Feature Article
Enduro FJ2528 Tippers - JB Hire
Levin-based John Matangi had no hesitations investing in two new 6x4 Enduro FJ2528 Tippers for his company JB Hire – and the experienced operator says they’ve been “even better than expected” since putting them to work.
John Matangi, JB Hire owner:
My name is John Matangi, based right here in Levin.
I’ve had a long association with trucks and transport since I was 16, progressing from being a company driver, to being self-employed, to where we are today and, currently we have a staff of 33.
Going back a long time, I chose the FUSOs primarily because they had a larger cab - my four kids used to always be want to be riding with me so that was one of the key features.
I had no reservations at all about purchasing Enduro, I wasn’t looking for huge horsepower, I was just looking for purpose-built, on-site trucks that would perform easily for 10 years.
Our operators have received them favourably - from access points, to the cab, to dismounting the cab, all those things about them – they are easy, simple trucks to use.
Bruce Arkes, JB Hire driver:
I’m Bruce, I’ve worked for JB’s – for John - for about seven years.
The power’s good; the torque it’s got is brilliant; the transmission – I like it, you’re not having to split gears all day and that, y’know you’re doing a 13-hour day sort of thing – so you’re not quite so worn out. You don’t have to think as much, it’s good – user-friendly. Comfortable cab – especially for some of the terrain we go on – you can actually turn around on a dime; absolutely awesome.
I was pleasantly surprised when they arrived on-site, they’re actually better than what I thought they were going to be.
When you look at the way the trucks are finished, the way they’re presented, you can see that they’re easily going to be a 10-year truck in what we’re doing.
I know these Enduros are slightly heavier than some of the norm, but to me, that just translates to long-term operator reliability. The factory body has been fit-for-purpose for what we’ve been doing – they’re very robust with respect to the materials used.
I find the driveline to be utmost robust, very smooth, they just all flow together nicely, complemented with the synchromesh box, through to the full lockup diffs; the ease of operation is just bang on.