Pick-em-up truck question

[Lee]

 
I have no idea either. But I do have a 2010 Frontier that I love.
My wife and daughters are all under 5'2" and have no issues getting in it.
It's 4W drive and has gone through 3 winters without issues. It's a truck that drives like a car and accelerates like a sports car. It came with 18" wheels and street tires, which I will likely replace when the tires are done.
I have to admit though, that 99% of my driving is in town and on the highway, so nothing to radical for me.

[brimic]

I think Dodge is the only maker putting an adequately sized truck transmission in their 1/2 tons (quality of said transmission is a different story, all the reports I've been getting is it can be a crapshoot). Personally I won't own a Dodge so I have no intention of finding out with my money.

I don't think Chrysler/MOPAR/Daimler/Fiat/Whatevertheyarecallednow has ever made a quality transmission.

[charby]

I gather then, that the hive mind does not know whether or not a Ford F-250 4WD can be lowered to a reasonable height.

Bummer. My faith is shattered.

It can be but do you may have to spend a lot of money to do so.

Two of the guys at my gun club recently bought a new F-150 4x4 and I will see then Thursday night, I am going to stand next to the truck and see if it is impossible to reach the bottom on the bed from the side. I am 5'11".

[charby]

Here is a factory photo gallery from Ford, go to picture #5

http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/gallery/photos/

The guy in the picture isn't having a problem reaching over the side to grab a bag of something.

I think you need to go to the dealership and try it for yourself, bonus points if you bring your own paint can.

[RoadKingLarry]

This might be fun

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/09/10/brabus-insanity/?intcmp=features

[charby]

This might be fun

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/09/10/brabus-insanity/?intcmp=features

I can't think of a practical use for that, except maybe stick a Vote Republican bumper sticker on the back and cruise through university towns.

[Ben]

The base Comanche was a 3/4 ton (14xx pounds). Mine has the optional rear axle and springs -- it's rated for 2200 pounds.

I had an '86 that I bought as a loss leader off the lot, 4 banger, manual, that I drove for 14 years. As I recall, they were supposed to be "larger than a mid-sized, but smaller than a full-sized". Mine had a 7' bed. To G98's point, it wasn't just salt spray - pretty much every Comanche that I ever saw, including mine, had the paint on the hood and top go to crap. I never had a mechanical issue with mine, and bet I could have gone another 100K easy without one, but I was getting nickel and dimed by non-drivetrain stuff on it towards the end. Sold it and got a  base six cylinder manual F150, which is the only vehicle I've ever had that I didn't keep for a long time, mostly because it ended up not being load rated enough for me. Traded it for an F250, in which I make one trip to the gravel yard versus three with the F150.

Hawkmoon, does it have to be 4WD? My F250 is 2WD and sits a good bit lower than the 4WD model does. Not that sometimes I wish I would have gotten the 4WD, but if you don't absolutely need it, or only in a limited way where you can get by putting chains or go-claws on the tires, the 2WD is probably at a good height for you.\

EDIT: Actually I remember now that the Comanche bed was 7 3/4 feet because it was advertised to carry studs with the tailgate up. Part of the marketing strategy as a "work truck".

[Tallpine]

I don't see a 1/2 ton pickup of any maker realistically towing 10k safely and reliably.

Ha!  I hauled my old Cat that weighed about 6 tons on a rented trailer that probably weighed 3K (?) behind my 1980 K-10 (350x4sp).     I wouldn't necessarily recommend it though.  Goes fine uphill but a little scary coming off Monarch Pass in Colorado.   

I used to do stuff like that to my old C20 :sniff:  I still miss that truck.

Up in Alaska, I took a little contract job doing some landscaping for a friend.  We needed some gravel and there was a commerical gravel pit/crusher outfit up the road a few miles.  Word was that it was $10 for a pickup load.  So I went up there and paid the $10 and asked how much I got for that.  They just said "it's your truck but we're not liable."  So I had him trickle it in out of this huge loader until I thought my 1973 K-20 couldn't take anymore.  I must have had about three tons on it, but it was only 2 or 3 miles back to my friends' yard/drive.

[charby]

I don't think Chrysler/MOPAR/Daimler/Fiat/Whatevertheyarecallednow has ever made a quality transmission.

The Torqueflight 727 was a beast.

[Tallpine]

I do have to say that the newer pickups feel bigger and are terrible on visibility.  

The 1973-1987 had huge deep windshields but all the new stuff seem to have just a slit to peek through in comparison.  The hoods stretch out forever and I can't tell at all where the fenders end.  I can't imagine taking a newer Silverado back into the tight places in the woods and mountains like my old 1973.  Even with it there were many times all you could see was hood and sky and you had to guess or remember where the road was.

Also, I've noticed that the front axles are set back on the newer pickups so there is a huge front overhang.  The newer 4x4 pickups aren't good for much of anything except snow on a hard road.  

[charby]

Also, I've noticed that the front axles are set back on the newer pickups so there is a huge front overhang.  The newer 4x4 pickups aren't good for much of anything except snow on a hard road.  

I think there is less fender in front of the wheels now, independent front suspension will give the appearance of something far different then a solid axle front end.

[Tallpine]

I think there is less fender in front of the wheels now, independent front suspension will give the appearance of something far different then a solid axle front end.

I dunno ... our fire chief has a brand new crew cab Duramax.  The front end hangs out there forever.  He does have a big grill guard that adds to the overhang.

I think I dragged the rear bumper of my 1973 K-20 a few times, but the approach angle must have been 60 degrees 

I took that pickup crazy places.  One guy with an original Bronco was shocked when I told him that I had been over a certain road.  It was kind of interesting with the front end climbing the far side of a creek crossing with the back end still coming down.  A person could have probably walked under the pickup and hardly ducked.

[41magsnub]

Isn't there a requirement to lower the front bumper for safety concerns on new trucks?  Safety for the small car the new truck t-bones....

[charby]

Isn't there a requirement to lower the front bumper for safety concerns on new trucks?  Safety for the small car the new truck t-bones....

I think so

[Tallpine]

Isn't there a requirement to lower the front bumper for safety concerns on new trucks?  Safety for the small car the new truck t-bones....

Four wheel drive is now a status symbol and/or needed for getting to the grocery store in a half inch of snow.   

[zxcvbob]

So I had him trickle it in out of this huge loader until I thought my 1973 K-20 couldn't take anymore.

They way I guesstimated that was to watch the bed sitting down on the axles.  When it bottomed out, I'd add another couple of hundred pounds to keep it from bouncing.   

[Tallpine]

They way I guesstimated that was to watch the bed sitting down on the axles.  When it bottomed out, I'd add another couple of hundred pounds to keep it from bouncing.   

I was more worried about the tires.  You can blow out D-range tires pretty easy on a 3/4 ton.

That year the K-20 had one version, and the GVW was based on the factory tires.  Unfortunately when I replaced them I didn't think to upgrade.  I blew out a nearly brand new tire beside Kluane Lake in the Yukon (loaded a wee bit heavy then too).

[zxcvbob]

I ruined a D-range tire once by overloading it.  So I switched to E's and never had a problem again.   These were 9.50-16.5's, so E's were rated something like 3200 pounds each.

(that truck was originally equipped with 8.75-16.5C's, what were they thinking?  That was a decent tire for a 1/2 ton)

[charby]

Four wheel drive is now a status symbol and/or needed for getting to the grocery store in a half inch of snow.   

Its all about the safety of the children and a group of people who first drove front wheel drive then wanted a truck/SUV. Probably never learned how to drive a RWD.

[zxcvbob]

Its all about the safety of the children and a group of people who first drove front wheel drive then wanted a truck/SUV. Probably never learned how to drive a RWD.

And those people will never know the joy of doing donuts on a frozen church parking lot.

[Tallpine]

Its all about the safety of the children and a group of people who first drove front wheel drive then wanted a truck/SUV. Probably never learned how to drive a RWD.

Front wheel drive sucks, IMO 

When our little Chevy wagon can't get around any more (first snow or soaking rain, basically) we drive the Suburban in 2wd for a while 

Back in Colorado, I had given up buying and maintaining 4wds.  We got around fine even in deep snow with 2wd (rear).  Where we are at now, it is the gumbo mud that is really the problem, plus the ice caused by the Chinook winds that don't manage to completely melt the snow, and turn our yard into a tilted ice rink.

[Boomhauer]

FWD is an abomination unto the Lord.

[brimic]

FWD is an abomination unto the Lord.

No doubt.
Just thinking- I've never bought a FWD vehicle in my life.
My wife bought her pontiac gp before we got married, which is my daily driver now.
We've only bought one vehicle in the last 12 years, and that one is 4wd.
Every vehicle I've owned before that was either a 2wd truck or a rwd sedan.

[mtnbkr]

Front wheel drive sucks, IMO 

When our little Chevy wagon can't get around any more (first snow or soaking rain, basically) we drive the Suburban in 2wd for a while 

Back in Colorado, I had given up buying and maintaining 4wds.  We got around fine even in deep snow with 2wd (rear).  Where we are at now, it is the gumbo mud that is really the problem, plus the ice caused by the Chinook winds that don't manage to completely melt the snow, and turn our yard into a tilted ice rink.

Our 2007 Honda Odyssey minivan would handle snow that nothing short of a AWD or 4x4 could handle (in terms of traction, clearance is still a problem).  The first time I took it out in snow, I was shocked how well it did on hilly, snow-covered roads.  However, if you turn traction control off while on those roads, all forward movement stopped.  Might be a crutch, but it works.

The snow we got in SW VA and Eastern NC the Xmas of 2010 was a test for that vehicle.  We drove it 200miles in that mess, including some very nasty conditions around the Raleigh, NC beltway, that I wouldn't normally touch with anything but a 4x4, yet the FWD van handled it well.

Chris

[Tallpine]

The traction control on our little chevy was a PITA until I learned to just drive like an idiot (mash the gas pedal).

If you try to feather the throttle like you normally would to keep from wheel-spinning, it just stops dead. 

Trouble is that the more weight on board, the worse it gets - unlike a RWD vehicle.  I also like being able to let off the gas to slow down 

I think that we're going to sell the car and try to find an old XJ Cherokee to fix up    Or maybe just get another Suburban 1992-1999 and screw the gas mileage.  I must admit that my torsion bar 4wd chevy pickup does handle really nice.