Here we have a nice Ranger. You can haul things with it, load it without pole-vaulting over the bed side, and get in it without a rolling stairway. The other one is…well, I don’t know, but it seems to have ceased being a utility vehicle. At any rate, not the best thing to use to tow your Sea-Ray…
One is a truck, the other is compensation.
Interesting that you said that. Many years ago, my 15 years old daughter and her gal friends called their schoolmates that drove big trucks “over compensators” for lack of endowment. I always thought it was just a girl joke.
Yep. Nothing more than a four-wheeled p***s extension.
Here in western Canada this seems to be the vehicle of choice for a lot of young guys making decent money for the first time in their lives. It’s the modern day version of a jacked up Road Runner or Trans Am, to use a couple of examples from days gone by.
I don’t see too many GMs getting the bubba treatment though, mostly Fords and Dodges in these parts. Sometimes I wonder why these guys don’t just buy a Peterbilt to drive around, it would be about as practical.
The majority of “Bro” trucks here in the Inland Empire of SoCal are Chevy.
In the rural Midwest, it’s usually old Dodge diesels that are jacked up with monster tires, a couple feet ground clearance, and the unmuffled, through the pickup bed, upright, slash-cut sewer pipes. Makes sense since the Dodges are the ones that have been around the longest and, thus, are the cheapest to buy used.
I saw loads of these things driven by prairie boys who are making good money working in the oil patch. Problem is many of them have seasonal jobs and have a hard time keeping the payments up when they are not working. The fact is something like this is going to cost a fortune to run. The TCO must be about $20,000 a year and that is a lot of money for just about everybody.
There are loads of these things for sale in Calgary or Saskatoon at any one time.
What’s a TCO?
Total cost of ownership
I’m firmly in the vehicle=compensation for inadequacies camp. That’s why I drive a Nissan Versa.
You have a… big heart!
Reality check if you can drive it on a regular car licence it isnt a “truck”, Something that fits in car parking spaces is a Tr
Since you mentioned licensing, I had an interesting discussion with a guy who works as a commercial vehicle inspector for the province of BC. He claims there will be an inspection blitz on these things coming this spring, with an emphasis on weighing them and possibly requiring some of the heavier ones to be inspected on a semi-annual basis just like a commercial vehicle. Also require a CDL to drive. Possibly just a pub BS session story, but it would be interesting.
There are a lot of recreational vehicles out there today that weigh more than commercial vehicles of even a generation ago, and far too many of their drivers don’t have a clue how to safely handle them.
Here in the land for free and home of the brave, having those trucks inspected will be called big government intruding on personal freedom. I can’t imagine these things with VERY high center of gravity drive well. In fact, probably unsafe for pedestrians as the wheels protrude beyond the body.
Can someone share how these things corner?
There are “lift laws ” in a number of states but enforcement varies here in the north east I only have heard of NJ really enforcing violations.
http://www.liftlaws.com/
This site has a rundown of the laws by state.
Unsafe for pedestrians? Really? I can buy hating these things because they serve little to no function, or are driven by tools, but treating them as a hazard that should be legislated out of existence? What a crock of shit.
I could make the argument that the antithesis of this type of vehicle, like a battery car, is as potentially dangerous since it’s electric motor and skinny low friction tires “sneak up” on unsuspecting pedestrians.
And no you can’t corner carve one of these. But then again if you’re corner carving on public roads, while whining about how much of an unsafe nuisance those trucks are, you should look in a mirror.
I made three trips over Roger’s in three weeks this summer and more than a few motorhomes had any idea what they were doing. On one very long down grade, I saw a large Class B unit get on the brakes from the top to the bottom. I could see the heat radiating off them and smell the stink like crazy. It’s a good thing brakes on these things have improved over the years. In all fairness, brakes have improved on everything. You sure don’t see the wrecks in the mountains like you used to and there aren’t nearly as many dead cars, either.
In the Peoples Republic of Kalifornia, both are “commercial” vehicles, require different plates and pay higher fees, due to the open bed. A Suburban, for example, is a “station wagon”.
+1,
There’s a great exodus of God-fearing folks from Kalifornia to Idaho, Wyomin, Montana etc., pioneered by the great Mark Furman. Folks do so to escape the reach of commies and be with like minded people.
The exodus of God’s people and infusion of high tech engineers from Asia is most pronounced in the Silicon valley. Result? Highest housing price jump, highest concentration of tuition classes and restaurants serving food that only commies will touch.
Opposite in Korn Kountry–pickups (farmers) get a break on registration fees because they’re used for ‘farm work’.
Reality check: they’re called pickup trucks. Key word being truck.
umm
Both are pickup trucks.
Key word for the little red thing: truck
Key words for the big white thing: picking up chicks
Umm I replied to “Reality check if you can drive it on a regular car licence it isnt a ‘truck'” — not sure where you come into play, but, follow the thread.
In rural NC, Fords seem to get the Bubba treatment the most. These are the redneck version of Donks and they’re about equally as appealing.
There’s a lake not too far away & I hear these jerks probably a mile before they blow by the house towing their little toys. So much for serenity — I moved away from the city because of crap like this. Oh well.
Big wallets and small #*$*@.
When my brother bought his 05 dodge 2500 diesel in 07 we built it up to haul a 35 foot long tandom trailer. We added two extra leaf springs too each side in the back and put one ton springs on the front axel. After two years of towing everyday we bent a front rim on a curb. My brother wanted to buy highway alcoa wheels and tires but they where a bit spendy. After checking the classified add he found a set(4) 20″ wheels and added some heavy duty tires. The difference in towing was night and day difference. No more sway and much more control. And a nice drop in rpm at cruising speed. As my nephew got older (around 8) he wanted his dad to add stacks so he did. And we noticed the trailer was much cleaner around the tongue an added bonus when you have to deal with it four or five times a day. In the end it did loom like a bro truck but man with 700 hp and over 1400 ft/lbs that old thing still does its job daily with over 650k in it now
Ridiculous, my ride tonight pulls a 46ft 4axleselfsteering semi trailer GVM 45 tonnes and only has 500hp, amazing it can move at all being so underpowered, but actually it goes rather well.
That is the shortest wheelbase Cornbinder I have ever seen!
Must have a great turning radius though…
Standard length tractor unit for here but the extra steer axle does nothing for the ride
I took some shots Tom it steers at both ends
Nice !
Here’s my second cousin’s rig. 6 axles, 4 of them are steerable or self steering: the first 2 of the Scania tractor and the last 2 of the Floor semi-trailer. GVW 50 metric tonnes.
(legal GVW, that is…)
http://www.machinefreakz.nl/mediabase/fotoalbums/albumid/677/itemid/15344/imag1031jpg.html
We have had almost 20 000lbs of hay on the trailer and it never slowed it down. I couldnt find the pics but here is one with a trailer load of soggy lobster trapps and another that just shows the length.
Well I guess its only one pic per post..
It never occurred to me that the diesel exhaust would mark up the bumper and trailer when you towed stuff; now those stacks make a bit of sense 🙂
Nice to see yours really used as a truck too. Many of the lifted ones around here appear to be show horses only.
I’m old enough to remember that when I was a kid I was told that diesel trucks were required to have the vertical stacks to avoid diesel smoke at eye (and nose) level.
As a license plate collector I can attest that it’s hard to find good bus plates that were on the backs of buses – either they have solidified diesel exhaust remnants on them, or else the paint is practically worn off them from the harsh detergents the bus companies use to keep the backs of their vehicles from being black.
William Robinson – are you in Maine, by chance?
And pfsm – do you know any of the Maine plate collectors? I am one of them.
It would be interesting to compare fuel consumption figures – any idea what you got with 20,000lb on it William?
The twin steer axles are a bit of a Kiwi specialty. Of course they are used in other countries but usually for things like concrete trucks.
Then again I’ve never seen 6-8 axle trucks like there were in Michigan, they must be horrible to steer as even a triple bogie scrubs terribly around tight corners.
Re the car vs truck licence I think the threshold is higher in the US. In Australia you need a light truck licence when you are over 10000lb GVM.
We run 7 axle Btrains in NZ the axles steer.
Bryce – these were rigid trucks though!
Ten wheelers are on the road here as concrete mixers thats 5 axles 10 wheels either single tyred or twin tyred 35tonnes allup
Come on Bryce, these are diesel trucks. Compare displacement and torque instead of sheer horsepower numbers. Your Navistar might also have a Cummins, but I’ll bet it has (at least) twice the displacement of the one in the Dodge.
16 liter Volvo and Scania truck diesels are around 700 hp too, but the torque is somewhere around 2,600 ft-lbs.
Only Volkswagen makes light pickup-trucks here, the rest are light flatbed trucks, like this Mercedes. Always diesel engines, often dual tires at the back.
Source: http://ww0.entreeding.com/bedrijven-materieel/590876/
Its a Workstar and runs a Cat C15 and it depends greatly on where that HP is measured and at what rpm max torque is delivered Scanias like to rev to produce climbing power. American truck engines lug its a different style of driving. Ive done the gentle southern trip in both and the Scania shifts down on hills left to its own devices the Cornbinder will stay in 18th@ 1200rpm on the same hill the Scania has a retarder the Cornbinder Jacobs which work well it only has 495,000kms on it hardly broken in for a 2 year old linrhaul truck
The Scania is smooth and quiet and comfortable, The Inter is not its an American truck built for beautiful smooth highways it rides rough and is loud but in a good way its an aural feast the whistle of the turbo accompanies the growl of the Cat when it drops off the speed limiter uphill. I love the sound of Jacobs in the night air and no brake lights with Jakes, towing a quad requires much driver imput and behind an American tractor unit it works well. Google Manawatu Gorge do a street view its the best part of my trip again tonite.
Folks have a lot of “reasons” to buy and drive what they do. Mine have become more plebeian and practical as I have gone along. I wish I could go back to 81 and buy my Datsun King Cab again. I promise to treat it better next time around. If that doesn’t work I just hope my current truck keeps running.
Everything I have owned has had a low bed that I could load air conditioners into and except for the one ton cube van, has had enough economy to get from job to job with bankrupting me. Now for the first time I since I had younguns in the house I need a back seat.
People like William’s brother probably are more exception than the rule. Most seem to buy for the reasons cited above. An unscratched truck bed could be a definition of stupidity.
There’s a place in the world for the angry young man
With his working-class ties and his radical plans
He refuses to bend, he refuses to crawl
He’s always at home with his back to the wall
And he’s proud of his scars and the battles he’s lost
He struggles and bleeds as he hangs on the cross
And he likes to be known as the angry young man
I’m going to assume this is a situation like Mr. Robinson’s brother. Because I try to assume the best of any situation. If someone cuts me off in one of these things, or neglects a turn signal, I try to think that he’s on his way to the hospital to see a dying friend or relative, or that he’s got to get to a job so that he can start being a functioning member of society. Does this excuse him for his behavior? Absolutely not. But it does make him seem like a human being, a fellow inhabitant of God’s green earth, again.
I try not to get angry. And it’s hard, it really is. But I don’t want to become an Angry Young Man.
And there’s always a place for the angry young man
With his fist in the air and his head in the sand
And he’s never been able to learn from mistakes
He can’t understand why his heart always breaks
His honor is pure and his courage as well
He’s fair and he’s true and he’s boring as hell!
And he’ll go to the grave as an angry old man
And to all those that are, I say fine, don’t buy these overcompensationmobiles, then. I don’t really like them either. There’s thousands of still-useful pickup trucks out there to be bought for next to nothing. But it’s still a free country, where our very own Secretary of State has gone on record saying we have “the right to be stupid.” If someone wants to do these things to a perfectly useful pickup truck, go right ahead.
Postscript:
“…it seems to have ceased being a utility vehicle.”
Utility: adjective
1. useful, esp. through being able to perform several functions.
Let’s see–this vehicle can:
1. Hold five or possibly six passengers in greater comfort than any but the largest full-size sedans.
2. Carry around 3000 lbs. of cargo in the bed.
3. Tow around 17000 lbs. of cargo behind.
4. Tackle nearly any offroad trail that can be done with a Jeep.
Now will it do all those things in one day? Almost certainly not. It’s entirely within the realm of possibility that it may never do any of those things. But it still is able to–it still is a utility vehicle!
On a stock Dmax 2500 crewcab longbed 4WD, you get about 2500 of payload and 14700 of towing.
I’m guessing the lift and increased tire height aren’t doing either of those numbers any favors.
And for your number 4, it’s going to have to be a fairly wide trail.
I was going off the Chevy website. But I see now that I was looking at the 2WD charts.
Payload for a 2500HD Dmax crew cab _shortbed_ 4WD: 2700 lbs. max
Conventional towing: 13000 lbs. max
5th wheel towing: 15800 lbs. max
Now, granted, the lift and all the other seen or unseen mods done to this poor machine, which did nothing to deserve it, really pulls the numbers down.
And yes, it really has too wide of a track for “real” off-roading. I still yearn for the days when anything bigger than a half-ton was really too heavy and too wide-steering to take in anything less passable than a sloppy gravel road. “Mudding” was something you did with a Scout, or a Blazer, or a CJ; not the family workhorse. The only mod you made (and the only one you needed!) to a 2WD 3/4 ton pickup was putting snow tires and a concrete block in the back from October to April.
Sometimes we say things in the heat of the moment that, while we may still stand by them, may have been more than a little exaggerated at the time.
That’s all kid stuff. How many people buy things to pull a bazillionteen ton trailer? Probably a grand total of two a year. I come from a transportation background and still work in logistics. Anyone who really needs the above quoted car maker bilge is going to buy a real truck like a Hino. My dad always told me, “You don’t haul gravel with a Volkswagen.” If you ever tried to really work one of these toys at anywhere near the absurd “limits” they quote you’ll be spending the farm keeping the thing going. The payload tonne/km will simply blow compared to a real truck. Finally, a real truck is not going to cost a lot more and will last millions of kms.
Please, I don’t decry anyone having their toys. Just don’t try to justify it to a group of people who know what things cost in the world.
People may not use them to haul those ridiculous loads day in day out, but typically they do use them to do things lesser trucks simply can’t handle very well. I don’t see many diesel 3/4 tons around here that aren’t worked. Some, of course, but not many.
My F-150 in theory can haul about a 10,000 lb trailer. Would it be a good choice to haul that much on a regular basis? Of course not. But at the same time I can tell you it is a much better choice for hauling 4,000-5,000 lbs than my old 4Runner or Explorer.
My point is that the bigger truck is more capable in several ways than that Ranger, so to make assumptions about it and its owner is a bit arrogant. Perhaps it is just a “compensationmobile”, but at least it appears to be a capable one.
It’s meant to look like it can tackle any trail. Pickups like this high center too easily IMO.
1. Hold five or possibly six passengers in greater comfort than any but the largest full-size sedans.
2. Carry around 3000 lbs. of cargo in the bed.
3. Tow around 17000 lbs. of cargo behind.
4. Tackle nearly any offroad trail that can be done with a Jeep.
5. Make one’s less endowed private bigger
1-4 ——>> matched by $35k production pickups.
5 ———>> priceless
When they are jacked up that high it becomes impossible to load anything in the bed without a forklift.
Vehicles like the big white one, I call them D-Quads, meaning “Drive-4-[wheel].”
I’ll take the Ranger (or any basic truck) over some jacked-up beast any day.
I thought the 150 was a Tacoma too…that little one is a great work truck. Guy in my garage has a very similar one in white that keeps going. If you need a bed, with a reliable, fuel efficient power plant nice little truck. Great vehicle to transport some surf boards and go to the beach.
Does it have a “SaltLife” sticker on the window? Seriously though, sometimes less is more. I think these are about the tackiest vehicles since the donked Crown Vics entered the scene.
Down here those “Salt Life” stickers are like the plague, and I know 99% of the people driving them haven’t even seen the ocean in years.
The other ones that bug me are the “in memory” ones, unless the person is really buried in the trunk under your spare, I really could care less about “Tito” 10/5/81-6/15/12, sorry for your loss, but who cares, especially when the decals are already half falling off. I’m sure he died doing something stupid anyway.
Where’s the rebel flag & the %@!!^ hanging from the trailer hitch?
This was my ole plate, perfect for the big white truck.
Totally agree, that Ranger is just as useful, if not more so than that huge monstrosity.
What I see are people in these huge things trying to park in spots really made cor compacts, and they stick out and all that.
I’ll take that Ranger, or better yet, my little Mazda any day over the modern truck.
Saw one struggling to park in a spot closest to the entrance of a grocery store a while back. 50 empty spots 20 feet away, but he wanted everyone to see his big ride. Tool.
Trucks like that are really common here in Texas!
Well…
At the risk of being made fun of, my second vehicle happens to be a 2002 Ford F250 Super Duty extended cab longbed with the 7.3 Powerstroke diesel, but I had good reason.
You can’t tow 6,000 lbs. of car and trailer ( not safely, anyway ) with a Ranger. 🙂 My F250’s considerable length and girth makes it quite stable while towing / hauling such a load at a steady 60 up California’s “Grapevine”. I once hauled 1,300 lbs. of scrap paper ( old files, invoices, and advertising flyers ) from a friend’s failed car wash / detail business to the dump. The truck didn’t care at all.
If it’s any small comfort, I haven’t lifted it nor do I ever intend to.
Sounds like a great tuck and the 7.3 is the last really good diesel that Ford had in their light-duty stuff. Not as powerful as the new stuff but really strong and long lasting. I liked these trucks a lot, really honest, strong units.
Thanks.
That Ford is actually the second honest truck that I own. The first is a 1990 Chevrolet Cheyenne C1500. Long bed, regular cab with the “3/4 small block” AKA the 4.3 liter V6.
Despite being the stripper model ( rubber floors, hard plastic door panels, roll-up windows ) the original owner sprang for some nice extras like a tilt wheel, AC, cruise, cloth upholstery, and four speaker AM / FM stereo. Oddly enough, my Ford ( the base trim XL model ) is similarly equipped.
The Chevy I no longer drive. I parked it in my parents’ backyard after it failed its last smog check four years ago. It still runs like a top, but also makes more smoke than a Reggae Sunsplash concert.
I don’t think anybody should be made fun of for using a truck for what it was meant to do. Which certainly seems like the case with your F250.
Lifted pickups on the other hand are only used for trying to impress the opposite sex. It’s akin to a fart cannon on a Mitsubishi Eclipse. Jeeps and other 4 wheel drivers with shorter wheelbases make far better off roaders.
Thank CAFE for this. Our government at work. I did the same thing, traded in a perfectly good 98 S-10 for a 2008 GMC Sierra. However I have not altered the Suspension. Thought it would ride better, and it does, but loading stuff on the GMC is a pain. Plus the GMC gets a about three/fourths the mpg’s of the S/10. After 5 years I regret that move. Had there been a good GM B body on the market then I would have kept the S/10 and bought it.
You get a complimentary CC pass because you have that beautiful Fleetwood Brougham, Roadmaster Estate and Impala SS!
I want one of those Fleetwoods! I met a FWB owner a couple weeks ago with a pristine ’94 Brougham in white with tan leather–and he even has a set of the rare chrome factory wheels! Also has a 5.7L Brougham d’Elegance…a good egg in my book!
Thanks for the pass.Mine does not have a lift kit, but does have the pro grade package which puts on the 20″ wheels. Still too high for me. Can not imagine trying to handle anything higher. As it is, my B’s get more use since the GMC is not really great around town, hence it has not yet hit 25000 miles in 5 years of ownership.
The 2 Cads are really great looking. I got some Chrome Wheels for mine off of ebay a few years back, must have been living right since I found them within minutes after they had been listed and at about a quarter of the price I had seen some go for. They really set the car off just right. The 91 or so Brougham is something I would really love to have particularly with the 5.7. I always thought the FWB generation before mine was trimmed just a notch above mine. A good friend of mine had a 86 in roughly the same color as mine and I just loved that car. Unfortunately he sold it at a time when I could not afford another car to a sorry relative. I think after several accidents he told me they ended up sending it across the scales. Enough to make a Broughamaholic cry.
One of my classic car projects is a 1971 GMC Sprint ( twin of the Chevy El Camino ) with a good-running 350 small block. With a properly adjusted Quadrajet carb and 200R4 overdrive transmission, it should get semi-decent mileage while being far more suited for small hauling jobs than my massive Ford.
That reminds me- when are you going to publish my article, Paul? My parents are dying to see it!
What article? Let me know and I can get it going! A GMC Sprint CC would be an excellent addition!
I sent an article several weeks back, including pictures. Paul responded back within a few days, saying he would post it within a couple of days. That was over a month ago- LOL.
Christopher O. My sincere apologies. I’ve been trying to do too many things the last couple of months, and your post fell through the cracks. I try to make up a sticky pad note for each submission, but it didn’t happen for yours.
I’m out of town this weekend, but I will get to it this coming week.
PS: to anyone in a similar situation, send me a follow-up e-mail. Sometimes a reminder can be most helpful! 🙂
They are both trucks, just one has been given the full “brodozer” treatment.
One’s for hauling useful cargo, and one’s been beefed up to carry the weight of the owner’s outsized ego.
Here’s your typical supplier of all the non-factory Ego Boosters.
Well I guess its only one pic per post..
I own a Ranger very much like the one in the picture. It’s a good practical small truck. I have a hunch Ford is going to be sorry they left this segment of the market.
As for the other truck, let’s be fair. Maybe the owner likes to go mudding. Or maybe he bought it used and it was already jacked up. Or maybe he’s just a young guy who wants to poor his extra money into his ride – you know, like we old guys used to do before we got married- and jacked up trucks are just the “in” thing right now.
One thing for sure, the jacked up GM is not a practical truck for hauling goods. Too high to lift cargo in and out of.
But then, trucks are too high today, right from the factory.
To truly showcase the big white truck, one must compliment it with matching hairdo to complete the package.
Is the name Mullet some generic term ? It’s the same name as the parts supplier I posted above. 🙂
Mullet is not a generic term it is a hairstyle. Take a look at “Mikey” in the spoof ad you posted he is sporting a Mullet. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullet_%28haircut%29 They old saying goes that a Mullet if business in front and party in the back.
Learning all the time ! Thanks.
Do — business in front, party in the back.
Big white — business on top, party down below.
Perfect for eachother.
There’s an LA radio personality who calls himself Malibu Dan. He once mentioned that his pickup was jacked up so high, he could only climb up into the cab “if I take a run at it.”
I hereby propose the “Malibu Dan Rule”: If you need to take a run at it just to get behind the wheel, your truck is too high.
Usually rednecks drive domestic trucks, but occasionally wires get crossed…
Lots of stereotyping and racism going on with that statement!
Normally I don’t like these, but when I see how much hatred this generates in today’s dull eco-minded society, I’m beginning to like it.
All the hate here is a bit ironic, considering how many of those posting it drive tacky and/or impractical vehicles themselves.
That’s some serious hardware on that truck. I know it’s hard for haters to wrap their head around, but maybe it does actually get used as a truck. It is certainly capable of it. Which is more than I can say about CUVs.
Just because it isn’t the “best” at any one aspect of being a truck doesn’t mean it can’t meet the wants and needs of the owner.
.
Around where I live, there are three types of trucks. The first is the ubiquitous lifted Toyota, which usually look like they’re going to topple over the moment that the ground gets banked. The second is the lifted Chevy/Dodge/Ford, which is difficult to get into and decidedly difficult to park unless you pull right through. If the vehicle isn’t one of the two described, it’s stock because anything else would just not be practical for the people that own them. You get out of a GM 1-ton with a 6 inch lift and if you land wrong, expect a sprained ankle. Almost happened last week at work.
I’ve driven lots of lifted vehicles and ridden in plenty, too. Yotas, Samurais, Dodges. The Toyota guys can get away with it because the truck is small and they often improve the gearing to go with the big tires. The lifted domestics, even with big V8 engines, are slugs at low rpm for that reason. Get them moving and they’ll haul ass if you punch it, but only when you’re going at least 40 mph. Turbo Diesels are a little better, but expect pedal delay until the turbo spools up.
The Yotas can be used off-road. The GM and Chrysler stuff, expect an alignment after a few good bumps. Fords work better due to being the only company offering solid front axles in their four-wheel-drive stuff. I say that even as a GM guy.
I guess I live in an area where the spectrum has people only on both ends, rather than the middle. I have a GMC, and The biggest lift I would put in it is an inch with 3/4 ton springs, if only to make up for the sagging 1/2 ton leaves. Anything more with the 33 inch tires would make it too difficult to climb into and load stuff into.
I chalk it up to compensation with these big trucks. Out here we call them “concrete cowboys.”
A well-known US pickup importer here likes to haul his goodies in style !
Ram 5500 with trailer and cargo.
http://www.pickuptrucks.nl/