New (old) sawmill truck

[Patrick NC]

Made a big change in the truck department recently.  It wasn't making financial sense to keep my 2020 ram 2500 truck. So I sold it. Back in 2020 I paid $42000 for it. I owed $28000 and sold it for $40,000. Made good sense to me. So I found this little 1986 ford ranger that a friend of mine had out in his pasture.  

 
A few gaskets, timing belt, and a set of tires later and I have a good running little beater. Towed the mill for the first time today.  It did surprisingly well.  Now I'm trying to find an old single axle flatbed or dump truck to haul logs with. Looked at an old ford f600 today. It's a gas burner,  but I'd rather have a diesel.  Price is right, but I'll probably look around a little more. 

[Walnut Beast]

And just remember if you want to get into a big ticket item again it will be difficult or like starting over without a big value trade in or a big cash down. But!!!! On the other hand would you like to be kicking back at home with no worries of a big payment at the end of the month. Heck yah!!! 

[moodnacreek]

That ranger looks like mine, a '92 4 cyl. 5 spd. 2 wd. Cheap and handy, low to the ground.

[OH logger]

Looks clean too! A truck that age here would be a rust bucket for sure 

[Magicman]

My portable sawmilling business could not exist without 4wd. 

I was actually more comfortable and probably better equipped with the Toyota Tundra than I am with the F250 because of the lighter weight and maneuverability.  I needed the F250 because of the camper so it was a trade off situation.

[SawyerTed]

The perfect sawmill truck doesn't exist...

[Walnut Beast]

If it's 4wd it's going to be in a different league. I wouldn't have a truck unless it's 4wd. Been in to many situations a 2wd truck doesn't cut it. And that's even been in the city in winter conditions 

[B.C.C. Lapp]

That's a cool little truck.   I logged out of a 4 cylinder, 5 speed 2wd Ranger for about 6 years.   Kept good snow tires on it, had a set of chains for when things got icy and was only stuck on a landing once or twice.  And that is not a problem with a skidder sitting there.    That truck got great millage and tires and maintenance were cheap.    

Driving a 2006 F150 now and have no plans to change any time soon.   I'm sure Ill still be driving it in 2026.

New is great but i can't see taking a new truck in the places I routinely go.

[Old Greenhorn]

The perfect sawmill truck doesn't exist...

Now THIS would make for an interesting discussion thread, especially in the winter for the guys that are slowed down for a bit with weather. I don't want to hi-jack this thread (that's a very clean truck for it's age by the way, hope it serves you well!).
 Every body lives and works in different areas and terrain with different saws. I belive Ted is right, there's no perfect truck, but it would be an interesting discussion. I just think a Separate thread would be a better place for it. I don't saw portable, but I do overlap with some of those requirements s the mill I run is not at my place so I am often bringing tools and things to and from the mill for certain work. Never have the right stuff with me when I need it. :D 

[Don P]

Nice truck, it does look good for the vintage. 

Whatever you need, is in the other truck.

I drive beaters... until the wheels fall off  :D. We spent yesterday replacing the brake lines on my '99 Ranger from under the cab to both rears, that had let go on my way home the night before. And of course I had driven over a fresher than I realized skunk earlier in the day just to make it more fun. Seeing the spare rusting away under there, that should be next.

[Patrick NC]

At some point I intend to find an old 4x4 truck, but this one will do for now. My friend gave me the little ranger for free and I've got about $600 tied up in it between tires and parts. And I've got a bunch of money left over from the sale of my 2500 to buy a big old flatbed truck. Biggest problem with the Ranger is my wife keeps laughing at me every time she sees me get out of it. I suppose at 6'2 and 250 pounds I do look funny in this little truck!😁

[SawyerTed]

I like Patrick's truck.  It really is a good looking truck.  

As his first post indicates, many need more than one truck to do different sorts of jobs around a sawmill.  

[thecfarm]

I have a chevy Colorado,2wd, one of the small ones, back in '10?
But I only run it to work, 12miles one way. I have a layer of cement pavers in the back and real snow tires on it.
I'm not hauling nothing and the roads are plowed, sometimes. Only about 3 miles to a main road.

[Crossroads]

When I was in high school my dad had a little 4x4 ranger. If I remember correctly,it had a v6. By the time he parted ways with it we were calling it the Stranger, because it was in the shop for about a year. Started out needing some work on the transmission and the local guy tore it apart. Then "waiting on parts" for months and months. Finally had it towed to a transmission shop. In all fairness, they started with a true basket case and finally got it back together, but it never was right after that. So, it got gone. 

[barbender]

 Patrick, I'm 6'5" and although I was lighter then at around 265, I'm sure I looked pretty comical crawling out of the Geo Prizm I had for a work car😂 Now both you and I stuffed in your Ranger would be a sight to behold😊

 I find a great sense of satisfaction in having a reliable old vehicle and driving the wheels right off of it. It almost feels like I'm getting away with something🤷😊
 

[Resonator]

Those older pickups are fun for occasional use, and something small that gets good mileage is good too. 
There is definitely a shock when you get out of a newer truck and into an old one. As I said in another thread, the new ones are like riding in a Cadillac compared to the old ones, which were built as a square box utility vehicle. My best customer sold all his 80's pickups because of how they rode on long trips, and not the best choice for hauling people.

[fluidpowerpro]

Patrick, I can't see any rust on that Ranger. Has it had any body work? Up my way that truck would be rusted out up to the door handles by now. Great find!

[Old Greenhorn]

I vehemently concur on that body (and I assume frame). First thing that caught my eye and I checked the year on it twice, then I noticed the grill and the year must be right. This far north of the Mason-Dixon line you would never see a truck hold up like that except maybe out west in the high desert.
 A good buddy of mine had one about 3-5 years newer than yours and he had gone through 3 beds, and at least two sets of fenders, he would just buy any tailgates he found because he knew he would need them, he may have had 5 different ones on it. He did a lotta frame welding and finally replaced the back half of the frame entirely. He loved that truck. When the front half of the frame gave out, so did he. Of course his truck was black, not red, so maybe that had something to do with it? ;D :D Finally last year he bought a brand new F150 and I still don't recognize him on the road to wave back. :D
 Those trucks are easy to work on and worth the effort to keep up, but when everything rots and falls off, even the best men run out of hope when the frame is powder.
 You got lucky on that one!

[Patrick NC]

This truck is as solid as I've ever seen. Everything is original right down to the hubcaps. My buddy bought it for scrap with a bad timing belt a couple of years ago and decided it was too nice to be junked. He bought it from the original owner who didn't want to spend the money to fix it. Apparently he was told by some shade tree mechanic that it would need a new engine. I replaced the timing belt,  a few gaskets, and fuel filter. Runs like a champ.  124,000 original miles. 2.3l 4cyl automatic.  Ain't going to set no speed records, but will make a good cheap beater. Air conditioning even works!

[Gere Flewelling]

 < My son had an old Ranger for a service truck when he was running his logging and firewood business a few years ago.  He found this utility body on an old two wheel drive Ranger that looked similar in age to your new /used truck.  The owner gave him the body as long as he took the rest of the truck.  He installed the body onto his 4wd Ranger.  The utility body was made out of aluminum making it very light.  Had to adjust the wheel well spacing some, but it fit right on great onto his old Ranger he was using for a low budget work truck.  I think he added a set of Timbren Bushings the rear springs.  It made a great work / service truck for him.  He did a lot of traveling between jobs and preferred the ranger as it got pretty good mileage compared to his F-150 in the back ground.  He closed down his business here in NH and moved to northern Maine a few years ago.  He didn't need the Ranger anymore and put a pickup bed back on the Ranger and sold it.  He built a trailer and installed the utility body onto it to keep the portable.  The body is in great shape and since it doesn't rust, should last for a long time if not for as long as he is working.  He has decided to buy a skidder and get back into the woods up there in Maine.  He may be looking for another Ranger again.  It is the only enclosed utility body made of aluminum I have ever seen. It was made by the Reading company for only a short time from the research he did when he first got it.     br>
Those old Rangers make great old vehicles as long as you can fit in them.  I am a big guy and never fit in them very well.  Your new purchase looks like a great find.  I hope you get lots of use out of it.

[Ianab]

Apparently he was told by some shade tree mechanic that it would need a new engine

With a lot of modern engines that's basically true. Interference designs allow higher compression and bigger valves etc, but if you break a timing belt it's carnage inside.   With a more basic engine you simply stop, but no internal damage occurs. Of course you get a whole 90hp from the older engine design, but if it's just a run around / farm / mill vehicle it will get the job done. And leave some extra $$ in your wallet. 
8)

[Guido Salvage]

My sawmill truck is a 1995 Dodge 1500 4x4 I paid $1000 for. The only thing it does is make the less than 1/2 mile trip to my mill from my house. I upgraded from a 1977 Power wagon I paid $800 for.

I am in discussions to trade a trailer for a Nissan 4x4 and another trailer. If I do I have a buyer waiting for the Dodge at $4500.

[firefighter ontheside]

Nice little truck there.  I'm surprised it's an automatic.  In high school I had a 1991 Ranger regular cab with 2.9 V6 and manual transmission.  I loved that truck, but in 1997 I got my fulltime job with the FD and bought a new F150.  The ranger belonged to my parents and dad traded it in on a 1999 Ranger extended cab, 4wd with 4.0 V6.  He still has that truck and it has over 300,000 miles on it.  He just got it back from the body shop for like the 20th time.  Someone backed into it in a parking lot.