Advantages of Fuso 4X4?

[westyss]

This is a CO accident that I had to extricate the driver from. He rear ended a TT unit. The outcome would have been the same if he was in a CC, the only difference is the occupant compartment ended up being about 2' in the CO and if he was in a CC the occupant compartment would have been about 2 1/2'. Like the above poster said "your done in either truck"

UGLY! What is a TT, I want to make sure I dont rear end it?

 

[DzlToy]

my guess would be tractor trailer from the high cab damage.

Though it does not seem correct, I remember reading a crash test years ago on cabover trucks (when I first became interested in them) and the name brands were pretty safe. One has to "assume" that Fuso and Isuzu have accounted for this possibility and made crumple zones or some way to "handle" a front impact.

WIll look around but I dont think I kept it.

 

[Captain K-man]

Yeah, TT = Tractor trailer

 

[Overland Hadley]

Some great information here.

It will be years before I move from my Tacoma platform, but it is fun to dream and plan.

 

[dhackney]

The cab over FG has a greater payload than the F350 for less money.

The cab over FG has a comparable payload to the F450 for less money.

The F550, F650, etc has a greater payload than the FG for more money.

Very succinct summary. Well stated.

The shorter wheelbase is very maneuverable, especially the short wheelbase version

Turning radius is the most important dimension in real-world, full-time overlanding. This will be very important to you when you get outside NA.

And some / most of the people who want a single purpose expedition vehicle for longer journeys with 2 people are willing to accept the compromise in speed and luxury to get the increased payload and small overall size of the CO.

Speed is almost always irrelevant outside of NA. If you are leaving NA, then you are most likely leaving to go see interesting places. Most interesting places are along or at the ends of market town roads. Market town road speeds are not fast, except for the chicken busses. You do not want to try to keep up with the chicken busses.

As a personal opinion, I don't think the FG needs a suspension upgrade if you don't drive on expressways, especially the concrete versions in and around a large city.

You will want an upgraded suspension for two-track and fire roads in NA and for the market town "roads" elsewhere. At a minimum, get custom multi-leaf (thinner leafs, but more leafs than stock) springs matched to your as-built weight on each corner + aftermarket shocks (get bigger than stock or go with dual shocks on each point). If there is any possible way you can afford it, get a single-rear-wheel + lengthened spring + custom shock package out of Australia (they make them specifically for the FG).

But I would recommend a spring or air suspension seat upgrade. Especially the passenger seat.

Without question. Do not even move the truck across town without this. Especially the passenger seat.

Re: fuel economy
More weight = less MPG. Light FG based rigs seem to all get in the mid-teens. We got ~10. There's a message there...

RE: luxury
The CC defiantly offers more factory available luxury, etc. We upgraded the radio, added a custom console, overhead locking radio console, map lights, heated air seats, etc. to the FG cab. It was plenty luxurious for us to live in for two years.

The FG drives more like a car than a commercial truck. Scott Brady got out of ours after testing it and said, "It's the Camry of trucks!" I don't know if I'd go that far, but I've driven regular commercial trucks and the FG (and, I assume the FE series) are a world apart from that.

One thing that doesn't take all that much work or time is to strip the cab and line it with acoustic mat. The cab is very simple to disassemble and put back together, and you'll need to take it apart to add speakers, etc. anyway.

I can't speak for others' FGs, but ours is eerily quiet.


The biggest downside to this class of truck, CC or CO, is the frame section. If you're planning to put a lot of weight on them, sleeve or upgrade the frame before you build, whether it's a domestic CC or a CO.

If you want to put a big load on them, you are better off to move up a class of truck and pay for the 4x4 conversion.

 

[tobg]

I,too, am in the throws of deciding between a CC & CO. Currently drive a GM 350 dually with a Northstar SC850. I could switch to a Hallmark with some customization or get the Mitsu & build a camper. I am curious about the needed suspension modifications ( truck will also need to be a daily driver) as well as the necessity of isolating the camper from chassis twist. I'm not sure I like the idea of the camper weight resting on one bolt as in the 3 point systems. Any input?

 

[kerry]

I've got a Northstar T1000 on my service body FG with no isolation mechanism. So far so good. 10k miles.

I,too, am in the throws of deciding between a CC & CO. Currently drive a GM 350 dually with a Northstar SC850. I could switch to a Hallmark with some customization or get the Mitsu & build a camper. I am curious about the needed suspension modifications ( truck will also need to be a daily driver) as well as the necessity of isolating the camper from chassis twist. I'm not sure I like the idea of the camper weight resting on one bolt as in the 3 point systems. Any input?

 

[dhackney]

the necessity of isolating the camper from chassis twist. I'm not sure I like the idea of the camper weight resting on one bolt as in the 3 point systems. Any input?

The three point payload suspension design only works on an FG if the payload is *very* light. A 3 point payload suspension system puts all the weight of the payload into two places on the length of the frame, the front and rear points of the 3 point system. That leads to a lot of flexing as the payload loads and unloads the frame. Not good with anything but a *very* light load.

The Australian system, originally used for tanker trucks and pioneered for expedition vehicle payloads by All Terrain Warriors, is a much, much better approach with the relatively lightweight frame of the FG. The Oz system spreads the weight of the payload down the entire length of the frame, while still allowing the frame to flex as designed. It's a vastly superior approach for the relatively thin, flexible frame on the FG.

A 3 or 4 point payload system works great on larger capacity trucks with thicker, more rigid frames that are capable of being loaded in only a few places on the longitudinal axis.

 

[Psyop]

I've wondered about this for a while too. I know you can't occupy a pull behind, but can other occupants occupy the "living" quarters while in transit in an expedition type vehicle?

 

[haven]

In USA, the rules vary by state regarding passengers riding in the camper section of the vehicle. Woodalls has a good summary of rules of the road by state.
http://www.woodalls.com/articledetails.aspx?articleID=2799181

 

[KONA BOB]

I HAVE A 2014 FUSO FG WITH AN RV BODY AND FIND THAT IN LOW GEAR IN FOUR WHEEL DRIVE I HAVE VERY LITTLE POWER! THE VERY FIRST TIME I ATTEMPTED TO LEVEL THE RV BY DRIVING ONTO TWO 4 INCH LOGS THE FUSO WOULD NOT MAKE THE CLIMB! iIN THE LOWEST GEAR (1) AND ON THE LEVEL (FORE AND AFT) IT WOULD NOT CLIMB EVEN THE 4 INCHES? WHAT CAN I DO? IS THERE A GEARING OPTION FOR LOWERING THE GEARING TO ALOW THIS SORT OF ACTION?

ALSO PLEASE HELP ME IF POSSIBLE WITH ACTUAL PART NUMBERS AND BRANDS FOR AFTER MARKET SHOCKS AND ANY OTHER SUSPENSION MODIFICATIONS THAT WORK. AS IT IS IN STOCK CONFIGURATION THE LITTLE BEAST LIKES TO DO A HUGE AMOUNT OF REBOUNDING EVEN ON SMALL FREEWAY BUMPS. NOT FUN AT ALL

THANKS FOR ANY AND ALL SUGESTIONS

 

[kerry]

I was under the impression that 2014 FG's didn't have a low range in 4WD. Is that correct? If so, it explains the problem.

 

[pugslyyy]

I HAVE A 2014 FUSO FG WITH AN RV BODY AND FIND THAT IN LOW GEAR IN FOUR WHEEL DRIVE I HAVE VERY LITTLE POWER! THE VERY FIRST TIME I ATTEMPTED TO LEVEL THE RV BY DRIVING ONTO TWO 4 INCH LOGS THE FUSO WOULD NOT MAKE THE CLIMB! iIN THE LOWEST GEAR (1) AND ON THE LEVEL (FORE AND AFT) IT WOULD NOT CLIMB EVEN THE 4 INCHES? WHAT CAN I DO? IS THERE A GEARING OPTION FOR LOWERING THE GEARING TO ALOW THIS SORT OF ACTION?

ALSO PLEASE HELP ME IF POSSIBLE WITH ACTUAL PART NUMBERS AND BRANDS FOR AFTER MARKET SHOCKS AND ANY OTHER SUSPENSION MODIFICATIONS THAT WORK. AS IT IS IN STOCK CONFIGURATION THE LITTLE BEAST LIKES TO DO A HUGE AMOUNT OF REBOUNDING EVEN ON SMALL FREEWAY BUMPS. NOT FUN AT ALL

THANKS FOR ANY AND ALL SUGESTIONS

Welcome Kona Bob. Post a little bit more about your Fuso, the build, etc. Pictures are always useful, along with the front/rear axle loads.

I'm not understanding the 'not climbing' statement. With an automatic transmission you have near infinite torque. You are saying that with the accelerator all the way to the floor it wouldn't climb a 4 inch curb?

 

[pugslyyy]

Welcome Kona Bob. Post a little bit more about your Fuso, the build, etc. Pictures are always useful, along with the front/rear axle loads.

I'm not understanding the 'not climbing' statement. With an automatic transmission you have near infinite torque. You are saying that with the accelerator all the way to the floor it wouldn't climb a 4 inch curb?

I'm going to attempt to answer my own question here... The new Fuso doesn't have an automatic transmission, it is a manual transmission with a computer that shifts it for you. No torque converter can mean that it is hard to do low speed maneuvers as Kona Bob describes.

There have been a number of reports of issues with the new Duonic transmission, which Mitsubishi appears to have recognized and dedicated serious engineering resources to resolving.

More recent reports indicate that the transmission is working better - which is good news for all of us since it remains the only cabover 4x4 current sold in the US market.

I'd be interested if Kona Bob (or anyone else) could chime in on how things are going with the Duonic.

 

[Overland Hadley]

More recent reports indicate that the transmission is working better - which is good news for all of us since it remains the only cabover 4x4 current sold in the US market.

Is this a software or hardware change? In other words is it new trucks that are working better, or is there a "fix" for current/older models.