Hino Assembly in Ireland

zilog_jones

Just watching a 1989 Top Gear epiosde there , and they mentioned how Hino trucks were assembled in Ireland. Does anyone know any more about this? Do they still assemble them here?

It does explain how they're relatively popular here - I lived in the UK for most of the '90s and never noticed any over there.

bennyx_o

Yes, they still are. We used to get the chassis in through work up till Christmas. Havn't seen them since, though. IIRC they're assembled somewhere on the Naas Rd.

G Luxel

How many are assembled per year and are they exported to other countries?
Are there other vehicles assembled there as well?

zilog_jones

From what I can see they only seem to be assembled here for the British Isles, unless things have changed since then.

KTRIC

Yep, big yard for of Hino's on the Naas Road.

Not a big fan of trucks myself, but there is something impressive about rows and rows of gleaming white trucks

JMSE

zilog_jones wrote:

From what I can see they only seem to be assembled here for the British Isles, unless things have changed since then.

Yes things have changed. Now only the British call them the British Isles.

For what did our heroes die :rolleyes:

Anyway, Harris's on the Naas road (used to be over on the old Airport Road) is where you're talking about

zilog_jones

JMSE wrote:

For what did our heroes die :rolleyes:

Whatever. I don't think they died over a word tbh. Anyway, let's not go there - this ain't AH

Wishbone Ash

Pino Harris on the Naas road. He's one of the most famous businessmen in Ireland. Although he has the Hino contract for Ireland and the UK, Hino are extremely unpopular in the UK. AFAIK they account for about one tenth of one per cent of truck sales there.

JMSE

Yeah, England actually builds 3 of its own brand (ERF Foden and Seddon Atkinson), similar spec wagons to Hino only homegrown

Wishbone Ash

There used to be a saying in trucking circles that "driving a Hino was like ríding a pig - it's OK as long as no one sees you" (apologies for crudeness).

Do they still make tractor units? Most Hinos now seem to be tippers although I remember seeing lots of the units years ago.

Stephen

Yeah there's a haulier in Ballyragget Co. Kilkenny with two fairly new (2005 or so) Hino tractor units, I see them regularly hauling trailers full of gas canisters. They replaced two ancient (early 1980s I'd guess) Hinos.

maidhc

Hino are Toyota's trucks?

zilog_jones

Hino have been part of the Toyota Group since the '60s. They were originally a separate company.

Esel

Stephen wrote:

Yeah there's a haulier in Ballyragget Co. Kilkenny with two fairly new (2005 or so) Hino tractor units, I see them regularly hauling trailers full of gas canisters. They replaced two ancient (early 1980s I'd guess) Hinos.

Not a bad recommendation.

BrianD3

I used to "spot" trucks when I was a kid and remember that Hinos were the most popular trucks on Irish roads at the time. There was a good number of tractor units/artics to be seen but in recent years the vast majority of Hinos on the road are rigid tippers.

I still see some 20 year old Hinos about, still working. Do Hinos have a reputation for being basic but tough and long lasting.

If anyone wants to see a "classic" Hino artic, there's one in the film Eat the Peach

ciarsd

There is a place in North Kildare, where I did summer work as a teenager, who assemble Isuzu light trucks for Harris on the Naas road.
They also do some coachbuilding and sometimes a Hino truck or two are also in the yard.

zilog_jones

BrianD3 wrote:

Do Hinos have a reputation for being basic but tough and long lasting.

That seemed to be what they were aiming for in the model shown on that episode I was watching. It had a big naturally-aspirated engine when most the competitors at the time were moving to (arguably less reliable) turbodiesels, and most of the cabin interior was all lino!

colm_mcm

THe Hino Dutro looks familiar...


Toyotas involvment also means that they have fitted the pre-crash safety system as seen on Lexus models.
http://www.hino.co.jp/e/pressrelease/detail.php?id=60

Wishbone Ash

colm_mcm wrote:

THe Hino Dutro looks familiar...

Would that be the Dyna here?

colm_mcm

That's the Dyna on the left. Amazing restyle IMHO.

Victor

I take it that the cabs and chassis comes preassembled and they are just tailoring the back end?

Wishbone Ash

Victor wrote:

I take it that the cabs and chassis comes preassembled and they are just tailoring the back end?

Presumably as the customer may require a flat bed, tipper, fridge, box, curtainsider etc.

colm_mcm

that's normal enough practice isn't it?

AFAIK Harris assemble Hino trucks.

unkel

Wishbone Ash wrote:

driving a Hino was like ríding a pig - it's OK as long as no one sees you

:eek:

G Luxel

JMSE wrote:

Yeah, England actually builds 3 of its own brand (ERF Foden and Seddon Atkinson), similar spec wagons to Hino only homegrown

There are no more Seddon Atkinsons or Fodens, the last of the SAs was built a few years ago and the last Fodens were built last summer when the parent companies decided to cease production.

At one time, Hino used to built cars, the early ones were Renault 4cv and then they made a badge engineered Renault Fregate or something like that.
There are also some Hinos badged as Mazdas and some of those LCVs badged as Toyoace.....