Post your tow rigs here!!!

[85_Ranger4x4]

Right. Before that, you could get a big V8 and a crewcab.

Those were shit in all regards. Chrysler was notorious for putting lighter parts in and badging them up heavier. It's nothing everyone doesn't know. The 1994 was a godsend for them--finally making a real truck again.

This is the 1970 D20 my grandfather bought brand new. While it only has a 318, there was a optional 383 avalable. I think about the only option it got was the 318, it is even factory radio delete. It is a riot to drive as with 80k very well taken care of miles it still drives about like it did new, someday (hopefully no time soon) it will be mine. He bought it to haul with in the bed (grain and livestock) so I guess it isn't really a tow rig, but my great granfather went through two axle shafts and a engine with his IH 1100 pickup trying to keep up with hauling grain at harvest.

Note this was pre Ram, and this thing has "Chrysler" plastered all over rather than Dodge, I think the only place it really says that it is a Dodge is on the outside, otherwise under the hood and even on the steering wheel it is a product of "Chrysler Corporation"

 

[Will]

That's 2 generations earlier than the Dodges I was badmouthing. Does that have the old poly 318? When I was a kid I helped my friends uncle move and he borrowed a Dodge about that year and it had the poly 318, not an LA.

An 1100 IH is a half ton isn't it? A pickup can haul about 60 bushels which is about 3,000# of wheat. I would guess that would thrash a half-ton of that era. Probably had a D44 rear axle. Pretty tedious method of hauling grain though, with a pickup. Most small time guys here have an old beater International LoadStar with a 240 bushel box or something that they only use during harvest. The guy I used to help did 14 acres of soybeans and got about 180 bushels per acre--pretty low yield I think. That's about 2500 bushels though, about ten loads with the old Loadstar but about 40 with a pickup. And that's a small field.

Is that a shortbed? If so, that makes it even more tedious.

 

[koda6966]

Right. Before that, you could get a big V8 and a crewcab.
Those were shit in all regards. Chrysler was notorious for putting lighter parts in and badging them up heavier. It's nothing everyone doesn't know. The 1994 was a godsend for them--finally making a real truck again.

You could get a 360 from 1981 and up, and I think you could get it in a 5.9 cummins as well.

I'm also pretty sure I've seen a crew in that generation.


--Edit--

Here's a picture of the crew cab first gen..

The link says it has the cummins as well. Thought you said that didn't exist?

 

[Will]

The 360 is not a big V8. The Cummins didn't come around until '89.

So you made me look it up. I was wrong. A crewcab was available through 1988. But it was only a 149" WB so it must have only come with a shortbed. Since Dodge was only selling about 80,000 total full-size trucks a year, that accounts for me never having seen one.

The base engine for their fullsize in 1987 was a 90hp 170ft# inline-6. In 1987 GM's base motor was a 155hp 230ft# 4.3L V6 and Ford's was a 150hp 265ft# inline 6.

The 318 was 140hp, 240ft# and still had a carb. The 305 GM was 170hp, 365ft# and EFI. The 302 Ford was 185hp, 270ft# and EFI.

On the next level, Dodge's highest, the 360 was 175hp, 280ft# and still had a carb. The GM 350 was 210hp, 300ft# and EFI and the 351 Ford was 190hp and 285ft#. Again, both beat up on the Dodge.

Then, GM had a 454 w/ 230hp & 385ft# and Ford had a 460 with 245hp and 380ft#.

And they both had a diesel available as well.

They both had overdrive transmissions long available where Dodge did not.

Ford sold about 550,000 F-series. GM sold 450,000 full-size. Dodge sold 80,000.

GM redesigned their trucks and in 1988 and sold 520,000 units that year. The Ford at least looked different between '86 and '87. Dodge didn't do anything until the 1994 model year. And their sales always showed it. They just didn't offer much. I was driving all through those years. Even the military disliked those trucks. The Dodge was the first CUCCV--tactical pickup. After a couple years of poor reliability, they shitcanned the lot of them and bought a couple billion GM pickups and Blazers--which are still going strong 25 years later.

 

[koda6966]

I'm not arguing the point that there were better vehicles, just that it came with a crew cab option and that it came with the 5.9, which in your opinion isn't a big V8 but in mine it is because I'm used to the little 5.2. So, looking up the specs of each manufacturer's engine (unless you already knew them which is quite possible) was utterly pointless.

--Edit--

It also makes sense to me that Dodge would sell less in the 80's because the Ram line was just starting out, as opposed to the F-Series which was around since the 40's or 50's and the Chevy C(?) line which was around since the 60's. Reputation certainly wins sales.

 

[Jason]

 

[racsan]

now thats overkill. like the wide single rears over the conventional duals though.

 

[Will]

I don't know why Dodge gave up on the Power Wagon name for that Ram name. Power Wagon is a much better name. A sheep hood ornament came on some of those Ram trucks.

That road tractor looks like a good canidate for a trip out west some day. Lease a trailer that we can put a dozen RBVs on and fill up my schoolbus with the people and camping gear.

 

[Jason]

I don't know why Dodge gave up on the Power Wagon name for that Ram name. Power Wagon is a much better name. A sheep hood ornament came on some of those Ram trucks.

That road tractor looks like a good canidate for a trip out west some day. Lease a trailer that we can put a dozen RBVs on and fill up my schoolbus with the people and camping gear.

I have access to a 48' flatbed trailer. No car hauler though.

 

[Jason]

now thats overkill. like the wide single rears over the conventional duals though.

Not overkill for 80k pounds of stuff though.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

That's 2 generations earlier than the Dodges I was badmouthing. Does that have the old poly 318? When I was a kid I helped my friends uncle move and he borrowed a Dodge about that year and it had the poly 318, not an LA.

An 1100 IH is a half ton isn't it? A pickup can haul about 60 bushels which is about 3,000# of wheat. I would guess that would thrash a half-ton of that era. Probably had a D44 rear axle. Pretty tedious method of hauling grain though, with a pickup. Most small time guys here have an old beater International LoadStar with a 240 bushel box or something that they only use during harvest. The guy I used to help did 14 acres of soybeans and got about 180 bushels per acre--pretty low yield I think. That's about 2500 bushels though, about ten loads with the old Loadstar but about 40 with a pickup. And that's a small field.

Is that a shortbed? If so, that makes it even more tedious.

Wikipedia says that the LA replaced the poly in '66 so I assume that it has a LA. It is a torquey bugger whatever it is.

1100 was a light half ton, it has the same 5 x 4.5" wheel boltpattern as my Ranger so it is by no means a heavy duty truck. He also had sideboards in the bed (it is a longbed too) to increase capacity so you can imagine what it was going through. It also has overload springs, but I don't know if they came on it or were added. He was really ornery and was always up for a compitition. This was back in the 70's, they kept most of their grain for feed. We have still it too, it has a tad more rust but is still pretty straight... and no pictures.

 

[BLOODBANE]

I'll play. I got this last year(07) in November. It replaced a 89 F250 supercab with the 351........

It has the V-10(I wanted the diesel, but couldn't find one I liked around here at the time). I get 11.5mpg, loaded or empty......

 

[Will]

Nice truck. I spent some time behind the wheel of one similar and going back to the sheetmetal interior of my own truck is a feeling like trading 12" memory foam for an army cot.

 

[koda6966]

I get run off the road by one of those ALLLLLL the time.

Some people need to learn how to drive on skinny dirt roads.

 

[marcehboy]

76 F-350 car hauler with 70,000 miles on it with a fresh 460 mated with a new c6

The Power