What do you think of smaller trucks? Trucks like the ranger and the s10...

>driving around in a truckbarge the entire time because you haul drywall once a year
Far more expensive. A used light trailer is less than a grand. A rented light trailer is anywhere between ten and twenty bucks a day, and some places even lend you one for free with a bulky purchase.

>not parking your shitbox econobox in the back of your truck and hauling a trailer of drywall behind it

lol e*ropeons

Oh, we're further than that.

(Actually that's an incredibly rare sight, never seen one in real life, but apparently the neighbourly Dutch love semi combinations for some road regulation reason.)

Well, the 95% rest of the world usually uses drywall in lengths up to 6 metres anyway, but then in most 1st world nation houses aren't just Ikea esque flatpack modelling kits like they are in the USA.

what about this exclusively european shitbox combo?

>Ranger
>"Barges"

Topkek. My truck is smaller than most vehicles on the road and I actually use it more than once a year. It was cheap as shit when I bought it and it's still cheap as shit to maintain it even though it's most likely older than you are. Stay in your cuckmobile kiddo

Why did they have to fatten up the Ranger?

It was perfect the way it was...

Neat, but nothing new. Transporting is what Transporters have been made for. I think even the old ones had a capacity of a metric ton or 2200 lbs, albeit at a snail's pace.

I thought us talking about drywall made it clear that we were referring to full size trucks, not Rangers.

Rangers can haul 4x8s. Strap the rear so they won't slide out, if they even manage to overcome the friction

But not flat, no? 45 inches or something between the wheels? At least that's the width of the flareside bed.

There are ledges in the side of the bed you put 2x4s on to lay them flat

For once actually a smart idea in an American vehicle.

(Actually half Japanese)

Cuck tier

same thing with dodge Dakotas.
there is a pair of ledges at front of bed, at wheel wells and at rear of bed, to string a 2x4 across. allows a 4x8 sheet to lay flat.
though a full 4x8 sheet still hangs out past end of bed in most cases

Just get a minivan for that.

OP should probably choose by mileage and condition if not sure what he'll haul. I've had Rangers and worked on them. I like the platform but they get the same gas mileage from my 2000 Silverado and 2000 F150.

The half-tons haul and drag a lot more. For half-tons I do Chevy and Ford because plentiful parts and good aftermarket. Don't just buy any of them though, check brand specific forums to avoid problem drivetrain components. Every company makes a few turds. (Avoid 4.2 Ford sixes like the plague. Hydrolock isn't a myth.)

I worked building vehicles from auction buys and organ donors at a used car lot and if I were forced to buy a babby truck it would be a Nissan or Yota, and Yotas tend to be grossly overpriced.

>I like the platform but they get the same gas mileage from my 2000 Silverado and 2000 F150.
I am confused by this. I would have thought they would get much better mileage than that.

My god fleetside beds are fucking stupid.

Better off with a van, or just replacing it with a flat bed.

How about a Dodge Dakota?

Not really

>not really

Yes really. You can do so much more with a flatbed than you could with a fleetside. Not to mention that the wheel welds take up some room decreasing it's payload.

Only thing it's useful for is just hauling household appliances, plywood, lumber and tools.

So what can you do with a flatbed that you can't do with a regular bed?

Well let's say I want to haul 6 washing machines to some location. No problem, I can load onto a flatbed no problem.

A fleetside bed might can only carry 3 or less.

Where I'm getting at is that a fleetbed offers more payload, and you can have removable barriers if you want them or not.

Full size or nothin, brah. Mpg is very similar (new tundras do better than new tacos), plus all that size power.

But seriously, i wish i had bought a full size over my taco. Not once have i wished i had something smaller, but im constantly wishing i had more power.

So your reasoning for dailying an f-350 flatbed is the one time in my life I need to haul 6 fucking washing machines? I understand if you're doing commercial work constantly but that's pretty fucking stupid m8. I could do the same shit with a trailer. What other contrived scenario can you come up with?

Why in the fuck would you outfit a dually like you're going to off road with it holy shit that's retarded

>So your reasoning for dailying an f-350 flatbed
>dailying an f-350 flatbed

wut? who said anything about dailying something?

You're missing my point. I pointed out the advantages a flatbed has over a fleetside bed i.e. you'll have a better payload than a fleetside.

A fleetside is great for a personal workhorse, but will always lack in payload.

4cylinders have to work pretty hard to push around a truck, and modern trucks are getting pretty amazing tech for reducing fuel consumption. My 4cyl reg cab tacoma with a manual trans only gets 17mpg. granted its a lifted 4x4 on 33s

there is no advantage to a step side. it's just narrower so the whole bed is flat. it doesn't get you any extra space and makes your truck look like hank hill's ass.

And you missed my point too. Few, if any of us will need to haul 6+ washing machines or 10 pallets of cinder blocks. Regular trucks are capable of doing 99.9% of the shit anyone would use them for

who cares, flatbeds are better, end of discussion.

That's where you're wrong

flatbed
>put things on flatbed
>accelerate
>things fall off of flatbed
>things land on road
>things are kill

notshitbed
>put things in bed
>accelerate
>things hit tailgate
>turn
>things hit bed walls
>things no fall off
>things no land on road
>things no kill
>waah just strap in your load user

Fuck you I don't want to have to get out bondage gear for random shit all day every day.

Flatbed owners have flatchest gfs.
pic related flatty's face when

Why the fuck would anyone persist with a styleside for carrying sheet material? Shits just retarded.
>fit compact regular cab with dropside tray
>8x6' of flat floor space

Agreed.
No one's talking about stepsides. They're even more retarded than style/fleetsides.

A) that's why flatbeds have dropsides
B) your load should be restrained regardless.

>putting plywood in a minivan
As a former lumber yard worker, I want all of you minivan contractors to fuck off and die.

flat beds with folding gates are god tier

>you will never have an 8.5'x5' flatbed with folding gates and a locking treasure chest

why even live

Taco if you can afford it

if else,

4cyl Ranger or B2300(?) Mazda

Agreed. Vans are shit for loading large materials.

That's stupid for non commercial usage. You can't just throw a hockey bag, groceries or bikes in the back and you can't go out to a nice restaurant with that.

>your load should be restrained
fuck, i forgot it was no-fap November

What's stopping you from doing any of those things?
>you can't load this obscure example in this obscure way
I guess I'll have to load five bicycles in the back of my pickup in another fashion... Should be easy enough with 2400x1800mm of tray space.
Lmao

the best sized truck era ever was early 00's Tundras and F150s

old Rangers are too small and cramped
old Tacos are slightly bigger but still too small

Pic related is the perfect size

unless you're a special needs case or special needs kid, this is correct.

unless you're a fatass, this is incorrect

I'm 6'3 and 210lbs
Rangers are anemic pieces of shit that can't keep up on the highway and are uncomfortable as fuck
don't kid yourself manlet

fatass detected

t. trucklet

not even that guy but I grew up driving a mazda b series which was basicallly just a ford ranger, and can confirm it was pretty shitty as described

>rangers are uncomfortable as fuck
>Rangers are too small and cramped

Ranger owner here, i have to agree. i'm 6'0" 200lbs, even driving around by myself, on short trips around town, running errands close to home, the Ranger is small and cramped inside. i literally get claustraphobic.

it's a neat little truck but i will always think of it as a micro truck form now on. it's dependable and as good as it can be for its size.

but i will be replacing it with a full size truck as soon as i can.
cant say i'd recommend the Ranger to anyone unless they are truly manlet sized.

old rangers were designed for men that did manual labor and didnt have 50lbs of bodyfat smashing into the steering wheel. it's hilarious watching fatties struggle to get out of their lifted pavement queens and waddle into mcdonalds

i delivered pizzas in mine
a couple times I had to deliver a 28" novelty pizza in the bed, so I guess it was useful

t. 5'4 and proud

same size as a modern midsize pickup.

Boys who drive suburb showgirls are always scrawny, what are you on about bud

>dont talk to me or my son ever again

Love them. I plan on getting the new Ranger when it comes out. They're supposedly going to be bigger than I need, more of a mid size, but it's better to have a little too much than not enough, since I plan on keeping it forever. If I end up having to put more money into my current shitbox before then, I'll get a Tacoma.

This. Why can't americans build houses?

Fucked if I know, but I don't see why you wouldn't just send a flatbed truck with a hiab to deliver 6+ metre packs of timber as opposed to joining 2.4 metre match sticks because they fit in your pickup.

Despite not having any real architectural sophistication, new American housing is an amazing thing to see. I put in the concrete curb+gutter for new sections and brand new developments. It is incredible to see how fast these places shoot up.

The labor structure has been boiled down to a science. Capitalism at its finest.

And on topic, I have seen countless light duty pickups on the jobsite hauling FAR more than you would think they can. Is it safe to haul so much shit? Probably not. But don't discredit a small truck's capabilities.

I'd figure it's either
>Full on cost cutting
>Easier to rebuild if it goes down

Considering a sizable part of the news we get from america is in the lines of "tornado/flood/quake sweeps in and destroys X thousand houses", which we don't have nearly as often on europe, if at all, I'd think it's so they can rebuild as quickly as possible and go on with their lives.

How can the thread be this old without a mention of utes?

Drywall comes in 4x8 sheets because studs are built 16" on center. Ergo, the sheet will land halfway on a stud for fast installation. Im sorry every single piece of drywall isnt meticulously engineered to fit perfectly in whatever special snowflake wall that you have in your superior european house

Protip, drywall isn't always installed vertical, and ceiling heights aren't always 8'
Again, this might work if your house is a glorified flat-pack kit.

Oh, and ceilings aren't always 8-12' long either. Why the fuck would you expose yourself to necessary butt joints?

It better get better MPG.

I don’t mind them but they are kinda pointless. They don’t really use any less gas and they cost pretty much the same as a full sized truck. The cost is why most aren’t in production anymore

>special snowflake
>says the guy living in the only country using imperial
You having a fucking laugh, mate?

>fit compact regular cab with dropside tray
Americans haven't yet arrived at this insight.

>Well first of all I live in the 95% of the world that use the metric system so we wouldn't sell drywall in feet measurements here.
God you're such a faggot

Why can't they make something like a somewhat larger ranger but fit it with a much more gas efficient engine? Not everybody tows. Something like a fucking minivan engine can get 19 city where these get like 14.

You mean something like a Toyota Tacoma or Chevrolet Colorado? These all get 18-20 mpg city and around 20 mpg combined nowadays.

Hell, the current Colorado's diesel option is good for 25mpg in the city.
It's strange you guys never cottoned onto diesel compact pickups.

Well, not the only country. There's a couple others...

>Americans haven't yet arrived at this insight
This/these retards are the case in point