Best Big Bed Truck?

[Kuroo]

What do you guys thingk is the best truck with a big bed?

 

[highdesertranger]

older truck or newer truck? 2 wheel drive or 4? highdesertranger

 

[Kuroo]

I'm looknig for somethig with 4 wheel drive if possible but don't care about old or new. Just something that runs.

 

[[email protected]]

87-96 fords with 300 straight 6. Best truck I ever owned.

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Still many on road, and usually priced reasonably.

 

[highdesertranger]

for an older 4x4 I would go with a ford or strait axle chevy. try to keep the gizmos down to a minimum. you have to remember with an older vehicle it will need some work. what I do is go though every system one at a time as money permits. this gives me a dependable vehicle. I like older vehicles they are simpler and cheaper to fix. with newer vehicles with power this and push button that, you have to remember that eventually all this fancy stuff will fail. if you can afford a new vehicle it is probably good for ten years after that you are on borrowed time. lets face it newer vehicles are throw away cars/trucks, that's the way the manufactures want it. throw away and buy a new one. highdesertranger

 

[Kuroo]

for an older 4x4 I would go with a ford or strait axle chevy. try to keep the gizmos down to a minimum. you have to remember with an older vehicle it will need some work. what I do is go though every system one at a time as money permits. this gives me a dependable vehicle. I like older vehicles they are simpler and cheaper to fix. with newer vehicles with power this and push button that, you have to remember that eventually all this fancy stuff will fail. if you can afford a new vehicle it is probably good for ten years after that you are on borrowed time. lets face it newer vehicles are throw away cars/trucks, that's the way the manufactures want it. throw away and buy a new one. highdesertranger

Any ideas for a truck?

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87-96 fords with 300 straight 6. Best truck I ever owned.

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Still many on road, and usually priced reasonably.

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How long is these truck bed?

 

[[email protected]]

Short bed length is 6ft, long bed is 8 ft. Probably about 5.5ft wide, as long as its not a flareside.

 

[akrvbob]

You really need to tell us more what you are after, what your needs and priorities are.

Full-size trucks come with 3 different length beds 6, 7 or 8 foot beds. Depending which one you order. Or you can get a chassis only and put a aftermarket flatbed on it. Huge variety of them! They come 6-8 foot wide and 8-16 feet long in steel or aluminum.

I had a friend who bought the truck he wanted, took the bed off and swapped it with an aluminum flatbed from a junker at a junk yard. It's just basic wrench-turning.

The two best engines every put in any truck is :

1) Cummins in-line 6 diesel in the Dodge
2) Ford in-line 300 6

Of course there are millions of Chevy 350/305 and Ford 351/302 and Dodge 360/318 they are great engines. The Dodge 318 is a great engine capable of exceptional MPG. The Ford 7.3 diesel is a great diesel engine.

But that's all just general knowledge. Tell us what you are wanting too do with the truck and we can actually be helpful.
Bob

 

[Patrick46]

and BUDGET!!!!

how much $$$ do you have to work with will be a huge bearing on what we can reccommend!

 

[Kuroo]

The truck I have is 2007 Chevy Avalanche

 

[PastTense]

The truck I have is 2007 Chevy Avalanche

So what are the inadequacies of this vehicle which make you want to change?

 

[Kuroo]

I have to get a top and that is making it hard to find, these tops are SnugTops only and well truck dwelling is different than vanning.

 

[LeeRevell]

The Avalanche is a four-door with short bed, an SUV platform actually. So yes, a true PU truck with longer bed would be better for "truck living".

 

[idn88]

Ford has sold the most trucks for like forever, and when you add GM and Chevy trucks together - which are basically the same truck with different badging, their numbers are pretty close. So, I would say stay in one of those three brands. There are some other good brands out there, but for ease of finding replacement parts, I think it would be unwise to buy anything other than Ford, GM, or Chevy used at least.

I would find the best maintained version of the above my budget allowed, preferably in 4 x 4. Standard cab with an 8 foot bed would be the best bang for your buck - the extended cabs hold their value really well. Throw on a ARE or Leer topper - the type that can support a roof rack, and put a cargo box on top. Live in the back, keep most of your stuff in the cargo box. You can check out expeditionportal dot com for some really over the top full size truck ideas.....

 

[Canine]

Keep in mind about the difference between 1/2 tons and 3/4 tons; the marketing on that is tricky. There are "2500 HD" trucks, but they aren't 3/4 tons. I know of one specific truck that has the 3/4 ton badge, but the bearings in the 2500HD are the same bearings used in the 1/2 ton truck. What's the difference than? The 2500HD has an extra spring in the back. The brakes and everything else are the same. If the truck companies thought they could get away with it, they would call 1/2 ton trucks 1 ton trucks.

The brakes are larger on a 3/4 ton, too. You will truly appreciate the stopping power of adequate brakes when you are hauling weight. Newer trucks do have much better braking ability compared to older (60's 70's) rigs.

Being able to handle a bit of weight while driving at highway speeds will require a full floating axle. Look for the axle that sticks out past the rim. 1/2 tons do not have anything sticking out past the center of the rim and are flush.

Another way to describe the axle is if the lug nuts stick out farther than the center of the rim, it is a 1/2 ton. If anything in the center of the wheel sticks out past the lug nuts, it is 3/4 or heavier. If it has less than 8 lug nuts, it is light duty. However, some axles with 8 lug nuts aren't the full floaters, so be aware of that. It is helpful to count the number of lugs- less than 8 and it is to weak except for the lightest of campers or a topper.

I hope I'm not being to simplistic for you. Just want to make sure you understand.

Not everyone agrees with me on this, tho. I've eaten up a 1/2 axle at highway speeds with a heavy load in about 3000 miles, but that same axle lasted for many thousands of miles at slow speeds with lots of weight. Have never chewed up a 3/4 ton bearing at highway speeds even with an overloaded truck. Some people think that if the badge says 3/4 ton, then it must be able to handle the weight. I strongly disagree with that.

 

[highdesertranger]

yeah the big auto companies just got in trouble about overstating their gvwr. all of them. Nissan and Toyota included. they all are going to redo their weight ratings. imho they should get them on their tow ratings too, way over inflated. highdesertranger

 

[Canine]

yeah the big auto companies just got in trouble about overstating their gvwr. all of them. Nissan and Toyota included. they all are going to redo their weight ratings. imho they should get them on their tow ratings too, way over inflated. highdesertranger

The tow ratings for half tons are crazy high. 10,000 pound towing capacity is a lot even for a 3/4 ton IMO. Am glad they got busted for payload. I wouldn't be surprised if towing capacity quickly followed suit.

 

[offroad]

Am looking at truck choices also. Not starting a new thread yet. Ideally want a used diesel in manual transmission. Four wheel or two wheel does not matter. Budget is something between $5000 and $10,000. Big enough bed to put a cap on or to put a full size motorcycle and tow an aframe popup hard side camper.

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What years should I look at ? What is too high mileage? Guess I need to consider 3/4 pickups, but are there bigger sizes?

Want it to handle towing a TINY HOUSE on a flatbed some day.

 

[akrvbob]

I think you want a 1 ton diesel for sure to haul that weight and probably a dually. Your best bet is a Dodge Cummins. After that I'd look for a Ford with a 7.3.

Getting one for less than $10,000 will be tough and it will be older.
Bob

 

[offroad]

Don't know why. But a dually sounds like overkill.