100% agree. If I needed to do a good amount of hauling and off roading I’d be looking at a used small truck and enclosed trailer.
Evolution of Ford F150 through decades (PICTURE)
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AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
The old rule that you must be able to put 8' lumber or sheets of plywood in the bed and close the gate went the way of 3000 mile OCIs and carbs. Gate down and a strap no big deal. One could counter with it's a waste of $ to have a truck that can only carry 3 passengers.
Was there anything else with the photo like length, weight, payload, towing capacity etc?
I have hauled lumber, plywood, fencing, a treadmill, and Xmas trees in my minivan. A pickup isn’t needed for basic home improvement and daily suburban hauling.
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most trucks in the 70's and 80's were gutless wonders. I love the look and ruggedness of them but I also love the power of modern truck engines too.
A lot of single cab, short bed trucks were used on farms in CA for irrigators and field support. No big parts to haul, but they are dirty, so you can use the bed for that. In CA, they were always 2WD. I was told 4WD just gets you stuck out farther.
Pickups are way to big in my opinion. Too tall and wide more than anything else.
Pickups are way to big in my opinion. Too tall and wide more than anything else.
We had a rule when driving on the logging roads in northern Alberta and BC when muddy or covered in deep snow. Two wheel drive is for doing in. Four wheel drive is for coming out.
I’m really torn. The f150 I drive is the extended cab, 6.5’ bed. i use that bed a lot and 5.5 would be a step backwards. But it’s also a pain twice a month when someone is crammed in the back seat. My gen 1 tundra had 4 doors and a 6’ bed, working that all out with a shorter hood. At least in v6 form, the ford could pull that off. Occasionally I see the 4 door, full bed variants around. I drove that in a f350 one day and wouldn’t want that in a DD - I can get by just fine but it’s slower and I don’t like inconveniencing others while I shoehorn it in a tight parking lot. For now, I’ll stay with what I have. Perhaps as i get older, truck bed use will decline and seating needs will increase, but for now the extended cab has been a great blend for me of utility, practicality and even mpg.
dealing with bed utility and seating, I tried the 2 car solution - a daily sedan and the truck for truck things. However, that was not cost effective and I sold the one I could live without, the sedan.
id probably quite enjoy a rwd sedan and a utility trailer - but this is well becoming full truck country and sedans simply don’t commute as well here. SUV’s do well enough but I’m just not personally thrilled with suv ownership since the 90’s models passed on.
dealing with bed utility and seating, I tried the 2 car solution - a daily sedan and the truck for truck things. However, that was not cost effective and I sold the one I could live without, the sedan.
id probably quite enjoy a rwd sedan and a utility trailer - but this is well becoming full truck country and sedans simply don’t commute as well here. SUV’s do well enough but I’m just not personally thrilled with suv ownership since the 90’s models passed on.
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The days of real pickups is long gone, I remember the old C30 Chev/GMC Longhorn/Camper Specials 8'6" bed 1 ton frames 14 bolt 10.5" diff with full floating axles, 402 big block with TH400. these things would carry a camper and loads that would break a many modern truck frames in half, tow a horse trailer with 2 or 3 horses at the same time all without breaking a sweat. The only real issue with them was the 16.5 inch split rims.
Today's pickups are not in the same class. I was always of the opinion if you need a truck buy a real truck if you want the soft ride and comfort of a car buy a car.
www.thetruthaboutcars.com
Today's pickups are not in the same class. I was always of the opinion if you need a truck buy a real truck if you want the soft ride and comfort of a car buy a car.
Chevy's 8 1/2 Foot Bed Longhorn Truck Hauls More Ass
Take a good look at this Chevy truck’s bed, if you can: six inches from the front of the bed, there’s a seam. That’s where the extra inches were welded on to make a Longhorn, America’s only 8 1/2 foot long production pickup. Why bother with six extra inches? To make room for one more Hooters...
www.thetruthaboutcars.com
You can haul plywood in a short bed truck - just can't close the tailgate - but in the case of my RAM it has a nice bed divider that also attaches to the tailgate opening and acts like a tailgate holding the load in so no issues for me with a shorter bed. For most people short beds are fine, contractors yes they need the longer bed. I have even hauled round bales in a short bed with tailgate up.
You can still haul plywood - just can't close the tailgate lol
It just rest it on the tailgate or headache rack
You can haul plenty of stuff in a double cab short bed, just gotta get creative...
Don't understand why people gotta scoff at the idea of a truck as a daily driver. Could I be better served by a Civic or something? Probably. But there's been several times it has come in handy.
Don't understand why people gotta scoff at the idea of a truck as a daily driver. Could I be better served by a Civic or something? Probably. But there's been several times it has come in handy.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
Chevy's 8 1/2 Foot Bed Longhorn Truck Hauls More Ass
Take a good look at this Chevy truck’s bed, if you can: six inches from the front of the bed, there’s a seam. That’s where the extra inches were welded on to make a Longhorn, America’s only 8 1/2 foot long production pickup. Why bother with six extra inches? To make room for one more Hooters...
I've seen the Ford long wheelbase but never the long bed Chevy. Don't think the 6700 mile trip we made in the spring with the travel trailer and 2 50lb dogs would have been as enjoyable with one of these as with the crew cab 6.6 gas GMC HD.
Ours has a 6.5' bed and gets a workout throughout the summer. Not sure what else would be able to do the same job. 4 people, large dog, 4 bikes, two kayaks and 29 feet of trailer through the rockies in absolute comfort. Trucks have come a long way. You just need to buy what fits your needs.
an 8' bed is also available in a crew cab.
an 8' bed is also available in a crew cab.
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