Kei Trucks

[SJ410kelly]

We have an old Subaru Sambar that has the 550 CC engine. Subarus were rear engine Kei trucks so this rusty lil truck will be a buggy someday. I'm thinking strip it to the frame and make a front seat buggy with 30" ATV tires.  All I'll have to do is pick up my feet to improve the front approach angle. 

[augeter]

Gentlemen:

You are comparing apples to oranges here...

Even SJ410Kelly will admit that a Kei Truck is not the kind of vehicle that you want to have on the highways in the US.  They are slow, underpowered and not built to take the punishment of a vehicular accident like all the rest of the vehicles on the road -- INCLUDING THE SMART CAR!

Plus, you cannot universally title them for on-road useage.  Maybe in one or two states, but not every state!  Remember, some of us drive our vehicles on roads in multiple states - even in our daily commutes.  I would be screwed by Smokey every time I drove my Kei truck (if I had one) from Independence, MO to Overland Park Kansas if only one of the two states allowed the operation of Kei trucks on it's highways.

I am just danged happy to have a Samurai!

I am gonna go back to my corner and be quiet now...

 

I drive a Samurai as my DD and our Government is trying to stop me from that, among other things. In my opinion a Kei is no more dangerous than my Samurai. The main reason for not allowing Kei trucks or cars (AND MANY OTHER THINGS) is Our Government  wants you or a manufacturer to spend an enormous amount of money to satisfy its rules to protect us from OURSELVES!!! You mention the SMART Car. We do not have the same one available to the rest of the world. Why? A turbo diesel Smart car I rented last year in Europe got 63 MPG!!! Why can't we buy that here? Now they want to get rid of the older cars (INCLUDING YOUR SAMURAI) so everyone is forced to buy a new car from OBAMAMOTORS. I do not like what is happening. GOOD LUCK!

I have found that anything Our Government likes, or wants to push on us, involves someone making money. Just like shutting off Public Lands for offroading. Someone will make money by forcing us into other forms of recreation. Either the Park Service or private enterprise.

[ack]

 

I drive a Samurai as my DD and our Government is trying to stop me from that, among other things. In my opinion a Kei is no more dangerous than my Samurai. The main reason for not allowing Kei trucks or cars (AND MANY OTHER THINGS) is Our Government  wants you or a manufacturer to spend an enormous amount of money to satisfy its rules to protect us from OURSELVES!!! You mention the SMART Car. We do not have the same one available to the rest of the world. Why? A turbo diesel Smart car I rented last year in Europe got 63 MPG!!! Why can't we buy that here? Now they want to get rid of the older cars (INCLUDING YOUR SAMURAI) so everyone is forced to buy a new car from OBAMAMOTORS. I do not like what is happening. GOOD LUCK!

I have found that anything Our Government likes, or wants to push on us, involves someone making money. Just like shutting off Public Lands for offroading. Someone will make money by forcing us into other forms of recreation. Either the Park Service or private enterprise.

Easy there, augeter...  Don't blow a fuse.

The Government will have a tough time crunching our Samurais because they get better than 18MPG which is the big trigger point in the law for the $4500 incentive.  PLUS, nobody is FORCING anyone to take the $4500 incentive!

If you want to force a little change, actually contact your Senator/Congressman via email or snailmail.  As long as you don't write a babbling idiot tiatribe, you have a chance of getting somewhere.  Spouting off here (while emotionally satisfying  ) is like preaching to the choir.

Cordially (REALLY!),

[SJ410kelly]

Man oh man would I like to explain facts on Kei vehicles but unless you were in the business of selling and importing them most would not comprehend the lengths we went to and had the documentation in our hands on these vehicles. Down to a certification of the EPA rating at way below anything sold by any automaker in the US.

Let me put it this way   a Kei vehicle is a not made for export vehicle. The EPA standard in Japan is way more stringent than anything we have here including California's regulations.

Seriously consider a Jimny made to stay in Japan has a 3 cylinder engine and gets about 50 mpg. If you had a 5 mile round trip commute daily you could do a days worth of driving for almost less pollution than starting a 1973 V8 4X4 of any brand made in the US.

I was not interested in the Kei vehicles  as a save the world project.....I sold them as a dang cheap 4X4 to people that wanted to offroad for peanuts.  To my knowledge there is not a side by side offroad vehicle on the market that can get the mileage and has the hauling capacity of a Kei. Not to mention an enclosed cab that had heat , ac and the newer models had airbags.

I will state this and let the conspiracy theorists run amuck  but it is very strange that the import of the Kei was stopped at the same time US automakers were on the docket to get Govt. aid.

[augeter]

Thanks, you have a good point. I will try not to preach to the choir.

[naracermcb]

see i totaly aggree. i think the reason that they dont want them here is that they sell so cheap that it will beat american competition. even when all the little side by sides mules and such. why would anyone want a vehicle that cast 10k cant be drivin on the streets and uses gas worse than a fourwheeler when for usualy around 7500 you can have and inclosed cabin that will haul more and get better gas milage, can reach most streets and some reach highways speeds and be far more capable than a side by side? Think the government is more worried about what they want and not the people. though we are supose to try and save money?

[ZUKIMON]

Gentlemen, please keep it civil and not go off on a political rampage. As of now, I will not move anything into politics and religion but, if anything else like this takes off, I will be forced to do so.

[zukitough]

any one looking for a half cab flat bed?
http://bbs.zuwharrie.com/content/topic,98103.0.html
need to liquidate some assets

[ack]

I discovered a Kei dealer near Kansas City in Cameron (no relation  ) MO north of the city on I-35.

LOTS of trucks on the lot!

Interesting stuff:

I have a friend at work who was interested in one for deer hunting season but he found a used Honda Quad that, while smaller, did the job for less money.  So he bought it.  He REALLY wanted a USMC Mule like he drove in 'Nam but that was too expensive.



As Kelly mentioned in a PM to me recently, lots of the kei trucks are an odd combination of ladder-frame and unibody construction with the rear frame section attached to the cab section.  The exception is the Subaru.  This makes it a bit difficult to do any body-off fabbing which was something I wanted to do.  Oh well.

Now for a weird observation:
As I looked in the cab of all these trucks (30 or more) EVERY one of them had a bracket welded over the shifter pattern to prevent the operator from shifting higher than second!  I guess this is someone's idea of a poor man's speed governor...

They are curious and interesting trucks, for sure!

[SJ410kelly]

There was a rule at one time that they could not go over 30 mph. Most handled this by locking the t-case in low range.