28th Apr 2009, 10:59
I live in the Bay Area, California where there is around 6 million people. So a pretty big metro. There is a few Lowes and Home Depots near our house. The irony is that honestly, the bulk of the "work trucks" trucks I see parked out front owned by contractors are small trucks. Primarily Rangers, Nissans, and Tacomas. It's ironic because all during the week you'll see these little trucks out there, loaded to the top with tools, splattered with paint and covered with little dents and scratches. They are used almost like wheelbarrows. Most look like they've been through WW2. These are what I would call "work trucks"
Yet when the weekends roll around, that's when you'll see all the weekend warriors and their huge, shiney new Chevy Silverados, Tundras, and F-150's getting their one piece of lumber of couple bags of cement.
28th Apr 2009, 16:39
I see a lot of nice new large trucks at our independent building suppliers quite early, typically selling EP Henry Coventry Double Sided walls, Stonewall, Travertine patios EFIS, Enviromental Stone, Penncrete, doing high end homes in our areas, not driving junk. Lowes and Home Depot do not have the quality or products.
The owners have some pretty sharp trucks towing trailers with nice logos. They are not all splattered up. They go out on estimates and it's a reflection on quality not driving a pigpen. Many have shops, yet drive their new trucks home, many with Trac Rac sliding Rails on beds, Knaack Weatherguard better boxes that slide as well. Maybe you ride around on the bad side of town.
29th Apr 2009, 14:14
I'm not the guy you've been trading comments with up until now, but I thought I'd tell you a bit about my experience. I was a carpet installer in Fargo, ND and central MN for 10 years. In this area, the contractors drive larger pickups. Almost all drive F250, F350, and even the occasional F450. There are also quite a few Chevy/GMC 2500+ sized pickups. I honestly can't remember seeing a contractor drive anything smaller (and I met hundreds of them) because they usually kept their tools in a large trailer. They also use goose-neck trailers to bring skid-steer loaders, etc. to the job-site so they required something larger than a small truck or 150/1500 sized truck.
Now I own a tree farm/nursery in central MN. All of our landscapers require larger trucks because they have to get big equipment to the jobsite. Most of them drive at least an F350 sized truck. Some have trucks the size of a GMC Topkick (usually a flatbed trailer behind). They often leave with a 15,000-20,000lb load of trees. While they may only get 6-8 MPG, that's really quite good compared to the small trucks getting 20 MPG loaded making 5-7 trips to move the same number. A small pickup would be overloaded with two standard 28" BB 5' conifers (2-3 more if they use a trailer). I know this because many of our homeowner customers do exactly that.
Likewise, you mentioned that you'd see them at Home Depot. That's another difference. Here, almost all of the contractors prefer lumber yards over the big box stores because of the services offered and the price they can negotiate for an entire project.
I know the Bay Area. Most of my family lives in or moved away from Santa Rosa so I've been there many times. I don't doubt your observations at all. I suspect they rent larger trucks or that they are actually subs (who often use smaller rigs). But in the right environments (farming, landscaping, contracting, trailering, or even just living in a very rural area) a full-sized truck is no toy. It is a tool that provides many answers for the varied needs of its owner.
On a side note: Some guys can indeed load their trucks up to the top with tools etc., but the DOT has been cracking down on that sort of thing around here. So work trucks almost HAVE to be big to avoid the flashing lights (or make several trips wasting time and gasoline). It's just like mandating safety seats and seat belts... people who used to squeeze 5 kids into the back seat of their Civic were forced to buy a minivan or SUV... the net effect is that vehicles get bigger for safety reasons.
Anyway, that's the way things are here. Big trucks are still needed for big work. But it IS common for even work trucks to be driven empty. Many contractors will park their trailers at the jobsite and drive empty. Many farmers will drive the same truck, that was pulling an ammonia tank hours before, to town empty. Everyone can't own a different vehicle for every need, so they may get used to go to the grocer too. That doesn't mean that they're unnecessary... rather the opposite. Cheers!
29th May 2009, 08:02
This is my original review. I will give you all an update on this truck, since it's been a year.
First, I am not sure what all the debating is about, this is simply a review of a truck. After another year, the truck is still proving to meet all my needs, and remains as reliable as a Toyota should be. This has been my favorite light duty truck I have ever owned. It has its limitations for sure if compared to a F250 or Chevy 2500, but this little truck has done everything I have asked it to. The small block V8 pulls our small camper with ease.
As for payload.. I only use this truck to pull with, and an occasional trip to the local HD or Lowes for some 2x4's. This Tundra is a great truck for this kind of stuff. I don't need a 2500, this little truck does all this typical homeowner needs.
Nothing has broken in the last year since the original review. I treated her to a new tonneau, after 7 years the first one was pretty shot. That's all I have to say about my great little 'Yota. I love it.
26th Apr 2009, 12:43
There are those who use full-sized trucks for various towing/hauling purposes, but I have to agree that AT LEAST 90% of all the full sized trucks in our area never have anything in tow or in the bed. Far less than 10% of the public own boats or do any repairs to their homes requiring a truck to haul materials. Most people here driving full sized trucks are teenage boys. The only full sized trucks I see hauling anything here are company vehicles, such as those of my family's company. For heavy hauling they use Ford F-150', Chevys and Dodge Rams. I don't know of even one personally-owned full sized truck that ever hauls anything other than drivers and passengers. In the 6 years my next door neighbor has owned his Ford F-250 crew cab he has never hauled anything or towed anything with it. I have no idea why he bought it.