Thinking about getting a farm pickup

[sd455dan]

An old Dodge will be a rust pile and wouldn't hold anything!

I forgot to tell mine that.

Bought a 2005 Triton V 8 Ford F 150 4x4 yesterday for 1K think it will make a good farm truck. Pulling any weight will continue to let a Dodge with Cummins do the work.

 

[Jstpssng]

One of my family members has a fairly new maybe like 2015 GMC canyon. It only gets 14mpg local mileage. He never takes it on long trips so idk what it gets on the highway.

Ouch! I have a 2018 Colorado and it gets 22-24 unless I'm just running short errands with a lot of starting and stopping.
It also drops when I get on the interstate doing 70-80.

Everybody has their opinions but I would not buy a 1/2 ton GM pickup. It's almost a given that it will need a transmission at around 130k, that's a $6000 repair bill. My Colorado has 114,000 on it now, I'm trying to decide if it's time to trade or start saving for the repair.

 

[Tomtint]

Ill add this to the thread.. We have 5 trucks.. A couple F450s A 1999 F150, A 2024 Tundra and a 2024 Raptor F150.. I bought the 99 about 6 years ago from a friend who bought it new.. It came up to the north east with zero rust zero body damage but had 140K on it and needed 1 of everything.. I bought it for 2K at the time and in hindsight I should have parted it out. As of today it has 190K on it +/-. And I'm into it for close to $18K.. Its super reliable at this point.. But inn so tipped in a old truck.. I have to keep it for 10 more years to get my moneys worth.

 

[yanmars]

For my farm a regular cab, long bed in a 150 works well, would also for you I think. I got my 2004 Ram 150 4wheel drive with under 40,000 miles in 2008 for $7900. Still have it over 200,000 miles later. No real problems with it but 15 mpg at best but far cheaper than a newer truck with better mileage.

 

[Jstpssng]

For my farm a regular cab, long bed in a 150 works well, would also for you I think. I got my 2004 Ram 150 4wheel drive with under 40,000 miles in 2008 for $7900. Still have it over 200,000 miles later. No real problems with it but 15 mpg at best but far cheaper than a newer truck with better mileage.

For reference; at 15 mpg you burn about 833.33 gallons per year. If you traded for something which got 19 you would burn about 657 17/19 gallons/ year. (I'm not sure what realistically gets that, until you get into the smaller sized truck which are only sold with a short box.)

So if you traded for something with better mileage, at 3$/gallon you could be saving a whopping $526.20 on gas every year!!!!

Of course you would spend a lot more than that on the upgrade...

 

[sd455dan]

Ill add this to the thread.. We have 5 trucks.. A couple F450s A 1999 F150, A 2024 Tundra and a 2024 Raptor F150.. I bought the 99 about 6 years ago from a friend who bought it new.. It came up to the north east with zero rust zero body damage but had 140K on it and needed 1 of everything.. I bought it for 2K at the time and in hindsight I should have parted it out. As of today it has 190K on it +/-. And I'm into it for close to $18K.. Its super reliable at this point.. But inn so tipped in a old truck.. I have to keep it for 10 more years to get my moneys worth.

Wow if this 05 gives any real problems will just sell it for whatever I can get as a parts truck for another Ford owner, what caused the big dollar headaches with the 1999 F 150?

 

[zoedog2012]

Why such a ridiculous comment?
Dodges are no worse about rust than any other brand. What if he gets a southern truck?
“Wouldn’t hold anything”? An 8’ bed on a 3/4 or 1 ton Dodge will hold plenty and with a 5.9L it could run 500K + miles and get about 20MPG.

I’d love to have an older manual Cummins 4WD

Buy one!

 

[Hay Dude]

Buy one!

Well, I already have one. Have greater needs than a second Dodge/Ram right now

 

[deserteagle71]

An old Dodge will be a rust pile and wouldn't hold anything!

My Dodge/Cummins will be 21 years old next month. I defy you to find a spot of rust on it!

 

[MossRoad]

I've never owned a pickup, but I'm thinking about getting one. It wouldn't be a daily driver, just for around the farm* and getting things to and from the farm. Going to the lumberyard or Home Depot for building supplies, going to the dump once a week, occasionally transporting goats or sheep. Moving mulch or sand. The ability to pull maybe 3500 pounds in a trailer, for moving hay equipment and boats, and sometimes rented equipment. I'd definitely want to be able to carry a full sheet of plywood in the bed.

So I'm thinking a small pickup with cap and roof racks. Probably 4wd would be good because we do get snow, although I use the tractor to plow. Since I can't imagine putting more than a few thousand miles a year on it I could see getting something older.

So what should I be looking for?



Don't laugh, but I currently have a 2012 Honda Odyssey minivan that I use for all those things.

*(I'm just a pretend farmer but I call my place "the farm.")

Cap and roof rack and mulch and sand are not compatible unless you want to shovel it in or out. You'd have to remove them for loading with a tractor bucket.

An old Suburban checks all your other boxes. A Suburban with a trailer is optimal.

 

[LHF2019]

I've never seen over 10 mpg out of either of my farm trucks and would never look at mpg when buying a truck for around the farm. Lots of idling no driving and never really getting up to speed. They are for working. My first fill up in the V10 was 7.x mpg because I was curious. Been years since I've seen anything close to 10 mpg in my 454.

 

[keljan11]

I can highly recommend any GMC/Chevy truck within the years of 2000 - 2006 in gasoline V8 1500/2500. I have two 2004 trucks, one 1500 and one Duramax 2500. VERY reliable trucks.........

I've got a 2003 Chev 2500, with about 220,000 miles on it. So far, I've changed a wheel bearing, the starter, and 2 fuel pumps. It just keeps running

 

[mikester]

More than 315,000 Ram trucks recalled for brake system issue

Its about time they stood up and fixed these trucks. I took ours to the stealer and they wanted 800.00 just to diagnose it. https://www.news-press.com/story/money/cars/recalls/2024/12/06/chrysler-recalls-pickups-dodge-ram-models/76818903007/

www.tractorbynet.com

Buy a Ram pickup

Personally speaking I find it cheaper to hire a truck to make deliveries than to maintain and insure another gas guzzler vehicle I'm driving empty more than 50% of the time.

Someone needs to invent an Uber for people to drive their pickup trucks and make deliveries while getting negative hourly pay.

 

[scootr]

In 2005 I was looking to buy a pickup for work and hauling hoses weekly. I found an 04 F250 with 5.4L gas engine new and $24k. Ran it for 5 yrs 150k miles with gas and oil only. Synthetic Oil every 10-15k miles only. Sold to a friend when I retired and he has hauled classic cars with it for another 5 yrs. Dam tough truck.

 

[Hay Dude]

More than 315,000 Ram trucks recalled for brake system issue

Its about time they stood up and fixed these trucks. I took ours to the stealer and they wanted 800.00 just to diagnose it. https://www.news-press.com/story/money/cars/recalls/2024/12/06/chrysler-recalls-pickups-dodge-ram-models/76818903007/

www.tractorbynet.com

Buy a Ram pickup

Personally speaking I find it cheaper to hire a truck to make deliveries than to maintain and insure another gas guzzler vehicle I'm driving empty more than 50% of the time.

Someone needs to invent an Uber for people to drive their pickup trucks and make deliveries while getting negative hourly pay.

How do you hire a truck to deliver hay into a customers farm, 7 days a week and then unload it? Sometimes off road? Or hire a truck to do other immediate farm type jobs like feeding cattle?
The OP is looking for a "farm type truck" to do chores on his property. No "uber" truck is available for that.

In regards to the recall that is for 2017-2018 trucks.
I don't think the OP or any other potential buyer is going to be swayed by a recall. Every brand has recalls.

 

[Oaktree]

Ouch! I have a 2018 Colorado and it gets 22-24 unless I'm just running short errands with a lot of starting and stopping.
It also drops when I get on the interstate doing 70-80.

Everybody has their opinions but I would not buy a 1/2 ton GM pickup. It's almost a given that it will need a transmission at around 130k, that's a $6000 repair bill.

Mine's a '19 and my mileage is similar to yours. Dunno what 4570man's friend does with his truck to get mileage that low. A lot of towing maybe?
Mine has the 8 speed transmission, which was the one that had issues. Apparently they started using a different transmission fluid for the '19 and later models that seems to have fixed them. Mine's pushing 130k, and other than a slightly rough 1-2 shift when cold (which from what I've read they all do) it's fine. They do recommend fluid changes at 50k intervals.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

My Dad and several uncles had either 1/2 ton GM's with 350's or Fords with 351's in the 70, and 80's and they all got about 17-18 MPG on gravel roads and into town, on a highway run they got 19-20 so not sure why your experience was so much worse.
Heck I remember driving our 1984 K10 long bed with a 305 and it got 18 mpg regularly just on the hilly gravel roads and 2 lane black top roads. Never really took it on much of a highway run.

I owned a bunch of 70's model Fords with the 351M and 1 with a 390 and several 80's model Chevrolet square body's with the 350 motors and not 1 of them would get 15 MPG , so my experience has been like the other poster as far as MPG on those models, now in 1992 I bought a brand new Chevrolet Z-71 4x4 1/2 ton SWB with a 350 and it will get 15+ MPG and around 20 on the road, I gave it to one of my sons and he still has it.

 

[Oaktree]

My Dodge/Cummins will be 21 years old next month. I defy you to find a spot of rust on it!

Not surprising, you live in the desert.
I will say that Dodge/Ram trucks are much better in that regard today than they were even when yours was new.

At least in my area, the longevity award goes to GM trucks...you see a lot more old ones than any other make. Ford a somewhat distant 2nd, then everyone else is far behind.

 

[deserteagle71]

Personally speaking I find it cheaper to hire a truck to make deliveries than to maintain and insure another gas guzzler vehicle I'm driving empty more than 50% of the time.

Depends on where you live, I guess. Good luck in renting or hiring a truck in rural Nevada. Or getting something you bought delivered.

Out here, if you want something hauled or delivered you best have your own truck and trailer. Or have a friend/relative/neighbor do it for you.

 

[Jstpssng]

Apparently they started using a different transmission fluid for the '19 and later models that seems to have fixed them

Yep. I paid to have that changed when it started chattering at speed... It was >10,000 miles off warrantee when I had the fluid changed.
3 months later it tripped a code... there was another TSB for bad wiring harness in the transmission. The two repairs were well over $1000.

In regards to the recall that is for 2017-2018 trucks.

I've seen the headlines but never bothered to read the article. I'm going to show my age and say that it wasn't so long ago, if you had a 7 or 8 YO vehicle you were on your own no matter what the problem was.