Game haulers

orion3311

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I'm looking at possibly getting a pickup...maybe a Dakota? I'd love to get a slightly bigger V8 pickup but trying to keep it good on gas too. Any opinions on 6ft vs 8ft bed of a full size pickup?

Of course I have the ultimate game hauler right now but its loaded with crap and gets 8mpg - a 14' GMC box truck :) May be selling that if a pickup works out.
 
If you want it to move stuff around, the 8ft bed is always going to be better. It's a trade-off though, because you're going to give up something to get that bed, whether it be cab space (if you want the truck not to be so long, you'll need to shrink the second row), gas mileage (bigger is worse), or the ability to park in normal sized spaces and garages (if you keep the full size cab AND the long bed, the vehicle overall is VERY large).

As long as you want the bed more than you want the other stuff, then go for it!

And frankly, even if you go for the 8 ft bed + extended cab, you'll still probably end up shorter and with better mileage than the box truck!

If you're going to be moving just one or two machines at a time, then a 6 foot bed might be OK for you - you can stand them up and strap them down (if two machines), or you can just lay it on it's back (for a single machine).

Have you considered keeping the box truck for moving stuff and getting a smaller car for day-to-day? I don't know your normal operations, so that might not make sense for you, but it's something to consider.

You could even consider a small truck and a flat-bed trailer. That lets you move a few smaller items, gets you good fuel economy, and lets you tie on a bit more space when you need it. Just make sure the vehicle can handle towing a good side load and you're golden. You can even just rent the trailer from u-haul as needed - it's a little more planning, but it saves you having to maintain the thing.
 
i have a Dodge Sprinter, the extended version with the high top. works like a champ, and no need to worry about the weather. Runs on a mercedes diesel, and get about 25mpg.
 
I don't have any business or anything - the box truck was a really good deal through a family friend that I couldn't pass up, but I don't really use it anymore since gas prices went up. My normal car is a little VW GTI which is a hatchback and can kinda act like a pickup but only 54" of bed space technically ;-)

One of the guys in my car club is selling a really nice/clean Dakota Sport that I'm considering which is why I'm asking. In the pics it looked like a full size bed but I just realized smaller trucks still have a short bed no matter what. I dont haul around too many games but want the ability to, I also have an 8ft trailer I can use too.

My dad has an F250 I can use when needed too but it has a bedbox thats huge. I can't stick a game all the way in.
 
My 2005 RAM 2500 with extended cab and 8' box gets 15-18MPG on the highway... the 1996 RAM 1500 I replaced only got 9-12MPG on the highway.

I'd love to see what those "turn off cylinder" trucks get on the flat open road. :)
 
I broke down and just put a hitch on the truck. I can fit smaller cabs in the back but I always had issues with full size machines. With the hitch, if something crazy comes up I can just rent a trailer from Uhaul for 15-20$ depending on the size you need.

Groo215
 
Just put a trailer hitch on the GN and be done with it:D

Great power and great gas mileage and enough torque to pull anything

I should dig up the pic where I actually used it once because it was the only car big enough to haul...a crapload of flat heavy cardboard boxes and a 50 gal bag of packing peanuts. Thankfully everything was placed carefully so the car was fine, but man did I get some looks! I thought about a trailer hitch but it would be a pain to use the trailer a lot. My gar'cade is at the end of a block long alley with no u-turn possibilities :-(

EDIT: PS I'm KICKING MYSELF right now because I could have gotten a nice S10 with a GN motor in it. Man I'll bet thats one awesome truck (and doesn't have the blown-up-piston) issues the Syclones/Typhoons have.
 
I'm looking at possibly getting a pickup...maybe a Dakota? I'd love to get a slightly bigger V8 pickup but trying to keep it good on gas too. Any opinions on 6ft vs 8ft bed of a full size pickup?

Of course I have the ultimate game hauler right now but its loaded with crap and gets 8mpg - a 14' GMC box truck :) May be selling that if a pickup works out.

If you get a shortbed with a bed extender you should be OK. I brought these 3 from Coin Op Warehouse about 2.5 hours to Philly burbs no problem. If I was desperate for 4 games, the little Neo would have fit in my back seat with the bottoms folded up.

3side.jpg


I'm finally in the home stretch on my gameroom, so I'll hopefully be making more game runs soon! I'll let you know if you're interested and want to throw something in my truck.
 
I can't stick it all the way in.

I have that same problem with women to :D

F150's from the past few years aren't too bad, decent gas mileage and they can haul some weight. Just figure out what your average haul would be(trailer and X amount of games), that will determine your truck needs. I've driven the F150's, F250's, & F350's all for work, alll of them can do their part when hauling.
 
All I have is an old, beat up Sienna from 11 years ago... but it runs, and it moves games. One at a time on their back and I can haul all I need.
 
Just to throw this out there, I can fit three full size cabs in my 97 Ranger. I have had a T2, Z back, and a Tempest all at the same time. I get 22-24mpg. Sadly it just has a 4 banger but I have never had a problem hauling stuff, and I have had it loaded down with ready mix.
 
If you get a shortbed with a bed extender you should be OK. I brought these 3 from Coin Op Warehouse about 2.5 hours to Philly burbs no problem. If I was desperate for 4 games, the little Neo would have fit in my back seat with the bottoms folded up.

3side.jpg


I'm finally in the home stretch on my gameroom, so I'll hopefully be making more game runs soon! I'll let you know if you're interested and want to throw something in my truck.

I've done that a couple of times with a Toyota 6' bed... no "bed extender" but lots of ratchet straps.

Wade
 
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