# Cab Over Dumptrucks ?



## rahtreelimbs (Oct 27, 2002)

The guy who does my chipping for me just bought a 1999 Ford F-450 Super-Duty dumptruck. While I have no intentions on purchasing a dumptruck, I got to thinking about cab-over dumptrucks. Seems to me that you can fit just as much in them but have a shorter truck because of the cab-over design. I know a forestry- body might have been better for this guy, but he uses it for other things besides hauling chips. Are any cab-overs available in 4WD? Anybody out there use a cab-over?


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## spreaderman (Oct 27, 2002)

*up's and downs on cab overs*

cab overs are good in tight places with a trailor because they give quicker vision around the side of the trailor when backing however they are a rougher riding truck because what the front tire does you do to as in bounce..... Also they are harder to get in an out of because of the height, They are usually used for once your in it you are in it for a while not getting in an out of to check tail gate etc.....they are better in traffic because you can see right in front of you...... As for the length there isn't much difference in a cabover and a conventional because some conventionals have day cabs an some sleepers and the difference in frame length in different trucks.


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## John Paul Sanborn (Oct 28, 2002)

The biggest benny is turning radius. The biggest drawback is ride, they have a higher center so the bounce and tip a lot.

Engine service can be a PITA on some to, being that you need to take all your stuff out of the cab that may slide around befor poping the hood. 

They work very well for small properties.


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## Crofter (Oct 28, 2002)

If resale value might be an issue keep in mind that they are not as easy to sell as a conventional. I do know of one gravel hauler who would buy them cheap and stick a dump box on and use it as a spare truck or to punish a driver if he screwed up on one of the regular trucks. They are a bit weird feeling when you first jump into them. Heard of one incident where the cab tilt latch didn't and when the driver had a panic stop ,you know what happened. Gives you a different point of view in a hurry!. What a previous poster said is very true about not being able to carry any gear in the front because every time you have to get at the engine you have to take it out before you tilt the cab.


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## treeman82 (Oct 29, 2002)

The Mitsubishi Fuso FG is 4x4 that comes with either a 4 or 6 cylinder diesel. 14K GVW. I was told by a dealer that it can hold 3 tons. I know a few people who own them and are very happy. 2 people have the FG's and they have been treated pretty well. 1 guy has an FE/FH? which is 2WD and all the experiences I had with that was that it could not hold any weight at all. I had moved chips with that truck and it squatted bad under the weight, also it had trouble just moving around with all the extra load. I would think that those types of trucks would be really good for PHC work. Leave the chippers for the big boys.


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## sonny (Oct 29, 2002)

Cab-overs are nice, But in my oppinion at least hear in Cali. the drivers are much shorter than in the rest of our great country.So the seat has to move up so they can reach the peddals. Go the reverse gear does not go in all the way. So what im saying is get prepared to be fixing or replacing tranies quite a bit.


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## Toddppm (Oct 30, 2002)

http://community.webshots.com/photo/53152242/53648502oCxvxp Heres what we hauled with my new NQR the other day, it did real good. It was a wee bit overloaded but rode good, power is nice for such a small motor, 175 4cyl. diesel. They are a pain to get in and out but I think it's outweighed by the benes like view turning radius , size etc. it is much shorter than a comparable reg. truck like a F650. I don't mind the ride at all, the box on the back is heavy and levels it out nice. See my other albums under truck stuff for more pics. Just saw in the tree trader that Schodorf just starting putting together a package like what I got custom built.


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## Toddppm (Oct 30, 2002)

That's funny Sonny, I got the automatic too, sweet to not have to worry about shifting gears and the employees tearing it up!


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## CoreyTMorine (Aug 12, 2005)

*Q/A cab over chip truck*

Hello all,
I actually found this website while searching for information on cab-over chip trucks. I just bought a new FG (my first brand new vehicle) and I was having difficulty finding someone to do the body. Getting this vehicle has taken a little over a year to do; I explored a few different options and kept coming back to the FG for my purposes. Here is a little of what I learned while buying this truck: 
They used to make an FG automatic (I test drove one owned by a landscaper who lives down the street from me) but the dealer I purchased the truck from said there was currently no auto transmission option for the truck. I do vaguely remember reading that Mitsubishi Fuso has plans to re-introduce the option sometime in the future.
The other truck I was seriously considering was the new gmc c4500 4x6. But after all the rebates last month it still came out to 39,000 whereas the FG was 33,000. That 6k +sales tax would have forced me to save money for another 3 months, or take a loan, neither of which I wanted to do. Also the c4500 is a full 96 inches wide, and the shortest truck I could build with it was around 21 feet. The FG is 7’ wide, and my truck will be @ 18’ with a 10 yard dump body and an I-pac toolbox. The good points of the GMC, well that is a heck of a truck! Really built, at least to my eye. Comes with a great choice of motors, the Duramax line, and I think optional Allison auto transmission. Heavy-duty flat frame, easy to put a body on. 
Speaking of bodies, the FG frame is offset, it drops down 7” after the motor- transmission, this means that you either have to have a really short body, or you can build up the dump sub-frame (but this will cause your body to be really high, therefore tippy and prone to wind throw, also hard to hand load.) The third option (the one I will end up with) is to contour the dump body to the frame, either with a step in the floor or a 45-degree slope from the floor to the headboard.
Well time is marching on, so I must go. My first impression of the Fuso FG is… well it makes me want to jump up and down in the rain and sing happy songs. (I’ve jumped up and down in the rain singing not so happy songs, but that was part of a chipper clutch changing ceremony I performed many years ago on a Friday night.) I must go, I will try to post some pics when I finally get the thing put together.
Question: is it worth having a winch on a chip truck? I do backyard jobs; pruning, removal, and small clearing (pools, additions, yard expansions). I ask because this will dictate wether I go with an electric over hydraulic dump or a PTO driven hydraulic dump. Thanks, Corey.


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## lawmart (Aug 12, 2005)

This spring i was looking for a truck look at 450's and 550's the price thay wanted was out ragious 
then look at internations 
they al had long wheel base on them would have to get the wheel base cut , then saw a gmc t7500 with a 14' box with 4 foot sides , 250hp cat3126, 5sp trany,30,000 gvw 19 rear axle, 330,000 km on it sorry i dont no what that is in miles, 
I it was all there in one package all ihad to do is run 2x12 and a 2x8 to build the side up and put 3 sheets of 3/4 ply wood for the roof and it was all done 
the tail gate had to be cut dow to 36" and i had my truck.
i
It is bouncy, and take alot getting use getting in and out trany is not as smoth as a regular cab is. but as some one said the resale vale isnot as great as a regular cab that just means a better value for me to buy, my guys love it when ever they dont need the bucket truck they gladly take it.

i siill have to get one of the fuel tanks taken of so i can mount a 6 foot tool saw box under the chip box. 
an oh ya turns on a dime.
Law mart 
play safe


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## a_lopa (Aug 13, 2005)

rahtreelimbs said:


> Are any cab-overs available in 4WD? Anybody out there use a cab-over?



there are plenty of cab overs with 4wd.the grippiest is the isuzu npr,2ndthe mitsubishi 3rd hino .

i use a cab over dump wouldnt have it any other way.


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## CoreyTMorine (Aug 13, 2005)

Alopa, the only 4x4 cabover i found available in the states is the mitsubishi fg. the international market place is sure an interesting thing. i really hate tarrifs and state laws that restrict movement of product. I bought the fuso fg but would have liked to at least test drive some other models.


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## Koa Man (Aug 16, 2005)

bluespruce said:


> Alopa, the only 4x4 cabover i found available in the states is the mitsubishi fg.



Ditto on my search. I had a 89 Hino FD. Great truck but it would get stuck rather easily with no 4X4 and no limited slip.


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## Thor's Hammer (Aug 17, 2005)

Never used anything but cabovers. I run a 70,000lbs 8wheeler volvo with 320hp, fantastic truck. once you get out of the states, you'll find the rest of the world tends to use cabover's.


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## a_lopa (Aug 17, 2005)

Koa Man said:


> Ditto on my search. I had a 89 Hino FD. Great truck but it would get stuck rather easily with no 4X4 and no limited slip.




i know there a joke that model on grass,they dont go to bad thou down the h/way


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## Koa Man (Aug 17, 2005)

Thor's Hammer said:


> Never used anything but cabovers..... once you get out of the states, you'll find the rest of the world tends to use cabover's.



I think there are 2 reasons why most guys in the US do not use cabovers for trucks in the 12000-33000 lbs. GVW range. Lack of power and no 4X4. The cabovers offered here have small or low hp engines for their size. The 89 Hino I had was a 22K GVW truck with only 165hp and 410# of torque. Add a 8K chipper to tow and hill climbing power was 0. Even the new ones only have about 200hp for a 23K truck. Compare that with a new Dodge Cummins 325hp in a 10K GVW truck. If some of the companies making cabovers would offer a 26K GVW truck in 4X4 with 3-400hp and 750-1000 lbs. torque, the masses would come. Like back in the 1980s I told my wife I see mini crew cabs in Asia, and if they offered them here they would sell like hotcakes. Took the auto companies more than 15 years to realize that.


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## TimberMcPherson (Aug 20, 2005)

I have an NPR Isuzu 4wd cabover. Yesterday it did a fine job of skidding out logs with a full load of chips on driveway so steep it wouldnt get modern planning approval.
They do lack grunt but they get there. How much do you miss out on if it takes an extra 6 seconds for your truck to reach highway speed or looses an extra 10mph on hills? 
Youd be hard pushed to find a long nose in these parts. We love em!


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## Koa Man (Aug 20, 2005)

Timber,
My 89 Hino would be climbing the main highway over the mountains here at 25 mph with a full load and the chipper. It would climb it at 35 mph with no load and the chipper. The speed limit is 45mph and most people are traveling at 55mph. My Dodge can pull my 8K lb. chipper with a full load at 40 mph. It was down right embarassing. I see tractor trailers running up this hill at 60 mph empty and maintaining 35-40 mph when fully loaded. 5 mph is a HUGE difference in hill climbing. I loved the turning radius on my Hino. The only complaint I have is the lack of hp. I wouldn't be so bad if you could find hot rod parts to boost the power, but there are none to be had. You contrast that with the Cummins, Powerstroke and Duramax, all of which have tons of hot rod parts available. My '96 Dodge is running about 350 hp at the rear wheels and my 2001 Dodge about 450hp.


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## a_lopa (Aug 20, 2005)

mines running 110 hp at the flywheel


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## Thor's Hammer (Aug 20, 2005)

Koa- are you talking diesel or petrol power?


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## Koa Man (Aug 20, 2005)

Thor's H,
I am talking diesel power. It is really easy to get big hp on the Cummins engine. There are guys in the US running 600+ rear wheel hp, street legal and some even daily drivers.
Here is one running his 600+ Dodge down the 1/4 mile.
http://www.piersdiesel.com/video/Fletcher10-13.mpg

Once you start to go over 450 hp you generally need to go to twin turbos to be able to tow or the exhaust gas temps get too high. Hot rod diesels are a passion of mine, even more so than tree equipment.


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## Thor's Hammer (Aug 21, 2005)

Koa-
That is unbelievable, got any pics of your trucks?


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## Thor's Hammer (Aug 21, 2005)

heres a pic of my renault magnum tractor unit - 550hp 18 ltr mack engine.


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## TimberMcPherson (Aug 22, 2005)

Koa, just think of all those potential customers passing you and seeing your signwriting. If you kept up with traffic only a couple people would see you!

My truck is dead slow, a turbo and a splitter box would help but I do so much cold running I couldnt torture it like that. I used to drive 500hp truck and trailer units loaded up 45tonne. I know what crawling up hills is like, guess Im used to it! Whats your gas bill like in comparison between the two trucks?


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## Koa Man (Aug 22, 2005)

Timber, I think of it the other way. People in a rush and see your underpowered rig holding up traffic, getting pissed off at you. My Dodge 3500, which is almost always loaded or pulling something gets about 8.6 mph. The Dodge 2500 gets about 15 mph. Where I live is mostly short drives, lots of hills (Hawaii is actually the top of a mountain).
My ideal truck would be a 4X4 cabover, 14 ft. bed, 9 spd stick with a 450hp/1400lb torque diesel and would get at least 12 mpg.


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## Thor's Hammer (Aug 22, 2005)

Koa- My mate runs a truck just like you want...
Mercedes 19-38 4x4 cabover. 350hp, but 2100lbs torque. can run at 40 tonnes gross, he has a 28ft trailer behind. truck is 19 tonnes gross, and runs with a 16 tonne meter folding timber crane on the back. it is without a doubt the best treework rig i've ever seen or used. only problem is the price. About £50,000 sterling for the chassiscab alone.


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## Koa Man (Aug 22, 2005)

You foreign guys got all the good cabovers. Us guys in the good old USA got all the junk.


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## Thor's Hammer (Aug 22, 2005)

At an (exorbitant) price...
how much are those dodge trucks? is the black one the same as your chip truck?


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## Koa Man (Aug 22, 2005)

The new Dodge trucks w/diesel and 4X4 run about $35-42K MSRP depending on options. My '96 was bought new for $29000, no 4X4 but pretty loaded with options. The 2001 was not bought new, but purchased from a guy who keep it in immaculate condition. I modified both trucks after I bought it. I located the thread where I posted one picture of my 96 Dodge. Here it is.
http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment_22799.php


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## Thor's Hammer (Aug 22, 2005)

Wow! that dodge would cost me 23 grand stirling with all the options. that is unbelieveable. whats the gross weight and the carrying capacity of that truck?


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## Koa Man (Aug 23, 2005)

GVW of my chip truck is only 10500 lbs. Believe it or not, I once carried 13800 lbs of roofing material. I drove on the scale at the dump site and it read 22000 lbs. My truck with all my gear in the tool boxes weighs 8200 lbs. I normally weigh in at the dump at around 13000 lbs., sometimes 15000. I know my truck gets grossly overloaded, but it has been for almost 10 years and still going strong.


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## Thor's Hammer (Aug 23, 2005)

Haha! that would probably get you a prison sentence over here. its a £1500 fine for the operator plus £1500 fine for the driver for every Tonne overweight here. and there are dept of transport spot checks everywhere...
I should move to Hawaii ;-)


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## Thor's Hammer (Aug 23, 2005)

heres a selection of what we can get.
4x4 cabovers 
having said that, at the price those Dodges come in at....


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## CoreyTMorine (Aug 27, 2005)

Thor's Hammer said:


> Haha! that would probably get you a prison sentence over here. its a £1500 fine for the operator plus £1500 fine for the driver for every Tonne overweight here. and there are dept of transport spot checks everywhere...
> I should move to Hawaii ;-)



wow, i saw a DOT guy parked at the doughnut shop 2 months ago and have only just now stopped complaining about government opression of small business


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## Koa Man (Aug 27, 2005)

I don't know of anyone with a 1 ton truck who has ever been checked by DOT. No need to stop at weigh stations with that size truck or smaller where I live.


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