I'll eventually be buying a small pickup in the future, so to the truckfags that haul items in the back often, I have a few questions...
Cap or no cap? No cap: -Easy access to throw stuff into the bed. -Good rear visibility. -Truck looks good without one. -But, have to be wary about items flying out of the bed, sometimes. -Rain will ruin items unless covered by a tarp. -Snow builds up in bed during winter.
With cap: -Not as easy access to throw stuff into the bed. -Not as good rear visibility. -Truck sometimes doesn't look good with one. -But, won't have to worry about items flying out of the bed. -Don't have to worry about rain. -Snow stays out, however cleaning snow off the top requires grabbing a stool every time.
Is there a comprise to be found with a tonneau cover? Keeps the bed dry, easy to brush off the snow, but needs to be removed to haul larger items...and those larger items will still get wet/risk of flying out if there is no cap.
Lastly, any tips on securing items in a bed, when you can get away with not doing it and when you have to? I've seen a few trucks loose some/all of their bed load while driving. They were lucky the items that fell out didn't hit anyone else. What do you do with furniture, appliances, other large items, etc? Rope, tow straps? Does every truck bed have a place to tie stuff down to? Considering a Ranger/B-Series.
>Is there a comprise to be found with a tonneau cover?
Yes. Just keep it covered unless you need to carry tall shit. Our work truck has one and it's a great compromise.
My truck had 4 holes on the top of the bed like you see in that pic, usually enough. I never really bothered though, as long as it isnt teetering over the top, you should be fine.
How often do you really carry stuff that would be impossible to put in with the cap on, or how often would the cap be in the way for just retrieving small items from the side (garden tools, bags and all that)?
I went with a cap for the same reasons you state. I very rarely need to drag with me stuff too big for the cap, and if I do its just easier to use a small trailer
Securing stuff; I'm a fan of ratcheting straps when using open beds, plus cargo nets if there are a lot of light and/or soft items like trash bags, insulation plating and whatnot
get a cap if you plan on treating the truck like a van and just leaving shit in the back. its a lot easier to load stuff in the back without a cap in the way such as hay bales and logs and it'll clean itself out usually from wind while driving. also it's a lot more fun riding in the bed around the farm/innawoods or at the lakeside
get a ranger btw
Julian Foster
Gonna use it like a truck? No cap Gonna use it like a van? Cap Need a van? Van
Aaron Sullivan
>Ontario plate I have to ask, where should I be looking for rust when inspecting a Ranger/B-Series? Any other problems I should look out for? I would go no older than a 2008 at this point.
>How often do you really carry stuff that would be impossible to put in with the cap on Its moreso to keep rain/snow off of things. I garbage pick a few times every two weeks. Not metal, but stuff I can fix and resell. For example, there is a market for vintage furniture, so I'd be hauling things like dressers or chairs from time to time. Other than that, the bed would be empty for a week.
It will be in "van mode" for three nights every other week. Then its sitting empty. I plan on finding a B-Series only because I like the front/rear design better over the Ranger. Problem is alot more Rangers sold than the Mazda clone, and I'm trying to find something in good shape. Trucks live a harder life than grandmas pampered sedan.
I considered this route, because a van offers covering from the elements and carpets so stuff doesn't slide around. But its not really practical in terms of costs and size. I wish we still lived in the era of station wagons, because I'd rock an oldschool Toyota Corolla/Camry station wagon in a heartbeat, but they are almost all gone now and rusted away.
Evan Johnson
>not really practical in terms of costs and size Are vans like more expensive than trucks over there, or?
Are we talking a mini-van, or a work van? With regards to cost, I assume it would cost more to buy a used van than a used Ranger. When I'm not hauling anything, the size of a van to drive around town is a waste, and sometimes a pain to maneuver in tight areas. A small truck can still get around the city with ease.
Jeremiah Nguyen
Ranger and b series are literally the same truck with different badging. All the parts I've worked with have been for both trucks and my Vin sticker on my door even says manufactured by Ford motor company
I've never had a cap or cover on mine and it drove me fucking nuts in the winter. I hated having snow in the bed and would shovel it out and then hit the car wash after every snow. Stupid, but I couldn't help it.
Isaiah Butler
I mean a van similar sized to a Ranger/B-series, kinda like the HiAce that we've relied on for years and years here in Scandinavia
My tailgate rusted out too. But nothing serious, if you do see bad rust its usually not very hidden.
Juan King
They're typically clamped on in several points to keep them completely down & safe. Pic related; lower part of a clamp
Plus they're also kinda awkward to handle/lift on your own. If you'd be doing it super often I would recommend building a rig that could attach to some hooks/bars on the cap
if you get a rack to hang it on (because I'd imagine getting it off the ground by yourself is hard) can you lift it on yourself if you walk on a ramp?
Oliver Gonzalez
They're not too heavy to lift unless you're a skinny faggot who only lifts his dakimakura, its just that they're large and you kinda want to get it on and off without damaging it or the paint. A ramp would definitely make it easier
Here, its family hauling mini-vans, or those newer "transit" cargo vans, since the big three basically killed off their old RWD work vans. I sometimes wonder if people who used to drive those old work vans for decades dislike the newer transit ones because of their design. Either way, I don't really want to go the van route.
Fiberglass caps are heavy. Aluminum caps are lighter, but are probably a pain in the ass to remove and put back on all the time.
Good to know. Thanks.
Nice, I wonder if they ever made one for the Ranger. >Way too many people carry cargo in an extremely unsafe fashion. Yeah, I want to avoid this. This will be my first truck, so I'm curious. I currently do all my hauling with a beater Mazda Protege with the back seats down.
Ayden Garcia
i know they're the same, i was just telling op to get one since he said he was considering. the mazdas are harder to find though
Justin Torres
vans have a pretty bad stigma in the US, and also trucks have way better interiors
John Allen
I guess thats a US-thing
The HiAce in and my Hilux in have very much the same interior, or atleas the same styling, materials and gadgets
Same thing kinda goes with the modern stuff - a VW Transporter has very similar interior to a VW Amarok, and a Ford Transit has similar to a Ford Ranger (Euro ranger)
Depends a lot on whether you're getting a people carrier window van, or a contractor spec panel van.
Gavin Williams
Do not get a cap
Also, get a 1/2 ton or larger.
Elijah Jenkins
The Mazdas have different front fenders, hood, headlights, grille, front bumper, and came with different fogs if they were optioned. The bed is also slightly different with different shaped taillights. The "Mazda" sticker badge is off to one side on the tailgate for a more "Japanese/foreign" truck look. Mazda trucks also came with different alloy wheel options. Inside, hardly any differences.
Jack Richardson
Ofcourse - but what I was trying to get across is that pickups and work vans have very similar interiors here in terms of quality, gadgetry and luxury. The luxury interiors of the american pickups are not a thing here - sure, you get a touch screen, AC and all that, but you won't find leather on the doors, wood trim, or 14 cup holders
If you ever need to haul stuff without the cap you have to take the cap off ans store it somewhere, it's more annoying than you would think. I bought a cap for my truck and the only time I put it on now is when I'm moving, then it stays on for months typically until I convince someone to come help me remove it.
Then again I haul stuff in my bed that wouldn't fit with a cap, like motorcycles.
