Need a looooongbed truck?

[ebinmaine 67,484]

https://www.theautopian.com/the-longfoot-is-a-stretched-pickup-that-chevrolet-never-offered-from-the-factory/

 

 

 

 

[953 nut 55,221]

With one of those I wouldn't need a trailer,           but I would need a football field to turn it around.                  parallel parking it would be fun too.

[ebinmaine 67,484]

13 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

With one of those I wouldn't need a trailer,           but I would need a football field to turn it around.                  parallel parking it would be fun too.

 

They certainly aren't for everyone but like anything else it's all about understanding your space/time continuum. 

 

Back in the late 1990s I had a full sized GM crew cab long bed single rear wheel truck. 

I'd have another (Ford or GM) in a second. 

 

At one point there was a local ramp truck up here with a crew cab and a bed long enough for a full sized car. 

 

My daily work truck is a Freightliner with a 28' foot frame behind the cab, total about 36'. A crew cab long bed is a small truck in comparison. 

 

 

If I had unlimited time, shop equipment, and funds I'd love to build a Ford crew cab on a 2 ton frame and max out the DOT length to 45 feet. Crew cab. 30'+ flat bed. 300 CI straight six. Multiple transmissions. 

 

The looks at shows would be priceless.  

 

[ri702bill 8,319]

Interesting conversion. I for one, am not going back to a single cab. I like the extended, not full 4 door crew cab.

[lynnmor 7,305]

Here is how the F-150 evolved:

 

[ebinmaine 67,484]

18 minutes ago, lynnmor said:

Here is how the F-150 evolved:

 

I'm sure GM was similar.  

 

Neat to see a graphic of the changes. 

 

 

 

[Handy Don 12,217]

There is an F-150 Crew Cab Long Bed 4x4 with a big trailer hitch that I see parked at the train station fairly often waiting to pick someone up. It sticks out of the parking place so far it actually impedes traffic flow. Most of the commuters that park there have very small economy cars making the truck look even bigger.

[ebinmaine 67,484]

1 minute ago, Handy Don said:

There is an F-150 Crew Cab Long Bed 4x4 with a big trailer hitch that I see parked at the train station fairly often waiting to pick someone up. It sticks out of the parking place so far it actually impedes traffic flow. Most of the commuters that park there have very small economy cars making the truck look even bigger.

 

 

IMHO that's an irresponsible vehicle owner that needs to learn to use and or pay for two spaces. 

[Pullstart 62,851]

Same wheelbase idea as our farm truck.  Makes me think if I ever hit the big times, should I buy a cab and chassis Duramax truck and build my own bed out of two new take offs? 

 

 

[Handy Don 12,217]

13 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

 

 

IMHO that's an irresponsible vehicle owner that needs to learn to use and or pay for two spaces. 

I once briefly entertained trying to politely suggest that he park somewhere less in the way. My sane self reminded my impulsive self that I could not count on the driver being willing to entertain suggestions or even being unarmed.

[Pullstart 62,851]

As a long truck owner myself, I struggle with the idea that my ideals are not the same as everybody else’s, but the greedy parking lot owners might benefit from a longer space and less frustrated commuters.  I also notice around here that MOST TIMES, a large vehicle driver is more conscientious of their surroundings and actually fits between the parking lines.

[Handy Don 12,217]

13 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

As a long truck owner myself, I struggle with the idea that my ideals are not the same as everybody else’s, but the greedy parking lot owners might benefit from a longer space and less frustrated commuters.  I also notice around here that MOST TIMES, a large vehicle driver is more conscientious of their surroundings and actually fits between the parking lines.

I get your point for sure.

 

Context matters hugely here. A decision to use a commercial parking area constrains one to the rules of that lot. I cannot fault these operations for trying to get the maximum number of spaces they can--both to serve more customers and to maximize their return. Around here, until the pandemic changed things, there were multi-year waits to get a parking permit for the lots near the train stations and our village-owned lots provided about 20% of the village revenue budget (over 80% of the parkers were non-resident).

I’m sure you have seen full-size SUVs or trucks parked in spaces marked for “Compact Cars ONLY” and having their tires touching the paint lines on both sides (assuming that the adjacent vehicles will be small so the SUV driver can open their door). This tells me that a space marked “Large Vehicles ONLY” would likely have a Prius or Focus or Mini in it with the same level of entitlement.

[Pullstart 62,851]

Yes @Handy Don, like the clearly not pros parked in the Home Depot front row marked for pros only.   there will always be a bad apple.

[midpack 866]

9 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

Yes @Handy Don, like the clearly not pros parked in the Home Depot front row marked for pros only.   there will always be a bad apple.

I've parked there, I was a Pro at my job, none better

You know the sign doesn't say what kind of Pro...

[ri702bill 8,319]

2 hours ago, Handy Don said:

I get your point for sure.

 

Context matters hugely here. A decision to use a commercial parking area constrains one to the rules of that lot. I cannot fault these operations for trying to get the maximum number of spaces they can--both to serve more customers and to maximize their return. Around here, until the pandemic changed things, there were multi-year waits to get a parking permit for the lots near the train stations and our village-owned lots provided about 20% of the village revenue budget (over 80% of the parkers were non-resident).

I’m sure you have seen full-size SUVs or trucks parked in spaces marked for “Compact Cars ONLY” and having their tires touching the paint lines on both sides (assuming that the adjacent vehicles will be small so the SUV driver can open their door). This tells me that a space marked “Large Vehicles ONLY” would likely have a Prius or Focus or Mini in it with the same level of entitlement.

I see the same Subaru vehicle parked taking up TWO adjacent spaces at the Market a lot.

An Engineer I used to work with always had a dozen or so 18" Zip Ties in his car. He would wait for "The Entitled One"like this guy  to leave to go into the store and then my friend would Zip Tie a shopping cart to each of the 4 door handles, snap off a thumbs up selfie & leave.... Parking Etiquete 102. 

[lynnmor 7,305]

Correct me if I am wrong, I think that the mass transit systems are subsidized by the taxpayers and the users don’t pay what it takes to run them and that includes parking and everything else.  

[Handy Don 12,217]

1 hour ago, lynnmor said:

Correct me if I am wrong, I think that the mass transit systems are subsidized by the taxpayers and the users don’t pay what it takes to run them and that includes parking and everything else.  

That would be incorrect, at least for the parking lots near us.

The only “subsidy” at the village-owned lots is that residents buying full-year or 3-month permits get a slight discount. It is the same across the area. Privately-owned lots charge what the market will bear based on location and services provided and aim to make a profit after expenses.

 

The train operations (MetroNorth in our case) including the station facilities themselves are subsidized to the extent that the fares do not completely cover the costs. The difference comes from governments at all levels both in the city and in the suburbs served as well as Federal. Taxpayers in general get the availability of the train which many use for outings to shows, concerts, cultural events, and even ball games in the city plus the dramatic environmental benefits of fewer cars and less need for parking at the destinations. The cost/benefit of this is often debated and the case is far from open and shut. 

The bus system in our county (the Bee Line) including handicapped/disabled transport is also partly subsidized through taxes. One element of the justification is that the routes aid (and even simply make possible) many people essential to the economy but with lesser economic means getting around for work, shopping, or entertainment. 

 

Any one person’s comfort with these decisions will be tied to their views of whether governments and taxes should exist, and what they should do.

Edited August 3 by Handy Don

[953 nut 55,221]

10 hours ago, Handy Don said:

My sane self reminded my impulsive self that I could not count on the driver being willing to entertain suggestions or even being unarmed

Sadly that is a very important consideration these days. Same goes for rude drivers, I would like to vent my dissatisfaction with them but don't want to have my skull ventilated. I have a valid reason for using handicapped parking  and am irked by able bodied people parking in a designated spot using a permit belonging to someone else but I don't make an issue of it.               While I'm on the soap box, what about people who park a car in a long parking space at rest areas or travel centers that are intended for vehicles pulling trailers, now that is just rude!

Ahh         I feel much better now that I've released all that pent-up hostility. 

[Pullstart 62,851]

I like long trucks 

 

 

[adsm08 2,056]

On 8/3/2024 at 10:51 AM, Handy Don said:

I get your point for sure.

 

Context matters hugely here. A decision to use a commercial parking area constrains one to the rules of that lot. I cannot fault these operations for trying to get the maximum number of spaces they can--both to serve more customers and to maximize their return. Around here, until the pandemic changed things, there were multi-year waits to get a parking permit for the lots near the train stations and our village-owned lots provided about 20% of the village revenue budget (over 80% of the parkers were non-resident).

I’m sure you have seen full-size SUVs or trucks parked in spaces marked for “Compact Cars ONLY” and having their tires touching the paint lines on both sides (assuming that the adjacent vehicles will be small so the SUV driver can open their door). This tells me that a space marked “Large Vehicles ONLY” would likely have a Prius or Focus or Mini in it with the same level of entitlement.

 

 

Or you get the hyper-literal jerks like me.

 

I once got into a fight with a parking officer for parking in a "green cars only" space. It was clearly meant to give premium parking to people with hybrids or the like "environmentally friendly" cars.

 

I slapped my sea-green 5.4L Expedition in there, said "It's green, isn't it?" and walked away.

[adsm08 2,056]

19 hours ago, Pullstart said:

I like long trucks 

 

 

 

 

I once had the notion to try building a 1st gen Screw Ranger.

 

I had a Bronco II, and a spare Ranger frame and bed.

 

Fortunately the project was above my tooling.