How many really use their truck

[medic]

quote:

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Originally posted by kenw:
"How many of you truck owners really use their truck bed?"

My observations would say less than 1%

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I disagree. I would place this figure up around 85% or more. Of this 85%, 75% may only get used 1% of the time, but they do get used.

My pick-up has 140k miles on the odometer. Out of this, I would say it was used as a truck about a total of 2000 miles.

 

[peterr]

Tan Sedan

Does the appearance of things like the Dodge Magnum with the 5.7L Hemi change things? I know its not quite in the engine range you suggest but I would expect it outperforms and wagoon of the 1970s. It seems to be priced a little lower than the sedan too at $29,995 US base.

Like you I have fond first automotive memories of my father's Chrysler Wagons of the period: A 1967 Coronet in weird rusty brown and a 1970 Crestwood (Fake Wood on the side!!! A lost art!). My next door neighbours had enormous Ford 500s and some Chevy thing with a 427.

A related issue to the "do you use your truck?" question is the "Why do you need a minivan?" Those things are a blight on our roads and it seems that as soon as any North American reproduces they feel required to buy one. I maintain that human reproduction was possible before the introduction of the Caravan/Voyager and it is still possible now.

How much can you really do with kid hauling in a minivan that you could not do in a big ballsy station wagon? I prefer a lower, wider vehicle to a tall skinny tippy one as handling is my number one priority. However I also drive a hatchback because of the immense practicality of its storage capability.

quote:

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Originally posted by TheTanSedan:
If I could get a full-size wagon again, with a mid-size block (383-400 cid) like the great Dodge/Chrylser/Plymouth wagons of the late 1960's and early 1970's I'd never have chosen a pickup.

The wagons were great and I got rid of my last one (less than full size, 1977 Chev Impala [it would have been the mid-size in above years]) in 1995.

Haul it all, do it all.

My 2001 Dodge truck has, essentially, the exact same brakes, rear axle, transmission and towing capacity. But it **** sure is slow compared to a B/RB Wedge-powered wagon . . and gets the same mileage. Nor does it handle as well, ride as well, etc.

Somehow, 5000-lbs got moved around a lot easier with 400+ ft/lbs torque; something this 318 couldn't even dream of.

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[55Test]

I had an F150 back a few years ago, just a base model with the 300, auto tranny and an economy axle I believe. Didn't get used much for working, but the few times it did, it served well. I once hauled $4000 in lumber for a wall of a house a friend was building. The rear suspension sank down quite low, but the ol' girl never complained on the way home. One time my brother borrowed it to get a bedload of gravel to fill in the same friend's driveway. Rear suspension sank down even further, but again, it never complained. Steering was a little light but other than that, it did fine. I hauled another friend's Z24 after he blew the motor home using just a big rope.

 

[Bret Chase]

In the back of my 88 Chevy K2500, every day: Miller Bobcat 225 NT, Emglo Air compressor, an entire crossover box stuffed full of hand and power tools, about 500' of power cords/leads and 250' of air lines. I estimate I haul around about 1100lbs of stuff at all times.

I'd like to see somebody get all my stuff in a honda..

yeah right.

-Bret

 

[Jimbo]

peterr

I also have fond memories of 1960's station wagons. We had a "batwing" style 1959 Chevy and I took my drivers test in a 1965 Impala. You could carry 4x8 foot plywood flat in the back of that thing and I even carried a small sailboat inside it once.

It reached its limits however trying to use it as a 4x4. Suspension pieces are not identical to a pickup and do break. Ground clearance isnt much either. The other thing a wagon does not do very well is act like a dump truck.

 

[Schmoe]

I got a 01 F150 4X4 Supercrew Lariat with a hard cover. It mainly gets used for shopping with the wife to lock things up inside. It pulls a boat in the summer but hauling is limited to what can fit inside the bed with the cover. I've never even taken it off-road yet. It was a gift from my Dad when he passed away last year. My commute to work is about 90 miles roundtrip and with this thing getting 14 mpg, it sits a lot. I did spend some money and got a good thick cover for it, but it doesn't get used a lot. I also kind of keep it as a tribute to my Dad, a back up vehicle and it's paid for so I can't complain at all.

 

[mikemc]

2002 4x4 Ranger regular cab. I probably use the box 5 - 10 times a year for mulch, soil, small furniture, etc. The rest of the time I just love the way trucks look and ride, after 13 years it would be hard to go back to a car. The 4x4 is nice, I don't use it often, but Ky. usually gets 2 to 3 heavy snow storms per year.

 

[Chris142]

I bought my pickup to haul ATV's and dune buggys to the sand dunes. I also use it to take trash to the dump. A couple of months ago I used it to rescue a friend whe blew a motor 250 miles from home.

I also have a huge 38 ply

tractor tire I use to drag the dirt road.

 

[TR Graham]

Yes, I do use my truck's bed - hard. It's a 2002 Toyota Tacoma Pre-Runner with a 3.4 V6. I've got a ARE shell on it and a Line-X'ed bed. I haul about 1100 lbs of machine tools, tool boxes, guns and ammo (I'm a gunsmith) on a gun show circuit that covers 5 states. Dented, scratched and oil stained, the bed of my truck acts as a workshop, storage unit and (sometimes) hotel room. I've used the bed and tailgate more than once as a workbench when working on guns at various shooting events. A good tough truck.

 

[wander2039]

Hauling and towing is the only thing I use my truck for. Otherwise I have my beaters... the Festivas can also haul alot of stuff, and the truck sits. Mine is a 1/2 ton and majority of the time it's doing 3/4 or 1 tons job. A few of my friends have trucks and never used them always preferred to nab to me and use mine, oh well at least the payments aren't going to waste.

 

[SteelheadGuide]

When there is actually water in our rivers,I tow my boat to work 3-4 days per week.

In the last month I've hauled a couple cords of firewood,a pallet of retaining wall blocks (2800 lbs),enough Cedar to build my 100' fence,towed an excavator on a flatbed,towed my sisters 65 Mustang home from California,along with some other stuff.

Next month I'll be building another 100' of fence,hauling about 10 yds of topsoil home, and towing our travel trailer 500 miles for a weeks vacation.

My truck has a hard life,we work hard and play hard.

 

[bulwnkl]

When I farmed, I used my 3/4-ton V-10 Dodge every day. It ALWAYS had a cross-bed toolbox and a little box w/drawers at the back, plus a Lincoln Ranger 9 welder/generator, various parts, a portable compressor, often oxygen and acetylene tanks, and seasonally a Polaris 6x6 in the back. No extended cab, just a long box. I farmed in the sand where you lowered tire pressure to ~13psi when you got off the road and had to use 4wd all the time. If you didn't, you had to shovel a couple hours and then drop the tire pressure anyway.

Now, I get by fine with our Neon and a little trailer. It's 4x8 and will haul only a little less than a pickup once I put the sides I made on it. There are still occasions when I need a pickup (high weight, etc.), but it's MASSIVELY cheaper to rent one on those occasions than paying $600/month plus twice the fuel and extra insurance costs every day of the year.

 

[widman]

Although I really have 9 pickups, In my daily driver 4x4, 4 door Toyota Hi-Lux I use the bed at least half the time. In the last couple of weeks it has twice hauled 400 bricks, twice sofas, once an entertainment center, my desk, Rocks to decorate the yard, trees and plants, even a couple of oil deliveries. And of course luggage traveling between homes/cities. I could never live without the 4x4 part. At least until they build some roads.

 

[D189379]

quote:

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Originally posted by peterr:
The Omni!!!
Second great thing. It was so unbelievably terrible it really taught you how to drive. You had to pay 100% attention in snow or rain.

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My 87 Omni was awesome in the snow and even better in the mud.

 

[cousincletus]

I use my truck as a truck but I could probably get by with a utility trailer hooked to my car as long as I wasn't towing anything real heavy. Actually the utility trailer would be easier to load/unload as it is lower. I rent a lawn aerator once a year and it's a real PITA to get in/out of the pickup bed.

 

[DJ]

The past two weekends my wagon got used as a truck, in-laws were moving and you would not believe how much stuff fits in this thing, only complaint is the lack of cargo area height, I have lots of length and width. She hasn't gotten a towing workout yet but she will. Insurance is dirt cheap too

.

 

[goodoleboy]

quote:

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Originally posted by bulwnkl:
There are still occasions when I need a pickup (high weight, etc.), but it's MASSIVELY cheaper to rent one on those occasions than paying $600/month plus twice the fuel and extra insurance costs every day of the year.

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I agree if you buy a newer truck just for hauling. My truck is a 1989 3/4 ton I bought 2nd hand paid $3000, I dont have payment issues. It would take 100 deliveries @$30 to break even with what the truck cost excluding insurance and gas.
I used a trailer also for awhile with a car and it bent the hitch and go kinda dangerous always maxing out way past the suggested tow limit of the car 1000lbs.

 

[Jim 5]

I use my truck for driving on snowy days in the winter, and for hauling my motorcycle, bronco (trail 4x4) and camping gear in the summer. It's paid for and it's nice to have on an icy day when I'm sure some uninsured jack*ss will slam into one of my other vehicles that I care about more. Plus, in case of an accident, unless I hit another full size truck or bigger, I'm going to win!

 

[Islandvic]

My '00 Silverado 5.3 only has 21k miles on it.

I use it for trips to Home Depot or Sutherland's, when I borrow my brother's Waverunner, and when I have to move furniture, appliances, or help friends and relatives out with their moving needs.

It gets used for many truck related duties.

It actually does not get taken to the beach much.

I don't want it rusting, so I take the '96CrownVic to the beach most of the time.

I can hold an 48qt Ice chest, folding chairs, water jugs, 2 amps and sub box, tool box, misc supplies, and I still have room left over. Its trunk is freaking huge!

 

[PandaBear]

When I live with a family in Virginia 10 years ago, I realize why people need pickup: they don't have garbage services and have to haul their own trash every 2 week out to the dumpsites.

You wouldn't want that much junk in the trunk (the other kind of junk in the trunk I would really appreciate, but not this kind ^_^).

They have a rusted, beat up, barely running pickup from the 60s or so, that you have to manually adjust the AF ratio and can be heard from 1 mile away, for that purposes. The rest of the time they drive a VW bus and a VW beatle from the 70s.