# Any opinions on Mitsubishi FG140



## carson

we are looking to purchase a Mitsubishi FG140 for plowing and sanding ,anyone have any recent experiences with the 2005 model or newer as far power as it only has 147hp ,
turning radius , reliability , handling a plow [9' Boss power V],etc.

Thanks


----------



## PLANET

only available in standard, Low gvw.:realmad: Otherwise I might try one.


----------



## Grizzly290

*Mit Fuso FG*

I bought one when they first came out. I believe it was a 1990. It was a great little truck. It came with a 9' Fisher plow. It did a very good job of plowing, very good turning radius, excellent visibility because you're sitting right over the plow, It was only, I believe 127hp at that time, but it was geared low( 6.20 axle ratio ) so it had plenty of low end power. The bad side of it was, it had a top speed of 62 mph, which was a little hard to deal with sometimes. Hope this helps. - Grizzly


----------



## korelandscaping

I'm getting an FG tomorrow so when I mount the plow and start pushing I'll hopefully have good things to say! I've talked with alot of guys that own them and they all love them. I believe the torque is around 350 ft pounds which will be equivalent to my 05 2500HD. In my opinion, that's plenty of torque to push snow. As previously mentioned, the gearing is much different then your conventional high torque Duramax and Powerstokes. Oh yeah, it gets 14-15 MPG too!
Yes, the GVW is not like a 450 or 550 but it's better then Dodge and Chevy(14050 GVW) The FG model is only available in standard transmission which somewhat sucks for plowing however the transmission are built like a rock. I don't see any other trucks out there that gives you a 175k factory warranty bumper to bumper. The only thing not covered is the brake pads and clutch. I'm looking forward to working the truck and finding out how they really are.


----------



## Antnee77

korelandscaping said:


> I'm getting an FG tomorrow so when I mount the plow and start pushing I'll hopefully have good things to say! I've talked with alot of guys that own them and they all love them. I believe the torque is around 350 ft pounds which will be equivalent to my 05 2500HD. In my opinion, that's plenty of torque to push snow. As previously mentioned, the gearing is much different then your conventional high torque Duramax and Powerstokes. Oh yeah, it gets 14-15 MPG too!
> Yes, the GVW is not like a 450 or 550 but it's better then Dodge and Chevy(14050 GVW) The FG model is only available in standard transmission which somewhat sucks for plowing however the transmission are built like a rock. I don't see any other trucks out there that gives you a 175k factory warranty bumper to bumper. The only thing not covered is the brake pads and clutch. I'm looking forward to working the truck and finding out how they really are.


Just curious what type and size of blade your putting on there. Also, what kind of body is going on the truck?


----------



## Brannick's Snow

I have 2 early 90's Fe439 Low HP push great and also great for salting. No trouble with them at all. Western 8.5payup


----------



## korelandscaping

I have a 8.5 fisher v that's a couple of years old that I'm putting on it. I would like to get a 9 but it doesn't make sense for me to sell a two year old plow. The body is a 11ft airflow mason dump with a drop down side and a coal chute. I've been driving it everywhere the last couple of days trying to get used to it. I towed my 6k skid steer the other morning w/ no problem at all. The factory exhaust brake is unbelievable!


----------



## Antnee77

Good luck with it! I'd love to see pics of it once the plow is on in the Equipment Picture forum of this site.


----------



## korelandscaping

My goal right now is to have my friend fab up a steel leaf box sometime over the next week. Leaf season is here and I have no means of sucking them up. I'm sure I'll wait until the last day or two to bring it in to wire and install the plow. Not to mention wire the strobes, sander, back up lights, etc. I can't stand thinking about the transition from fall to winter!


----------



## gene gls

The wireing on the Mitsi is a night mare. They use some type of thin steel wire that rusts at every connection. Every thing is exposed to the salt water from the road. Your main fuse is mounted on top of the frame rail. If you are going to use an electric sander you will need to mount a water proof box near your battery for all your fuse and wire connections. I learned the hard way, by trial and erra.


----------



## korelandscaping

I didn't get a chance to look at the wiring yet. I'll be using a gas v-box and all my other wiring will be self contained. Thanks for the info..


----------



## petedegan

*living with a mitsubishi cab over*

I have owned a 2001 mits 2wd with a landscape body for two years now. put 30000 gruling city miles on it - these are my expierences

4 wheel dual caliper abs brakes are great. truck steers perfect- no slop after 165k mi. truck runs like new after 165k too. plenty of power- haul 7000 lb loader, 3000 lb trailer and truck full of gravel and merge on to freeway no problem. stops nice too. 5.35 axle ratio and auto trans makes it a fast city truck slow highway truck. I shortened the frame from long wheel base to short in a day. mounted floodlights, inverter, a mini crane and tool boxes, trouble lights. made a real work truck out of it. when the fit hits the shan- guys like having the mits around.

truck makes a good driver out of you, employees like it, fits in regular car wash, starts without plugging in to -5 f, regular pickups feel like toys compared to a mits- super easy to work on, gets lots of complements. needs big tools to get lug nuts off- and a 6' breaker bar. flip the cab up, and the dump box back and everything is in the open. People are in awe when you can stand in the engine compartment, compared to leaning over the hood of pickup. cab is bouncy- but not harsh. you will spill lots of coffee in these things. cab has no squeeks or rattles. mpg is 11, but have gotten as high as 14, same is my 2002 chev hd2500.

I have also driven 2007 fg 4x4 and 2007 2wd. here is the dope- the 4x4 has a derated motor because the transfer case cant handle the torque. also the new 6 spd automatic wont fit in the 4x4's becasue it is too long. The extra power a 4x2 has is quite noticable. my 2001 is winding out at 70 at 2900 rpm, the new trucks are both are geared better, especially the 2wd with a double overdrive. 2200 @ 65 or so. the 6 speed automatic in the 4x2's are awsome with the increased power, also are very quiet with insulation on valve cover and electronic fuel injection. you hear a nice turbo whine if you listen closely. the 4x4 is like driving a tractor, extra ride height is nice, exhaust brake works great with a manual. the 4x2s are really fast in traffic, people get suprised when you beat em off the line. the stick shift in the fg cant be shifted fast enough to keep up with the speed of the truck, and is a little notchy- maybe cause it was new. very easy to miss a shift ( not employee friendly.) I also heard the 4x2s can be ordered from the port with posi, but my dealer says no. I was leaning towards the fg- but not after driving it. the 2wd is faster, way easier to drive, fits thru drivethru at mcdonalds carwash bank etc- turns sharper, a little better gearing and 6 spd auto for less money. also sterling/international trucks is selling the rebadged mits. hope this helps- pete


----------



## bribrius

just that i like them and wouldnt mind having one.


----------



## dgt178

*mitsu FG*

Hey Guys: I'm reading some great responses about the FG's. It seems to me that the majority of complaints/concerns are that the FG is underpowered, weak-framed, and in need of an automatic transmission. One would think that Mitsubishi would cater a tad bit to their customers complaints/concerns and build an FG with more power, a stronger frame, and above all; an automatic transmission. Would any of you know how to get Mitsu officials to this site, and others like it, to see that the complaints/concerns are taken seriously, and respond as to what they will do to improve matters? Any suggestions? Thanx.


----------



## gene gls

dgt178;528603 said:


> Hey Guys: I'm reading some great responses about the FG's. It seems to me that the majority of complaints/concerns are that the FG is underpowered, weak-framed, and in need of an automatic transmission. One would think that Mitsubishi would cater a tad bit to their customers complaints/concerns and build an FG with more power, a stronger frame, and above all; an automatic transmission. Would any of you know how to get Mitsu officials to this site, and others like it, to see that the complaints/concerns are taken seriously, and respond as to what they will do to improve matters? Any suggestions? Thanx.


I think the problems you are refering to are from the early years when the FG first came out. My 1999 FE HD has the same 135 HP engin, its fine for the flat lands but is short on power when it comes to a hill with a load. The new ones have 175 HP, big differance. The frames had problems because the fab shops putting on plows did not brace the push frame far enough back on the truck frame and it would buckle upon a "hard" hit. It has to be a very hard hit to do damage to the frame. Mine is set up the same way and I have had a couple of bad hits over the years. In 1999 FG had an auto tranny but did not hold up to hard use. Another problem with the standard shift tranny is if you down shift into the wrong gear, you will blow the pushrods if the RPM is too high. The auto tranny has a device on it that will not let the tranny shift down if you manually pull the lever back and the RPMS are too high. The FG was designed as an off road work truck so it does ride and handle a lot rougher than a 4 x 2 truck


----------



## dgt178

gene gls: 
Thanx for the info. It seems another concern is that the motor on FG's is derated because the transfer case can't handle the torque. Geeeez!! You'd think Mitsubishi would install a more heavy-duty transfer case if in fact there is a problem. I also contacted the Mitsu dealership near Green Bay, and they also said that the auto tranny was too long for the FG. I'm not sure, but it seems to me that all Mitsu would have to do is re-size the driveshafts to accomodate the longer tranny. Also, do you know what year they first started putting in the 175 HP motor? Thanx.


----------



## gene gls

dgt178;530574 said:


> gene gls:
> Thanx for the info. It seems another concern is that the motor on FG's is derated because the transfer case can't handle the torque. Geeeez!! You'd think Mitsubishi would install a more heavy-duty transfer case if in fact there is a problem. I also contacted the Mitsu dealership near Green Bay, and they also said that the auto tranny was too long for the FG. I'm not sure, but it seems to me that all Mitsu would have to do is re-size the driveshafts to accomodate the longer tranny. Also, do you know what year they first started putting in the 175 HP motor? Thanx.


My mistake, they are still using the 147 HP engin in the new FG's. I spoke with a dealer about customizing an FE model with 109" W/B. He claims that a shorter drive shaft than what is stock will create viberations. Don't make sence to me as long as it is ballanced. I would love to have an FG, but it has to be an auto tranny. My left knee is messed up and couldn't handle the shifting while plowing. They made changes to the FE model in 2005 so at some point down the road they will upgrade the FG also. New FG's are selling in the $ 50,000.00 range around here.


----------



## petedegan

*mitsubishi fg 4x4 cabover review*

i planned on buying a new fe (2wd) but bought a 2007 fg 4x4 instead. i put a 10' dump body on it, and made a home made rolloff. i got the narrow body dump box, and the thing is really manuraverable. i got the short wheel base version. I wasnt too happy at first with my mits but then drove a superduty one day- the long hood and huge turn radius made me like the mitsubishi again. but the power of the ford was nice

Truck is fine in the power department. but does not compare to the powerstroke or duramax but for the non lead foot its fine.

Truck has common rail injection, has a really pleasent sound. Doesnt make you want to shut it off to talk like the domestics. It took me a long time to learn how to shift (really early) and is now a piece of cake. it has a switch that puts the exhaust brake on at idle to warm up. it works like a charm.

I have a 9' western with wings (10') and its perfect. The power transfer is awsome, the normal torque converter slipage is not there with the manual, plus low gearing and the torque of the diesel all work together to make the thing unstopable pushing banks of snow. I dont thinnk i have made the tires spin yet. It has more tractive effort than anything i can think of. after driving a cabovers for a long time - when i plow with a regular truck i feel like i am plowing from the rear seat of a bus. the fg comes stock with limited slip in the rear. The drum brakes front and rear work so so.

if you are considering buying one of these consider :

its not a fast truck- if you race around plowing get a pickup. slow and steady with a big plow its works great.

its a lot of work or money to get the dump box on (frame is weird)- fenders mudflaps lights- trailer brakes rear pull plate etc.

you will spill no less than 50 gallons of coffee

dealers are ignorant - they only sell a handful.

its in another league compared to pickups.

the a/c and heaters kinda suck. dealer service for me has been terrible. I now call out of state to have parts mailed to me.


----------



## gene gls

petedegan;640183 said:


> i planned on buying a new fe (2wd) but bought a 2007 fg 4x4 instead. i put a 10' dump body on it, and made a home made rolloff. i got the narrow body dump box, and the thing is really manuraverable. i got the short wheel base version. I wasnt too happy at first with my mits but then drove a superduty one day- the long hood and huge turn radius made me like the mitsubishi again. but the power of the ford was nice
> 
> Truck is fine in the power department. but does not compare to the powerstroke or duramax but for the non lead foot its fine.
> 
> Truck has common rail injection, has a really pleasent sound. Doesnt make you want to shut it off to talk like the domestics. It took me a long time to learn how to shift (really early) and is now a piece of cake. it has a switch that puts the exhaust brake on at idle to warm up. it works like a charm.
> 
> I have a 9' western with wings (10') and its perfect. The power transfer is awsome, the normal torque converter slipage is not there with the manual, plus low gearing and the torque of the diesel all work together to make the thing unstopable pushing banks of snow. I dont thinnk i have made the tires spin yet. It has more tractive effort than anything i can think of. after driving a cabovers for a long time - when i plow with a regular truck i feel like i am plowing from the rear seat of a bus. the fg comes stock with limited slip in the rear. The drum brakes front and rear work so so.
> 
> if you are considering buying one of these consider :
> 
> its not a fast truck- if you race around plowing get a pickup. slow and steady with a big plow its works great.
> 
> its a lot of work or money to get the dump box on (frame is weird)- fenders mudflaps lights- trailer brakes rear pull plate etc.
> 
> you will spill no less than 50 gallons of coffee
> 
> dealers are ignorant - they only sell a handful.
> 
> its in another league compared to pickups.
> 
> the a/c and heaters kinda suck. dealer service for me has been terrible. I now call out of state to have parts mailed to me.


Was your 2007 a new left over or was it used? How much for the C+C???


----------



## Dufflebag

I have an leftover 07 fg swb that I picked up for $33000. For this much truck I think this is a very good deal. The dealer wanted to get rid of it quickly so good for me. I purchased a used fe about 6 years ago and it has never had a problem and I doubt this fuso will have any either. The visibility and turning radius in both is phenomonal(sp). I use the fg for hauling. It has hauled my bobcat and tractor with their attachments like it was nothing. 15 mpg is about my average for both loaded and unloaded. I get lots of looks from other people and I can usually see on their faces they are thinking " what the hell is that!? ". I dont plow and I dont think I ever will but Im sure it is up to the task. Also watch out for the frame it is very flexy and if you dont hook things up right say good bye to the flatbed or whatever you hooked on. I love the exhaust brake that you can use to warm up the truck faster. 5 year 175k warranty. Ok cons now. Very bouncy. Transfer case is a little low but im not doing any rock crawling. Dealers usually dont know much about the truck. Not really a con since it gets good mileage but I would like another fuel tank.

Overall wonderful truck and I am very proud to drive this truck around because its different. Everyone and their mother drives a dodge ford or chevy. Not that their is anything wrong with those trucks I just enjoy my fusos much more. Oh and to the common beleif of parts hard to find, they are not. It took the dealer only 3 days to get a new driveshaft for my 99 fe.

Thank you for reading.


----------



## mountain

we have a 2007 with a blizzard 810, works great for plowing and the standard transmission is not nearly as big a hassle as i thought it would be. actually quit a pleasure to plow with. only thing is there is alot of snow spray on the windshield when you get over 10-15 mph


----------



## H20-32

*fg*

We have a 99' with a 9' Boss xt plow, this truck moves the snow.The truck pushes and stacks snow higher than any other truck we owned, not knocking the big 3, had them all.Turning radius is better, exhaust brake,brakes I could go on.My Biggest ***** is it needs a 6 spd tranny,for the highway the trucks max speed is 68mph and its screamming, the 2 wheel drive models have 25 or 30 more hp, same engine its in the computer.The truck is geared so low rearends 5:13 you can put it in 4lo and walk around it as it creeps forward.Adding Boss wings to plow.


----------



## PLOWMAN45

my friend has one 4x4 with a 9 western ultra mount is a good truck there is one for sale on ebay with 9ft v fisher


----------



## Stoneheadmtn

*2wd vs. 4wd*

Question for Brannick's Snow - or Anyone running automatic 2wds -- Saw your comment here. My plowjobs are mostly flat and we're looking to put tailgate spreaders in used dumps on 4 of these. Looking at FE's and have 2 steel and 1 alum dumps to put on them, plus 1 steel landscape dump. Keep enough salt weight in the bed and they plow like any 2wd dump?? Are yours 133" wb? Do you get the tight turning w/ the 133"? Do you know if the FG 4X4 turns less tight? Most of the 4wd trucks I've had wouldn't turn as tight as the 2wd. We're looking at 9'-10' boxes w/ backpack toolboxes for bagged calcium. 8 1/2 or 9' plows. Have you put PTO's on them? I've heard the pto makes the manual tranny hard to shift. Wondered if the auto does ok w/ a PTO? Thanks, Jon


----------



## procut1

Pros:

Longevity
Lots of low end torque, pulls and pushes great
Cabover visibility
Great traction
High ground clearance
Pushes a 9 ft plow no problem
Great turning radius
Great on fuel

Cons:
Low gvw. Almost anything you put in the truck of use will put it overweight. So not the truck to get if you do a lot of hauling and have to pass DOT
Slow. 65mph is about all it wants to do empty. Put some weight on it and its a real dog
They eat front tires like any cabover
Rough ride

I had a 2001 FG for a while and loved the truck. The problem is the GVW was I think 12,500 and the truck weighed i think close to or just over 11,000. 

DOT sets up all over the place here and the truck became impractical for me to keep. Half a load of mulch, one bucket of topsoil, or even a plow and empty salter put it overweight.

While the truck handled the weight fine, and it never minded even when it was wayyy overloaded, it couldnt scale anything.

Thats the only reason I got rid of the truck. They put these huge dump beds on them that can hold 10 yards of mulch, but you put 2 yards in it and you wont scale.

The DOT in this area LOVES these truck. Everyday you see them putting landscapers out of service with a full load of mulch on there.

I got rid of that truck and got an international dump.

I also bought a 1993 Fuso FH which is a 6cyl 18,000 GVW truck. 

The fuso I have now feels like a "real truck". I have a 5 yard hydraulic sander and a 9ft V-plow and the truck pulls a load like its not even there. Its an awesome truck and you can actually carry some payload and scale legally.

Thats my experience.


----------



## Stoneheadmtn

I'm looking at a 2000 FE HD 13,500 gvw w/o 4x4 so it'll weigh around 9,500# empty w/plow and alum. dump. Also, with an "inspection mechanics" certification I can license it up to 16,500 gvw so no problems w/ DOT. We use a lwb supercab f-350 now w/ a 145"wb that fits on all our jobs. I'm just really curious what the difference is in the curb to curb turning diameter of the 108"wb vs. the 133"wb. Thanks for the help!


----------



## procut1

Stoneheadmtn;766055 said:


> I'm looking at a 2000 FE HD 13,500 gvw w/o 4x4 so it'll weigh around 9,500# empty w/plow and alum. dump. Also, with an "inspection mechanics" certification I can license it up to 16,500 gvw so no problems w/ DOT. We use a lwb supercab f-350 now w/ a 145"wb that fits on all our jobs. I'm just really curious what the difference is in the curb to curb turning diameter of the 108"wb vs. the 133"wb. Thanks for the help!


i dont know who gave you the information about an "inspection mechanics certification"

That means nothing to DOT.

You can register the truck for whatever weight you want, DOT goes by the Manufacturers GVW.

You put more than 4,000 lbs in that truck and theyre taking you out of service regardless of what youre registered for.


----------



## gene gls

Stoneheadmtn;766055 said:


> I'm looking at a 2000 FE HD 13,500 gvw w/o 4x4 so it'll weigh around 9,500# empty w/plow and alum. dump. Also, with an "inspection mechanics" certification I can license it up to 16,500 gvw so no problems w/ DOT. We use a lwb supercab f-350 now w/ a 145"wb that fits on all our jobs. I'm just really curious what the difference is in the curb to curb turning diameter of the 108"wb vs. the 133"wb. Thanks for the help!


Its listed as all the same for the FE models on the Mitsi web site.


----------



## adksnowo

procut1;766060 said:


> i dont know who gave you the information about an "inspection mechanics certification"
> 
> That means nothing to DOT.
> 
> You can register the truck for whatever weight you want, DOT goes by the Manufacturers GVW.
> 
> You put more than 4,000 lbs in that truck and theyre taking you out of service regardless of what youre registered for.


I agree. Doesn't matter what it is registered for, what it says on the doorjamb is what NY DOT goes on. Another tip is if it was an incomplete vehicle, better have the yellow completed vehicle sticker on doorjamb.


----------

