Is my Subaru Sambar Kei Truck actually useful? - Driving a loaded mini truck over the mountains
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ม.ค. 2022
- Can a 660 cc truck drive over the Presidential Range with a motorcycle in the back? Giving my honest thoughts about owning a Japanese mini truck and showing what we've done with it this summer.
#KTruck #Kei #Minitruck #Subaru - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
My Suzuki Carry is VERY useful. I use it every day to go to get the mail, hit up the grocery store, hardware store and the dump. Never thought this would be such an cool little truck. And yes, people looking, pointing and wanting to talk about it, never gets old. I am a rock star when I drive it. =)
I'm glad you mentioned road salt at the end. I've watched a LOT of kei truck videos and yours is the first to mention this. I've left comments under many videos recommending the entire undercarriage be sprayed with Surface Shield or a similar lanolin based corrosion inhibitor before driving on any salted roads. Also, I did that same canoe trick. I'd haul a 17' Grumman canoe in my 6 foot Tacoma bed with the gunnels cam securely strapped to the bed tie downs. Goofy but rock solid.
Our Sambar has a quick change insert system that modifies the bed to carry a golf cart, garden tractor or ATV, another quick insert system mounts 2 fat tire bicycles, another insert system is for 2 - 12.5' kayaks. We don't ride motorcycles, but if we did, we would have a quick change insert system built for that. A 10' aluminum flat bottom boat would be a cinch to haul.
With drop gates removed, the Sambar can transport our 60" Kubota 2 stage snow blower, or the 60' mower deck or the 54" tiller if and when they need to go into the shop for repairs.
We use the bed as a work platform when pruning apple trees in the orchard, a moveable workbench when working on other vehicles and needing a clean flat place to put tools and parts. It serves as a gardener's bench, easily hosed off at any time. It can hold a cubic yard of soil or mulch, which pretty much means filling the whole bed level to the top edge of the drop gates. It effortlessly hauls 4' x 8' and 4' x 10' sheet and 2x framing materials. Bags of cement, sand, salt, fertilizer, stacks of bricks, blocks and pavers are at the perfect height for loading and offloading from a choice of three different sides. It's easy to get more than half a cord of firewood in the back if properly stacked and strapped.
Really large flat screen TV's are not a problem, nor are washers, dryers, ranges, refrigerators and small to medium sized hot tubs. Because of the drop gates, the truck is easy to load from either side or from the rear with a tractor loader or forklift.
We bought our Sambar in 2009 and it has been a hard worker ever since. It is excellent off road and in snow and ice. The supercharged engine makes it quite drivable on the freeway. It traverses steep, slippery, grassy slopes without leaving a trace. It is perfect for hauling large bundles of tree and shrub trimmings stacked higher than the top of the cab. The bed and gates are low enough that a wood chipper can blow the chips right into the bed. We treasure our Sambar's utility. It's a work truck. The only truck thing it can't do is tow stuff. The rear engine leaves no place to put a hitch and it has very little torque. We do drag a large, heavy duty plastic slider behind the truck which can be loaded with logs or tree sections ready for splitting, also very heavy stones, stones too heavy for the tractor loader can be rolled onto the slider and safely moved around over fairly level, grassy ground.
It seems there is no end to the purposes one can dream up for a Sambar.
The little truck that could! I should have mine by the end of next week.
Love that truck. Drives quite well.
Wow that sure is some beautiful country, great job on the video bro, I want a sambar so bad that I don't even care if it runs, just as long as I can get one. I would do anything you can think of for one. Maybe one day when the price comes down
The socks and flip flops!!!!!!!
Digging the VW/Audi snowflake wheels. Have those on two of my kei-trucks as well!
sweet sambar!
Way to go, I thought it was just going to be a highway run but at the end on your property with that 16ft boat.... That was 4x4 ing I love it. Sambar is cool & I got 3 more weeks before mines arrive from Japan. You really showed the capabilities on roads & wet spoiled dirt roads it was great. Hey you also made some comments at the beginning about running it & getting it ready for the trip, do you have videos of maintenance. Thank you
Thanks! I sadly parted ways with it, but there are some other videos with it on the channel. I would totally buy one again though and swap in the domingo drivetrain. Just a bit too underpowered for my needs.
Great Video, what a Goat, keep us updated on how’s she’s holding up!!!
Unfortunately sold to a hobby farmer a few towns over. She is now hauling square hay bails every day.
I'd love to get one of these mini trucks at some point. However, in Idaho you can't drive them on the highway or freeway, but would be great for running around the property, up in the hills, and occasional trips into town. Was thinking of a Daihatsu Hijet but I think they're 3 cylinder engines...may have to take a look at the Subaru Sambar. The other thing I've ran across is some of these mini-trucks are being outfitted with dump beds, which would be quite useful on my property, so I may look into something setup like that.
Wondering if you could throw a Farm Use tag on one, not sure the rules, was in your State about 2 years ago and it was absolutely gorgeous, being from West Virginia it was unworldly beauty. Y’all have some big Moutains to pull for sure!
@@poppyneese1811 You can put a slow moving vehicle sign on anything here in Idaho and pretend you are a farmer and get away with whatever you want to around here, including breaking the laws with ATV's and UTV's riding them on highways.
I've been looking into one of these Sambars, on the gauge cluster what does the one on the right do? Shows all 4 wheels.
Something like this would be great for hauling my TW200 around. I also live in NH, are there any difficulties registering these?
Love a tw200! No issues registering here, it’s title exempt due to age, filled out a vin verification form and went to the town clerk for regular passenger plates.
Brother, its the other way around. The Subaru being a 4cyl is going to be at higher rpms to accomplish the same torque that its counterparts would be with a 3cyl. Idk why everyone always thinks u get more torque sooner when its the opposite. Less cylinders = more torque alot sooner. More cylinders = higher rpms for said torque
I’m just talking low end torque, like off idle. Having driven both 3 cylinder k-trucks can confirm that the 4 cylinder firing order is more stable and gives more torque at super low rpm since it’s not relying on crank counter weight to make that torque down low, just firing more regularly. Was smooth and easy to crawl around the property in, unlike the 3 cylinder in the same environment. You’re not wrong that peak torque on a three cylinder will come in lower than a comparable 4 cylinder generally, just not relevant for my needs of the truck. I’ll admit I was way off on my rpm examples though hahahaha.
@hylandshire all good brother. I love these trucks, but i always hear the misconception about 4cyl. vs 3cyl. With Same displacement engine, 3cyl will 100% give u more torque at a lower rpm. But the 4cyl definitely has its advantages also. For ex. Its going to do better at higher speeds. Anyways, 1st time i ever say anything about this topic. Hope it helps someone out there make the decision that fits them best. Cool videos bro.
didnt know you could licsense them here. local place sells them all the time
What type of title do you have? In Pa you can only get farm or antique title now.
No title needed in NH pre-1999...but it was registered as any daily driver would be, not farm or antique, just a passenger vehicle.
How are you getting the bike on and off the bed? I am looking at one of these for the express purpose of hauling bikes.
Just used two 6 foot 2x8s. Walked up one while the bike goes up the other.
Amigo buena tarde donde puedo comprar uno y que precios tienen gracia su déjame saber
Quick question has NH changed the rules for these? It was you are not supposed to drive more than 25 miles from your home or business or on road that have more than a 35mph speed limit. Has this changed or do you not worry about it and if so have you ever been pulled over? I dont need to go on highways but both Lowes and HD are over 25 miles away and I would drive there anyway just wondering if its legal or not.
That was never "the rule" however before they were legally importing with the 25 year rule, some people were bringing them in as LSVs (low speed vehicles) and registering as such. This is a 25 year old "car" in the eyes of the feds and was imported as a on road passenger vehicle and in NH I registered with a regular passenger plate no problem. The whole LSV thing was really a work around for impatient people a few years back, and these are in violation anyway because they have a top speed far over 35mph. Cheers!
@@hylandshire Thanks for the info!
Gnarly
I live in Ohio.
Where can get one?
How do I get it titled?
Is it hard to get insured?
Nice truck, good video.
Every state is different for titling, but they're generally all over Facebook marketplace for sale as well as some JDM importers websites. It was no problem to insure, I just told them on the phone their computer list wasn't going to list the model, so they'd have to enter it manually and they did🤷♂
@@hylandshire
Grand. I think I’m going to get one.
Look into Mayberry mini trucks in NC he also has a TH-cam channel I just got a 95 Suzuki carry the title just came in not sure on the laws where you live he also delivers as well
@@philipwalker1267
I actually have my eye on a few of his trucks. Now I’m wanting a dump bed.
He just got a few more in yesterday you have too act fast for dumps they go fast. You can put money down and they will reserve it and tell them I referred you too them they also sell tires and filters I picked up two extra filters.
My 3 cylinder Honda Acty redlines at 7500 rpm. Not 12,000! 65 mph max.
Nice! I'd like to try out one of the Hondas someday.
Pretty much all of the kei truck 660 3 cylinders are between 7-8000rpm redline. I know the 3G83 Mitsubishis are about 7600rpm fuel cut.
What is the mpg?
I would get 40-45 empty and 38 with the bike in the back.
@@hylandshire thank u
How tall are you? Do you have much leg room?
It would be uncomfortable for anyone over 6 feet
New generation mini truck wider 8 centimeters for new safety rules and cabin 10 cm longer 😊
It's save on gas & maintenance cost.
Done
Strapping your bike like that and bottoming out the suspension is not good for it.