Trucks yea.

[herm0016]

this is why we own trucks jules. 2200 lbs of garden soil for the 2 new raised beds and fill for a few spots in the yard.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Depends on need.

If you do this every week, go nuts.

if you do it once a month, delivery charges aren't all that expensive.

And if you do it once a year, $100-200 bucks sounds WAY better than buying a truck. Even over 30 years.

How about this, don't bother with the dirt/garden and you won't need a truck.



better yet, you already have dirt on your property........use it vs buy a truck and PAY for dirt.

 

[herm0016]

dropped off a full bed of brush 2 days ago and we will start mulching (from the free city mulch pile) in a week or 2.

our other car is a volt... avg over 100 mpg on it.

 

[jlee]

I might be renting a skid steer in the next few weeks...called the rental place and verified I can tow it with the GX.

I might have to find a utility trailer, though - want to snag some of the free rocks people put up on Craigslist all the time, but I don't have a truck anymore.

 

[Vdubchaos]

I just use a minivan for projects.

primary purpose, moving people....lots of people

secondary, whatever else. I don't think I have ever ran into situation that minivan didn't do a great job. Dump runs, project/hauling stuff, camping hauling, firewood collecting.

IMO, by far the best multipurpose vehicle on the planet.

 

[skyking]

dropped off a full bed of brush 2 days ago and we will start mulching (from the free city mulch pile) in a week or 2.

our other car is a volt... avg over 100 mpg on it.

Same way I look at it. I park the truck most if the time and wife and I drive TDI vws that get mid to high 40s all the time. IF anything breaks there is no panic just drive the truck.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Delivery is way less expensive than owning a truck. But hey, if you want to drive land barges that get 17mpg city knock yourself out. You'll only see me every other week at the gas station.

 

[jlee]

Delivery is way less expensive than owning a truck. But hey, if you want to drive land barges that get 17mpg city knock yourself out. You'll only see me every other week at the gas station.

And I'll never see you in Baja.

 

[ponyo]

I just use a minivan for projects.

primary purpose, moving people....lots of people

secondary, whatever else. I don't think I have ever ran into situation that minivan didn't do a great job. Dump runs, project/hauling stuff, camping hauling, firewood collecting.

IMO, by far the best multipurpose vehicle on the planet.

minivan is great for moving people and hauling small stuff but I'm not going to be using it for dump run and hauling dirty/messy/heavy stuff.

 

[Zargon]

Delivery is way less expensive than owning a truck. But hey, if you want to drive land barges that get 17mpg city knock yourself out. You'll only see me every other week at the gas station.

that's about as often as I fill up my land barge

 

[ponyo]

I fill up my truck 2-3 times a week. But that's cheaper than paying for delivery 2-3 times a week.

 

[Vdubchaos]

minivan is great for moving people and hauling small stuff but I'm not going to be using it for dump run and hauling dirty/messy/heavy stuff.

Why not? I have been doing it for over 20 years+

Heck, it's better than pick up IMO.

Just fold up/empty out the seats > put down tarp and load her up.

 

[Zargon]

Id rather not have to worry about the tarp ripping ETC and filling my nice van with messy shit.

plus with little ones, its hardly 'practical/easy/ to just fold down the seats when I have to remove child seats/bases and then reinstall them all when I'm done

plus the van is way nicer than my SUV inside. and if it wont fit I drive 20 minutes to a friend and hitch up his 5x10

 

[Tweak155]

I had a truck for about 3 years. Did not use it hardly at all for typical truck stuff, just liked it. But I also worked from home and didn't drive a lot, so I deserved a little something nice!

But, as soon as I started driving to work again, I traded it in.

 

[Yuriman]

Not mine, but you get the idea. Owner claims to still get over 45mpg while towing. Considering I'm closer to 70 with a smaller trailer behind mine, I believe it.

EDIT: I only really use the F150 when I need to tow something particularly large, like a boat or camper, or when a trailer would be overly inconvenient.

 

[JulesMaximus]

that's about as often as I fill up my land barge

Do you drive 300 miles a week? I do.

 

[NutBucket]

That's the point. Different vehicles for different needs. My folks put less than 6k a year on their truck. Does mpg really matter?

My dad simply insists on having a truck. He bought a new Frontier last month at the ripe age of 79!

 

[jlee]

Not mine, but you get the idea. Owner claims to still get over 45mpg while towing. Considering I'm closer to 70 with a smaller trailer behind mine, I believe it.

EDIT: I only really use the F150 when I need to tow something particularly large, like a boat or camper, or when a trailer would be overly inconvenient.

That....can't be safe...

 

[Yuriman]

That....can't be safe...

The trailer has its own brakes. What's the issue?

 

[JCH13]

That....can't be safe...

Gotta agree with jlee on that one... that looks horrifically unsafe, not to mention very hard on the car. It looks like a 1-2klb equipment trailer with around another 1klb, or more, of stuff on it.

If the internet is to be believed the Insight is not recommended for towing, making this extra sketchy.

 

[jlee]

The trailer has its own brakes. What's the issue?

Have you ever towed something heavy enough where you were getting pushed around by the trailer? Because that's exactly what'd happen in that case.

 

[Yuriman]

Gotta agree with jlee on that one... that looks horrifically unsafe, not to mention very hard on the car. It looks like a 1-2klb equipment trailer with around another 1klb, or more, of stuff on it.

If the internet is to be believed the Insight is not recommended for towing, making this extra sketchy.

Hey, not recommending it, but you don't necessarily need a truck to move some dirt. If the smallest car made in 20 years can pull a racecar on a utility trailer, I'm betting you can pull some dirt in a Corolla or Fiesta.

 

[jlee]

Hey, not recommending it, but you don't necessarily need a truck to move some dirt. If the smallest car made in 20 years can pull a racecar on a utility trailer, I'm betting you can pull some dirt in a Corolla or Fiesta.

What is "possible" and what is "safe" are two distinctly different things.

 

[JCH13]

Hey, not recommending it, but you don't necessarily need a truck to move some dirt. If the smallest car made in 20 years can pull a racecar on a utility trailer, I'm betting you can pull some dirt in a Corolla or Fiesta.

What happens to the insight's rear suspension when that trailer brakes really hard? The trailer can take a LOT of weight off of the insight's front tires, making it quite difficult to steer and brake in an emergency situation. What happens when the trailer gets a little unstable and the driver hits the brake instead of the gas? I bet there will be a jack-knifed insight on the side of the interstate, best case.

Yeah, it's all possible, but that doesn't make it safe, or a good idea. And, unlike many other situations, you're risking other people's lives and health in addition to your own. If that trailer came loose and hurt me or someone I care about I would have a very strong civil case to take everything that Insight driver owned.

Heck, OP put a (literal) ton of dirt in his truck, which does not look like a 1-ton truck (please correct me if I'm wrong) which is also a bad idea, but I see it happen ALL THE TIME.

 

[skyking]

With the light cars I recommend no more than 2/3 the cars weight for a safe trailer weight. In Europe they go nuts and tow 2x the car weight. Always use trailer brakes above 1200 pounds. Most state law requires it above 3000 pounds but those laws are based around a typical 5000 pound pickup for a tow vehicle.
By my safe rule of thumb that equals about 1400 for your insight?
I will tow up to 1400 behind my TDI beetle, but it is substantially heavier and more powerful than a typical gas compact.