this post was submitted on 10 Dec 2024
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Short beds and unibody designs are the worst fucking things to happen to trucks
If you need a truck - and as a rural tradesperson, there are plenty of good reasons to need one - get something that'll actually do the job.
Rural tradepeople in Europe rarely have trucks. Vans do the job in the vast majority of cases, a trailer can complement when needed.
Not to mention a van has the benefit of keeping the load dry
Which depending on what you do and where can be very important
They also keep dirt and road dust off your tools and materials. Vans also conceal your cargo better than a bed which can prevent theft. Most vans are more fuel efficient than similar sized trucks. Vans are usually easier to drive and have better visibility. A big enough van can fit a small workshop in the back, that you can stand in and assemble parts.
Vans are the better work/trade vehicles compared to trucks for most applications and that is a hill I will die on.
I use a 4 door short bed truck, and here's why. I need to pick up my kids half the days of the week. I don't have a van anymore because I do demo work and I got tired of riding inside with the dust. I just build a wood rack if i need to haul more. I'd get a 4 door, long bed truck, which would be the best ever except it's just too dang long to park. So when the kids aren't around I fold up the rear seats and the tool boxes go in there. Is what it is. I long for the days when I drove a car with a toolbag in the trunk.
They used to make single cab trucks with a bench seat to fit 3 people total and it still had a full sized bed. If you've only got 2 kids that design would probably have been better for you, but they don't make many of this style anymore.
I've got a work van (one of the smaller Ford Transits), but it's just not capable of towing anything really. Trucks do a lot better on the muddy hillsides I find myself on frequently.
FWIW I'm not arguing against you, I'm just saying in my personal case, I would be able to put a reasonable truck to good use. I don't need a King Ranch or anything stupid like that.
All wheel drive vans with higher towing capacity exist
K
My dad had a micro van in NYC and got along fine