Half-ton pickup redux

[jetsam]

That is crazy, but very cool! I wish I had AC at mine, but not enough to do anything about it. These chickens were for my son, and his interest in them is already waning, so I’m not sure I’ll even replace this flock when they’re done. The only real challenge is the liquid water thing, and I have a simple solution that works reasonably well when the sun is shining. They probably get a little thirsty late in the day on cloudier days, but they’ll survive.

I debated the timer/light thing, but chose against it. They’re only born with so many eggs, so the faster you play them out, the longer you’re stuck feeding a menopausal chicken.

From the sound of it, your wife is not going to let you eat them, when they’re done laying.

The original plan was to eat them also, but that was before she named them.

A lead acid battery, a charge controller, and a 30+w solar panel would let you run an LED lightbulb and a livestock bucket heater out there for not too much investment (the heater shouldn't run very much indoors out of the wind; the one I have is supposed to heat to 35° before it shuts off). Looks like a couple companies out there make smaller 12v deicers.

 

[firefighterjake]

Do you suppose begreen is holding off on axing this thread because he started it.... or do you think we finally converted him??

All The Best Stuff Happens After The Derailment™

My 1/2 ton pick up, a Nissan Titan, failed to start this morning . . . just way, way too cold (plus it doesn't help that the battery is original to the 2010 truck.)

 

[WiscWoody]

It kills me that Dodge has stopped making pickups with big motors. Even the SRT-10, which was cool, was about the most useless truck ever made. I’d have gladly laid down more cash, if I could buy a 1500 4x4 with the 6.4L SRT V8 or the SRT V10, if they had the good sense to build one. A 5000 lb. pickup with less than 6 liters is a turd, no matter how you slice it.

Not a dig against Dodge, specifically. Chevy and Ford are even worse, in this regard. I just name Dodge, because high horsepower was their primary marketing, whereas Ford marketed on legacy/popularity and Chevy marketed on reliability.

“Sensible” fuel economy is ruling over horsepower, these days. Yes, they get more horsepower out of today’s 5.7 liter motor, than they did out of yesterday’s 7 liter motor... but I’d like to have today’s 7+ or 8 liter in a 1500 pickup.

Isn’t because of the fuel mileage regulations? Isn’t that why trucks are going to aluminum bodies and smaller turbocharged engine? You work for big oil don’t you?

 

[WiscWoody]

Which rusts. The worst I’ve ever owned was a 1978 Ford... I could almost see that thing rusting, if I sat and watched it for any period of time. And while the dash and body were indeed made of metal, it was still filled with plenty of low-quality 1970’s plastic that just crumbled in your hands. I still have painful memories of rebuilding the instrument cluster, in that Ford, not to mention the horrendous heater controls.

If you’re going to compare materials, you can’t beat new. Materials science didn’t even exist, as an area of consideration, when some of these old trucks were made.

My face far prefers a modern airbag, to the unprotected metal dash of my old pickups, in event of collision.

I don’t know... I like my 78 F-150 and after all these years it’s still in good shape and it has a small inline 6 300 engine too but it brings the wood home no problem, starts even in the coldest norther cold no problem etc. I guess if I was driving in the cities again I’d worry more about safety though. Up here there is no traffic, in fact... in the winter you can go for miles sometimes on the highway and not see another vehicle.

 

[jetsam]

View attachment 219145
I don’t know... I like my 78 F-150 and after all these years it’s still in good shape and it has a small inline 6 300 engine too but it brings the wood home no problem, starts even in the coldest norther cold no problem etc. I guess if I was driving in the cities again I’d worry more about safety though. Up here there is no traffic, in fact... in the winter you can go for miles sometimes on the highway and not see another vehicle.

Can you post a picture of that truck with some chickens on it?

 

[WiscWoody]

I had a 1994 Ford Ranger 4x4 that I drove through 14 sloppy city salt laden winters in Minnesota and it never had a rust problem except some on the tailgate that is a very common truck problem. The bottom 1/3 of the body was galvanized steel and I washed it when the roads would clear up in the winters. There was rust on the undercarriage but not like the frame or springs were falling apart. I sold the truck when a small truck didn’t suit me any longer. Now I drive long bed pickups.

 

[WiscWoody]

I know this is off topic.... but I wander where page 11 on this thread is? It goes from page 10 to page 12...?

 

[jetsam]

I know this is off topic.... but I wander where page 11 on this thread is? It goes from page 10 to page 12...?

Every thread with more than 2 pages does that as far as I can tell. To get to page 11, click page 10 and then click "NEXT >" .

 

[firefighterjake]

I know this is off topic.... but I wander where page 11 on this thread is? It goes from page 10 to page 12...?

It's like Floor 13 in a highrise . . . it may or may not be there.

 

[Stelcom66]

View attachment 219145
I don’t know... I like my 78 F-150 and after all these years it’s still in good shape and it has a small inline 6 300 engine too but it brings the wood home no problem, starts even in the coldest norther cold no problem etc. I guess if I was driving in the cities again I’d worry more about safety though. Up here there is no traffic, in fact... in the winter you can go for miles sometimes on the highway and not see another vehicle.

I'd love to have a pickup truck with that engine and a manual transmission, probably it was a 4 speed that year. Wow that's in nice shape. Is it 2WD? I had a 1980 Ford Club Wagon with that engine and believe it or not a 4 speed manual on the floor. I wouldn't mind 2WD for occasional use, the concern would be getting into an area to get wood with snow on the ground when empty. When full with wood, 2WD would probably be fine.

 

[WiscWoody]

I'd love to have a pickup truck with that engine and a manual transmission, probably it was a 4 speed that year. Wow that's in nice shape. Is it 2WD? I had a 1980 Ford Club Wagon with that engine and believe it or not a 4 speed manual on the floor. I wouldn't mind 2WD for occasional use, the concern would be getting into an area to get wood with snow on the ground when empty. When full with wood, 2WD would probably be fine.

Thanks and yes it is a 2WD truck. It’s mostly all original except for the wheels. The tranny is a B/W T-18 granny geared 4 speed that’s supposed to be a good tough gear box. It has the 9 inch rear end too. It runs good for a old truck. I have a 4WD Ford also I put a photo of here in a earlier post but WTH here it is again. Lol. I don’t drive either truck much in the winter.... I will own both until I’m gone I’m sure.

 

[Stelcom66]

You're welcome and nice F250 as well. That gen never gets old looking, not that old is bad! I had a 2002 SUV and a 2001 4WD truck, traded them in for a large SUV with the intent of using it like a truck at times. But... many ads I see for firewood that are 'u pickup' base the price on a pickup truck full. While the SUV has 48" between the wheels wells and I cut plywood to protect the floor and sides, there's nothin' like a real truck for some duties.
The SUV's bed is maybe about 6' and change. Damn your older trucks are in good shape!

I'm may research opinions/experiences with RWD in snow. Earlier this year I had a company GM Savanah. I put a couple of large stumps in back, would back in the driveway when I knew snow was coming (slight incline pulling out) and was surprised how well the RWD van did. I know the easiest/best thing to do would be simply buy and old 2WD truck, but the budget has changed.

 

[WiscWoody]

You're welcome and nice F250 as well. That gen never gets old looking, not that old is bad! I had a 2002 SUV and a 2001 4WD truck, traded them in for a large SUV with the intent of using it like a truck at times. But... many ads I see for firewood that are 'u pickup' base the price on a pickup truck full. While the SUV has 48" between the wheels wells and I cut plywood to protect the floor and sides, there's nothin' like a real truck for some duties.
The SUV's bed is maybe about 6' and change. Damn your older trucks are in good shape!

I'm may research opinions/experiences with RWD in snow. Earlier this year I had a company GM Savanah. I put a couple of large stumps in back, would back in the driveway when I knew snow was coming (slight incline pulling out) and was surprised how well the RWD van did. I know the easiest/best thing to do would be simply buy and old 2WD truck, but the budget has changed.

If you have snow tires in the back and some weight in the bed you can do pretty well in a 2WD. There’s some videos on YouTube like “ 2WD vs 4WD” showing how some can drive a 2WD and not get stuck and many are farmers. All of the wood I burn in my house I scrounge within a few blocks of here and I haul it with my ATV and Polar trailer but there’s a guy up here that sells me good dry maple by the truck load and I fill up the ‘78 heaping full for $25 a load then I drive it a few miles and I sell it and stack it for cabin rental owners who don’t have any way to go get their own wood for $150. It’s about 2 face cord worth. I don’t do it a lot bit maybe a dozen times a summer. l also mow the cabins in my mowing business and I for the most part pull my mowing trailer all summer long in the old Ford.

 

[Ashful]

Isn’t because of the fuel mileage regulations? Isn’t that why trucks are going to aluminum bodies and smaller turbocharged engine? You work for big oil don’t you?

I'm no expert on the reg's, but I thought they were all fleet average requirements, not impositions on any single vehicle. I don't think there's any reg's preventing them from stuffing the SRT-10 engine into a 1/2 ton pickup, just perceived lack of market demand.

So, You can buy a sedan or coupe with a 6.4L engine, but can't find anything larger than 5.7L in a full-size 1/2-ton pickup... that makes sense. [emoji57]

No, I don't work in the oil industry.

 

[jetsam]

We got TWO INCHES of snow.... which was enough for me to play with my toys!! Huzzah!

 

[WiscWoody]

I'm no expert on the reg's, but I thought they were all fleet average requirements, not impositions on any single vehicle. I don't think there's any reg's preventing them from stuffing the SRT-10 engine into a 1/2 ton pickup, just perceived lack of market demand.

So, You can buy a sedan or coupe with a 6.4L engine, but can't find anything larger than 5.7L in a full-size 1/2-ton pickup... that makes sense. [emoji57]

No, I don't work in the oil industry.

Who has a 6.4L engine? The new Corvette Z06 has a 6.2L and the Dodge SRT Hellcat engine is the same size. I don’t want to get in a big debate about how much power or displacement is enough to get the job done in. Struck but I think a 5.7L or a 350CI (well 348...) should be fine. My F250 has the 2 valve 5.4 and it’s enough to pull what I have but if you want to really pull then you get the diesel that’ll pull something like 14,000 pounds. But that’s in a Super Duty... not a 1/2 ton which is what the thread is about I guess. Chow.

 

[Ashful]

Who has a 6.4L engine?

The SRT 392 cars are all 6.4L. This includes the SRT 392 Challenger, Charger, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Durango.

The Hellcat is the same motor with a forged crank and different heads, bringing displacement down to 6.2L.

I don’t want to get in a big debate about how much power or displacement is enough to get the job done in.

“Just enough” is never very interesting. If it were, I’d drive a Toyota Camry.

 

[Stelcom66]

Some would think I'm crazy for doing this, today I did use the SUV as a (sort of) pickup truck. It's got 48" between the wheel wells, so overall the capacity is maybe about the same as a compact pickup truck not considering the weight capacity. I bought the wood from a place that sells them in 'hoops'. Certainly not cost effective, but I'm kind of running behind.This is the first time I've paid for wood in almost 2 years thanks to neighbors that had trees taken down.

 

[WiscWoody]

The SRT 392 cars are all 6.4L. This includes the SRT 392 Challenger, Charger, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Durango.

The Hellcat is the same motor with a forged crank and different heads, bringing displacement down to 6.2L.
Huh, I just can’t keep all of the names straight I guess. I looked at their web page for the cars and it said they were 6.2L cars so I thought they all were.... my bad.

“Just enough” is never very interesting. If it were, I’d drive a Toyota Camry.

I guess I don’t know what all of the names on the Challenger are and mean. I just looked on the Charger web page and it said there was a optional Hellcat engine in 6.2L size so I thought they would all be 6.2’s, including the Challengers. I’ve never been a Dodge guy but I know they make some awesome performance cars.

I drive a old 2000 Toyota Echo most of the time and my trucks when I need them, a little bit less than a Camry yeah... it gets me around cheaply and I just can’t get rid of it until it dies someday. Oh yeah, it’s a 1.5L... you probably wouldn’t want to drive it....lol

 

[WiscWoody]

Some would think I'm crazy for doing this, today I did use the SUV as a (sort of) pickup truck. It's got 48" between the wheel wells, so overall the capacity is maybe about the same as a compact pickup truck not considering the weight capacity. I bought the wood from a place that sells them in 'hoops'. Certainly not cost effective, but I'm kind of running behind.This is the first time I've paid for wood in almost 2 years thanks to neighbors that had trees taken down.

View attachment 219337

Bring it home whatever way you can... there’s times I go by a big paper mills wood lot up here and I stop to see if they have any free broken junk, usually red oak that I can pile into my small Toyota. It’s a old beast, I don’t care if it makes a mess in it. I just want to get it home.

 

[jetsam]

Some would think I'm crazy for doing this, today I did use the SUV as a (sort of) pickup truck. It's got 48" between the wheel wells, so overall the capacity is maybe about the same as a compact pickup truck not considering the weight capacity. I bought the wood from a place that sells them in 'hoops'. Certainly not cost effective, but I'm kind of running behind.This is the first time I've paid for wood in almost 2 years thanks to neighbors that had trees taken down.

View attachment 219337

There's a couple tree services around here that advertise on Craigslist when they are taking down trees. If I see one of those ads nearby on one of my days off, I'll usually go over and fill up the old trailer at least once. It's free firewood for me, and less wood to dispose of for the tree service.

The driving back and forth is a pain, but I don't have to drag any trees out of the woods, so it's kind of a wash in terms of the amount of work involved. On the plus side you often don't even need to fire up the chainsaw to get a trailer load of wood; on the minus side it tends to be bucked to fairly random lengths, so you do wind up doing some sawing before splitting.

 

[Ashful]

I guess I don’t know what all of the names on the Challenger are and mean. I just looked on the Charger web page and it said there was a optional Hellcat engine in 6.2L size so I thought they would all be 6.2’s, including the Challengers. I’ve never been a Dodge guy but I know they make some awesome performance cars.

Heck... I’d take the 6.2L Hellcat motor in a 1/2 ton, too!

Not a “Dodge guy” here, either. Historically, they’ve been junk, but the SRT cars are actually impressively good cars. Challenger, Charger, Durango, or Cherokee, the motors are all the same:

SRT 392 = 500hp 6.4L naturally aspirated

SRT Hellcat = 700hp 6.2L supercharged

Just odd that one can buy these motors in Durango’s, and even Jeep Cherokee’s, but not in a full sized half ton pickup. That was all I was getting at.

I drive a old 2000 Toyota Echo most of the time and my trucks when I need them, a little bit less than a Camry yeah... it gets me around cheaply and I just can’t get rid of it until it dies someday. Oh yeah, it’s a 1.5L... you probably wouldn’t want to drive it....lol

I’ve owned and driven much older and cheaper cars than that, but... never with an engine smaller than a 2.0 turbo or 2.4L natural)

 

[Stelcom66]

Bring it home whatever way you can... there’s times I go by a big paper mills wood lot up here and I stop to see if they have any free broken junk, usually red oak that I can pile into my small Toyota. It’s a old beast, I don’t care if it makes a mess in it. I just want to get it home.

I was wondering about wood I've seen laying around for a while. I wouldn't mind the mess either, the plywood I had in the back of the SUV did an OK job. I researched gathering wood and found an article from a couple years ago about a project here in Conn. where trees were being removed along the highway. It stated it's not legal to take that wood, and stopping on the highway do get it can be dangerous. But - that's a whole different situation compared to wood along a side road that's been there a while. Good idea too re: tree companies when they're taking down trees.

 

[Ashful]

I was wondering about wood I've seen laying around for a while. I wouldn't mind the mess either, the plywood I had in the back of the SUV did an OK job. I researched gathering wood and found an article from a couple years ago about a project here in Conn. where trees were being removed along the highway. It stated it's not legal to take that wood, and stopping on the highway do get it can be dangerous. But - that's a whole different situation compared to wood along a side road that's been there a while. Good idea too re: tree companies when they're taking down trees.

Just knock on the property owners door and ask. Often, they’re glad to see it gone.

I get a lot of my wood off the PA Turnpike. They have purchased the right of way from the owners of the land it thru which it was constructed, but the prior owners still own the land. When the turnpike commission clears trees and leaves them on his land, we take them out thru the woods. You are right about not accessing anything from the road, no parking allowed on the turnpike.

 

[Stelcom66]

Just knock on the property owners door and ask. Often, they’re glad to see it gone.

I get a lot of my wood off the PA Turnpike. They have purchased the right of way from the owners of the land it thru which it was constructed, but the prior owners still own the land. When the turnpike commission clears trees and leaves them on his land, we take them out thru the woods. You are right about not accessing anything from the road, no parking allowed on the turnpike.

Nice having that option. In Conn. I remember hearing about some state offering for firewood to pick up, unfortunately when I just checked on the details I saw that it's been discontinued.

"Thank you for your interest in DEEP’s Homeowner Firewood Program. Please note that we are suspending this program until further notice. This is the result of reduced interest in the program due to lower costs for heating fuels and limitations on our Forestry Staff."