Of course I'm wrong, not falling heads over heels for current 1/2-tons and their J2807 ratings.
That's fine, you do you. Maybe your trailers are heavy enough that you need that.
Not counting the trailers that very rarely or never never see public roads, my lightest one probably weighs around 4,000 or so. That wouldn't leave much for any load on it if pulled by a 1/2-ton.
Trucks stopped being trucks when they put carpet on the floor.
Yes. I have the SuperCab, not SuperCrew, which means suicide doors for the rear and not quite as long. Bugged the heck out of me for the 6.5 bed isn't long enough to put dirtbike in lengthwise and close the tailgate. Bought a "bed extender" gate to fold out on the tailgate to keep things in the bed from sliding out with the tailgate down.
And had automatic transmissions and chokes.
Honestly, bed length and carpet bother me way less than the automatic transmission. I switched brands back in 2005, just because the brand I'd been driving until then stopped offering manual transmission.
I was surprised to find that I can't get my truck from Ford anymore: F350 XL extended cab/long bed. I paid $27,000 for my truck, ordered with everything I wanted on it in 2004. Now, (if I read their website correctly) the cheapest F350 extended cab/long bed is now the Lariat, starting at $63,460 (and for that I would have to get a lot of extra stuff I don't want, like carpet and power windows).
I own a truck primarily for towing my trailers (boats & firewood logs), but since my other vehicles are of the sportier variety, the truck is also my "bad weather" vehicle. I do not like driving automatic transmission in snow and ice, because I am quite confident I can feel slippage between the tires and roadway much better with a manual, than with any automatic.
Yes, you can still get a vinyl floor. But if I recall, it really limits you on other options, the way they tend to package options now. I know you can buy a v6 std cab with a vinyl floor and the most basic seating from most brands, they badge them "fleet truck" or "work truck", with the aim of selling them to construction companies, etc. But if you want a V8, or an extended cab, or nicer seats... the vinyl floor option often goes away.
Back in the "old days" of 2004, you could pretty much order an F350 ala carte. I specifically wanted a "work truck" but with some options, like camper package, automatic, air conditioning, cruise control, posi-track, V-10, manual hubs, 4.30 rear end, snow plow front springs (just to make it sit level) rubber floors and all-vinyl seats (that was special order because the extended cab normally came with "vinyl weave" front seat which I thought wouldn't hold up as well as regular vinyl). Don't know if you could get power windows (I didn't want them) but I'll bet you could.I own a truck primarily for towing my trailers (boats & firewood logs), but since my other vehicles are of the sportier variety, the truck is also my "bad weather" vehicle. I do not like driving automatic transmission in snow and ice, because I am quite confident I can feel slippage between the tires and roadway much better with a manual, than with any automatic.
I'll admit, auto is nicer for getting a trailer off a dead-stop on a hill. But I weigh the bad weather advantage of manual to be more important than that small convenience of starting heavy loads on hills with less effort or concentration. Besides, I've been driving manual almost exclusively for 35 years, so it's really second nature, at this point.
As to which I'd rather drive, I actually also enjoy manual. That's driving. With automatic, you're just "steering".
Yes, you can still get a vinyl floor. But if I recall, it really limits you on other options, the way they tend to package options now. I know you can buy a v6 std cab with a vinyl floor and the most basic seating from most brands, they badge them "fleet truck" or "work truck", with the aim of selling them to construction companies, etc. But if you want a V8, or an extended cab, or nicer seats... the vinyl floor option often goes away.
Ram offers some pretty nice thick and deep-welled hard rubber floor mats, which are actually standard on the Outdoorsman package I have. The truck may be carpeted, but you'd only know that by the bit of exposed space on the transmission tunnel, the rest is under these heavy mud trays they call floor mats.
That describes the half ton crowd in Europe... anyone who needs a pickup truck for practical reasons, gets a HiLux, L200 or Navara. Oh, and theres that new VW pickup with 3 liter V6 TDI: Amarok its called. Its mostly the company car for a civil construction foreman.
The line between "want" and "need" blurs with the increase of disposable income.
I see tons of pickups where it's obvious that nothing has ever been carried except people.
It may only apply to cab and chassis models, but I'm pretty sure that you can order even a Laramie with vinyl floor.
Your perception of my reply to WinterDeere is out of whack from what i wrote.
Actually, I personally know several people who do exactly that. One guy I know drives a pickup only because his wife told him he should, because "it looks cool". I asked him which engine and rear diff ratio he bought, and he had no clue on either.
I believe he was actually talking about Euro's who are buying USA 1/2 ton trucks.
