How feasible for hauling wood?

[Danno77]

Dad's text message response to the dodge was "front ends are crap on rams figure it needs 1500 repair"

I've never heard this before, but even when your dad is 100% wrong you still have to listen to him so you never have to hear an "i told you so" from him.

A. What's he talking about?
B. what should I be looking for in the front end to make sure it's ok?

 

[Chargerman]

Dad's text message response to the dodge was "front ends are crap on rams figure it needs 1500 repair"

I've never heard this before, but even when your dad is 100% wrong you still have to listen to him so you never have to hear an "i told you so" from him.

A. What's he talking about?
B. what should I be looking for in the front end to make sure it's ok?

If your dad's comment is from the 1994 models on then I can see some truth in that although that is probably more of a wear and tear issue than "junk". I can't imagine anything in any of the older Dodge's that would cost that much short of a total ring and pinion failure. If that happens go buy another used front end. Considering they are more or less the same leaf spring solid axle Dana 44 and 60 designs that the Chevys had I don't know what makes a Dodge any worse. For the record...I have or have had over 10 of the 72-93 style Dodge 4x4's. One had 280,000 miles on it and another one has 230000 miles+ on it. None of the trucks had had anything go other than the occasional front knuckle, steering gear, or brake replacement. Nothing close to $1500. Most of these trucks have ran plows, hauled wood, trailers etc. and are not babied.

If you are looking for a weak point IMO it would be the 4 speed overdrive automatic trannies. They are not the best and are costly to rebuild. I would rather have manual tranny trucks when work is involved. The old 3 speed 727 automatics are pretty good...just don't rock them when you get stuck or the reverse band can let go. I have had two blow and that is what did it both times.

 

[Danno77]

Thanks Charger, that's exactly the kind of info I needed. Dad knows his 96/97 (in dunno what year) Dodge inside and out, but I don't know how well he knows the other years.

 

[Chargerman]

Check this old girl out.

(broken link removed to http://quadcities.craigslist.org/cto/1494696984.html)

Not a 4wd but this thing would haul enough wood for the whole winter with a 12' flatbed. LOL

 

[Wet1]

I've never had a single front end issue with my 97 and it has been used for plowing and hauling a lot of wood.

 

[Danno77]

is it totally pointless to get an f250 that has a short bed? I might have access to a really good deal on a 2002 f250 Crew Cab 4x4 with 54,000 miles but it has a short bed.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Just stack higher and/or pull a trailer.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

is it totally pointless to get an f250 that has a short bed? I might have access to a really good deal on a 2002 f250 Crew Cab 4x4 with 54,000 miles but it has a short bed.

It's not my preference, but I wouldn't say "totally pointless." You can put side rails on it and increase it's firewood capacity greatly.

To reach the level of "totally pointless" you'd have to find a 1/2 ton.

 

[deck2]

is it totally pointless to get an f250 that has a short bed? I might have access to a really good deal on a 2002 f250 Crew Cab 4x4 with 54,000 miles but it has a short bed.

Danno you can load up the bed and still be able to tow alot of weight w/a 3/4 ton that is properly set up for towing a trailer, I have a 05 3/4 ton GMC Crew Cab w/6.0 and use it for hauling wood, snowmobiles and the kids. I replaced a 97 Ranger extended cab. It is nice to load up the truck and trailer & not overloading the truck and still being able to stop it all safely at highway speeds!! Can load up the truck with over a face cord and still tow the dump trailer with a full cord, plus have a tool box so I have a place for the saws, axe, wedge, gas and oil. The first time I drove the truck over 20 miles it was hooked to a trailer towing the old truck to my brothers that bought it!

If you can pick up the F250 for a decent price and it will eliminate paying insurance & maint. on 2 vehicles you should buy it, I thought long and hard before I replaced my old truck, it ran good and I did move alot of wood with it, but I now move in one trip what would have taken 4 or 5 and I can do it safely And my wife says having a "Big Boy Truck is a stroke on my Manhood" and she is right! (but don't let her know that)

 

[Danno77]

at this rate I may be old and gray before I commit to a truck. Still interested in

2002 F250 Lariat CC 4x4 with a short bed
or
2000 GMC 2500 ExCab 4x4 with a short bed

two completely different trucks, IMO.

Ford has the crew cab, a V-10, leather interior, and is newer with fewer miles (54K). it is a salvage stolen vehicle and looked like minimal body damage, and the engine appears to be in excellent shape (per the seller, who is a local guy that i trust). he's doing the body work as we speak and giving it a new paint job. He bought the car at auction in Arizona. His guess is that it was a border runner.

GMC has no niceties other than power windows and locks. It's an extended cab, the fabric interior is immaculate and so is the body.

Looking up specs tells me that the GMC has a max payload of 3312 vs the Ford's 2360. Standard towing is about the same, max towing favors the Ford by 2400lbs.

Ford has a 2" receiver, but the GMC has a DMI bumper. This bugs me because I want to use a drop hitch and my bike rack.

Can I comfortably fit kids in the back of the GMC for long trips? It wouldn't be a regular thing, but it would happen at some point, i know.

The only reason I'm having a hard time with this is because the Ford asking price is 12,900 and the GMC is 8,900. I bet I can't get the Ford down much more than that from what he's said about it, but I'm thinking 7500 cash probably gets the GMC without any problems. I'd have to finance part of the Ford and could probably pay off most of it rather quickly.....

I just dunno. really only posting because this truck search thing is a PITA. a million different choices and a million different directions I could go.

 

[Flatbedford]

I am a Ford guy so My comments will be biased. Generally speaking, the crew cab will be better for people than Extended cab. I have an extended cab F250 and the back seat is really best used by dogs and baggage, not full grown, or even 1/2 grown people. Having a short bed on a 3/4 ton truck seems like a waste of truck to me unless you are gonna haul your wood in a trailer. Even a long bed truck fills up pretty fast, especially if you are loading bigger rounds into it. The Ford, if it is rebuilt well, sounds like a much nicer truck, and might be worth the extra money, if you want to spend it. The V10 is very powerful.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

at this rate I may be old and gray before I commit to a truck. Still interested in

2002 F250 Lariat CC 4x4 with a short bed
or
2000 GMC 2500 ExCab 4x4 with a short bed

two completely different trucks, IMO.

Ford has the crew cab, a V-10, leather interior, and is newer with fewer miles (54K). it is a salvage stolen vehicle and looked like minimal body damage, and the engine appears to be in excellent shape (per the seller, who is a local guy that i trust). he's doing the body work as we speak and giving it a new paint job. He bought the car at auction in Arizona. His guess is that it was a border runner.

GMC has no niceties other than power windows and locks. It's an extended cab, the fabric interior is immaculate and so is the body.

Looking up specs tells me that the GMC has a max payload of 3312 vs the Ford's 2360. Standard towing is about the same, max towing favors the Ford by 2400lbs.

Ford has a 2" receiver, but the GMC has a DMI bumper. This bugs me because I want to use a drop hitch and my bike rack.

Can I comfortably fit kids in the back of the GMC for long trips? It wouldn't be a regular thing, but it would happen at some point, i know.

The only reason I'm having a hard time with this is because the Ford asking price is 12,900 and the GMC is 8,900. I bet I can't get the Ford down much more than that from what he's said about it, but I'm thinking 7500 cash probably gets the GMC without any problems. I'd have to finance part of the Ford and could probably pay off most of it rather quickly.....

I just dunno. really only posting because this truck search thing is a PITA. a million different choices and a million different directions I could go.

I would completely pass on the ext-cab/shortbed configuration. If you're going to have a short bed you might as well have 4 real doors.

 

[Danno77]

I would completely pass on the ext-cab/shortbed configuration. If you're going to have a short bed you might as well have 4 real doors.

I kinda agree, BUT every extra bit of cab takes away from max payload.

 

[Flatbedford]

I would completely pass on the ext-cab/shortbed configuration. If you're going to have a short bed you might as well have 4 real doors.

I kinda agree, BUT every extra bit of cab takes away from max payload.

With the little bed, payload won't be much of an issue unless you stack your firewood in the back seat too!

 

[Danno77]

I would completely pass on the ext-cab/shortbed configuration. If you're going to have a short bed you might as well have 4 real doors.

I kinda agree, BUT every extra bit of cab takes away from max payload.

With the little bed, payload won't be much of an issue unless you stack your firewood in the back seat too!

the more I think about it the more I don't mind it being a short bed. I'd prefer a LB, but it's not a deal breaker for me. using rough numbers let's call a bed 5ft wide and a short bed 6ft and a long bed 8ft let's call them both 2ft deep. So a LB should be able to hold (up to the rails) 5x8x2 =80cuft, and a SB should be able to hold 5x6x2 = 80cuft.

So, to load a LB's stuff into a SB i could just add 8 inches to the side.

A cord of wood would be just over 2ft over the rails on a SB and just over 1ft on the LB. So, looks like payload is an issue, because I'm not gonna be scared one bit to throw boards on the sides to haul wood.

This doesn't change anything, really, just discussing it. My perfect truck would still be a fully loaded 4x4 1-ton, crew cab, long bed, diesel, low miles truck for about 7K. the list of wants is unreasonable, so i have to make compromises somewhere, I just go back and forth on where to make those compromises.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I would completely pass on the ext-cab/shortbed configuration. If you're going to have a short bed you might as well have 4 real doors.

I kinda agree, BUT every extra bit of cab takes away from max payload.

Yer killin' me Bro.

1) You're loading a shortbed. I doubt you will ever have occasion to hit it's "max" payload.

2) If you're THAT worried about payload then nut up and get a long bed or better yet, a 1 ton, or better yet a flatbed one ton.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I would completely pass on the ext-cab/shortbed configuration. If you're going to have a short bed you might as well have 4 real doors.

I kinda agree, BUT every extra bit of cab takes away from max payload.

With the little bed, payload won't be much of an issue unless you stack your firewood in the back seat too!

the more I think about it the more I don't mind it being a short bed. I'd prefer a LB, but it's not a deal breaker for me. using rough numbers let's call a bed 5ft wide and a short bed 6ft and a long bed 8ft let's call them both 2ft deep. So a LB should be able to hold (up to the rails) 5x8x2 =80cuft, and a SB should be able to hold 5x6x2 = 80cuft.

So, to load a LB's stuff into a SB i could just add 8 inches to the side.

A cord of wood would be just over 2ft over the rails on a SB and just over 1ft on the LB. So, looks like payload is an issue, because I'm not gonna be scared one bit to throw boards on the sides to haul wood.

This doesn't change anything, really, just discussing it. My perfect truck would still be a fully loaded 4x4 1-ton, crew cab, long bed, diesel, low miles truck for about 7K. the list of wants is unreasonable, so i have to make compromises somewhere, I just go back and forth on where to make those compromises.

My standard long bed measures 8' x 6' x 1.5'

I have 12" side racks and get just over a cord per load if I mound it.

 

[Tony H]

I'm getting a truck. My jeep or any other worthy suv gets just as poor of gas mileage. I can't get a trailer to the wood in our timber if I have anything less than a 4wd vehicle (for most of the year). Not only that, but I'm having a hard time finding a trailer that can haul more than 2000lbs unless I want to spend as much on a trailer as I could on a crappy pickup that can haul same weight.

Besides, I want a truck and will probably get a bigger trailer in a couple of years, then I'll have the best of both worlds.

What kinda minivan do you have that you can tow that big of a trailer?

I use a full size conversion van to pull around my 15' dual axle trailer and have had at several thousand pounds on the trailer .
You can often find a trailer like this for less than a thousand dollars. I also have considered a truck but as nice as that would be the extra expense is quite large while the trailer cost next to nothing I just use the plate off one of my boat trailers. FYI I have a 4wheeler with smaller trailer for in the woods and can haul them on the trailer.
The other point that was mentioned having the trailer loaded and just unhooking it til later has come in handy many times when I would not be able to unload and don't want to go driving all around with a full load of wood in the truck bed.
After all that I still might buy a truck in the future just because I want one, an F350 quad cab diesel with an 8' bed and a plow sounds good.

 

[Danno77]

yeah, trailer schmailer. I already have a small one of those and access to several others if it's a planned haul. I don't know if my dream F350 has a plow on it or not....well, i guess that if I'm dreaming, it might as well. that could come in handy.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

yeah, trailer schmailer. I already have a small one of those and access to several others if it's a planned haul. I don't know if my dream F350 has a plow on it or not....well, i guess that if I'm dreaming, it might as well. that could come in handy.

'zactly

 

[mayhem]

Just tossing my two cents.

I have a 3/4 ton extended cab standard (aka 6.5' short) bed Chevy 4x4. Its my wood hauler, snowplow, rock hauling, occasional stump or boulder puller and daily driver. I keep a bed toolbox in there for outside the cab storage and with that, the truck is a viable grocery getter. With the toolbox out I cna use it to haul about a half cord of carefully stacked wood...if I load it up to the rails and mound it in the middle. Its a nearly ideal machine for what I want to do with it...confy to ride in, strong enough that I know I'm not going to break it by using it and with the extended cab its also got room for 5 adults...the back seat in the Chevy/GMC trucks is quite a bit longer than the Ford/Dodge trucks of the similar vintage...not sure about today's trucks. The short bed is nice because I can put alot of stuff in it, but the wheelbase is basically the same as that of a regular cab long bed truck, so its still maneuvarable enough to live with...I wouldn't want to use my snow plow on a extended or crew cab with an 8' bed...too many turns.

 

[Danno77]

Got a call from the dealer last night. They just got a 1999 F350 crew cab with an aluminum flatbed on it. it has the diesel 7.3L but he said they are replacing two injectors. He says it has 150,000 (or something like that) miles on it and that it is so clean it will knock my socks off. they are asking 10,900 unless they need to do more work to it than the injectors. I dunno about the flatbed. I like the concept, but what do you do with a flatbed if you want to haul any luggage (like a trip to my parent's farm). Do you strap a cargo box on it or something?

damn, i'm picky. is anyone else getting sick of my postings in this stupid thread? I am.

 

[Flatbedford]

I have a couple plastic cargo boxes from Home depot that I use on flatbed or in the box of my pickup. They were about $50 and are lockable. I think you just found your truck. Post some pics if you can.

 

[Danno77]

I have a couple plastic cargo boxes from Home depot that I use on flatbed or in the box of my pickup. They were about $50 and are lockable. I think you just found your truck. Post some pics if you can.

I knew you'd like this truck, lol.

 

[Flatbedford]

I have a couple plastic cargo boxes from Home depot that I use on flatbed or in the box of my pickup. They were about $50 and are lockable. I think you just found your truck. Post some pics if you can.

I knew you'd like this truck, lol.

Flatbed and Ford usually get my attention. :lol: