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Juliettefleming

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Hi... looking for some advice. I have found some good lorries in my price bracket but the 7.5T ones are all non tilt capable. There are some 6.5T ones that I may be able to afford. Can anyone give me advice on non tilt lorries? I understand they are harder to service. Do people charge more to service these types?
Thanks for looking.
 
I have a 5.5 tonne Merc which is non tilt & is fine to service - about £400 (not much more than the Rav 4 TBH) at local Garage.

Before that i had a Renault & that had a big part in the cab which came off to expose part of the engine for ease of working.

I know various folks with Ford Iveco/Cargo 7.5 with non tilt cabs & they service fine.

I would have thought as long as they are designed as non tilt & not a tilting cab that have been closed in by a Lut on then servicing not a problem.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Hi... looking for some advice. I have found some good lorries in my price bracket but the 7.5T ones are all non tilt capable. There are some 6.5T ones that I may be able to afford. Can anyone give me advice on non tilt lorries? I understand they are harder to service. Do people charge more to service these types?
Thanks for looking.

[/ QUOTE ] Yes they are a nightmare if anything goes wrong double or more labour costs the manufacturer made the cab tilt for a reason not for fun!!!
and these bodging 3rd rate convertors think its ok to fix them down
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, Avoid if you can..
smile.gif
 
There are some real experts on here so you should get a proper reply but I made sure I got a tilt cab, ok not as nice to look at as no luton but I was told repair bills could be much more expensive as the engine etc may need to be dropped to get at some things. I did view a wagon which had had an inspection hole cut into the floor of the cab though. Ive also heard some have access behind the seats.
 
Ours is coachbuilt and far from a bodge job and we've never had any problems with the fact the cab doesn't tilt. It's only an issue on really big engine jobs I'm told, says she technically. Put it this way, my OH is very mechanically minded and has been happy to buy the three lorries we've had without any concern about the cab tilting and it's never been a problem for the garage either.

Clearly though if you can afford a top spec box that looks fav and tilts too then go for it!
 
I dont think garages actually charge a higher hourly rate for a lorry that doesnt tilt but what will put the bill up is the greater number of hours it takes to do the work.

I was fortunate that my last lorry never needed any major work on it, the mechanic explained had it needed anything big it could have meant taking the engine out etc which is when the costs rise extremly rapidly!

There are lorry builders out there who build without losing the tilt cab facility.
 
As perfect11s said and I do hope you are going to get any prospective lorry checked by a professional lorry mechanic.He (or even she
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) will soon tell you if it is going to be a nightmare to work on.
 
Modern Chassis Cabs are factory built with a tilt cab facility so that they can be serviced/repaired easily by the mechanics working on them.
As vehicle technology becomes more complex there a lot more parts are compacted within the engine compartment which makes a tilt cab essential for access to them.
Cutting panels in the floor just does not provide sufficient access to all of the engine compartment.
Also if you break down on the raods/motorways it is a lot easier to fix a problem with a tilt cab.
However if the tilt cab includes a tilting luton as well then allow an additional half ton of weight for the bulkhead.
 
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However if the tilt cab includes a tilting luton as well then allow an additional half ton of weight for the bulkhead.

[/ QUOTE ]
Not always true.. esp on the ones that the whole luton tilts with the cab as most are made of fiberglass , some boxes with full living and tilt luton on a 7.5 ton chassis weigh under 5 tons unladen
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On our yard we have 2 DAF lorries. They are identical apart from one has tilt cab & other cab is fixed.

Mine has a tilt cab & when it's tilted everything is easy to get at & work on. The other lorry with the fixed cab is no where near as easy to work on. My mechanic can afford to pick & choose his jobs & he won't touch a fixed cab, it's too awkward & time consuming to do even minor things & thus more expensive.

To be honest there is no reason why horseboxes shouldn't retain tilt cab. It's just laziness on behalf of the builders.
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Regarding the tilt cab with the luton. It is not the luton that is heavy but the bulkhead at the front of the container which keeps the font of the container rigid and in shape and also incorporate a heavy duty rubber seal to prevent any water ingression between the interface of the tilting cab and luton and the bulkhead at the front of the container. The bulkhead will increase the weight of the container by half a ton. The alternative to this is not to have a luton over the cab although some people do not like the appearance.

A brand new Daf Chassis Cab will weigh about 3.0 Tons
 
[ QUOTE ]
Regarding the tilt cab with the luton. It is not the luton that is heavy but the bulkhead at the front of the container which keeps the font of the container rigid and in shape and also incorporate a heavy duty rubber seal to prevent any water ingression between the interface of the tilting cab and luton and the bulkhead at the front of the container. The bulkhead will increase the weight of the container by half a ton. The alternative to this is not to have a luton over the cab although some people do not like the appearance.



[/ QUOTE ] so what keeps the front of the container rigid if you dont have a luton
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a seal and some brackets dont weigh 1/2 a ton......
 
I've had 2 boxes, one with a tilt cab and one without. Not noticed any major difference with the servicing & general repair costs. They go to a local commercial dealers who do a lot of horseboxes and it doesn't really bother them.

However, if they breakdown with an engine related issue, you have much more chance of a tilt cab being roadside fixable than a non tilting one.

The only thing with a tilt cab, is if it has a cut through, check it doesn't leak. Mine did and it was a real pain.
 
I had both tilt and non tilt boxes and found not difference in servicing cost.

IHMO when looking for lorry make sure truck has lots of power, a good service history and lots of paperwork to prove it, then look at horse area and make sure it does job you need (check floors etc..) and then lastly worry about living.

Take someone who knows about mechanicis with you and also look in all your mates lorries to see what you like and dislike - As there are lots and lots of difference choices to make
 
The smaller option with a propper bonnet is by far your best horsebox option, but be careful on payload. If your going down the 7.5t Horsebox route, then it really needs to be a tilt cab. Would you buy a car with a welded down bonnet. If you get an engine issue with a fixed cab, it will cost £000's as you will have at best need to ake the seats out and cut a huge hole in the floor, or remove the cab! Have a look at the FAQ's on Horsebox worlds website www.horseboxworld.com
 
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