Daily Driver to Limited Use Pickup

[tlj87]

Hello,

I have a 1994 F-150, 4.9L 300, 4x4, 5spd manual, Std. cab, 8' bed. The truck has 161,000 miles on it and we have had it since 36,000 (second owner). Mechanically and cosmetically it is in very good condition as I have kept up with body work and had it oil undercoated every year.

Anyhow, I am moving to Pittsburgh (about 1.5 hrs away) for a new job, and will be getting a new(er) and more fuel efficient and compact vehicle (something like a Jeep Patriot, Toyota RAV4, etc.) for getting to and from work and my camp.

I will be keeping my 100-acre property for weekends and vacations and would like to keep my truck at the property. Always finding myself hauling lumber, mulch, junk, etc... I'd like to find a used snow plow setup for it as well.

What I am wondering is if the truck will start to deteriorate rapidly or if it will remain a viable work truck for the next, say 10 years. It will sit for a week at a time, and perhaps up to a month at a time in the winter.

How about gas? It has dual tanks - should I abandoned one of them? Should I add additives when filling?

And Oil? Change once a year when I get it inspected? Switch to synthetic?

Other considerations?

I will reduce the insurance coverage on it since it will see limited use (i.e. remove collision coverage) to keep the cost of ownership low.

 

[buck12]

I bought a new F150 last year but could not let my 93 F150 go. I kept her as hunting truck which means I drive it Nov - Jan for deer season and March - Apr for turkey hunting. During the unused months I try to drive it at least every other week. Its nice to have the old truck in that during hunting season I can leave my hunting stuff in it or if I am working on a project at our remote property I can leave tools in it.

 

[texasjohn]

That pickup is worth far more to you than anyone else.... and it's 4 wheel drive...I have a beater f350...stop driving it on the road, keep it on the ranch... very handy to have... be prepared to see your vehicle begin to come apart, things like interior lights, A/C, heater, etc.... but as long as it starts and runs and can pull a trailer, it'll be really handy...

All good ideas about how to keep it... also, suggest you keep a trickle charger on the battery.

 

[hawkeye08]

If you can find gas without ethanol, that will help.

 

[WH401]

Run an additive in the fuel, Stabil or Seafoam would be good ones. Keeping the tank topped off with fresh fuel will help with this too, as well as using the lowest amount of ethanol fuel you can find. What kind of condition is the paint in?, a good coat of wax to protect the paint is just as important as an oil change IMO. Where will you be parking it?, inside or outside? Do you have a concrete pad or gravel spot to park it on? Inside would be ideal, but if not then I would suggest a gravel spot or concrete pad. You don't want to leave it parked on grass because it will start to rust out from underneath. The condensation from the grass will cause moisture build up under the truck. This combined with the temperature rising through the day will causes everything to slowly rust. I know this because the same thing has happened to one of my vehicles that has sat parked on grass for the last 3 years, and it was in pretty good condition cosmetically as well. Parking on gravel or concrete would be good for the tires too, so they aren't in the dirt all the time. If you can hook the battery under to a "Battery Tender" that would help extend it's life.

Above all else the most important thing is regular use. I know you've said it may sit for a month or two at a time but still, any vehicle with miles and age on it will begin to deteriorate very rapidly once it starts to sit for a period of time without regular use.

 

[tlj87]

texasjohn - Yes, the truck is very valuable to me! If I were to trade it, I would get peanuts, at best. I do want to keep it on the road, though, so I can fetch materials and have an extra vehicle should I or someone close need it. I have a JD Gator and Kawasaki Mule at my camp for most on-property maintenance.

hawkeye08 - Does the higher octane fuel (89,93) have ethanol or just 87?

wh401 - The paint is in good condition. In fact, I just had some rust repair and painting done on it. The under body of the truck gets oiled every fall. I usually wax it twice a year, spring and fall, with washings at least once a month. This, of course, will probably be reduced to a fall waxing and limited washing.

As for parking, I plan on adding two 8' sections on to my machine shed, one for the truck and the other as an 'open' space for whatever I want out of the barn at the time. This addition will be enclosed with a gravel floor.

FWIW, here are a few photos of the truck...

 

[Toyboy]

You'll have to deal w/critters wanting to make it their home also. Especially mice

 

[aczlan]

That is a nice looking truck.

Aaron Z

 

[smstonypoint]

You'll have to deal w/critters wanting to make it their home also. Especially mice

And especially in heater/AC fan housings, as both my neighbor and I learned to our dismay earlier this summer.

Steve

 

[Diamondpilot]

That is a nice old truck. Always liked the strait 6. Plenty of torque and dead reliable.

The other guys covered it very well. Keeping it covered is key and keeping the critters out. I would invest in a barn cat with a $15 kitty door so she can get in and out of the weather. That will keep the critters away. The reason I say she is the females are much better hunters and do not pi$$ on everything like the males. You can get them for free all day long and about $40 in my area gets them fixed so you do not end up with 1000 kittens.

I would not switch to synthetic at this point. I would also invest in a $25 battery maintainer. I have put them in both my fathers and uncles Corvette's since they get limited use and they do wonders. Get them at WalMart or Harbor Freight.

Make sure you drive it and use all the things like the 4x4 and heater blower motor atleast once a month. This will keep all things free and working. DO NOT just let it warm up then shut it down, that is worse than not driving it.

As for the gas keep both tanks full. Use gas STABIL for ethanol. Its a marine formula. Its a dark brown color. The red stuff is better than nothing but really useless for ethanol fuels.
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Chris

 

[crashz]

The others have covered it well.

I've had poor service with mothballs and/or dryer sheets. Most farmers in my area keep cats around for the mice issues and never seem to have a problem.

BTW - the truck is way to nice to get rid of or trade in. I'd keep it too.

 

[tlj87]

I think you should get rid of it or send it my way! I love the package 4.9L 300, 4x4, 5spd manual, Std. cab, 8' bed, especially the six. If they made them today, I buy one in a heartbeat. Best engine I ever had.

I can't part with it, that is why I'm trying to justify keeping it! I could probably get away with buying a trailer (like the one in the picture) and towing it with an SUV, but I really like that truck and can't see anyone else having it. Very reliable, indeed!

I am on the look out for a snow plow for it so it can get some winter use when I visit my camp.

As for a barn cat - I don't know if that is feasible considering my weekend and limited winter usage...

So, what is the verdict on the gas - higher grades have less or no ethanol?

 

[Qapla]

So, what is the verdict on the gas - higher grades have less or no ethanol?

Don't know where you are, but you said it snows and you are moving to Pit. perhaps you are in PA. I live in Florida and we don't have that worry.

We do have ethanol in the gas and they use the same percentage in all grades ... at least they say they do ... perhaps your state is the same.

We have a 1973 1 ton dual flatbed with a 300 and 4 spd manual (1st gear is a granny) that sits for EXTENDED periods (this last time for about 3 years) and we didn't really do anything with it. It still cranked, but the battery was dead and needed replacing. There is also some rust (well, there are some areas without rust would be more accurate) on the cab - wood flatbed.

I would recommend doing much more than we did since you have a much nicer truck. Ours sitting that long was actually unintentional, but good to know how durable the truck is.

As far as a cat goes ... as long as she has somewhere to get in out of the weather and a place to get water, she will feed herself - ours do. If you feed them too much, they won't hunt. Just take some cat food when you go and give her some when you are there to supplement her natural diet.

If you store any animal food at the camp (cat, dog, cattle, horse, etc.) keep it in a trash can with a tight fitting lid to keep the local critters from finding it and helping themselves.

 

[SARG]

I second the suggestion on a $25. battery maintainer .. trickle charger.

I would also buy a few cans of fluid film and spray anywhere I thought rust would be an issue. The stuff is safe on paints and excellent for under the vehicle. A local dealer here has sprayed the undercarriage of his personal vehicles twice per year and he swears by the stuff.

I just bought a case of 12 cans off Ebay for $78.

 

[tlj87]

Thanks for all of the advice!
I will take this into consideration. Truck is in the shop this week while I am on vacation. Getting a rebuilt steering box installed (two inches of slop in wheel with original box) and front bearings packed with grease along with oil change/lube. Will get it oiled (undercoating) within the next month. I'll still be driving the truck regularly for the rest of this year... looking to get a new DD after the first of the year.

Any tips or suggestions as to what to look for in a used snow plow?

 

[Diamondpilot]

Plow brands are all a matter of preference. I would not go any larger than a 7.5' plow on that size truck. Main thing to look for is broken or bent parts and any previous repairs.

Around here the casual user like me have Meyer. They are cheap and the parts are the cheapest because there are many aftermarket parts are made for them. Fisher makes a good plow but costly and not many aftermarket parts. Boss makes a excellent plow but they are 1.5 times the cost of the others. You get what you pay for. Again, not many aftermarket parts.

For the casual user its tough to beat a Meyer on price alone.

Chris

 

[Cat_Driver]

I had a Jeep Rubicon that I bought new in 2005 with hopes of doing a lot of four wheeling. Well I ended up only using it once a year in December going up to the snow.

The other 51 week it just sat. I did nothing to it. In more than five years I had less than10,000 miles on it. So not starting it in a month is child's play. The only thing with be rust, that will kill any vehicle.

Right before I sold it I thought I would change the oil for the new owner and when the records were pulled up I only drove 500 miles that year from oil change to oil change.

Only once was the battery dead in the year but I found a short and once I fixed the short it never went dead again year to year. I did nothing to the fuel, but I always did change the fluids with high quality synthetics.

 

[WH401]

I had a Jeep Rubicon that I bought new in 2005 with hopes of doing a lot of four wheeling. Well I ended up only using it once a year in December going up to the snow.

The other 51 week it just sat. I did nothing to it. In more than five years I had less than10,000 miles on it. So not starting it in a month is child's play. The only thing with be rust, that will kill any vehicle.

You have to remember though that the OP's vehicle is a 16 year old truck with over 160k on it. It's much easier for a new/newer vehicle to sit and not have any issues arise as opposed to an older one with some miles on it. Once an older, used vehicle starts to sit for any amount of time over a week or two it starts to deteriorate, fast. Regular use is the best thing for keeping a high mileage, older vehicle going.

 

[buck12]

You have to remember though that the OP's vehicle is a 16 year old truck with over 160k on it. It's much easier for a new/newer vehicle to sit and not have any issues arise as opposed to an older one with some miles on it. Once an older, used vehicle starts to sit for any amount of time over a week or two it starts to deteriorate, fast. Regular use is the best thing for keeping a high mileage, older vehicle going.

True, I bought an IH Scout in the early 90s from the original owner. It was in great condition but had set up for several years. Within the first year or two I had replaced almost every seal and gasket on it: went through both axles, most hoses, door caskets, rebuild power steering pump, and on and on.

 

[jayste]

You'll have to deal w/critters wanting to make it their home also. Especially mice

And rats. As I was reading all the responses I was thinking of rodents. They do like wire sheathing and places to make a nest. Sorry critters! Nice truck, BTW. I'd like to have on like it.