Bent Frame FG Auction

[iandraz]

There's an interesting 2005 FG140 on the Ritchie Bros site up for auction in Alberta in September:



Link

It's stated as having "frame damage". It's hard to tell exactly what is going on from the photo, but it seems the frame mounted crane might have tweaked things a bit? Or maybe it was just overloaded.

Probably a real deal if anybody wants to delve into frame repair. (I sure don't!)

There have been a lot of FGs and FG140s coming up on Ritchie Bros in both the US and Canada. There are some good deals if you can act fast and don't mind buying something sight-unseen.

[kerry]

It'd be interesting to know what kind of frame damage it has. A crane like that could do a lot of torquing to a frame. Could be a bargain.

[engineer]

At a quick glance, she looks to have had her back broken, and yo can thank the bloody 4mm chassis for that.......

[dhackney]

At a quick glance, she looks to have had her back broken, and yo can thank the bloody 4mm chassis for that.......

I agree with both observations.

Upsides:
- It will probably go very cheap.
- You can buy a complete, constant height/section replacement frame from the drop-down back to the tail for very little $ (~$1,000 USD), and you can pick the thickness and PSI. Turnaround is a few weeks or less. Replacement rails are custom formed and drilled to match all stock holes, etc.
- Since it's a Canadian truck, it will already come equipped with a speedo calibrated in large KPH markings. Perfect for overseas travel.
- Since it's a pre-2008, it's a world fuel chassis. Worth it for the VIN alone if you are heading overseas.


Downsides:
- If it's bent at the drop-down, then you'll need to have those sections fabricated. Fuso will only sell you the entire frame, and they want $6k for the frame and a couple of months to get it to you.


My take:
- Based on the photo, I'd guess they did not reinforce the drop down as per the Fuso body builder's guide and bent it there.
- It would be worth getting more information, paying a local to take some photos or a trip to eyeball it in person. You could probably buy it and fix it for a lot less than a comparable un-bent truck, assuming it goes for truly low dollars.

[Desert Dan]

It looks like an old sway-back horse put out to pasture.

Too much weight in the center for sure

[engineer]

I think you'll find that the rear section of the chassis is thinner then the "goose neck", most of the broken back Canters here have done in the rear section, which is fairly cheap, as alot of the write offs have been front ended. Which equates to an abundance of good back ends around. Also they are the same back end as a 2wd tipper here, which can only mean that there are alot of good back end chassis rails for the job.
Would be a good project for someone with a bit of time and know how. Do the research and see it this is the case in the USA first though.

[dhackney]

I think you'll find that the rear section of the chassis is thinner then the "goose neck",

This thread has a lot of information on the U.S. / Canada spec FG 140 frame: http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...ad.php?t=24225

There are modulus section drawings included in that thread which will illustrate where the strong and weak points of the frame are.

There are also shots of a bent FG frame so you can get an idea of what this truck at auction may look like underneath (although based on the photo, it looks like it is bent in the forward section, not the rear).

As both instances will illustrate, the 4mm frame on the FG is not a good choice for very heavy loads...

Unfortunately, there is not a plethora of used & straight FG rear frame sections available in the U.S., at least that I've been able to locate. Admittedly, I didn't look much more for a used frame once I found the aftermarket source for replacement frames.

[kerry]

What was the frame warranty on a 2005 FG?

[iandraz]

Sold for $8000 CAD...

[kerry]

Hmmmm? I thought it would go for less given the bent frame.