Before you buy a Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy Duty Truck in Uganda

by Edwin,

Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy duty Truck is suitable for rough terrain where ordinary trucks find it difficult to go. Some of the areas can be mining sites like oil sites, cement, swampy areas among others

Before you buy a Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy Duty Truck in Uganda

Let’s take a look at the Iveco Astra HD9 before you buy it while in Uganda. The Iveco Astra HD9 is a rather imposing lump of truck. The Italian built off-roader rolls out of its box as an eight-wheel drive that has a GCM of up to 70 tonnes.

This jacked-up eight-legged monster just begs to be given a flogging in an environment with no roads and heavy loads.
I didn’t have to squint too much to picture it labouring under a loaded tipper body and covered in protective mesh screens, with jungle vines hanging off the mirrors.

The Astra brand is a part of the mammoth CNH Industrial group, part of the same stable as Iveco. No surprise then that the vehicles are being sold through the Iveco dealer network.

Click here to buy or hire a Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy Duty Truck and Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy Duty Truck spare parts in Uganda

Buying a Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy Duty Truck from a local Ugandan dealer or bond

Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy duty Truck can be bought from an authorized dealer here in Uganda when it is in a brand new condition. This actually simplifies work and saves a lot of time that would have been spent ordering one directly from abroad, going through the hassle of shipping and so forth.

So all you have to do here is to go the dealer and make inquiries about the Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy duty Truck price, know if it is in stock or not for you to buy and take, means safety delivery to your place among others. From there all you have to do is pay for the equipment and off you go with your Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy duty Truck.

However, sometimes you may prefer to go the bond just in case you opt to buy one from there. It also important to note that most the vehicles in bonds are foreign used. So I think your budget will have to dictate whether you get yourself a new one or a foreign used Astra from Europe.

Importing a Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy Duty Truck in Uganda

I would not recommend importing a brand new Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy duty Truck by yourself as there is an authorized distributor right here in Uganda. Even if you did order one from say Italy, am sure those guys will definitely refer you back to the country authorized distributor.

So, still like I said above its much more simpler and easy if you just made your order from here and have the Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy duty Truck delivered to you as soon as possible for work.

However, should you feel like importing one for yourself specifically foreign used from Europe, you may need to first Search and select Iveco Astra truck to buy from Vehicle/Truck Portal Websites on the internet. Send Inquiry for price, condition, etc of the Iveco Astra truck. The dealers will respond you directly by Email although some may prefer to call and speak to you.

Watch out for fake e-mails as many scams may con you for money. After that you negotiate with the dealer for a price that fits your budget.

Request for a proforma invoice, place your order and make payment which may be either through bank wire or VISA. The seller will inform you about the following things like the Payment Confirmation, Shipping Schedule, B/L copy, Original Document and then you receive the order in this case the Iveco Astra truck.


Click here to buy or hire a Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy Duty Truck and Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy Duty Truck spare parts in Uganda

General Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy Duty Truck features and reviews for Uganda

Engine
Those eight wheels are driven by a 480hp 13 litre Iveco Cursor engine that uses ZF’s venerable 16-speed automated transmission, which also runs through a two-speed mechanical transfer case.

Hub reduction axles help amplify the Cursor’s 1700lb/ft of torque.
It’s been made to climb mountains with big loads on its back and the roads, if they indeed exist, are less than average.

Suspension
It’s well specced for keeping all eight wheels on the ground at any given time as it uses Iveco’s rather nifty steel cantilever rear suspension.
The cantilever set up which is also used on the off-road IvecoTrakker overseas has excellent articulation off-road.

The load-sharing front suspension of the Iveco Astra HD9 uses parabolic leaf springs that are air bag dampened.

A similar set up is also found on the 8x4 IvecoStralis.
If low speed tractability is your thing while playing in the mud there is also the option of an Allison 4700 automatic.

Cab and Controls
Two seconds in the driver’s seat and it’s very apparent the Astra is under the CNH umbrella.

The switch gear and instrument panel are all Iveco family and nothing is oddly placed.
The outside of the cab could almost be called retro in its lumpy-bumpy styling but inside the overall feel is modern and functional.

The transmission selector panel consists of rocker switches that are mounted above the dash panel to the left of the steering wheel.

High and low range as well as diff lock dials and buttons are all centrally mounted.
On the road, the jacked up Astra gives a commanding view, but what did surprise me was the quality of the ride.

A cab-chassis off-roader with no body fitted and no load should’ve been a hard riding, bouncy kidney beater.

Admittedly it’s no limo, but for what it is, the air bag dampened front end does a very nice job of taking the kick out of the big parabolics underneath.

Performance
The Cursor is a rather quiet engine at the best of times and this is true even with the HD9.
The low down gearing of the Astra means that 80km/h at 1,800rpm is probably as fast as you’d like to cruise on the road.

The lack of weight on this Astra’s back meant the ZF tranny tended to bog down a bit before building up ahead of steam. I’ve no doubt a load would sort out any issues on that front.

It’s also surprisingly manoeuvrable for a big rigid on a 6.5m wheelbase, and doesn’t need a lot of road when cornering.
Overall, it seems like a reasonably comfortable, easy to handle vehicle.

It’s also quite narrow measuring just 2,300mm across which again would no doubt come in handy when carving up uncharted wilderness.

The Astra HD9 has the credentials to prove it can shift dirt with the best of them but the Ugandan market isn’t exactly lacking for heavy-duty off roaders, it’s such a niche market.

Click here to buy or hire a Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy Duty Truck and Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy Duty Truck spare parts in Uganda

Availability of Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy Duty Truck after sales support and Spares parts in Uganda

With a country distributor, after sales support and spare parts are readily available. Spare parts are available should you need to replace a broken down part of your Astra truck. Readily available spare parts pose a major challenge in Uganda most vehicle companies don’t have authorized distributors in the country. However in this case, Astra has all your need catered for.

Competitors of the Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy Duty Truck in Uganda

Of late a number of heavy truck companies have discovered the untapped heavy duty truck niche in Uganda and they have gradually established their offices in Uganda. Some of these in include the Mercedes-Benz, MAN trucks, Chinese trucks like the HOWO trucks, and so on..

Click here to buy or hire a Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy Duty Truck and Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy Duty Truck spare parts in Uganda

Problems encountered by Astra Heavy Duty Trucks in Ugandans

One of the major disadvantage is that you need to have a considerably a good budget to buy an Astra HD9 Heavy duty truck. You can’t compare it with a Isuzu Heavy duty truck which is very common here.

Our Verdict

Overall it seems like a reasonably comfortable, easy to handle vehicle. But, with iron ore prices crashing to earth, the Astra has arrived way too late. This truck is clearly one for the resource exploration and mining types you can ever get your hands on.

Click here to buy or hire a Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy Duty Truck and Iveco Astra HD9 Heavy Duty Truck spare parts in Uganda

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