fix, and cheap(now).
As stated earlier in the thread, you need to be a bit careful of how the engine is measured - sea horses or real horses
Bretto

Slap my wrists, I forgot to ask the all important questions:
How long you gunna keep it?
How many kilometres a year?
Greatest distance travelled in a trip (how far to to the drop point)? I think you said mainly very short with the odd to maitland, so driver comfort is not really important.
You going to have your guys do the servicing, or the local dealer?
B