why we no like jap!

so much for jap trucks i just bought a isuzu JCR580 for a backup truck for local work . . so far so good lol

Kenny - I never said Jap trucks were totally useless .. they are good for what they are designed to do. Light-to-medium-duty work.
The original BS part .. that huppypuppy put up .. that I took issue with .. is that Jap trucks make good road train prime movers.
They just don't cut the mustard when it comes to extra heavy duty haulage.
The day I see a Jap truck hauling 100 or 150 tonnes on a regular basis, will be the day my ar$e stops pointing to the ground ..

the bigger jap trucks . . in days gone by that people used as prime movers didnt have the torque to pull the foreskin off a leper . . . the sad thing that jap trucks did in this country was spell the end to bonneted smaller trucks . . but the good thing was it also spelt the end of the pommy perkins powered trucks being sold here

G'day All

There seems to be a lot of ill-feeling about Japanese Trucks in Oz.
'why we no like jap' is probably answered easiest by saying it is their success that is giving a problem..?

There is not much wrong with their products, other than the way it has affected other manufacturers.
Kenny says it 'spelt the end of the pommy perkins powered trucks' and this was good.
It also 'spelt the end of the pommy perkins powered trucks' here in the UK.
This was after it spelt the end of pommy motorcycles, pommy televisions, and after the start of the decline in pommy cars, which was not good.

We now have HONDA and Nissan factories here in the UK which are exporting, in some cases back to Japan.

I have quite a few years motor trade experience, in Research and Development and sales, and it is very obvious to me that the main secrets of Japanese success, are, observation, replication, and refinement.
Some direct comparisons are:
Triumph Bonneville >>>> Honda CB450
MG Midget >>>>> Mazda MX5
Ford Transit >>>>> Nissan Cabstar
The Japanese took examples of these products, evaluated them, eliminated the bad points, emphasised the good points, and then re-assembled them in a slightly different form with increased accuracy and attention to detail.
Honda even produced new machinery in the form of Talysurf and Talyrond to produce better surface finishes and roundness on machined parts.
This enabled rpm's to exceed 10,000 without loss of engine life.

My personal possibly controversial belief is that the Japanese in common with other nations, have varying levels of 'status' within their manufacturers.
By this I mean that over here, it was regarded that a 'Rover' was higher status than a 'Ford', and in Japan I believe that there is a similar structure.
The upper levels I believe are Honda and Mazda, whereas the lesser marques are Toyota and Nissan.
Ford recognised this and bought a third of Mazda to help in their sales around the world.
Honda are out on their own and if they ever start producing Heavy trucks then the mucky stuff will really hit the fan !
Toyotas attempt to raise their standing is exemplified by their offshoot, Lexus.

On the same theme I can say that one of the reasons for the short life of the Tasman and Kimberley trucks, was the Toyota Hi-lux and its other Japanese copies.

Also Look out CAT, Komatsu is right up your exhaust.

HINO is moving in bigtime here now.

Manufacturers tolerance of Union activities, resulted in strikes, disputes and reduction in employees efficiency and interest.
If they had made investments in Quality control and sensible development facilities, the employees attitude of 'lets just do the job and go home' may not have had the disastrous effect it has.

I know I have rambled on here, but I have strong opinions on the subject.
I worked in the infamous Leyland Cowley factory, which is now badged BMW.

No I am not going down the German manufacturer route here, but there are similarities with the Japanese story.

Cheers
RS

the pommy stuff was good .. ive had a few rover cars over the years rover (P6B) ..leyland trucks (perkins 540 V8 powered) . . also leyland 698 "powered" .. the european stuff has charisma ..the japanese stuff has refinement . . i hate the piss weak cabs in the older japanese trucks ..but by the same token they are roomer than say a leyland or D series ford . . the japanese have made a product that people went for . . the rest is history . . .

I can't really comment on the Japanese mid range trucks as we have not had them here in any quantity until recently.

We did get a few Older Hino tippers back in the late '70s, but they disappeared.

Now I am seeing operators that were previously Merc and Volvo, that are now buying HINO !

Cheers
RS

the hinos of the mid 70s were very average ..a nice comfy cab ..but springs were to soft ..the ec100 engine used to break cranks and get ralve seat recession (very unusual for a diesel to get valve seat recession maybe the cast iron was a bit soft?) . . since then hino is one of the most reliable trucks i have noticed here in OZ the newer hinos use the mercedes numbering system ie .. a 8 ton 270hp hino will have 8270 or something similer on its badges . . maybe hino is doing a lexus trying to beat the euro cars/trucks at their own game

Have been driving a little Fuso all week and they seem mechanically bullet proof. I dont like the drivers seat and doubt the interior would stand up to much wear and tear.
The heavy Jap trucks are getting more powerful but still behind what Euros and USA offer.

Recently when I was at the Port of Brisbane I see a number of big UD's running around, and one or two haul for P&O hauling the big B doubles' with the quad axle trailers hauling 40' containers around the port. Another mob has then running boxes into town. Strangely not many big Suzy's but a few big Hino's. As the average age of class 8 trucks in US fleets has only just stretched to 7 years due to the recent recession the Jap trucks don't have last long to match them. Hino has been doing a big push in the last 10 years with competitive prices and big horspower for Prime Mover and B Double work. I see in a few pictures Hino's with spider hubs but these haven't made it to our shores.

Very cruel and very classic.