Pioneer 4 Wheel Drive Truck company

[haven]

A new company in Montana is offering a 4x4 conversion for Nissan UD cab-forward trucks. Thanks to Expeditioncampers.com group member "groetcis" for bringing this to my attention.

The company is Pioneer 4 Wheel Drive truck.
http://pioneer4wheeldrive.com/home.htm

It's great to have a 4x4 cab forward option with greater capacity and longer wheelbases than offered by the Fuso FG.

Here's a Nissan UD with Pioneer 4x4 conversion at work:


According to the Pioneer web pages, Pioneer's 4x4 conversion is accepted as an OEM option for Nissan UD trucks. So you can order through any UD dealer. The conversion does not affect the standard warranty on the truck.

Pioneer plans to offer the conversion on three UD medium truck models:

UD 3300 -- GVWR 32,000 lbs Cargo capacity 22,000 lbs Tires 11R22.5

UD 2300 -- GVWR 23,000 lbs Cargo capacity 14,000 lbs Tires 245/70 R19.5

UD 2000 -- GVWR 19,500 Cargo capacity 12,000 lbs Tires 215/75 R17.5

All models are available in wheelbases from 150" to 238." Recommended truck body length is up to 26 ft, depending on wheelbase.

Pioneer has been producing the the UD 3300 for a few months. They expect to have the UD 2000 available by the end of 2007, and the UD2300 in 2008.

All three UD models share the same engine. It's the Nissan MD230 6 cylinder turbodiesel, with 469 cu in / 7.7L capacity. The engine produces 230 HP and 506 FT-LB torque. UD is emissions legal in 50 states. UD offers a 3 year, unlimited miles warranty on all components of the truck.

The conversion uses an Arvin Meritor front drive axle. All models use an Allison automatic transmission and 2 speed transfer case. The UD models offer a 6 speed manual trans. {edit: The manual transmission is available in the 4x4 Pioneer 3300 model only}

To improve driver comfort, the cabs of these models have a spring and shock absorber suspension. The driver and passenger seats are suspended, too.

According to Pioneer, there are about 120 Nissan UD dealers in 44 states in USA that can order their conversion. I'm not sure about Canada. See the map here to check your location.
http://www.udtrucks.com/dealers.asp

I was interested to learn that Nissan UD Truck is not related to Nissan Motors. Nissan UD has been in business in Japan for 70 years. A controlling interest in the company was purchased by the Volvo Group (again, not related to Volvo cars) in 2006.

Nissan UD truck cab/chassis are constructed in Japan, and are marketed in 70 countries worldwide. UD is best represented in South and East Asia, Australia, South Africa and USA. UD is not well represented in Central and South America, unfortunately.

Chip Haven

[Scott Brady]

Great motor!

Very promising.

[Overdrive]

I know a tow truck owner/operator here who has two UD trucks, several years old now. One has 330,000 miles, the other over 400,000. No major problems with the truck or engine; he swears by them and says he would never buy any other brand for his business.
Scott M.

[haven]

I found a UD dealer website that has lots of photos of the UD chassis, drivetrain and cab. I was impressed by the construction details. See

http://www.scheelerudtrucks.com/%5ES...oto_album2.asp

and

http://www.scheelerudtrucks.com/swf/...llery/MDG.html

Chip Haven

[haven]

I wrote to Pioneer 4 Wheel Drive to ask a few questions about the
4x4 upgrade. Johnathan Marquis, marketing directory for Pioneer,
provided the answers, and permission to post them.

One bit of good news is that Pioneer is willing to consider custom
work at additional cost.

Chip Haven



Q1. Please provide an estimate of the cost your 4x4 upgrade adds to the UD chassis.
A1. $25,000 for the conversion only--not including options or other specialty items.

Q2. Is it possible to have the upgrade performed on a chassis with a manual transmission?
A2. Yes, only on the 3300

Q3. What is the warranty on the upgraded parts? Will any UD dealer perform warranty repairs?
A3. Same as the truck- 3yr unlimited mileage

Q4. When do you expect the UD 2300 4x4 chassis to be available?
A4. Approximately 1 year

Q5. Do you plan to use the UD 2300 model with 19.5 inch or 22.5 inch rims?
A5. 19.5 inch

Q6. Are you willing to consider upgrading a used UD chassis?
Q7. No

Q7. Once I sign the papers at my local UD dealer, how long should I expect to wait for delivery?
A7. 2 months

Q8. Does the upgrade increase the ground clearance of the chassis?
A8. Yes, approximately 1 inch

Q9. Does the upgrade include skid plate protection for drivetrain components?
A9. No it does not include, but it is an option

Q10. Are the front hubs manual or automatic locking units?
A10. Automatic

Q11. Would you consider offering an "extreme service" version of
your product? This version might include increased ground clearance,
locking differentials, drivetrain protection, plus a hydraulic winch
driven by PTO.
A11. We can build the truck inside out if your pocket book is big enough

[Nullifier]

A11. We can build the truck inside out if your pocket book is big enough

Now that's an answer for ya! Man I wonder if they are gonna even kiss ya first. I mean 25K to do a 4wd conversion am I missing something here? I hope they are fabricating propriatary mechanical parts from scratch.

[charlieaarons]

A 33,000 GVW truck as a bit more heavy duty than a pickup. A Dynatrac Dana 60 front axle is what, $6000 or so? How much do you think a Meritor 12,000 lb front driving axle is? Maybe $10-12K for that alone. And the transfer case - it's not a NP205 for this size truck. Think about it - as parts get bigger, they get more expensive. And with smaller production runs.
I doubt their profit margin is more than $5-7K.

Charlie

[Joaquin Suave]

With that LITTLE of margin, i doubt they'll last a year!
Mind you, i wish them well!but, I'd probably go with the "Tulsa Boys" (they'll make ANYTHING 4x4 from a shopping cart to an airplane)

Hey, Charlie! You've got a Twin-Disc in your "U"...Right???

Do you mind giving me your opinion?

(PM is fine if you don't want to share "around the cyber campfire".)

[boblynch]

I contacted them and asked for MSRP pricing on the UD Pioneer 3300 4wd and available options. Here's what they sent:

UD 3300 Allison transmission $90,000

Options:
1. Center seat $350.00
2. Paint color other than white 6 to choose from $650.00
3. Manual Transmission Deduct $4000.00
4. Live Hydraulics $4000.00
5. Radio $350.00
6. Heated Mirrors $300.00
7. Other equipment can be added and quoted

Everything else is standard Exhaust Brake , A/C, Power Windows, Keyless Entry, and Power Door Locks.

I didn't ask about the 2000 or 2300.

Bob

[Robthebrit]

With that LITTLE of margin, i doubt they'll last a year!
Mind you, i wish them well!but, I'd probably go with the "Tulsa Boys" (they'll make ANYTHING 4x4 from a shopping cart to an airplane)

Hey, Charlie! You've got a Twin-Disc in your "U"...Right???

Do you mind giving me your opinion?

(PM is fine if you don't want to share "around the cyber campfire".)

The big red 2450 unimog that is in San Diego was imported by Twin Disc, they built at automatic tranny for it and its a monster. Everybody who has driven it, myself included, loves it and it works great offroad. You can even drive it with a joystick.

Rob