Subaru Sambar, the first cabover kei truck in Japan. A Kei truck, or Kei class truck, or Japanese mini truck is a minitruck, a tiny but practical pickup truck available in RWD or 4WD version, built to satisfy the Japanese keijidōsha (軽自動車, "light vehicle") statutory class. They are known as Keitora (軽トラ, "light truck") in Japan alongside the microvan. The Kei truck class specifies a maximum size and displacement, greatly increased since legislation first enabled the type in 1949. The 1998 law admits a maximum length of 3.4 m (134 in), a maximum width of 1.48 m (58 in) and a maximum height of 2.0 m (79 in) with a maximum displacement of 660 cc. They weigh about 700 kg (1,500 lb), and when ungoverned can reach up to 120 km/h (75 mph). Due to the limits established with regards to vehicle length, most, if not all, current trucks in this classification are built with the "cab over" approach to maximize load carrying abilities. For export markets, kei trucks are usually fitted with bigger engines to allow them more useful carrying capabilities.

An Indonesian version of the originally 543 cc Suzuki Carry is currently built with a 1.6 liter unit - nearly three times larger. Typical manufacturers and model names include: Subaru Sambar, Suzuki Carry, Honda Acty, Mazda / Autozam Scrum, Mitsubishi Minicab, and Daihatsu Hijet. Many of these have been produced under license abroad, such as the Piaggio Porter. In South Korea, Daewoo and Asia (Kia) produced rebadged Suzuki Carry/Every and Daihatsu Hijet Van as Daewoo Labo/Damas, and the Asia/Kia Towner. Widely employed throughout Asia in agriculture, fisheries, construction and even for firefighting,[1] used models have appeared in the US for off-road use typically by farmers and hunters. Japanese laws encourage surplussing vehicles after a relatively short life; consequently importers bring used Kei trucks into the US by the container load for sale at prices ranging from US$1,000 to $12,000. They have fully enclosed cabs, seat belts, windshield wipers, AM radios, heaters, lights, and signals, and are claimed to run 64 km (40 mi) on one US gallon of gasoline.

They generally have 1.8 m (6 ft) long pickup beds with fold-down sides; Hardwood Floor Snap Off Screwsdump and scissor lift beds are also available as well as van bodies. Toilet Seats For RvThe length limitation forces all of these models into a cab forward design.Auto Seat Covers Utah While street legal in Japan, Kei trucks lack proof of conformance with North American regulations. Nevertheless, they are approved for use on local roads in several states in the United States. Many are also used as campus maintenance vehicles, rarely leaving campus confines. State legislation passed during 2008 in Oklahoma and Louisiana are the most liberal, prohibiting their use only on interstate highways.[2] Kei vehicles older than 25 years may be imported into the US with very few restrictions.

THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST IN OUR OFF ROAD JAPANESE MINI TRUCKS Imported from Japan, these quality used off-road 4WD mini-trucks can be used in the United States as farm utility vehicles, ranch trucks, and hunting vehicles. They can be used on golf courses, in parks, at campgrounds, resorts, schools, municipalities, for nursery/landscaping businesses and more. The uses for these tough little trucks are seemingly endless. You'll wonder how you ever got Many Models to Choose From - All the pictures on our website and in our Gallery page are Mini Trucks we have for sale and Mini Trucks we have previouslyWe personally inspect and service each truck when they come into our yard. When you visit us you will find our Off Road Japanese Mini Trucks are exceptionally clean and in excellent mechanical condition. Our aim is to provide you with the best quality Mini Vehicles and personal services we can offer.With the ridiculous price of fuel these days, combined with the fact that I’ll be needing a new car soon, I’ve been thinking about what type of vehicle will fit my driving needs by handling well in mud and snow, but still get decent gas milage.

I was excited to find that Best Used Tractors is importing “Japanese mini trucks” for the American market. I was incredibly disappointed to learn, however, that the newer trucks cannot be used on US roadways, which brings me to the point of this story. If you wish to import a Japanese mini truck and use it on American roads, it must be made in 1980 or earlier to avoid restrictions. While I’m sure that the the government would claim that this is due to safety standards, or any of a hundred other bureaucratic reasons, the fact remains the same. Four wheel drive vehicles, made by respected manufacturers such as Honda may not be used on US roads even though we are entering a global fuel shortage, and they are among the most fuel efficient vehicles on the planet. Evidently, we can drive as many Hummers and Lincoln Navigators as we wish, but try to use something that sips fuel rather than guzzles it and the D.O.T. will put you in your place. It’s really a shame. According to Best Used Tractors, the Japanese have restrictions that discourage the use of aging vehicles, so most of these mini trucks have only about 6,000 miles on them when they are decommissioned.

Needless to say, these little trucks have a lot of life left in them, and a more or less steady supply of them is virtually assured. Due to regulations Americans are unable to import a Japanese mini truck manufactured in 1998 or later. However, the average number of miles driven per year in Japan is only about 6,000, so these vehicles usually have a lot of remaining usability. I wonder what it would take to get the U.S. government to accept them. I can imagine the person who fights these restrictions would do well in the court of public opinion with petroleum prices as high as they are. Here are some more details about the trucks: Starting in the sixties the Japanese manufactured what they termed “Kei class” vehicles (now generally called “K-class”). Kei means “light weight”. These were built as a less expensive, fuel efficient, shorter, narrower, and lighter alternative to the standard size and weight vehicles termed “joyousha”.

The K-class vehicles have included passenger cars, vans, and mini trucks. Best Used Tractors imports used K-class mini trucks, but not the vans or passenger cars. The Japanese have used these small off road trucks to perform a myriad of burden carrier tasks. They have often equipped the rear truck beds of these little trucks with specialized industry specific equipment. When many consider their special purpose vehicles options they often find used mini trucks from Japan to be their best choice. Zach points out that safety standards need to be imposed by government agencies, and that the restrictions prohibiting the use of these trucks are reasonable. I maintain, however, that the government is overstepping its bounds by limiting what I can buy. For instance, believe that it is reasonable for the FDA to regulate the contents of my food. Should these regulations not be in place, it could contain dangerous levels of any number of toxins without my knowing it. This does not change, however, the fact that I can still buy bleach at the market.