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

[dodge man]

I agree to say all 1500’s are cars is ridiculous. People have different needs and for me to have a 1 ton dually would be ridiculous.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

View attachment 1346746

Sorry... Thread drift of the thread drift..

TMK - Tell me about those wheel straps you have on the car please. I'm hauling cars on the side and using chains and binders on A-arms or anywhere i can find. Sometimes it's tough to find a spot that's safe to chain to. Those straps look like they would be a great alternative if they are reliable. Also using trailers with stake rails and no t-track or holes in the deck.

 

[kozal01]

I agree to say all 1500’s are cars is ridiculous. People have different needs and for me to have a 1 ton dually would be ridiculous.

I agree, its completely moronic to say that. I love my short bed crew cab half ton. Does everything I need it to do and then some, its roomy, fun to drive and anything that I cant fit in the bed I have two different trailers to choose from. It also pulls like a freight train, best of all worlds for me. Anyone that makes those claims has never had a modern 1/2 ton truck.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I agree, its completely moronic to say that. I love my short bed crew cab half ton. Does everything I need it to do and then some, its roomy, fun to drive and anything that I cant fit in the bed I have two different trailers to choose from. It also pulls like a freight train, best of all worlds for me. Anyone that makes those claims has never had a modern 1/2 ton truck.

View attachment 1355241

I have the that same dump trailer but no way to tie down a tractor. What do you use?

I have a bed liner in mine and D rings bolted to the floor causes material to get hung up when dumping.

 

[kozal01]

I have the that same dump trailer but no way to tie down a tractor. What do you use?

I have a bed liner in mine and D rings bolted to the floor causes material to get hung up when dumping.

I have D rings bolted to the floor. They do catch material sometimes but not too bad

 

[Too many Kubotas]

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...

I started out with a '76 GMC 3/4-ton Bonus Cab SRW, 350/350 and 4.10s. Had a bit under 100,000 on it when I bought it.

Wouldn't exactly call it slow, until I put an 11.6 camper on it and towing a Jeep up the grades in the Sierra Nevada. And that 4,000 lb. or so Lance was about all it could handle weight wise.

What I really liked about it was that it could most likely be fixed on the side of the road with a Leatherman. Don't recall ever having any issues, though.

Ended up putting a 454, TH400, and a Gear Vendors in it. That helped the performance quite a bit.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

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

So did my ex's Chevy station wagon.

Well, you had to fold the rear seats to put sheets of plywood in it, but it was definitely a car. With a frame, and larger engine, transmission, and rear axle, than a Ram 1500.

 

[Oaktree]

Repair costs? Okay, oil changes cost more on the 3500 because it holds more oil, but it can also go longer between changes. And with regular maintenance the Cummins should go about 500,000 miles. That's more than any 1500 engine I know of, not even counting the notoriously dismal Ecodiesel.

I don't know where in the "actual midwest" you live, but I'll guess that it's somewhere that road salt is not commonly used. Here in New England it's rust, not engine failure that limits vehicle life. In my almost 60 years of driving I've had exactly ONE vehicle that died of engine failure...and the rest of it wasn't far behind.

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.

Agreed. Until recently I had an '01 extended cab with the 4.7 and 6.5' bed and it served me very well. My biggest complaint was that it didn't have the rear suicide doors so it was a PITA to get stuff in and out of the back. I still see quite a few gen 2 Dakotas around, which is more than I can say for any of the other less-than-fullsize pickups of that era.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

TMK - Tell me about those wheel straps you have on the car please. I'm hauling cars on the side and using chains and binders on A-arms or anywhere i can find. Sometimes it's tough to find a spot that's safe to chain to. Those straps look like they would be a great alternative if they are reliable. Also using trailers with stake rails and no t-track or holes in the deck.

They are basic lasso straps. Those or wheel nets is all I use, unless the vehicle in question is so heavy that chains are warranted. And by the time they're closer to 15,000 lbs. there's usually places to attach chains without causing any damage.

Here's an example of lasso straps used in two different ways.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

I don't know where in the "actual midwest" you live, but I'll guess that it's somewhere that road salt is not commonly used. Here in New England it's rust, not engine failure that limits vehicle life. In my almost 60 years of driving I've had exactly ONE vehicle that died of engine failure...and the rest of it wasn't far behind.

To me, the mid west is the middle of the western half of the country, which puts me in the Rockies.

Yes, we have salt on the roads around here, but I'll take salt over magnesium chloride any day. They use that purely evil stuff in parts of Colorado.