GM pickup truck plant announcement yesterday

[dalola]

Thats why sedans and vans have a separate luggage or cargo compartment ��

Right! I've had sedans & vans, and NO, it's not really separate. Nice try tho. You've obviously never dealt with teenage athletes.

yes, just like a 4 in one bucket on a loader. Because their weight reduces payload, they arent efficient at mass earthmoving, and neither as a grapple. As a dozer they dont function well on a rubber tired loader, and as a scraper you cant see what youre doing. Yet lots of people buy them, because they are a bit of everything.

Never had a 4-in-1 bucket, and I'll assume, based on your missive, neither have you. Cool. Unfortunately, your point is lost.

Try this on for size:

I can only have one vehicle. I need to -
A) Haul 5 large adults comfortably
B) Have the ability to tow 8K
C) Need to haul materials on occasion; dirt, gravel, mulch, lumber, etc..
D) Don't want horrible average FE (<20mpg)
E) Need off-road ability to access my camp
F) Prefer a smooth, quiet ride for long trips/vacations
G) Must be 5-star crash worthy in all major tests
H) Low cost to insure
I) Stylish & fun to drive
J) Good resale/residual
Probably a few more scenarios I can't think of at the moment...

Put you're thinking cap on and pick a vehicle.

 

[tractorshopper]

Man, my daughters played travel ball. Cleats coming off for the long drive home in my wife's trunk are horrible. Even more so when accidentally left in the trunk overnight. Wow! I can relate. Some of these drives to home are over 4 hrs.

In my old F-150, I had the camper top, so throwing that stuff in the back was much better; no smell. I need to get a camper top for my new truck now too. Just so nice to have. Put on when needed, take off when needing the extra height.

Back to the original thread topic; my new truck came from the plant in Flint. I'm averaging 18 mpg so far lifetime (6,000 miles +) in this Duramax. That's highway trips, around town, and a higher than normal amount towing for me. My lifetime in my last truck was 13.7 (5.4L Triton V8).

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^^
Depending on your needs a hard tonneau cover is another way to keep stuff dry in the bed and can easily be removed. I would have one except that both of my trucks have canoe racks with siderails. These are a lot more handy for my needs than keeping the bed covered as it gives me good tiedowns for anything I have in the back... also some good hand holds when climbing onto the tailgate.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I had several hard covers, both rolling and folding. I love my folding cover, because i can take it off in minutes and if need be, often stick it in beside the load if need be.

Once in a while, I have to go into a store or something and have valuable stuff in the back. I have often labelled stuff, SCRAP, BAD CELL on a BATTERY, or BAD GAS on a Jerry Can!

 

[Renze]

Right! I've had sedans & vans, and NO, it's not really separate. Nice try tho. You've obviously never dealt with teenage athletes.

My neighbour does touchup and final delivery of structural steel for an industrial coating company, he has solvents in his van every day of the year. The partition wall leaves no smell through to the passenger compartment, though a breather is mandatory when driving with volatile stuff.

Never had a 4-in-1 bucket, and I'll assume, based on your missive, neither have you. Cool. Unfortunately, your point is lost.

My brother on the farm has a Liebherr 506 loader, which was imported as used machine after starting its life at a German road construction company. Ive loaded dumptrailers with it, smoothed horse paddocks, cleared scrubs and leveled roads. In practice you only use it as a standard bucket, even for levelling, using yhe bucket floor as a skid plate and bucket tilt as depth control. A dozer blade a few feet in front of the front axle is useless, all you do is create skips and bumps. The 4 in one came with his machine because it came from Germany, in Holland they dont get sold with a 4 in 1. I think its stupid anyways because the machine came with bucket quick attach so changeing a bucket couldnt be more easy.

Try this on for size:

I can only have one vehicle. I need to -
A) Haul 5 large adults comfortably
B) Have the ability to tow 8K
C) Need to haul materials on occasion; dirt, gravel, mulch, lumber, etc..
D) Don't want horrible average FE (<20mpg)
E) Need off-road ability to access my camp
F) Prefer a smooth, quiet ride for long trips/vacations
G) Must be 5-star crash worthy in all major tests
H) Low cost to insure
I) Stylish & fun to drive
J) Good resale/residual
Probably a few more scenarios I can't think of at the moment...

Put you're thinking cap on and pick a vehicle.

Well i have exactly that vehicle, along with a big and a small trailer. The offroad capability i take with a grain of salt, because an unloaded pickup has no weight over the driven axles. My Canadian cousins 2wd Ram 2500 was stuck as soon as it sniffed grass. And the 8k hauling, its not legal but ive hauled 13k gross combined, on the backroads. All that with 50mpg when commuting with just the car.

If i had to do it legal, i would borrow a van or truck at work, for the two times a year i haul more than 5k, it makes no sense taking the fuel and maintenance penalty of a pickup truck the other 363 days of the year.

I would by no means pick a 4x4 like my neighbour has (Korean SsangYong Musso, comparable to a Ford Bronco) i borrowed it once to haul a heavy load in plain sight of police. It has a higher legal tow rating, but due to crappy suspension, high profile tires (80% section width to height ratio) a high center of gravity and a short wheelbase, it started to sway before i reached the 80kmh (50mph) speed limit for trucks and trailers. My Volvo handles the trailer better because of superior suspension and longer wheelbase. The SsangYong has a horrible fuel consumption too, it would drain me empty at diesel prices of 1.30 per liter (gas at 1.75) and 35.000km a year.

A pickup truck is a very big, inefficient compromise on everything, made acceptable because fuel is dirt cheap in America. So the other guys statement "Americans like their gas guzzling pickup trucks" is true.

 

[Renze]

....but are you guys serious, about hauling dirt, compost, manure, in the bed of a pickup truck ? Thats really awkward to get out of the ribbed floor, and cargo rails. If i did that with the Nissan at work, our store manager would kick me

 

[k0ua]

Well, Renze we won't try to "sell" you a pickup truck, but my Silverado fits my needs. Our other vehicle is a Chrysler minivan. Both do very well for what we need them for.

 

[cathy liebchen]

"Those jobs are never coming back"

 

[tractorshopper]

Hahahaha.

 

[jmc]

"Those jobs are never coming back"

I don't think these particular jobs ever left. Pickup makers know they would lose more in customers than gain in profits.