Smallest Truck You Can Use

[Bodger]

Right now I'm supporting my regular 3/4ton 4wheel Chevy and have picked up a little older toyota for the gas mileage...along with a large flat bed for deliverys.  The 3/4ton is a peach but drinks gas and the toyota is cheaper to run but not large enough to pull my LTHD40 safely.  What are you using to pull your mill?  I really could live without a 4wheel and slip into a half ton but I don't think it would improve the mileage that much...The master cylinder on the LTHD40 brakes went out about ten years ago and I just never had it replaced but with a smaller truck that would be important.  Any wisdom?  Thanks

[WH_Conley]

Probably won't help much, but, the 3/4 Dodge will do everything, just not as efficient as the  Super Duty. My driveway is 4x4 only for about 3 months. The Dodge will go out anytime, the Ford will pull a lot more.

My guess is that you will have to micro manage things for a while.

Going from 4x4 to 2 wheel drive might save a little on fuel, til you you NEED the 4x4. amazing how a little bit of need makes up for a lot of convenience.

[Bodger]

I looked at the hydorgen generator set-up that's going around.  Someone even gave me a copy of the high priced 'ebook' that gives all the plans and details.  If it were true and really worked that would be a great boost.  However, I've yet to meet a real person who has tried it.  So I may be the first, around here anyway.  It could be the thing for the older toyota.  I have started charging mileage (which I hate doing) It would just be nice to get into one truck, one insurance payment and not haveing to transfer tools back and forth.

[Fla._Deadheader]

   Bodger, look into the Bob Boyce system. I hear he is presently getting 44 LITRES a minute from his system. THAT is amazing, and should run a vehicle on Hydroxy by itself.

[Robert Long]

Bodger


Until recently I used a ford F350 that was propane powered, and I loved it!
It was an old 1985 Ford used by the city as a repair truck and I found it at the local car recycler.
It was left over from an auto auction and because it was propane it could not be put on the road as the fuel system needed to be upgraded just like a propane bottle on a bar-b-que. So I looked into the costs of rebuilding and certifying it and It was reasonable, so I fixed it up and drove it for almost 10 years.
The real bonus was that it had a compressor mounted under the hood next to the motor and it also had a tail gate lift, great for the heavy stuff like logs!
The mill was no problem for it to toe and the compressor cleaned off the sawdust with ease.
The big thing was the fuel......propane was and still is much cheaper to run on and the the truck was very good on milage.
I sold it last year and purchased a 2005 searra.......it's not the ford and I miss the old thing especially now with gas prices the way they are!

Robert

[Ron Wenrich]

I've done the hydrogen thing, and didn't get the results that were claimed.  I don't hold a whole lot of hope for something from an ebook.  If they worked, they would be selling hydrogen generators, not ebooks.   ;)

44 liters per minute is 3/4 liters per second.  What size of hose do you need for that much volume?

[woodmills1]

I towed my LT 40 HD with a 1986 toyota 4x4 4 cyl for years.

[thecfarm]

I myself like a good size truck if I was pulling something.Alot of trucks will pull it good,but what if you have to stop quick or get out of the way quick?Will a smaller one do it or will you find youself in a mess trying to save a dollar.Without that 3/4 ton you might get into a mess at some job sites.

[DanG]

Well Bodger, you asked for wisdom but since I don't have any of that I'll just give you my opinion. ;D :

I would sell the whole lot of them and find an older Dodge 3/4 ton with the Cummins.  The early 90s models are finally getting cheap enough that I'm even considering one.  My fishing partner swears that he gets 20mpg with his '93 model, and I doubt if your Toyota does much better than that.  It will handle the deliveries too, if you hook a flatbed gooseneck trailer to it.

[rebocardo]

Towing a mill and setting it up off pavement, I would not bother with anything that was not a 4x4. The MPG between a full sized 1/2 ton or 3/4 is not going to be much between along the same model line. Engine size is what does it.

The drawback with going small truck is they have lighter duty engines. A V-8 with a 4 bolt main can pull a heavy load all its life without a rod through the pan failure or a walking crankshaft within 50,000 miles.

When towing anything over 2000 pounds or with more then 24 sq. feet of frontage, for a tow vehicle the important things are wheelbase, track, and transmission strength. I can get decent MPG from my small truck, as soon as I start towing a trailer, I might as well just go out and buy a newer F-250 as the MPG drops to 16-17 sometimes. Not to mention it is lucky to pull 1/2 the load  as a F-250.

I know a contractor with a Dodge 4x4 I-6 cummings 3500 DRW, he gets better highway MPG with that then I do with my little 4x4 Bronco II 2.9L. I couldn't believe he hits 20mpg and better. If you tow a lot and want better MPG while towing, I suggest going diesel.

[Haytrader]

I have an 05 Dodge dually diesel that will get 20 to 22 if you drive 65mph.
If you drive faster, of course it drops off a little.
It will pull a 33' gooseneck with a tractor on it @ 65 and get 18.

[Rodney Sinclair]

Well, for me anything less than a 1/2 ton won't [can't] carry the load. So it really doesn't matter what kind of gas mileage it get's. I can get by with a 1/2 ton if I beef it up and use the right kind of hitch. But thats it, it's just getting by. And the pickup won't hold up long. To me, a 1/2 ton down is a car made to look like a truck and at 3/4 ton you go into a real truck. 4 wheel drive and a winch make it better. I drive a 3/4 ton Dodge. Just my thoughts.

Rodney 

[peterduncan]

We tow our Timberking B20 with a Ford 4x4    4L engine 2001 Ford Ranger. It has a transmission radiator and elecrtic brake control. I only go 60 at the most. It states that the truck can tow up to 5800, but I would not want to go that route. Its a bit slugish on hills and I worry about breaking a bit. I think that maybe we are pushing the envelope a bit. What does anyone else think?

[Warren]

Bodger,

I have owned and operated:
> 1998 Toyota Tacoma 4cyl, 5spd 4x4    16-17mpg
> 1991 Dodge 3/4 ton diesel 5spd 4x4     21-22mpg
> 2001 Dodge 3/4 ton diesel auto 4x4     19-20mpg
> 2005 Dodge 3/4 ton diesel 6spd 4x4     17-18mpg

For me the Toyota was the worst mileage of the bunch.  If you are looking for low purchase cost and low fuel cost while towing, an  older Dodge 12 valve diesel with mechanical injector pump and manual trany would be hard to beat.  One of the side benefits of the older Dodge 4x4's is that they had manual locking hubs so when you were in 2 wheel drive with the hubs unlocked, you were truly in 2 wheel drive.

Once you get used to pulling and towing with a diesel truck, nothing else compares. 

P.S. Do not take the wife with you when you go work truck shopping...

:D :D :D

[woodmills1]

I put a utility body with a rack on my toyota and used to carry around 1500 bd ft of dry pine on it.  Those toyota trucks will surprise you.

[Rocky_J]

We tow our Timberking B20 with a Ford 4x4    4L engine 2001 Ford Ranger. It has a transmission radiator and elecrtic brake control. I only go 60 at the most. It states that the truck can tow up to 5800, but I would not want to go that route. Its a bit slugish on hills and I worry about breaking a bit. I think that maybe we are pushing the envelope a bit. What does anyone else think?

Peter, the 4L Ranger is about bulletproof. I owned a '94 that had 142K miles on it when I gave it to my brother-in-law and it still ran perfectly and didn't burn any oil. Other than a couple batteries I never had any mechanical failures with that truck and I towed with it regularly. Best truck I ever owned.

At one point I noticed the engine temp gauge would rise when pulling a trailer at highway speeds with the air conditioner running. That week I flushed the radiator and refilled it with fresh coolant and it never even thought about getting hot after that.

On the original topic, I think a person could spend an awful lot of money buying and outfitting different vehicles in order to save $20 per week on fuel. The good news is that if you actually do save $20 per week on fuel, then the savings might almost cover the cost of insuring the new truck.  :-\

[Handy Andy]

  I've never checked the mileage of my old 91 toyota loaded.  But it will pull an amazing load.  Sometimes, you don't want to go very fast or you might lose it, but drag quite a load, it will.  I never use 5th loaded though.  It averages 25 mpg just average running around.  My Gmc 1500 averages about 15, and my old ford with the 460, 4x4, on the road will do about 12.  So if I can get by with it, just drive the rice grinder.  By the way, those are all nonloaded mileages, or small load.  Jim

[woodmills1]

My 86 got around 30 mpg empty it was 4 cyl 5 speed.  I don't understand the 17 mpg for yours.  My 2003 v-6 auto got 24 on its best days.

[peterduncan]

Does the light weight and smaller wheel base of the Ford Ranger cause any problems?

[rebocardo]

> I think that maybe we are pushing the envelope a bit

Being someone that owned a 4.0L 4x4 Ranger and worked at Ford dealers and has a few Fords, about the most I would tow with a Ranger would be 3,500 pounds. I know the automatic is not up to towing 5800 pounds no matter what the spec. imho, On smaller vehicles it is never wise to tow more then what the vehicle weighs.

I agree with Warren on his post.

> Does the light weight and smaller wheel base of the Ford Ranger cause any problems?

No, as long as you keep what you are towing reasonable. I wouldn't pull a 22 foot boat with one, I would pull an enclosed 5x8 with one.  The thing with the Rangers is the automatic isn't a hd transmission. If you change the fluid every 25k miles, it will serve you well. But, towing 5,000+ pounds is not a good idea. For one, it does not have the track wodth for it.

The 4.0L/5 speed/4x4 is a good combo for a small truck because they come with the 8.8/dana 35 axles. I got 21 mpg with my 1997.

[peterduncan]

You are probably right about the Ford Ranger. I feel that we are about at our limit at 3500lbs. as it has a little pickup problem with hills and when we stop I can feel the mill sometimes wanting to stear us. I can't imagine what 5800 lbs. would do to us