And the bed of that playtruck is empty and has never been used
He needs the large crew cab to have somewhere to put his groceries. Because he doesn’t want to get that bed scratched.
I watched a guy load bags of soil from the hardware store into the back seats of the crew cab while he had an empty bed. The bed would have been easier to load and could easily be hosed down if a bag leaked. I guess he forgot it was also a truck and not just a luxury commuter car.
Well you don’t want groceries in the bed mostly because it will be thrown around since it’s just open space…
Things are pretty fantastic when you use them for that they’re made to do… Try safely carrying 20 4’x8’ sheets of sheetrock in a small car… Or try carrying two bags of groceries in a sedan’s trunk without anything holding them in place…
My dad always has trucks, whole 30 years of my life. To prevent groceries flying around you tie the bags and put them close to the cab, unless they’re really light and that case you put them in the cab. He never had crew cab until much later in my life so stuff had to go in the bed as 90s extended cabs were not very extended lol the days of the single fold down seat behind the main front seats sucked for me
Aren’t there cargo nets and other accessories for that? I get it if you have perishable groceries that need to be kept frozen until you get home and it’s hot outside.
Indeed. Hell my old Ranger had a gap in the bed liner so I could slide a 2x4 (I think I actually used a 2x6) in place and have a perfect divider for groceries right at the tailgate. It was simple and worked perfect. When it was time to do truck shit the board just lifted up and got tossed in with the bricks or whatever.
I think people should need a licence to drive anything that has a tall nose. The chance of fatality is really high for those cars and people need to be taught that.
Iiiiiidiot tax! $99,99 for 2 hour course where people tell you “You see that hood? Yeah, you hit someone with it, that person is GONE”.
I just want to put a small barrier between people and buying a car that’s may more dangerous than any reasonably sized alternative. If people want storage space they should buy a station wagon. If they want to transport for work they should buy a Caddy type. If they want to go outdoors offroading then they should get a licence on how to drive offroad and how to prevent front-over accidents etc.
SUVs and bigger cars are becoming the default choice and I think that’s a bad thing.
Honestly, they know that. But fashion is fashion, and people’s desire is rarely logical. So that barrier…I don’t think it will work any better than actual idiot tax. The only offputting thing would be price.
If people want storage space they should buy a station wagon. If they want to transport for work they should buy a Caddy type. If they want to go outdoors offroading then they should get a licence on how to drive offroad and how to prevent front-over accidents etc.
Most people buying one of these expended exactly zero seconds of thought on what they need from an automobile.
If someone even managed to get any law in place like what you’re suggesting (which they won’t because it goes against the interests of business), the right wing idiot backlash would be furious and cacophonous and the net result would be Florida marking a day on the calendar as state wide “Ford-fuck-you-mobile” day.
I would love a station wagon, but not many of those around where I live 🙃
The thing is if we actually make an off-road vehicle then something in the form factor of a uni-mog is vastly superior.
I agree you already need a license to drive a semi trucks I believe but just as someone who dailys a little itty bitty BMW z3 and works at a Toyota dealership and has driven 60s international harvesters anything bigger than a jeep wrangler takes time getting used to being tall and bulky hell I’ve seen people driving in the middle of the road because they got acclimated to driving a corrola and just hopped into a f150 as a man who has flipped my ATV making trails off roading no matter what your in you need to be instructed on the ins and outs of off roading I’m so onboard for making a sort of truck driving license
I’ve used huge trucks for bush work. Like we’re talking going mudding just to get to work. This line of work basically put me in the position that is the subject of commercials that try to convince suburban dads that they need a huge truck in case one day their family goes on a fictional camping trip to the middle of a swamp.
Anyways, you know what I learned? These fucking things suck at off-roading.
- They have shit visibility. You sometimes need to get out of the truck to see around corners, especially if you’re cresting steep hills
- They have a dangerously high center of gravity (I saw a bunch of coworkers roll theirs) that is only amplified if you carry large loads in their truck beds
- Over-complicated features like traction control will actually kill your power if you’re doing some technical driving, which will make you get stuck when you don’t need to
There’s no good reason for these pieces of shit to exist.
This line of work basically put me in the position that is the subject of commercials that try to convince suburban dads that they need a huge truck in case one day their family goes on a fictional camping trip to the middle of a swamp.
This is so on point.
So many defenders go, “It helped when I had to haul shit to the dump” or “I bring wood back to build my shed”.
What about the other 95% of the year? Because I rent a van to move shit and I’m happy taking the bus.
Not to mention they don’t even fucking fit in off-road situations half the time. Unless you’re in a wide open field or have giant cleared roads (in which case why do you need an ultimate off-road machineTM), most off-road situations in the eastern US are going to involve trees. Try driving around trees in that thing and you’ll be stuck in a matter of minutes.
For all the actual off road work I’ve done, the best vehicle has always been those little utility off-road vehicles (we call them mules or gators but I’m sure they have a real name) or just a regular-sized pickup truck with 4 wheel drive and low gears.
For all the actual off road work I’ve done, the best vehicle has always been those little utility off-road vehicles (we call them mules or gators but I’m sure they have a real name) or just a regular-sized pickup truck with 4 wheel drive and low gears.
UTVs, side by sides, i’ve seen stuff like that used to refer to them in a more generic manner, shockingly those are so good primarily because they weigh nothing and have comparatively huge tires with way more surface area, while also having equivalent power if not more, just due to the size.
But what if I need to believe that others think my penis is bigger than it is? Is there any other way?
My uncle did a four wheel driving day in his Subaru Forrester one time and it could climb hills others couldn’t because it was so light.
I’ve also heard stories of farmers with tiny 4x4s like a Suzuki Jimny using them during floods because they don’t sink in the mud like the massive ones do
I prefer driving smaller cars in heavy snow because they’re light enough to sit on top and not get bogged down. Back when I had a commute in my tiny little Scion xA I’d drive by bro-dozers and SUVs stuck in the snow thinking their four-wheel drive would save them from being idiots.
Anyways, you know what I learned? These fucking things suck at off-roading.
no shit, they’re running live axle suspension, no amount of lift kit is going to get your diff case unstuck from the mud LMAO.
Doesn’t help that these idiots also put small tires on big rims to get that bafflingly stupid look on them, which lowers the ride quality, and lowers the axle even more.
I’m convinced you have to be brain damaged to own a bro dozer, let alone think an f150 with live axles can get around in mud. Bro almost nothing can, a humvee might do it, but it’s also literally built to do it. It’s got full independent suspension, nice large tires with high sidewalls, portal axles for increased clearance. It’s got a low cab, set next to the engine and transmission (that’s why they’re so wide) They’re short, so they can get around trees and shit and likewise have a low CG.
And f150 looks like it was built to be a parody of a hummer, and it’s no surprise that they drive and handle like shit as a result.
I volunteered driving ambulances. Started in high school, 2003-2004. Our rigs at the time were a '97 Chevy van with a box and a '99 F250 with a box. They were the biggest things I’d driven at the time.
Moved away, did life, came back a decade later. Newest rigs were now 2015 F450 Super Duty with a box you could legit stand up in. Thing was unnecessarily large. All the things you’re saying are correct. The rig we purchased while I was there ended up being a slightly larger mod, but came with front, side, and rear cameras, because you’re absolutely right, can’t see shit. Blind spot in the front is legit 10-15 feet from the bumper.
You know what didn’t change in that interim? People’s windy, tiny driveways. I won’t toot my own horn but I’m a good driver, I frequently tell my wife “You could fit a Mac truck through there” when she’s driving and won’t squeeze through a gap. So when it came time to back these rigs up these narrow, curving driveways, up a hill, it was difficult. I’d have my crew get out generally and go begin assessment so I could get the rig in place for takedown. Problem is that I couldn’t drive all the time, and so the rig would frequently get left down on the road. And I don’t blame anyone, they were difficult maneuvers. I knew a few members who outright refused to drive the newer rigs becaude they were so massive, so now we’ve neutered our manpower.
There’s no good reason for these pieces of shit to exist.
So did you start taking an old civic to the in-the-bush job site then or what?
Edit: Or a midsize pickup or SUV or something? Helicopter? The down votes here are pretty absurd lol. I’m trying to figure out what vehicle to take to in-the-bush job sites in the future that can better handle the conditions, which the person I replied to specifically pointed out.
Most useful off-road vehicle I’ve ever driven was a lot like this thing: https://www.offroaderie.com/new-models/kawasaki-side-x-side-mule-sx-2036834140399698232475668
Or just a regular sized pickup truck, which I’ve also used for plenty of sites. But honestly I prefer the mules because they hold all the stuff I need for work and can fit through most forest understory. And in the rare chance that you happen to turtle them it’s possible to pull them off/out of whatever they’re stuck on. If you get a giant truck stuck in the mud you’re donezo.
I also took my Toyota Prius to plenty of sites, although I’d never off-road with it when the ground is swampy or sandy it did fine on plenty of rough roads and open fields. I’m sure a Subaru or other small all wheel drive sedan could handle lots of off-road work sites.
Thank you! Makes sense. I think I was sort of misreading your statement initially. And I guess I never really thought about the 350s and aboves useful applications (or lack thereof lol).
I’ll add my Honda Element did surprisingly well for many 1000s of km of rough logging roads once upon a time.
Both my brother in laws have huge modified trucks, both live in cities, both complain that the road infrastructure and parking doesn’t cater to their large vehicles… Also both have (probably) never used the truck bed.
They are so huge, tons of room in the cab. Feels like driving in a living room. Have to ride over curbs to get out of parking lots though
I once asked a friend with a truck to help me pickup a BBQ. When attempting to load it he got so worried about us scratching the truck bed that eventually we couldn’t proceed. Called another buddy with a minivan, we put a moving blanket down and off we went. No whining, just work.
