[AT] little OT; Daihatsu "mini truck"

[Ken Knierim]

I've seen these little beasts in Taiwan, and the construction crews
were working (abusing?) them like anything you'd see here (maybe
worse). Daihatsu is still in business:

http://www.daihatsu.com/

An interesting thing to note is that they don't list the Hijet on
their main product line. Might be worth a call to them to see what the
availability of parts would be. According to the website, they are
partnered with Briggs and Stratton and are building some of the
Vanguard series engines for them (at least one of the diesel
variants).

There used to be a dealership not far from me that sold them. I
haven't seen them advertising them lately though they're now doing
some joint work with Toyota (who my wife works for) and make vehicles
all over the place.

They're cute but I'd make sure they are road legal first... that one
on ebay doesn't have a title so I doubt you can get plates for it
easily. I've seen ATV's with plates though, so it may vary on your
local laws.

Ken in AZ

On 7/11/06, Dan Glass <dglass at mail.newnanutilities.org> wrote:
> I am pretty sure these trucks are not legal on highways.  Most of them
> belonged to airlines as flightline trucks.  I know the airlines sell
> them for $200-$500 when they are throught with them. They are usually
> short wired to bypass the key ignition since they always lose the keys.
> Parts are available, but are not cheap and usually take a couple of week
> to obtain.  I think most of these trucks have Yamaha engines in them.
> These are handy little farm trucks, you would use them like Kawasaki
> Mules or Polaris machines.  They do have enclosed cabs if you have to be
> out in the rain and they do have heaters if you are out in the cold.  I
> don't think they cost $4300 new, so they ebay one doesn't seem like a
> good deal.  If you have steep hills or swampy areas to drive, I would
> look elsewhere.
>
> Mike Sloane wrote:
>
> > I have seen a lot of those trucks in Europe, Bermuda, and the
> > Caribbean - they can handle narrow winding roads, carry a decent load,
> > park in a tiny space, and are very stingy on fuel. It appears that the
> > outfit selling the truck on eBay has a source of parts - you might
> > want to contact them directly. The only problem I can see is, if the
> > truck is "gray market" and has not been certified for US rules
> > (emissions, safety, etc.) you might not be able to get road tags for it.
> >
> > Mike
> >
> > pga2 at hot1.net wrote:
> >
> >> A friend and local IH collector has one. It is pretty neat. He has
> >> labeled
> >> his front and rear with INTERNATIONAL in large black letters. I don't
> >> know
> >> much about them beyond that. Daihatsu was selling autos in this country
> >> several years ago, but they have since dropped out of the market. I do
> >> believe that they are still active in the equipment market though. Try
> >> looking through the Yellow Pages to see if there is an equipment dealer
> >> near you. You "should" be able to get info through them.
> >>
> >> Phil
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>> Hey guys
> >>>
> >>> Do any of you happen to know anything about these little trucks (like
> >>> EBay 110006839682)?  There's a non-running one at a local auction (much
> >>> older than the one on EBay) that I might be able to buy for cheap.
> >>> Anyone know what the situation is concerning parts availability?  Any
> >>> tips?  Just thought it might be handy around the farm.
> >>>
> >>> Thanks!
> >>>
> >>> Lew Best
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
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