Hello everyone, I've been lurking around here for quit sometime now and finally found a mini truck and pulled the trigger on it a few months ago. First of all thank you everyone for your post and information on these vehicles it really is helpful to us all! I live in Maine and to say we are at the end of the earth when it comes to mini trucks it an understatement. I finally found a truck that I liked and believe it or not it was only a half hour drive from my house. It’s a 2000 Minicab with power steering and AC but the previous owner lost the timing belt in it and I can tell you that these 3G83 EFI 12 valve engines are definitely and interference engine! Every valve was bent especially the exhaust valves. Well I bought the truck right so I had no trouble putting money into it. Anyway, I took it on its maiden voyage into my camp today and I was very pleased with it. I can say it didn't ride as good as my Polaris Ranger does but I didn't expect to. I really love this thing and I think it’s going to work out great for rambling around central Maine in. Again, thank you everyone for your knowledge!
After having the Mini truck for a couple of months I can thoroughly say I'm in love with it! I have had to replace the gas cap and a couple of U-joints which I found locally at an auto parts store. For those that are interested the gas cap was a Gates product and the part number is 31601 and the U-joints are manufactured by Precision and the part number is 410 which ironically is the same U-joint my BX2200 Kubota takes.
Hello, theguide, I'm green as grass concerning mini trucks, but my truck has finally arrived at a dealership in Missouri. It's a 1999 Minicab with A/C and I'll see it for the first time this coming Tuesday. If I like it as much as I think I will, the dealer will install some upgrades and I'll return to take delivery after a few more days. I'm curious about your timing belt issue. Would you mind telling me how many Km was on your truck when you bought it? Or, if mileage wasn't a factor, was it age? Should their timing belts be changed according to time in service rather than mileage? I'm told that my truck has 29,XXX km (18K miles) on its odometer, but it's going on 16 years old. Should the belt be changed to avoid a problem? Please advise, and thank you.
Hello ozarkman, I'd be glad to share what I know. As far as I can tell I'm the third owner since the truck was imported. My trucks odometer reads 137000km but it’s in incredible shape and the mileage doesn't really make sense to me?? I do know that the engine was replaced in 2010 by a mechanic in NH and the remanufactured engine was supplied by a dealer in... Wait for it.... Missouri! (I can tell you the dealership if you PM me) So after doing some research and questioning the engine supplier about what their definition of a remanufactured engine is, I pretty much didn't get anywhere with them. So anyway long story, I did end up buying the parts from them which took two tries for them to get the correct valves and gaskets to me but everything worked out. After going through all that I would defiantly demand that they change the timing belt before you take delivery, they probably won’t buy it’s worth a try. I'm planning on changing mine every 5-6 years regardless of miles, these belts are just tiny. It cost roughly $500 in parts and over $600 in labor because I just didn’t have the time to do it. I do know that they are very susceptible to breaking if the engine's max RPM's are exceeded which could very well have been the in my case? The guy I bought it off said it broke while he was trying to teach his wife how to drive a standard. I’m discovering new things about this truck every day and I’m totally happy with it! Keep in touch and be sure to let me know how you made out. View attachment 14187
Where abouts in central Maine? I just picked up a 1997 Mit U42T I live in Dresden, I want to get a plow for it. The previous owner had it registered as a low speed vehicle, but the BMV says it was a mistake, that they are not allowed on roads in Maine, the ins co's say they are, I was told to go to the sec of state. It would be nice to drive it on the roads, but mainly I got it for plowing, I have a long and tight driveway. any advice on putting a plow on would be welcome. pondside
Hello pondside, I live just outside of Newport in Palmyra. I think I remember seeing that one for sale on Craigslist? I really don't know much about mounting plows on these things its not something I plan to do. Mine was successfully registered here in Maine by the previous owner but again that’s something I'm not planning on doing. I have registered it as an ATV and will register it next year for tracks for it. The previous owner fudged the registration and registered it as a "Mitsubishi Truck" There was a bill brought forward to legalize these for the road but it was shot down in 2011 (link) http://legislature.maine.gov/LawMakerWeb/summary.asp?paper=HP0806&SessionID=9
Well actually the Ranger has a pretty good hot water heater in it and works well but I have to say that yes the Mini does have a better heater in it and you can even hear yourself think while you’re driving it!
