TFL SEP
5
COVER
STORY
trucks) for heavy duty recovery tasks. These vehicles are deployed at eight locations across
Mpumalanga and also in Gauteng.
Iain Toomey, General Manager of Operations, comments, “We use a number of Fuso FK10
240s, fitted with Spenco 6.5m long rollback decks for transporting cars and lighter loads, up
to around five tons.
“We have standardised on Fuso for this size of rollback, as one of the advantages is the low
deck height and long standard wheelbase, which combined, offer a shallow loading angle.This
helps prevent damage to customer vehicles that have limited ground clearance, while being
loaded. In addition, the product offers good fuel consumption and excellent performance,
especially given the steep hills encountered in Mpumalanga and the long distances we cover,
often going cross border into Mozambique.” He elaborates that uptime and reliability are the
top selling points for Fuso.
Fuso has a long history with VanWettens, going back to the early 1980s, when Mitsubishi Fuso
Truck and Bus products were branded Mitsubishi. At the time, Van Wettens ran a Mitsubishi
FK with a rollback on it, which Wim recalls as being “The most reliable second truck I ever
bought!”
Today, the complement of Fuso FK10 240s as employed in Van Wettens’ fleet, are essentially
a medium duty truck from a dimensional point of view, but specified as a heavy duty truck
from a drivetrain perspective. The robust chassis are lightweight and strong, offering excellent
payload, with a low loading height to match.
As evidenced by the success of these units in the Van Wettens fleet, the high power-to-
weight ratio of the trucks makes them an excellent choice in operations that are characterised
by challenging topography and where maintaining good average speeds is important. The
10400kg GVM truck holds its speed on hills as effectively as it does because it is hauled along
by a turbo intercooled six cylinder Fuso 6M60 engine, producing 177kW.
Duncan Prince, Fuso Product Manager, says: “The Fuso FK10 240 employs well proven
technology in its chassis design. Its riveted construction provides a very tough, flexible, yet
lightweight chassis frame. This makes the vehicle an ideal choice for Van Wettens and we are
proud of how well the vehicles have performed for the customer.”
The South African FUSO truck range is assembled at Mercedes Benz South Africa’s award
winning East London plant, from components manufactured at Fuso’s Shin-Kawasaki plant
in Tokyo Japan. Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus has a history going back some 80 years, and
today is an integral part of the Daimler Truck Group.
Fuso trucks are distributed in South Africa through a network of 29 dealers nationwide.
The vehicle features a
contemporarily styled
cab that is roomy,
comfortable and well-
appointed. Not only
that, it is also offered in
a double cab version,
with seating for up to six
passengers, plus driver.
From left: Morné Fourie, Wim van Wettens,
Duncan Prince, Iain Toomey
and
Zamani Mbatha.
