Buying an 8x4 dump truck usually comes down to two questions: can it get into the site loaded, and can it get out again when the ground has turned to soup. Everything else — chrome, torque curves, marketing percentages — is secondary to whether the thing earns on a muck-and-back cycle. The Auman Planet 350HP 8x4 highway dump truck is listed on this site in two forms under one announcement model, BJ3311Y6GRS-10, at $38,000 and $39,000. Same engine, same rear axle, same ratio — but different wheelbase, different tyres and a different job. Picking the wrong one is a five-figure mistake you can't retrofit away, so here is how we would read the sheet.

Two variants, one chassis: read the wheelbase before the price

The cheaper line on the table — $38,000 — is the urban construction waste specification. It runs a 2000+2450+1350 mm wheelbase, carries 13 wheels on 12R22.5 18PR mixed-pattern tyres, and its body measures up to 8,925 mm long by 2,550 mm wide, with height listed at either 3,410, 3,000 or 3,260 mm depending on which of the three body lengths you take. The second line, $39,000, is the highway dump: 2000+3150+1350 mm, an 8,620 x 2,490 x 3,000 mm body, 12 wheels on 11.00R20 rubber.

That is a 700 mm difference sitting in the second axle gap, and it changes the kind of work each truck wants to do. The shorter wheelbase turns tighter and loads less — which is exactly the trade you want on inner-city muck haulage where the constraint is gate widths and basement ramps rather than volume. The longer wheelbase stabilises the load on the road and gives you the body length for bulk transfer at speed. Neither is "better"; they are answers to different tenders.

"The $1,000 between these two variants buys nothing extra. All you are choosing is wheelbase, tyre size and body dimension — so choose on the gate widths you actually have to clear."

One inconsistency worth flagging before you quote internally: the marketing copy at the foot of the page says this truck is "priced starting from $40,000", while the variant table itself lists $38,000 and $39,000. We would work from the table and get the discrepancy confirmed in writing, because on a fleet order of ten units that gap is real money.

The Yuchai YCK08350-60: what 350 hp and 1,450 N·m mean on-site

Both variants run the same Yuchai YCK08350-60, a 7.7-litre diesel rated China VI and listed at 350 ps maximum. Displacement is given as 7,698 ml on the waste variant and 7,700 ml on the dump — a rounding artefact rather than a real difference, but it tells you the two columns were compiled separately, so check any figure you intend to rely on. Maximum torque is stated at 1,450 N·m. Note what the record does not give: there is no rev band for that peak anywhere on the sheet. Ask your dealer at what engine speed it arrives, because that single number determines whether the ten-speed needs to be worked hard pulling off a soft spoil heap.

Foton claims the package accelerates from 0 to 80 km/h 17 per cent quicker than comparable trucks, lifts braking pressure by 25 per cent and improves engine braking efficiency by 65 per cent. Those are manufacturer comparisons without a named baseline vehicle, so treat them as direction rather than data. The part that does read as engineering substance is the hardware behind the claims: a domestic 117 cylinder steering gear and a rear axle described as 10 t (233).

Driveline: a ten-speed with an aluminium case, and a 5.26 that will not be rushed

The transmission standard shown for both columns is the 10JSD160T aluminium (Q) ten-speed; the waste variant lists the gearbox simply as FAST 10MT, which we read as the same family described differently rather than as two boxes. Aluminium saves weight over a cast-iron case, which on a tipper matters at both ends of the cycle — less dead weight going up the ramp, less sprung mass rattling the cab coming back empty.

Behind it sits the 10-tonne rear axle at 5.26, identified on both variants as coming with a self-adjusting arm ABS — worth confirming with your dealer whether that is a standard fitment rather than an option line, because slam-adjusters are a consumable you otherwise pay for twice. A 5.26 ratio is unapologetically low. It is geared for getting a full body moving on soft ground, not for cruising, and on 12R22.5 or 11.00R20 rolling stock the top gear will feel short on an empty motorway run.

"If your duty cycle is mostly empty return legs on tarmac, tell the dealer before you sign — 5.26 is the right ratio for getting loaded and moving, not for open-road transfers."

The lightweight argument: 8.8 tonnes and 215 kg of payload

Every kilogram of chassis you do not carry is a kilogram of muck you can legally haul, and Foton has clearly pushed this truck at that argument. Kerb weight is listed at 8.8 tonnes, described as some 215 kg lighter than comparable models, achieved through a 710L high-strength steel frame, aluminium air tanks and lightweight suspension, plus the 350 L aluminium fuel tank instead of steel. Whether the 215 kg figure holds against your own weighbridge reading is exactly what you should test on the first unit you take.

Agility gets the same treatment. The large-angle front axle is claimed to cut the turning radius by 10 per cent and to make the steering 30 per cent lighter — and given how much of a muck truck's day is spent manoeuvring in confined, muddy, badly-lit spaces, those two claims matter more here than they would on a trunking tractor. Again, unnamed baseline: ask what it is being compared against.

Cab and driver acceptance

Driver turnover is a real cost line in construction haulage, and the cab spec on this page is aimed squarely at it: the "tiger tooth" front styling, chrome accents, leatherette upholstery and leather-faced seating. It is specification for a truck whose operator may be the owner-driver as often as an employee. What we would want from the dealer beyond this copy: air-conditioning fitment, seat suspension type, in-cab noise figures and whether there is a sleeper option — none of which appear anywhere on the record.

Running-cost logic and the China VI reality

Both variants are diesel, China VI. That combination is what most city muck and sanitation permit regimes now ask for, so buying anything less would risk locking yourself out of the urban contracts this truck is designed to chase. The obligation that comes with it is operational rather than legal: China VI after-treatment needs low-sulphur diesel and regular DEF, so plan your supply at the depot rather than assuming the driver will top up at a random pump. The published savings claims are a 4 to 6 per cent fuel reduction versus similar trucks, and 5.3 per cent less fuel on engineering transport duty; your own cycle decides how much of that you actually see, so do not build it into your tender rate.

What this record does not say

No gross vehicle weight, payload, axle load distribution, tipper body capacity in cubic metres, hydraulic specification, gradeability or braking distance appears anywhere on the sheet, so we quote none. No warranty term, service interval or parts-stock commitment is listed. No torque curve or rated engine speed is published, and the top speed isn't given either. No sales country is recorded for this model, so shipping, homologation and right- or left-hand-drive availability have to be confirmed for your market before any deposit moves. Everything above is drawn from the variant table and product copy for the Auman Planet 8x4 dump truck and nothing else.

Questions buyers ask before signing

Which version for city muck hauling versus highway dumping?

The $38,000 urban construction waste version is the city tool: shorter 2000+2450+1350 wheelbase for tighter turns, 13 wheels on 12R22.5 18PR mixed-pattern tyres for grip off-road, and a body up to 8,925 x 2,550 mm. The $39,000 highway dump version runs the longer 2000+3150+1350 wheelbase, an 8,620 x 2,490 x 3,000 mm body and 11.00R20 tyres on 12 wheels. Both carry the identical 350 hp Yuchai YCK08350-60 and the same 5.26 rear axle.

Is 350 hp enough with the 5.26 rear axle ratio?

For dump work, yes. The 5.26 ratio on the 10 t rear axle, working with 1,450 N·m from the 7.7-litre Yuchai, is geared for loaded starts on soft ground rather than road speed. The lightweight chassis reinforces it — at 8.8 tonnes kerb weight and roughly 215 kg below comparable models, more of your gross allowance becomes payload. Ask for a taller ratio only if most of your day is empty highway running.

Does the Yuchai 350 meet China VI for city permits?

Yes — both variants are listed China VI, which is the threshold most municipal waste and sanitation permit schemes set. Budget for the consequences: China VI requires low-sulphur diesel and regular DEF top-ups, so arrange both at your own depot. Verify the permit requirement with the specific authority you tender to rather than assuming it matches.

What should be confirmed with the dealer before ordering?

Three things this sheet leaves open. First, the engine speed at which 1,450 N·m arrives, because it decides how much clutch work a loaded start costs you. Second, whether a higher final drive is available if your cycle is road-heavy. Third, the $40,000 headline figure against the $38,000 and $39,000 table prices — get the correct number in writing before your finance team sees either.