Which would you buy...stake bed vs 4x4 PU?

[Diamondpilot]

I am with Builder and the others. Just as a comparison, my neighbor has a 70's Ford 800 Dump Truck, probably similar to what you are looking at with a different bed. Its a single axle, dually, high low rear end gas engine. Has tons of power but will get stuck on wet grass if empty. 6 tons of whatever in the bed is a different story. It sound like you will never have much weight on it. I have pulled it out 2 times I can thank of. Both times it was empty. Once with my wifes Mercury Mountaineer and once with my tractor. Get a 4 wheel drive whatever...

Chris

 

[Builder]

What you need is what we call "a beater wit a heater".

Don't get a gator. It'll cost you more than an older 4x4 stakebody and won't be able to carry squat compared to a stake 4x4. 200-300HP sure beats 25HP

Who knows, you might even be able to register it & tag it for farm truck use to run errands or have a back-up truck if your pickup ever needs repairs.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Again, I agree with Builder. UTV's are nice for a lot of things but cost at least $9k for a basic Landpride Treker. If you go for a workhorse with a nice cab like the Kubota RTV1100 it is $15-$16k. And you only have a 4'x4' box on them.

 

[unreconstructed]

I have a '95 F150 2WD out on the farm that my Dad pretty well trashed out before he passed on. If I determine the power plant and drive train are sound, I am thinking of pulling the box off and making a stake bed out of some old cotton trailers. Seems like that would be pretty handy. But looking at where all these posts are coming from, it would seem that 4WD is probably more of an issue for you all since it you all get more rain than our 14 or so inches. I just don't get out when its wet--its usually dried out in a day or so anyhow so really don't need 4WD that much.

 

[CumminsLuke]

Unless you are going to be putting a lot of weight on it's back (5,000lbs) I'd just buy an older 3/4 ton 4x4 auto trans (so the wife can drive) junk the pick-up box and put a cheap flatbed on it. I am a car and truck dealer and I get old 3/4 tons all the time that are rough but serviceable for $1500-$4000, and I've got a company that we buy a lot of flatbeds form that sells some cheap flatbeds that'd fit a 3/4 ton truck for around $1,000 installed. You could have you a pretty decent truck for a couple G's. The old two ton farm trucks have their place but they are slow and cumbersome, and your wife would have a real tough time handling them big old beasts. I've got a bunch of different trucks, but I do have an old ex dept. of conservation 86' chevy 1-ton 2wd dump with a 350V8 and a 4-speed stick that I use a lot on the farm, my wife even has a hard time with that truck, and it's not very big at all.

 

[Logan]

I agree with davitk to get an old 4x4 and take the bed off and build a stake body. The last (and only) bed I took off was only held on by four bolts. It was on an old 65 Chevy. My 98 Dodge came from the factory with the bed cocked to one side and it appeared to be only four bolts too. The dealer fixed that. You can take a bed off in an hour and once off, I would think you could construct a stake body for very little more cash.

If you are considering a Gator, for less money, you could consider a small 4x4 with a homemade stake body. It would haul more, be less expensive to maintain (Parts), and you would have a more comfortable cab. It would also be more heavy duty in design. Unless you have really steep land the truck would probably go almost any where the Gator would go. Around here, S. GA., you could pick up a small 4x4 and convert it for a LOT less than you can buy a Gator.

There are Christmas tree farms all around my place in NC and I believe a stake body would be much more usefull for that purpose. If you go this route there are kits that you can buy that make the stake body or regular bed dump. But, they are kind of pricey (around 2,000) unless you determine you really need it.

With the homemade stake body you could probably build a pivot for the back of the stake body and build a mount that rises three or four feet above the bed, in the front, and attach a small winch. The winch would lift the front and tilt the bed. For occasional use that would probably work well and add only two or three hundred to the cost of the bed.

 

[crashz]

I'll jump on the bandWAGON here and add to the 4x4 pickup catagory.

One thing I'd add, it try to find at least a 3/4 ton or 1 ton pickup. Popular choices would be a 74-87 Chevy or GMC (straight axle frontend, rugged and cheap to fix) or 81 - 97 Ford F350 (also rugged and cheap to fix).

One thing to consider is that all trucks will get stuck. But a heavier dually may be tougher to pull out than a 4x4. Just a thought....

 

[Builder]

Nursery work is better suited for a heavier truck. Balled trees, soil, etc. are heavy.

Consider a liftgate, like the truck I posted from Eb*y. Save your back from injury.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Nursery work is better suited for a heavier truck. Balled trees, soil, etc. are heavy.

Consider a liftgate, like the truck I posted from Eb*y. Save your back from injury.

I just looked at the link you posted and if that was closer to here I would love that truck for the farm. The crew cab wouldn't really be needed but from time to time it would come in handy but pulling hay wagons, delivering hay in the stake box and all around farm chores that truck would work great for. Plus the occasional heavy, bulky off farm job like moving furniture, hauling materials to a job and other useful things like that. The truck would be lucky to see 2000 miles a year here but would still be worth having.

 

[Builder]

I just looked at the link you posted and if that was closer to here I would love that truck for the farm. The crew cab wouldn't really be needed but from time to time it would come in handy but pulling hay wagons, delivering hay in the stake box and all around farm chores that truck would work great for. Plus the occasional heavy, bulky off farm job like moving furniture, hauling materials to a job and other useful things like that. The truck would be lucky to see 2000 miles a year here but would still be worth having.

I think it's the perfect truck for the OP!