75% of truck owners tow 1/year or less?

[QRTRHRS]

I lost fifth gear on my 97' 12V for the second time at 350k when the fully splined shaft failed, I had a LOL, great idea. I bought an FL70 to pull my dump trailer on average once or twice a month. Such as they are, the 3126 CAT ran well and had a nice non obnoxious sound with a straight exhaust. A prior owner had swapped out the seven speed for a nine speed RR. It was more fun than practical so I sold it along with the dump trailer. Then, I bought a E450 box truck. I could haul 110 bales of hay with no straps and no worries about rain but that was prior to knee replacement and that step up was a killer.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

2024 Ram 1500 can be equipped to tow 12,750. A 1990 F350 max factory towing was 12,500.

And that's because of largely unrealistic J2708 ratings, not because the F350 was a lesser vehicle.

Dad had a 73 Chevrolet 1/2 ton pickup that handled everything we threw at it.

350 v8 with auto and a/c.

Again, that was before they started downsizing the mechanical bits and overestimating the capabilities of the late model stuff.

 

[mikester]

So, I saw this just a minute ago. No idea were it's from, or if it's just made up, and if accurate, what they are considering a "truck", is a Rav4 considered a "truck", when it's really a station wagon?

Sure, I do know most people don't haul that much, but...

75% of truck owners tow a trailer 1/year or less

70% go off road 1/year or less

35% haul something in the bed 1/year or less

I am a light truck user, and have went at one point, like 4 years without a truck at all, using a cheap small SUV, a Toyota Highlander, and frankly towed a trailer with it more than many guys with a 3/4T. I've also used wife's Durango to tow a back hoe during that time.

I now am back to having a 1/2T, and probably tow a trailer generally around 6-8/year; and I would guess haul something in the bed larger then would fit in a car trunk something like 30-50/year. If we count having some old oil jugs, tow straps, and general junk in the bed, I'm 100% using the bed.

Anyway; does the picture/meme/whatever seem remotely right?

I will admit, I like my Ram 1500 crew, 4x4, 6'8" bed; but 80% of the time, something like a Canyon/Colorado/Dakota/Ranger would work for me. The funny part is, probably 2-3 times per year, I find I wish I had more Payload capacity (never really more towing) than my Ram (full pallet of quickcrete, block, ect).

Heck, kinda turns my pride a bit, but if forced too; I could probably get by with a Maverick and trailer most of the time (not that I want too)View attachment 1345835

Not sure what they mean by going off road either? We talking going wheeling; I don't in my truck anymore; but if we talk loose/wet dirt roads, boat ramps, and other non road surfaces, not sand/mud pits, who's staying on a road surface all year?

90% live in the burbs and never have more than 1 person in their 10,000lbs jacked up 4x4 quad cab with useless micro-short-box commuter vehicles that see snow twice a year. It's easy to spot the 4x4's because they are the ones spun out in the ditches when we get a light dusting of snow.

 

[paulsharvey]

And that's because of largely unrealistic J2708 ratings, not because the F350 was a lesser vehicle.

Again, that was before they started downsizing the mechanical bits and overestimating the capabilities of the late model stuff.

I really think people look back on those older trucks in an unrealistic light. If we are really honest; they were slow, uncomfortable, less reliable, and could pull, upto maybe 55mph. They didnt accelerate well empty, and it got worse with any load. They Did seem to handle more payload; as a kid dad would get a yard of gravel in an F150 bed, delivered firewood, ect. Sure, it did squat down some, and it Was over loaded, but it didn't sit down like the newer ones with 1000# in the bed

So, I did really like my 2005 Chevy 2500HD, 6.0L, 4x4, and in 2005 (this was the only new vehicle i ever bought) I thought that thing was Fast, probably mostly cause of the 4.10 rear end. Could out run 5.4L Fords, 5.3L Chevys, ect almost every other truck than the Chevy SS, Ford Lighting, ect, off the line, but ran our of gears, and max'd out at 99. We used to drink too much at the dirt track, and race 3 wide down a 2 lane state highway on the way home...

Anyway; wreck that truck and eventually sell it, going to the Highlander. Then I get a 2014 Ram 5.7 4x4 work truck. Getting on the interstate, without really flooring it, you'd look down halfway up a long ramp, and you're doing 85mph.

My son has a 2003 Chevy 1500HD 6.0L, and I've driven it a few times; and his is pretty well trimmed; and the seats are not as comfortable as my kinda low trimmed '19; it has a Lot less power, can tow about the same; his gets 11-13 mph and mine gets 19 mpg.

All that said; I do kinda miss the 97-2003 Dakota series; they were a very good normal guy truck, that needed to take some tools, or a bit of lumber, in a no nonsense truck, and could pull a 4000# trailer. I also preferred the day to day getting tools out of the bed, compared to the taller trucks.

 

[DarkBlack]

Of course 4WD (unless it has limited slip differentials or lockers) isn't really 4WD, it's 2WD one wheel in the front and one wheel in the back.

Actually, a standard 4WD is 2WD in the rear, plus the additional 2WD in the front.

 

[DarkBlack]

My counterpoints to this, whether you consider them valid or not, are that 1500s are basically cars with tiny beds.

My Ram 1500 has a full frame and an 8’ bed.
Your blanket statement is invalid

 

[sixdogs]

Ok kinda figured it was a hit piece that cherry picked data to prove a pre determined view. But, I will say, for many people, a 5x10 trailer and a small SUV can be a practical answer to the problem of $50k trucks.

A better idea is to have both the truck and the trailer. Use the truck for things you want to put in a truck and the trailer for nasty things like fertilizer bags that you don't want to put in the truck. Problem, if there ever was one, solved.

Things vital to one's lifestyle or existence are better to have and not need than need and not have. Kind of like home and fire or flood insurance that most of us will never need..

 

[bdhsfz6]

Snow sucks.
I’ve plowed the miserable crap since I was 16. Great for kids-bad for outdoor work.
Never made much money off plowing it because the equipment is expensive and it wears out your trucks.

Global warming made it go away here-maybe you too can have the pleasure of winters with no snow. You’ll like it.

I beat the crap out of my pickups plowing snow for over 30 years before I got wise and switched to a cabbed tractor.

Climate change has definitely made a difference in snowfall here as well. When I first started plowing in 1979, we averaged 100 inches a season. Now we get less than half that.

Climate change isn't all bad I guess.

 

[Runner]

They Did seem to handle more payload; as a kid dad would get a yard of gravel in an F150 bed, delivered firewood, ect. Sure, it did squat down some, and it Was over loaded, but it didn't sit down like the newer ones with 1000# in the bed

Like this:

 

[paulsharvey]

Like this:
View attachment 1353533

Yep, but green. Some how, dad always ended up with green ford's. He didn't even like Ford, but that was pretty much what he always had