Hino Ranger

The Hino Ranger is a medium or heavy duty commercial truck that Hino Motors has produced since 1964. In the Japanese domestic market its principal competitors are the Isuzu Forward, the Nissan Diesel and UD Condor and the Mitsubishi Fuso Fighter. Outside Japan it is also known as the 500 Series and as part of the F-Series, G-Series and S-Series. The first Hino Ranger appeared as the 3.5 tonne Ranger KM300 in June 1964, entering the newly competitive middleweight truck category in Japan. The Ranger KM did not sell strongly, because it was limited to 3,500 kilograms of cargo while the licensing system favoured 4 tonne trucks. In April 1978 the engine was switched to the new DQ100 and various safety improvements were introduced.