Advantages of Fuso 4X4?

[DEFENDERBEAM]

the chassis is not particularly beefy, and it lends itself to rust.

New leafs and shocks with labor could add in the range of $3,000 in cost.

with larger OD wheels you can get up to 70mph (maybe 75 downhill?), but cruising is better at 65mph or slower.

[DEFENDERBEAM]

based on my experience with a 2006 FG84 SWB model.

[kerry]

It'll hold 65mph on the interstate usually. Top speed is less than 70mph on OE tires and wheels. This applies to my 99FG.

[sarconcepts]

hang on Kerry.. ..
did you say you traveled 8000 miles with your 15 year old daughter?!
man.. .. you really ARE an expedition leader!

[Captain K-man]

I am not so sure about the extra protection, depends on what you hit, but I sit above the hit zone for most vehicles other than semi's, which at that point your done in either truck, so thats debatable to me.

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"

[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.