Best 3 trucks you've ever owned.

/ Best 3 trucks you've ever owned. #101  
I got this in a trade a while back. There’s not that many clean ton dumps especially 4x4 ones. I kinda have a thing for dump trucks. I still have my 1992 Chevy ton dump which was my first one, I have a 2000s 5500 dump that needs work and a F-750 dump truck.
What happens to all your tools in the tool boxes above the flatbed when you dump?
 
/ Best 3 trucks you've ever owned. #102  
What happens to all your tools in the tool boxes above the flatbed when you dump?

Probably the same thing that you imagine would happen. I took them off because I wanted to be able to load implements and other things on the bed.
IMG_4177.JPG
 
/ Best 3 trucks you've ever owned.
  • Thread Starter
#103  
The newer GM/ Chevy 2018 4500 cutaway with a class C MH on it have towed and launched a 21' pontoon boat on a tandem axle trailer with it numerous times has the 6.0 seems decent did a few aftermarket suspension upgrades though. Still to new at only 25k miles to make a fair evaluation or make it a fave besides maybe making favorite fam memories lol.
 
/ Best 3 trucks you've ever owned. #104  
2004 GMC 1500 Crew Cab 5.3 4x4, 2017 Ram 1500 Hemi crew cab, 2017 Silverado 1500 Quad cab 5.3.
 
/ Best 3 trucks you've ever owned. #105  
1983 VW Rabbit diesel. Lago blue. I've heard bad things but I never had trouble. Yes it was small, and very low hp (52), but it got around 50 m.p.g. Top speed was probably 75-80, 5 speed.
Wished I had it. Sold it with 50 K miles.
1993 Chevy Cheyenne that I ordered, vinyl bench seat, rubber floor mat, base model 5 speed but 350 engine, blue/blue, it did have ac. Day 1 I removed catalytic converter. 8ft bed. Wished I had it also!
1993 Ford F150 XLT with 300/six & 5 speed 4x4. 2dr, 6ft bed. I still have it...runs great...205K miles.
 
/ Best 3 trucks you've ever owned. #106  
The 2.8 v6 carbed motor was complete garbage in rangers and bronco 2s in my experience also. Heck everything in that generation of ford compact trucks was built and designed horribly in my experience and opinion. They have apparently made great strides to right what was wrong in newer generations according to some folks that own them anyway.
That's odd. I had carb'd 2.8 V6's in everything from Mustang II's and Bronco II's and they were bulletproof for me.
 
/ Best 3 trucks you've ever owned. #107  
That's odd. I had carb'd 2.8 V6's in everything from Mustang II's and Bronco II's and they were bulletproof for me.
Ditto here. I bought one of the first Rangers when they came out with them in 1983... it was a great truck but didn't survive getting wrapped around a guard rail fence. My only excuse is that I was young and dumb. :(
10 years later I bought a 1985 Ranger for $500. It was my first 4WD and I beat the crap out of it; then sold it for about what I paid. What a lot of people didn't realize is that the 2.8 had solid lifters so the valves had to be adjusted occasionally. I believe that it was a German engine, the same as what came in the Capri of that era.

had one of the first Gen Ford '84 Rangers. It was a POS, two wheel drive, with the four cylinder engine.
A friend bought the same truck when he graduated from college, with the same complaints. I believe that 4 cylinder was the same engine which had been used in the Pinto.
 
/ Best 3 trucks you've ever owned. #108  
78 Ford 150 4x4 300 straight six 4 speed manual granny gear.
85 Chevy heavy 3/4 ton 350 4 speed manual with granny.
Current 04 Chevy dually 6.0 4 speed auto with 4.11 gears 8-10 mpg. with or without the trailer with 48,000 miles.
I have owned six trucks in 45 years.

David
 
/ Best 3 trucks you've ever owned. #109  
Ditto here. I bought one of the first Rangers when they came out with them in 1983... it was a great truck but didn't survive getting wrapped around a guard rail fence. My only excuse is that I was young and dumb. :(
10 years later I bought a 1985 Ranger for $500. It was my first 4WD and I beat the crap out of it; then sold it for about what I paid. What a lot of people didn't realize is that the 2.8 had solid lifters so the valves had to be adjusted occasionally. I believe that it was a German engine, the same as what came in the Capri of that era.


A friend bought the same truck when he graduated from college, with the same complaints. I believe that 4 cylinder was the same engine which had been used in the Pinto.
Yes sir....German and solid lifter. At least the ones in the Mustangs were. I remember pulling the valve covers every year and setting the lifters. I too was young and dumb back then and drove the crap out of those cars.
 
/ Best 3 trucks you've ever owned.
  • Thread Starter
#110  
That's odd. I had carb'd 2.8 V6's in everything from Mustang II's and Bronco II's and they were bulletproof for me.
just talking about it is giving me indigestion, mine had less than 100k miles timing chain was stretched had so much blow back shorted out the (pickup coil) I believe or was called something similar to that on the distributor? Usually at inopportune times it would stall due to loss of spark. Leaked oil like a sieve eventually started misfiring most likely caused by timing chain and usually only ran on 4 or 5 cylinders, yet I got my 1st ever speeding ticket with that thing going down a hill. After that twist of fate Made up my own ford acronym f**** only runs downhill. Front axle joints constantly needed replacement. I'm sure there's much more but I'm tired and that was 30 yrs ago. If there was some positive things about that thing I started to learn how to wrench on cars, unfortunately not having the aid of YouTube, only having mediocre Kmart tools, and not having constant mentoring of a mechanically inclined mechanic (really needed someone to literally hold my hand at the time) most of my repairs were substandard or complete failures. Oh yeah the clutch failed shortly after I bought it. (I'll take partial blame for that involving a young dumb two track booze cruise) truck was nice looking though body didn't have rust or even a dent, paint was perfect. Built a nice frame mounted brush guard for it in welding class. My grandfather was right and should have listened when he said he'd never buy a used truck without a few dents in it. Rants over 1st gen compact fords the worst body on frame vehicle I've ever owned.
 
/ Best 3 trucks you've ever owned. #111  
Well I've only owned 5 trucks... Living in S GA...
89 Ford ranger ext cab..(hs truck) 5sp standard btw loved that truck .
90 z71 4x4 Silverado
94 z71 4x4 Silverado
2009 Lt 4x4 Silverado
2013 Lt 4x4 Silverado....
Humm... Seems to be a rhythm here..
Not planning on buying anything new no time soon.. live in S GA . Trucks last forever here with proper maintenance..

Currently still driving the 09 and 13... Absolutely no plans of trading or buying new . We got what we got ....

Edit: for all of you that live in salt states and have no option of hanging on or buying new .. well wish you the best of luck ....
 
Last edited:
/ Best 3 trucks you've ever owned. #113  
Once I sold off the Ford SuperVan, I doubled down on vans and bought a used G30 GMC. This I believe, was a 3/4 ton truck.
This was the most useless vehicle I have ever owned. It had a tow pack, but it didn't have limited slip rear wheel transmission. Why? I have no idea, but it would get stuck on flat ground with wet grass.

I took it on a vacation in to the outback of Oregon.
It failed in every way. Nothing worked anymore after this trip. Later I found that the entire wiring harness was not isolated from chaffing, if one was to run the rippled gravel roads: Which is most of outback Oregon. This vehicle which was supposed the be a HD sort of vehicle, completely fell apart in every way imaginable.

Wow! Sounds like you got a lemon!

G30 is a 1 ton van. I bought a G20 (3/4 ton) 4x4 conversion new in 1976 and drove it, mostly on back roads, for over 32 years. Minimal problems.
Terravan at Stewart Creek Sep 1977r.jpg



Got my use out of that van! I then got a 2007 E350 4x4 conversion which I'm still driving:
P1090254er.jpg
 
/ Best 3 trucks you've ever owned. #114  
This just makes me laugh. :)
 
/ Best 3 trucks you've ever owned. #116  
1993 Chevy WT with the 4.3l

Not exactly a power house but damn it was reliable
 
/ Best 3 trucks you've ever owned. #117  
Wow! Sounds like you got a lemon!

G30 is a 1 ton van. I bought a G20 (3/4 ton) 4x4 conversion new in 1976 and drove it, mostly on back roads, for over 32 years. Minimal problems.
View attachment 788013


Got my use out of that van! I then got a 2007 E350 4x4 conversion which I'm still driving:
View attachment 788011
Is your Ford a “Quigley”? They are (or at least were) located pretty close to me in PA
Your photos look like Chevy or Ford color brochure covers.
Are you a professional photographer?
 
/ Best 3 trucks you've ever owned. #118  
I've had several trucks and all pretty decent.

The funnest to drive was an 84 Chevy sport side with the 3spd on the column.

The newer trucks all seemed to be pretty reliable and very little issues. Starting with an 94 Ford ranger. No real issues except for a broken leaf spring. Severely under powered since it had the 4cyl. Regular cab, so it was very cramped being 6'1" tall.

04 f150 with the 4.6 v8. Great running truck. AC compressors sucked though. Finally fixed once Ford exhausted their remanned AC compressors.

09 GMC Sierra extended cab with the 5.3, 4x4. Great running. Had the dreaded oil consumption issue. Ate 1 quart of oil every 3,000 miles.

Currently 2016 GMC Sierra with the 5.3 v8, 4x4, super crew. Absolutely love the truck.
 
/ Best 3 trucks you've ever owned. #119  
Funny enough, my current three favs are the ones I currently own -

#1 - 1959 International Harvester B-162 - 18KGVWR, manual everything, 5 speed completely unsynchronized trans with the 2 speed rear. Just you, a motor, manual transmission and a flatbed..the way the universe intended a truck to be. None of that fluffy foo-foo stuff like a radio, or a heater.
Nothing quite that big, but my first truck was a 1970 International pickup. Was only 7 years old when I got it, the bed had already been replaced with a wood bed, and the rest of it was pretty rusty too, but man that thing was a beast!
I have to laugh when ever I see an ad for a modern truck. Its always a voice over with a bass voice, and towing some huge load.
For which, almost no one is actually is doing.
Or else off-roading over some pretty serious terrain, something else less than 1% of potential buyers is likely to do.
 
/ Best 3 trucks you've ever owned. #120  
2003 Tahoe Z71, owned it for 10 years and put 300K on it with nothing more than scheduled maintenance.
2013 RAM 1500 Hemi, no drama for the 9 years I owned it.
2015 RAM 3500 Cummins, another no-drama truck that I currently own.

I replaced the 2013 RAM with a 2022 RAM 1500 ECODiesel, I've owned it for 14 months, and not even a squeak or rattle. I have high hopes this truck will be trouble-free.
 

Marketplace Items

2005 GMC Canyon (A57148)
2005 GMC Canyon...
2005 JOHN DEERE 160C LC EXCAVATOR (A59823)
2005 JOHN DEERE...
SWICT 60" SKID STEER BUCKET (A60430)
SWICT 60" SKID...
2020 Ram Promaster City 1500 Cargo Van (A59230)
2020 Ram Promaster...
2022 Greenworks CU400W Commercial Work Utility Vehicle DEMO UNIT (A61306)
2022 Greenworks...
UNUSED RAYTREE RMSC78-78" HYD SOIL CONDITIONER (A60432)
UNUSED RAYTREE...
 
Top