Farm Trucks.. What's Tough? Your Opinion?

So, what’s the best truck out there for farm work? Chevy? Dodge? Ford? Toyota? Nissan?

As far as my opinion. I beat the snot out of my trucks. My truck is my 3rd tractor. I use it for everything from hauling hay, gravel, firewood, to pulling stumps. I can usually kill a good used truck in about 2 years.

I’ve had several different trucks on my farm and usually can put them in the grave about every 2 years. This is what I’ve found along the way.

Chevy- will take the load, lacks pulling power, engines last, overdrive automatic trannys are junk (replaced one a year even with a cooler added). Auto lock 4 wheel drive is a headache. The standard trannys are good and give a little extra pulling power. Front brake rotors are a poor design

Ford- Can’t take the load, excellent pulling power, fuel pump problems are a yearly issue, Bodys rot fast, rear brakes are an issue. Not dependable. Auto lock 4 wheel is very poorly designed.

Dodge- Excellent load capacity, more recalls than any other vehicle (if the would do it right the first time). Engine issues, fair pulling power, Transmissions suck. I have never had a Dodge make it yet. It seems I can put a Dodge in the junk yard quicker than any other brand.

Toyota - Very Very dependable. Not so good with heavy loads. Getting better on pulling power, but could use more. 4 wheel drive is excellent. Just not big enough.

Now when I say load. I don’t mean putting a half ton load on a half ton truck. When I load my truck, I load it. I have put 2 ½ tons on a 1 ton truck. I’m very hard on a truck and I have yet to see one truck out there that can take all I do to them.

I’m getting ready to send my latest truck out to it’s final resting place. Just wondering what my next truck should be. Anyone out there that knows of truck that can stand up to being beaten.

All these manufactures brag about there trucks. I say send one over and we’ll see what they’re made of.

What you might consider is getting a heavier truck, or use that big red brut (1105?) for your stump pulling. Get a heavy dump trailer to haul your gravel with the tractor or a gooseneck for the truck, or just have it delivered with a tandem like everyone else. In my way of thinking if you're destroying an otherwise good truck in two years from how you're using it, you're using it wrong. Get something more appropriate for the job.
We've done a lot of that around here. It's cheaper to have a couple of the right thing around than be fixing one of the wrong thing. BT/DT, still trying to change as we can afford to...
Personally I don't think it matters what name is on the hood with regard to trucks. In a given class they'll all average out about the same. It's just that each will have different faults.

Rod

The Ford truck pictured over thelast two years other than the normal 3000 mile oil changes ended up costing me $100 for a new fuel pump and when I bought it I Put new fleet brakes ont he front, they ran about another $100, but they're a better brake and lifetime warranteed.

Oh and $30 every time a horse or cow decided to swipe by and take a mirror with it. Other than that, I've had to put nothing in this truck.

The 90' Chevy before it on the otherhand, was on it's second tanny when I bought it and it ate two more before I sent it down the road. I learned real quick that the 700R4 trannys were junk for loading. That truck ended up costing me a little more than the others. I replaced balljoints, brakes, fuel pump, 3 universal joints and one of the auto locking hubs. Still no $400 a mointh but it was getting up there.

I do recall one truck that went 5 years. It was a 1969 Chevy heavy 3/4 ton with a 292 strait six. 4 wheel was excellent. That was one of the toughest I remember. The truck originally had an 8 cyl when we bought it. I had a rebuilt 292 setting in my shop that I was planning to put into a 1941 Chevy I was rebuilding. I bought that truck for $200 because the engine was bad. We put that 292 in there and man what a truck. I never had to do a thing to that one, eventually the road salt got to it and the frame split right in front of the rear axle. I did save that motor though

Would love to run across one of them

I love how you kill em' in two years but here is a early 90's Ford that is still going- oh, or is that a real sharp picture from back in the day?

You love keeping up your place and performing maintenance but you boast about overloading and breaking stuff. Huh? I just hope your silliness does not endanger or hurt anyone else.

Its your money so do with it what you wish but the truth at the end of the day is you will get more work done by working smarter, not harder (and breaking stuff).

my $.02

The only equipment that gets abuse is my truck. I never bragged on beating the hell out of anything else. I buy used trucks and use them.

I paid a whole $1500 for that truck a little over 2 years ago that's a whole $62.25 a month. It served me well and I'm sure made me back way over the $62.25 each month. What do you pay $400/ month?? How well is that paying you back?

Most of the decent guys here through a little advice at me such as the ford straight 6 and so on that seems to outlast the others. Some of the jerks in here just had to add their $.02 cents to sound smarter than the rest of us. I'll mail you're $.02 back to ya

This is a great site, but one question one should _never_ ask here is "Which color of tractor/ combine/ truck is better?"

Oy! It brings high blood pressures _real_ fast, for no good reason, from otherwise really good people. :)

I got a '92 pickup that I bought new, and it is running good at 140,000 miles, and has done everything I asked of it. I work it, but I don't beat on it at all. Other pickup is a '95, got it 5-6 years ago, it works. Doesn't really matter what brand they are, some things break, some things don't.

I suspect you might want to move up a bit, if you have a 1/2 ton, go for a 3/4, or to a ton if you have a 3/4. Might add a year or 2 to your machine.

--->Paul

Highway,

I would venture to say you were an idot. Here's a picture of my farm..What a dump!!

We keep the place well groomed and very clean. We board horses for others.

Any junk equipment that can't be repaired goes to the salvage yard imediatly.

I do not complain when old equipment breaks down. I fix it and go on like anyone else. I'm just looking for a truck that can stand to take a little more abuse.

As you can see in this picture. I also take very good care of the maintenance on my equipment. The tractor is always painted when needed and greased atleast once a week. The New Idea 512 was just purchased in this photo and will also be painted and greased up before winter.

The tractor has had 4 @ 5 gallons per change. oil changes this year. How many times have you changed the oil in yours?

Rod

Allan

I've seen the ocasional person make claims like you, just such a workload, only way they can get it done is by abusing equipment. Usually it is a combination of stupid and lazy. For the most part, folks who bust up a lot of equipment, don't make much money.

Ya gotta quit using Puppy trucks for the Big Dog Jobs. IMHO

I had a F500 with a dump box several years back. That is one truck I couldn't hurt. The only thing that put it in the grave was the frame rotted straight through. I would love to find another like that.

I'm thinking about buying this for work and maybe a smaller pick-up just to run errands with. Maybe something a little easier on gas for feed store runs and such.

Thanks for the input. I never even thought of the F-600's and figured they would be way up there in $$$. I was suprised to see that they aren't running much higher than a used pick-up. Some of you guys have been helpful. Other in here were only interested in shooting me down for the way I use my truck.

My workhorse is my F350 Ford, 390 gas, 2wd with a 12' steel flat. Hauling wet distillers grain on it now, 12,000 pounds of tank and wet grain every day. Only problem is the 390 hates unleaded gas. Just cant keep heads together on it.

Some of the woods that I cut firewood in are a ways away from home. My tactor weighs 7 ton and not the easiest thing to pack up and pull up hills to get there. The truck is my substitute.

If I have someone that wants 60 bales of hay delivered, I would rather make one trip than two. Running two farms keeps me on my toes and to cut time down, I just try to do everything all at once.

I had to move 2 horses and 3 large round bales from about 60 miles away to my farm. I hooked the trailer up and away I went. We layed two of the round bales in the back of the truck and stacked one between them on the top. Loaded the two horses. If I had my way about it, I would of done one or the other, but I usually don't have 4 hours in a day to spare.

Larry NE IL

Found a 1999 F150 8 cyl with 50k miles and a towing package. Should get the cows to the salebarn at over 40 mph with this one.

Brad

I always liked GM, easy to work on, always had them. I am sure a Ford guy with say Ford. etc etc.

You didn't mention a price.
Since I am a GM guy, your next truck should be a Chevy or GMC 4500 with 4x4. Wanna go bigger, 6500 to 8500 with a nice CAT diesel.

Myself, I am looking for a beater, so I plan on working on it all the time anyway.

Rick

It wouldn't matter if the rating
on the truck was 5 ton. I would figure out a way to get 10 on there.

I knew there would be a few in here that would take a shot at me for the way I use the truck. Yep, I use it for more than what it is meant for, I'll be the first to admit it and the last to complain when it fails.

I was just looking inputs from everyone on what truck they've had the best luck with.

By the way.. Electric brakes on the trailers work excellent

It's a truck and I'm gonna use it the way they're supposed to be used- with a load on 'em.

Picking pumpkins with my brother, we'd put 1500 lbs of pumpkins in the box. Could we do smaller loads? Yeah but then it'd take 2x as long to do the same job. We used his truck alot too, but his is meant for weight ('03 F350 4x4) The oe downside of his truck is it's so high up in the air, hard to reach over the side and grab the pumpkin on the floor of the box.

Donovan from Wisconsin

I've got an 88 F150 4x2, straight 6 w/ 5 sp. mazda tranny.

Dad bought it in 92, and it's still running strong. We pull 7-8 ton loads of hay with it, and I've put 1 ton or more in the back quite often. When my brother was moving rocks it was 2 ton. Down on the axle bumps but it moved it just fine.

Did I mention it still has the original clutch and doesn't burn any oil?

Donovan from Wisconsin

I've heard the straight 6 was a real good motor.

The only problem I would have is in this area 4x4 is a must. I live on top of a mountain on one of those roads that the county plows only after everyone else is plowed out. I usually end up using 4 wheel year round.

Count the Bales.

Borrows someone elses fingers and toes if you have to.

There is 14 bales on each side not including the the top row. In the box is stacked as follows 4 rows end to end and 1 row is 2 across. 3 of the end to end are 5 wide (including the tailgate) 1 row is 3 wide between the wheel wells. This allows me to stack over the sides of the truck and put a center row in. The top row is 8 bales down the center laying ast tie bales.

The Math

14 Visible each side is 28

3 rows stacked 5 across in the box is 15

1 row of three across between wheel wells is 3

center row, 3 long and 3 high is 9

8 on the top for tie bales is 8

Your absolutely right...I didn't have 60 bales on there. I had 63, shame on me

Granted, I don't fly down the road like this, but the lady who buys 60 Bales off me every two months only lives a mile and a half down the road

Some people!!! Just because they can't do it, they think nobody alse can

I figured I should clarify that being you're not sure how to stack.

Maybe then we'll show you how to hook up to a gooseneck trailer so you can get the job done without killing your axle... Yeah, the one that *should* have at least 3000 pounds of hay on it in that picture...

We were getting some 50 punders off our secound cutting. The first cutting was very dry.

The truck has 2 added leafs on each sid and a set of the coil spring over loads (load stablizers).

I think the coil add ons were rated 1500 pounds, but I seriously doubt they lift that amount. I think they just help contriol sway.