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T he roads of Ireland may be awash with (and maintained
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by) Hinos, but Hino's UK importer Harris (UK) reports fewer than 40 registrations on the British mainland this year. This paltry total is at least partly explained by the strength of the yen. long lead times and perceived low residual values. And many tippermen simply believe that bigger manufacturers provide better after-service. It's a classic Catch-22: conservative operators want proven vehicles, and for 'proven' read 'common'.
Certainly the most persuasive case against buying Hinos tends to be the size of the dealer network compared with the marque's European rivals. Yet the case for buying a Hino is strong too, and quite straightforward: it's as tough as old boots with a driveline that bears comparison with the muckaway market's big hitters from MAN, Iveco and Renault
OK, the UK's 6x4 tipper sector is relatively small so the second-hand market for this class is best described as exclusive. Operators with a need for 6x4s usually seem to buy new or hunt down low-mileage examples that have been returned to the forecourt early due to the tough financial environment.
Product low-down
Hino offers a trio of three-axle chassis-cabs; the LKD tipper variant is the lightest of these at 7,595kg, giving a body/payload allowance of 18,4o5kg. The heavier LKM and TKA 6x4s are designed for mixer and cargo bodies respectively. Hino's lack of options means that the 6x4 gets an identical 10.4-litre 320hp chargecooled diesel as its 8x4 stablemate, driving through the same ZF r6-speed synchromesh transmission with overdrive and a .i:i final drive. An electro-pneumatic exhaust brake comes as standard.
It all runs on a 20-tonne rear bogie with a 7,500kg front axle.
In best Used Truck Test style Mallinson's Hino came to us straight from work, ready loaded with top soil, pausing only for a quick wash and brush-up. We had to promise to return it in time to get that top soil delivered!
The Cap Guide to Used Commercial Values is not able not to give a firm used price
because Hino six-wheel tippers are so rare. However, Trucks Morley reckons a specimen in the same tidy condition as T37o JCX and with the same relatively low mileage would fetch L25,000 (ex-VAT).
Bottom line
As CM has been unable to set up access to an off-road site all we can do is give you is an indication of what this Hino's like on tarmac. But that isn't too much of a problem—muckaway work invariably involves repetitive runs from site to dump and back again, so most of the driving is on blacktop.
Our two-day Used Truck Test route includes a 182mile section of dual carriageway, 4omph roads through west Wales and a small sectior motorway on the M54 that turns into the A Shrewsbury. With dry weather through T370 JCX returned a pretty healthy 9.26r over this section. We were impressed by 42.28mph average it maintained betw Hinckley and Ross-on-Wye (helped to extent by the welcome lack of caravans hedge-trimming). We had an especially g run between Crossgates at Liandrindod and Hereford.
As companies look for work further af their tippers are spending an increas
: of time on motorways. This holds no Hino operators: over a 92-mile motorT37° )CX returned a thrifty mormpg at ige 5 0-flinPh. the Hino down to the national A-roads limit. Peak torque is on tap between Lioorpm and 1,400rpm. and when tackling climbs without a run-up the Hino engine lugged down well. However, early splits on the 16-speed box proved more efficient and quicker than letting it dig in and then change a whole gear.
This might sound like a contradiction, but it certainly worked well with the Hino's plentiful power. With fewer horses a full gear change would have been required.
With this in mind it's worth noting that the long drag up Dolfor Hill was completed quickly without dipping into the bottom half of the box, even for the tight bends. The straightforward run up Dinmore Hill was completed with three splits at the top of the torque band in a no-nonsense zmin cosec.
With an OAS of just 5.25m this six-wheeler will corner a little quicker than many of its counterparts—it certainly feels sturdier than its 4xa and even 6x2 contemporaries. That sure-footed handling on bends and roundabouts contributed to the Hino's high average speed on the A-road section.
The exhaust brake did its bit here too: boosting the revs by dropping a gear or two gave it real bite, which also bodes well for foundation brake service life and maintenance costs. We assume your typical driver will leave it on permanently, so when he takes
his foot off the accelerator it will kick in automatically. Pressing the clutch immediately deactivates it.
Cab quality
It's horribly tempting to suggest that the Hino cab is designed for oriental drivers rather than their builder western cousins. Yes, there is plenty of steering wheel adjustment, up and down as well as backwards and forwards. And yes, the seat is adjustable too. But while it slides forward and down for short-legged drivers, it doesn't come up and back far enough for CM s lanlcier roadtesters,
If you have long legs then no amount of repositioning the steering wheel will stop your knees from turning on the indicators or deactivating the exhaust brake when slowing and moving down the box.
That's particularly disappointing because the standard Hino day cab is actually roomier than its peers—there's none of the claustrophobia experienced in traditional day cabs where the back wall is right up against the seat. The driver gets a generous centre tray, a bench/bunk across the back and enough cubby holes to take 95% of his paperwork.
The right-hand-stalk indicator control took a little getting used to, but you do get a real "trucker's" air horn to impress the kids standing on the motorway bridge (assuming they're not too busy hurling something off it).
For a three-year-old cab this one is in excellent condition, but it always makes a difference if the guy behind the wheel also pays the bills. Mallinson has no doubt that it would be significantly tatlier if it was inhabited by a hired hand. The beige colour scheme (if beige can really be called a colour) at least helps to hide the dust that typically engulfs a muckaway cab during the summer and the mud that cakes the driver's footwell in the winter.
The dash is fairly spartan, but for this job that's better than having too many switches and levers that can easily be broken.
CM verdict
It's unfair to suggest that Hino operators run these trucks simply for functionality—though they certainly are functional. If you're earning your living in a vehicle day-in-clay-out you cer tainly want one that will earn you money, but you also need something you can feel at home with.
Most Hirios are sold to repeat buyers, and that's a pretty powerful hint that this lapanese contender is comfortable, as well as profitable. In these days of driver shortages out-and-out gaffers motors are no longer an option.
Most operators will see this sturdy chassiscab as too heavy for anything other than muckaway, and that's bound to restrict its appeal. But on its home ground it will take some beating—after three years Mallinson is more than happy with its performance.
Used tippers are never too common and those that do survive their first life rarely look pretty. But if you have a job that suits the Hinds virtues it will not let you down. These machines are built to handle heavy, repetitive work, and they have proved themselves on Ireland's notoriously demanding roads. If you need to get down and dirty, you could do far worse than doing it in a HMG.
• by Kevin Swallow