UGH New Pick Ups are Worthless

[4 seasons lawn&land]

haha. I know what you mean. Its a location thing. Driving on the lawn is daily. We are not dealing with the little suburb type places.

[Mickhippy]

heres my ute.

[4 seasons lawn&land]

I like that. Did u can the stock bed for the same reason?

[Mickhippy]

They are just better than pick up type beds. Dont have to worry about scratches, dents etc. All sides fold down for easy access etc. Sides are removable/replaceable if damaged.
They are by far the most popular type of bed for work vehicles here. Other good thing is they are totally flat, dont have to worry about wheel arches.

[Gravel Rat]

All new vehicals have thin sheet metal, Ford trucks seem to be thicker than the others. Any good welding shop can build you a aluminum flatdeck and it can be custom made to what you want. You wouldn't want a steel bed on a 3/4 ton you have too much weight.

You other option is a totally dedicated lawn truck something like a cabover then you have a good turning radius the truck gets decent fuel mileage.

[GravelyNut]

Originally Posted by 4 seasons lawn&land

The dual wheel ground presure thing is a good point but theres alot of additional weight there too and if you have a dually its usually a diesel and diesels are damn heavy. I dont think the lawns would like the front tires pressure much. Of course you can get a gasser but.... eh... dual wheels and gasser sounds.... not great?

Not to mention the added size of a "real truck" sacrafice that maneuverability that is so handy to me. Note- I barely pull off a 3/4 to pick up on lawns without pissing people off.

The most frustrating part is having something SO CLOSE to what I need yet so far away. All I need is 1999 grade sheet metal on a new truck.

There used to be good gas powered duallys. But Chevy dropped the 8.1. Also if you change a bed on a 3500 here you have to go to Commercial insurance on the vehicle. But as you are using it for business you ought to have it anyways.

[WHIPPLE5.7]

Alot of new trucks are pretty crappy for what you get for sure. I have a 1996 2500 Silverado I love because it works hard without trouble. Even though I won't part with it I like to have something else around since I often need more than one truck anyway. First was a newer GMC and it had the same problem as you describe, even lean up against the box and it looks like a bear can got stepped on. It had almost no lowend power but lots on top, that pissed me off because I tow and need torque instead of 5,000 RPM power. Next I tried a Cummins dually, Dodge gets big thumbs down for this thing. It would be more comfortable to have a dog pull down the street while sitting in Red Ryder wagon. Fuel consumption was unreal on this truck far worse than any gas truck I've ever seen. Finally had enough and found another truck same body style as my '96. Its '99 2500 HD with a 454, loaded, ex-cab, 40K miles and only cost me $8,500. I couldn't be happier. Nice ride, lots of power, 15 mpg, and low purchase price for a like new condition truck.

[DA Quality Lawn & YS]

I would have to add that 1/2 ton PU's these days are made for city slickers, not workers like you and I. That is why half tons are SO impractical with those high box sides (good grief, they are like 6' in the air, how are you supposed to throw anything over the side when the box is so high in the air??), among other things.

I wish someone would build a pickup for the working man again.

[pitrack]

What if you got like a gator or something of the sort with a little dump box on the back if you HAVE to drive on the yard?