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metamorphosis of the pickup truck

Started by dgdrls, February 05, 2023, 12:59:16 PM

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dgdrls

Interesting article with pictures on where our beloved, affordable 1/2 ton work trucks went.
,,
Pickup trucks have gotten bigger, higher-tech ? and more dangerous

I'm looking to downsize my current rig as I simply don't need it anymore

D

stavebuyer

Yep my first new truck was '77 F150 4x4. Same time that Jeeps were mostly for hunting and utility. Wish they would have adapted the mini-vans and left our work stuff plain enough to work and hose out.


Resonator

Yup, the definition of "pickup truck" has changed from what it was when I was a kid. What they sell now is a 4 door luxury sedan, with a small pickup box on the back. The traditional 2 door, 8' box pickup is a minority. The US auto makers have almost eliminated all the new 4 door cars from their line up, and the imports have taken over the car market.
Under bark there's boards and beams, somewhere in between.
Cuttin' while its green, through a steady sawdust stream.
I'm chasing the sawdust dream.

Proud owner of a Wood-Mizer 2017 LT28G19

thecfarm

When I was growing up only farmers and people who worked needing trucks, had trucks. It was not cool to have a truck.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Dan_Shade

I saw a new 3/4 or 1 ton pickup a few days ago and all that I thought was awfully high and would make firewood loading more work than necessary.

I'm going to run what I have for as long as I can.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

rusticretreater

The guys who came to install my metal garage had a quad cab truck.  Carried the whole crew but they had all sorts of stuff sticking out of the bed because it was short.

As an auto mechanic I had my fill of I-Beam Ford PUs with messed up king pins.  Even today I still call my biggest hammer my Ford Hammer.

I will run my Dakota PU for as long as I can as I can still fix it.  These new ones go wrong, nobody knows how to fix them. 
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Homemade Log Arch
Big Tex 17' trailer with Log Arch
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Husqvarna 562xp
2,000,000th Forestry Forum Post

Bradm

I'd be happy with a truck that doesn't eat ball joints after taking a few gravel roads.

GRANITEstateMP

When I remember to buy a a powerball ticket, then win, I am going to start my own truck company.  I will make utilitarian trucks that ride like a truck, have interiors that don't have a carpet, steel bumpers, real frames, manual transmissions and transfer cases, fenders like an old autocar.... pretty sure my market will be small and my business will fail, but man the few people that would buy them could run them forever.  I can dream can't I?
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dairyguy

Quote from: dgdrls on February 05, 2023, 12:59:16 PM
Interesting article with pictures on where our beloved, affordable 1/2 ton work trucks went.
,,
Pickup trucks have gotten bigger, higher-tech ? and more dangerous

I'm looking to downsize my current rig as I simply don't need it anymore

D
At the end of that article are 2 charts that show what truck buyers want in a truck compared to 10 years ago.    The chart shows most buyers are looking for modernity and technologically advanced and very few are looking for economical, reliable and functional.
Which, IMO indicates everything wrong with America.   Ad before I get sent to the woodshed I shall be quiet

moodnacreek

Anybody remember 9 foot pick up bodies?  How about fleetside [no fenders] pick up bodies with wood floor. I think '72 was the last year for that GM option.

gspren

Chevy had a "Longhorn" edition with a 8.5' bed, late 60s early 70s.
Stihl 041, 044 & 261, Kubota 400 RTV, Kubota BX 2670, Ferris Zero turn

Don P

I had a '76 Dodge 3/4 ton with a 9' chevy stepside bed, wood floor, chain tailgate, no latches to break. The one after that was an 80 power wagon. I had just rebuilt the engine, stepped in to start it and went thru the floor  :D. I pulled the seat, bought a bunch of glass mat and resin from the truck cap company and glassed the entire floorboard, it was easy to wash out. The power wagon before the 76 was a 72 we called the fordodgolet, Johnny Cash woulda been proud  :)

Wlmedley

First new truck I bought was a 1/2 ton Chevy 4 wheel drive 3 speed on the column in 1975.It cost 4500$.No options.Didn't even have a radio.At that time about the only people around here who had 4 wheel drive vehicles was the mail man and a couple guys that worked for the gas company even though the hollows were unpaved and mostly not graveled.In the winter a lot of the time we parked at the mouth of the hollow and walked in.
Bill Medley WM 126-14hp , Husky372xp ,MF1020 ,Homemade log arch,Yamaha Grizzly 450,GMC2500,Oregon log splitter

barbender

Granite, I'd like those Autocar fenders😁
Too many irons in the fire

WH_Conley

Granite. Put me on the wait list when you start production. I will gladly sell a bunch of this tech advanced junk and buy one. While you are at it put an old 12 valve Cummins in it.
Bill

Ianab

US style Pickups are rare here, always have been. 

The Aussie style "Ute" is very popular though, and more like the "Sedan or SUV, with a tray". Toyota Hilux, international version of the Ford Ranger etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ute_(vehicle)


If you really need to haul more  stuff, you buy a small Japanese truck. It's actually a truck first, not a converted SUV, and would have a 2 ton+ payload
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

thecfarm

My Father had a Ford with a wood floor.
One of my friends had one too. This would have been in the early 80's? It was not an old truck.
Really the only reason I remember, he was helping someone move and they were smoking. One cigarette butt went out the window, but, landed in the wooden body. Yep, it caught on fire. I forgot how they put it out. No big damage to the truck or the wooden floor or the furniture in the back.
Gotta remember 3 on the column.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

kelLOGg

I got my first truck ('72 Chevy) in the early '70s when they weren't nearly as popular as now. I drove it to a Dr appt at a large facility and walked into the office to check in. They asked me for ID and I said "oops I left in the truck - be right back". The receptionist said "truck?" like it was a UFO. ::)
Cook's MP-32, 20HP, 20' (modified w/ power feed, up/down, loader/turner)
DH kiln, CatClaw setter and sharpener, tandem trailer, log arch, tractor, thumb tacks

firefighter ontheside

It's true that trucks have come a long way, even from my 1997 F150 to my 2017 F350 the technology differences are crazy.  My f150 had a cassette player and new truck has bluetooth, and CD and touch screen.  If I had a barebones truck that was just a work truck, then I would want another vehicle to be comfy for cross country trips for skiing or fishing.  This way I have one vehicle that does it all.

The first truck I remember was my dad's 1980 F150 8' bed, single cab, manual transmission.  That was a work truck.  The only time the whole family rode in that was in the snow because it was 4wd, but 4 people in there was tight.  That was before seatbelts were the law too.
Woodmizer LT15
Kubota Grand L4200
Stihl 025, MS261 and MS362
2017 F350 Diesel 4WD
Kawasaki Mule 4010
1998 Dodge 3500 Flatbed

petefrom bearswamp

Im gonna keep my 2014 GMC til I croak.
I do haul stuff a lot as well as my 18' car hauler.
9 yrs old and 67000 miles.
Would be a lot fewer miles except for 4 Canada fishing trips totaling about 10,000.  
My traveler around is a 2014 Camry 35 MPG vs 20 in the jimmy.
hence the low mileage on the truck.
My first new PU was a 68 chevy 305 3 on the column, lousy gas mileage.
Cost was as I remember 2,375 bucks, coil rear springs yielding a lousy payload.
I now as my wife says, am on the 10th last pickup I'll ever own.
All GM except a 95 ford Eddie Bauer which gave me fits.
This was the first 4WD I owned.
Could I get by without a PU?
Maybe but don't want to.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

moodnacreek

To me a real work truck has a flat bed with removable sides or racks. It is almost better 2 wd. because it will be lower. If it has a hoist there can be no sub frame. The rear tires must be duals because they have to be small like 6:50 x 16 or 800 x 16.5. You should be able to load it with a shovel from 3 sides. When I was young mason's had these trucks usually IH or Dodge. They where a light 1 ton. I have owned 2 like this; a 49 dodge and currently a 71 f350. Both where dumping flat beds.

firefighter ontheside

When I was looking around for a flatbed to buy,  I considered dump beds, but they all had really high decks due to all the stuff that has to fit under them.  I bought this 98 dodge with a rusted out steel bed.  I replaced that with an aluminum bed that I found for $1000.  It's a fun truck to have and the flatbed is super useful.  I just need to figure out a running issue where it will run terrible for a few minutes at random.  It is a V10.
Woodmizer LT15
Kubota Grand L4200
Stihl 025, MS261 and MS362
2017 F350 Diesel 4WD
Kawasaki Mule 4010
1998 Dodge 3500 Flatbed

beenthere

My first pickup to drive was my Dad's '49 Ford with a flathead V8. Box within the rear wheels and very fun to drive. Stick on the floor. I was 12 or 13.. winter with icy snow packed roads. Lesson one, don't lock up the brakes when starting to lose (not loose ;D) control and have to walk to the next farm to get pulled out of the ditch. (oh where were the cell phones back in '52).  ::)

May have had a similar floor as the '52 Ford
DIY Oak Wood Bed Installation on The 1952 Ford F1 Project Truck. Dennis Carpenter Bed Strips. - YouTube
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

chet

@beenthere  My first pickup was an old '48 Ford, paid for it myself, with my lawn mowing and farm help money. It was my legal driver at age 15 with a hardship driver's licence. It had that same flathead V8, and stick. My senior year of high school I pulled da sleeves out and put in oversized pistons and installed a Purple Hornet glass pack.   move_it
I am a true TREE HUGGER, if I didnt I would fall out!  chet the RETIRED arborist

Resonator

Looking at flatbeds for pickups, I would try to upsize the box design the Japanese have on their "Kei" mini trucks. They come from the factory with fold down sides and tailgate. They are thin, and flip down a full 180°, to give full access to a flat floor. I had a customer with a trailer that was a similar design, and it was great for tractor unloading logs and loading lumber.
Under bark there's boards and beams, somewhere in between.
Cuttin' while its green, through a steady sawdust stream.
I'm chasing the sawdust dream.

Proud owner of a Wood-Mizer 2017 LT28G19

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