this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2023
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Yep. I'm an American tradesman and the trucks that the guys drive are way too beefy for what they actually do.
I've gotten by with small Toyota trucks, and rav 4s..much to the chagrin of the good old boys. Should have seen their face when I rolled up in a prius...till I tell em I get 50 mpg easy.
I would love a small little truck like this one in the photo.
The most handy truck I had doing construction when I was a kid was out Mazda B2200 with the Perkins diesel. It'd go forever on no fuel and was perfect for grabbing a few tools for a quick run to a job site.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtake/cc-outtake-1983-mazda-b2200-diesel-a-veteran-of-the-great-diesel-boom-with-a-license-built-perkins-engine/
Also spent a lot of time in the industry (drywall, lath, and plaster). Key cars top out somewhere around 750 pounds of capacity, and I could early blow through that with brining materials to a job site, or hauling stuff to the dump.
Key cars are cool, but you also need other solutions in place for materials delivery and hauling. American trucks are kind of a one size fits all approach to construction. Your truck for heavy hauling is also the truck you use for light hauling.
Most Kei trucks do top out around 750lbs, but I know for a fact that there are models of Honda Acty that have a rated bed load around 1500lbs and a rated towing capacity around 2200lbs
TIL. That’s pretty cool.
Although the payload capacity of an American truck is often double that. It’s pretty easy to hit 1500lbs with 10 bags of cement, a person, and some gear. I’m assuming Japan has other solutions for hauling that are pretty common. I’m guessing there are some pretty big differences in their construction workflows and logistics that make key cars practical.
IMHO, contractor’s work trucks aren’t the problem is the US. The bigger problem is that most of those vehicles are sold to private citizens who think the space is convenient for an occasional camping trip or an epic Costco run.
I don't know about Japan but here in Europe I just see tradesmen, needing large quantities, getting their materials delivered on a pallet from a semi-trailer.
Most use vans though for carrying their equipment, since you usually don't want your gear sitting outside, like it would on a pickup truck.
Yea for sure. I'm not in a line of business where I need to he hauling stuff like that anymore. I mostly stick to the finish work these days. So I can get by w a car. If I were say a plumber or doing gutters or whatever, I could see how it's reasonable to have say a box truck etc.
Most tradesmen I know haul a trailer with their tools and supplies so that they have the option of unhooking and leaving all that weight behind without unloading the truck. Or, conversely, unhooking at the jobsite so that their workers can keep going while they run for supplies.
You can get one. They get imported. Search for Japanese car imports to your local area. Search for Kei Truck and you'll find em. You can get an awd turbo diesel for around 8-10k
Yea I never actually looked into it, i alwats figured the import would be expensive. Right now my situation is a little...um..fkd up.. but when I have enough to invest in another vehicle, i will def consider it. I would love one. And would be perfect for my uses. I'm sure I'd get labeled a humorous title by the lovely gentlemen on the job sites. I live in a rural area. And the boys love their big trucks. And guns. And a whole manner of things.
people bring them in all the time. I live in Portland and there's a guy in town who imports them and fixes them up (@vanlifenorthwest). They've gotten popular tho and aren't the bargains that they once were
A friend of mine bought one; essentially once a car is a classic or something like 25 years old they're not subjected to the same regulations that newer cars have to meet. Since car culture in Japan is very different than here in the states a lot have lived their lives in garages and have really low miles and if you know what model to get, parts are still readily available. The only issue is driving a right hand drive vehicle in this country takes some getting used to. I drove his for a couple of days and right hand turns in particular feel sketchy
Yea the antique vehicle code or whatever. There's no emissions inspection where I live anyway lol. I wonder how these trucks are in the snow. I lived in Portland for 6 months and it snowed once barely.. but where I'm at now, we get swamped ftmp. I highly doubt there is anyone around here importing these vehicles...maybe in the city though. I'll have to research. Thanks for the info. Totally forgot about the driver side thing lol.