I can’t tell you how many times people have said to me that they can’t believe I am farming without a real pickup (it’s even been said here on the blog). Since we began the farm I have been doing all of my farming with a somewhat trusty and clunky SUV. The great thing about the SUV was that I could haul lots of people or take the seats out and use it to take calves to the vet, haul buckets of corn, pick up feed from the feed store, and even take large round bales to the cows (that involved a couple of chains and I would not suggest trying it at home). I used the poor SUV to push things (the license plant is hanging on barely), to pull trees out of the timber (the better the tread on the tires the better off you are), and of course to pull the stock trailer to pick up and drop off countless pigs, sheep, cattle, and chickens.
But, last year I decided to step up into the pickup world … I purchased a mini-sized Chevy S-10 with 4 cylinders and five speeds! It worked okay for piling full of coolers and driving to the farmers market, but for any sort of “truck” job it fails miserably. That is why when the rear-end on the no longer trusty SUV took a death blow this year at the end of summer I knew it was time to step up to a “real” truck … one that had a bed you could fill up, one that could pull big things, and one that was big and loud and red!
There is just one thing though … If I believed in luck I would have to say that I have bad luck when it comes to purchasing vehicles or just plain vehicles in general! So, even though I was excited to get a truck I was not excited about looking for one and buying one … which is why it took two months. Finally after getting the feeling that my friends were tired of me borrowing theirs … I landed on this beauty …
Now I am a real farmer … I have a big red truck that is loud and can pull lots of heavy things! It’s not a new truck … it’s not a low mileage truck … it has some rust covered up with paint … and it has your typical bumps and bruises. But, it will be a nice addition to the farm and I know that my friends will appreciate me not borrowing theirs (really they have been a huge help though!).
I dither a lot about getting a truck. Like you, I’ve been making do with my existing vehicle (a Toyota Echo), which can take 6 bags of feed and two bales of wood chips plus one passenger – or the dog. For bigger jobs, I use my hubby’s minivan, spread out a tarp, and haul chicken crates, bales of hay, etc. We don’t have any four footed beasties – yet – so getting a truck has seemed extravagent, given the comparatively poor gas mileage and the lack of passenger space (I want a long box instead of a crew cab). However, my little car is about to go to university with one of our kids, so my opportunity is on the horizon – I’m thinking beater, though, something I can get dirty and not worry about – maybe 1/2 ton, preferably Chevy or GMC, and it will have to be automatic (you don’t want to hear me grind gears). Congrats on your shiny new red truck!