Homestead mailing list

[Rob <becidawa AT hctc.com>]

At  11/15/2004 05:15 PM, you wrote:

> Idea is to buy a used pickup truck for cash that will serve as a ride here 
> and stay with me through the move out of here. Any suggestions? What do 
> you think I should consider?

The big questions is do you do your own work?
I had a Dodge Dakota 4x4 in MN and it carried everything it needed to. It 
had that small back seat which came in handy all the time.
My one gripe had to do with the 4 wheel drive. If it doesn't have hubs in 
front that lock & unlock you will be turning all the front running gear all 
the time. On the Toyota 4x4 van having the front hubs locked was worth 5 
mpg. In the winter I kept them locked. My Dakota got about 19 mpg at the 
best, 17-18 most of the time.

I'd look for a small truck, with a v-6, extended cab, 4x4 with locking 
hubs. I'm thinking that the locking hubs requirement takes out most of the 
more modern trucks. I did look for one of those when I got here, just never 
had enough spare money to justify it.
On the other hand a late model full sized truck will get around the same 
mileage my Dakota got. I knew a guy who was getting the mileage I was and 
he had a full sized Chevy with the 3rd door for the back, it was a '97. He 
sold it & bought a 2000 and it was a bit less in the mpg as he bought it 
with a towing rear end. The few times I rode in it or drove it I thought it 
was more comfortable than mine. More room.

On my Dakota I had a light weight topper. That was great to have. Easy for 
2 people to put on or take off depending on what I needed to do (& the 
weather). Four c-clamps held it on and they went under the rear left seat 
when the topper was off.

Parts and maintenance are something to keep in mind... When you get down to 
it it's what do you feel comfortable in? Nothing is going to beat a truck 
when you have to haul hay, fire wood, plywood, gravel, sand, manure from 
the chicken house or take a couple of pigs to the market (or bring them 
back from the auction).
Find something you like, something you are comfortable in, something you 
where can see the oil filter! (I hated where they put the oil filter in 
that Dakota). Buy it and enjoy it.




Rob
rob_b9 AT lycos.com
Now in western Washington, USA

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan
belt and a leaky tire.