[Biscuits & Gravy]

<p>DS will be 2 next month. He is obsessed with trucks. We were at a store today and he discovered a Bruder excavator. I had to drag him kicking and screaming out of the store, our first really bad public tantrum! He keeps talking about that "digger", saying "Keller, happy birthday, digger." (We went to a birthday party yesterday and I think he connected that birthday=presents for the first time.)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The truck was actually pretty reasonable, $25, which looks like a good deal now that I'm looking at them online. But finances are super tight right now and I need every gift this year to be worth the money we spend on it. I don't want to spend $25 on a truck that will break easily.</p>

 

[mamadelbosque]

<p>DS1 got a bruder dump truck & trailer for either his 2nd xmas or 2nd birthday , I honestly forget which... in anycase, its been played with a good bit and still looks almost brand new (and would if I sprayed it off, I think... its lived outside all summer...). </p>
<p> </p>
<p>But, to be perfectly honest, DS1 has a dump truck by Green Toys which I think is *MUCH* sturdier. The plastic on that thing is just thick and obviously built to last, as are a couple of trucks by Little Tikes that I've picked up from the goodwill. the bruder always seemed kinda thin to me, though, as noted previously its still in good shape (though its also never been his favorite truck, unlike the aforementioned GT dump truck..)</p>

 

[HappyMommy2]

<p>I was pretty excited to find a bruder cement mixer last year for credit card rewards points.  I had heard they were super tough, and was excited not to spend the $60-$80 on one!  I had read reviews of multiple kids playing and even riding on them, and the trucks were still going strong after years.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>BUT ... a few pieces were broken in shipping, and several more have fallen off since then.  They try to make them so real, that the little parts like side mirrors get broken.  Or maybe the credit card ones are made more cheaply.  Or maybe they just aren't as good as they used to be.  I'm not sure, but I was sure disappointed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Although, $25 seems like a great deal, so I don't know!!</p>

 

[Biscuits & Gravy]

<p>We saw this one at Home Goods. They had a bunch, including recycle trucks, fire trucks, cement mixer, and a logging truck. Then the excavator of course, which comes with a dump truck in the set. They are a little smaller than the others.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I think he is drawn to how real they look. We have a Tonka recycling truck that DS1 got last year, and it gets played with daily. We have other trucks, like a Sprig dump truck, that don't look as realistic and neither of them really reach for those. They fight over the Tonka one though.</p>

 

[Polliwog]

<p>Those sound like the ones we got from Marshalls last year.   I had a gift card and bought three of them.  Two broke before Christmas weekend was over.  The third didn't last much longer.  I don't think they are the same quality as the Bruders my kids play with a the toy store.</p>

 

[waiting2bemommy]

<p>I had to look it up online because I pay no attention to the brand names on my kids' toys. But yes, ds has had several of those and they have held up fine. He has a habit of chewing the wheels off of his cars/trucks (and yes, he's 3, and no he doesn't choke on them, I don't know why he does it) so mainly I look at how sturdy the rubber tires are, kind of like having a puppy, lol. I can say almost without exception that the only toys that have withstood the "chew test" are these trucks and tonka.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>However I would NEVER pay full price for one of those trucks. We have a local flea market that sells gigantic, almost ride-on size tonka trucks for under $15. And, I find that the tonka trucks withstand outdoor abuse much better than the bruder ones. I think the bruder ones are more prone to the paint chipping off and they get scratched/dinged up more easily. ds has a whole fleet of trucks.....</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Also if you have an issue with the trucks being irreparably dismantled for "fixing" purposes, discovery toys has a really neat set with vehicles and tools to fix them, including an actual working "drill" with interchangeable bits and everything. And it's VERY sturdy.</p>

 

[LynnS6]

<p>We've got 2 Bruder garbage trucks, 1 crane, 1 roller, 1 fire truck and 1 cement truck. Except for the roller, all  have held up really well. The plastic on the cab for the roller didn't hold up, but the garbage trucks have seen a TON of use (including numerous trips down the stairs) and are doing well.</p>
<p> </p>

 

[childsplay]

<p>I bought the cement truck for DS a few years ago. It saw a bit of ourdoor use, mostly indoor though. After a couple months of constantly trying to piece it back together -the bracket thingy that held the mixer in place kept coming off, finally the mixer split right in half, and the little ramp thingy that the 'cement' comes down broke off almost immediately, the plastic window thingy popped out right away as well- I happily tossed it in the trash.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>So we had it for a grand total of about 7 months, and used it lightly, always brought it inside etc.....but we have Tonka trucks that we keep outdoors in the woods/under the treehouse/in the garage all year round and have had them for years, in fact most of them are 15 plus years old because I bought them, second hand for my oldest who's 16.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Bruder trucks look really cool in the box though.</p>

 

[Biscuits & Gravy]

<p>Well, I went ahead and bought the set. It certainly doesn't seem like it will hold up. I'm going to look at it more closely tonight and decide whether or not to keep it. Has anyone seen a realistic looking excavator that is sturdy?</p>

 

[Owen'nZoe]

<p>I love our Bruder truck! My son has the Jeep and horse trailer, and uses them constantly (always inside). They've held up great.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Bruder does sell replacement parts for many models, so if something does snap, you can replace it for just a few dollars. I broke the tailgate on DS's jeep, and for $5 (including shipping) I was able to buy a replacement parts pack that included a new tailgate, new doors and a new hood for the jeep. I'm hanging on to the other parts for spares.</p>

 

[2goingon2]

<p>We have a Bruder firetruck - one of the big ones.  We got it for our 2 year old last Christmas.  That truck has been played with on nearly a daily basis.  It has been dropped, stepped on and sat on and it is still holding up.  I kind of wondered about it when we got it as it doesn't look as sturdy as his metal Tonka dump truck but it has definitely lasted and has definitely been loved.</p>

 

[LynnS6]

<p>Just for other people's information, <a href="http://www.activetoys.com/" target="_blank">Active Toys</a> will send you replacement parts (often free, sometimes for a small fee) for Bruder stuff.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It's also worth noting that they have several lines. Their <a href="http://www.activetoys.com/trucwitbac.html" target="_blank">Roadmax</a> line is intended for younger children and is incredibly sturdy. Their <a href="http://www.activetoys.com/caex0.html" target="_blank">regular line i</a>s intended for older children. They do have smaller pieces that are more prone to breaking, but as I said in my earlier post, I have found that most of them have held up incredibly well.</p>
<p> </p>

 

[Oliver'sMom]

<p>Ds1 got a bruder cement mixer for Christmas last year, and it hasn't held up as nicely as I would have liked.  A lot of the little detail pieces have broken off, but I guess it still functions fine overall.  Ds1 does often ride on it, push it down the stairs, stand on it, etc...but for the 60 bucks I paid, I was thinking this thing would be bullet proof!  Ds1 does have a tonka truck that he got for Christmas when he was 2 and he's even more rough with that truck and it looks brand new!  Plus, It was only 15 bucks!  All of that said though, ds1 absolutely loves with his cement mixer and plays with it everyday.  He has the bruder jeep with horse trailer on his list for this Christmas and we'll more than likely get it for him.</p>

 

[dmpmercury]

<p> </p>
<p>i heard they were really durable so  when I found one for 25$ on sale last Christmas I picked one up for my kids. It didn't really hold up. Pieces kept breaking off and they finally broke it for good recently. My kids are young and did really play with it a lot but I was expecting it to be more durable.</p>

 

[JessicaS]

<p>My son has a Bruder dumptruck and it has held up really well. Ds is only two though so probably not as capable of some of the destructive force that an older child can deliver</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He does like to fill it with gravel or sit on it and drive around</p>