Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[MustangMike]

Yes Mike , I did up the stickers for schitts and giggles LOL

With everyone selling everyone else's saws, and all the knock offs, I wasn't sure! Ya got me!

 

[dancan]

5.9 Cummins , well , the Dodge thing .....
6.0l Chev , it's a workhorse and you can afford to fix it .
5.3 Chev , it's a workhorse and you can afford to fix it .
Toyota , hopefully you can afford to fix it .
Gas Ford , it's a workhorse and you can afford to fix it .
7.3 Ford , it's a workhorse and you can polly afford to fix it .
6.Anything Ford , might break the bank to fix it .
Duramax , gonna cost but you hopefully have saved enough to fix it .

 

[farmer steve]

i have an 09 F-150 with the small v-8 that i haul wood with. no problems so far. pull the dump with it. the dump holds a cord + and the truck a 1/2 or more. works great. also have a F-250/6.4 that would haul anything i could throw in it. but..... the wife would kill me if i put even a twig in it. no problems with the 6.4. NO 2 WD.

 

[dancan]

That new Ford stuff is some nice , I had a 2015 out with a dump trailer , 1 1/2 cord was like hauling a box feathers doing 70mph on the highway LOL
I know of only one 6l that got 5oo,ooo trouble free km's and then blew up , all the others I know of started eating money at 180,000 km's but I don't see that many diesels .
I might/maybe/possibly/could have bought a 2000 F250 4x4 with a 7.3 to replace the van that I bought to replace the original van LOL

 

[Ambull01]

5.9 Cummins , well , the Dodge thing .....
6.0l Chev , it's a workhorse and you can afford to fix it .
5.3 Chev , it's a workhorse and you can afford to fix it .
Toyota , hopefully you can afford to fix it .
Gas Ford , it's a workhorse and you can afford to fix it .
7.3 Ford , it's a workhorse and you can polly afford to fix it .
6.Anything Ford , might break the bank to fix it .
Duramax , gonna cost but you hopefully have saved enough to fix it .

Nice and simple lol. With the Cummins, I will overlook the Dodge lol. I used to like the big rig styling but for some reason it is the least desirable exterior now.

So it's a 5.3 or 6 liter Chevy/GMC I guess. Damn, I wish my diesel envy wasn't soo strong! Gas truck is much more sensible for my use.

i have an 09 F-150 with the small v-8 that i haul wood with. no problems so far. pull the dump with it. the dump holds a cord + and the truck a 1/2 or more. works great. also have a F-250/6.4 that would haul anything i could throw in it. but..... the wife would kill me if i put even a twig in it. no problems with the 6.4. NO 2 WD.

Only reason I'm against the Ford is because of my '89 F-150. It had the 5.0 I think. Exhaust note was awesome but lacked power. The 6.4 trucks are supposed to be the hot rod of the diesels.

 

[Mike-M]

You guys have been busy.

Wood scrounging gurus, I have a few questions about wood haulers. I'm definitely going to get rid of my CTS-V and buy a truck. I'm leaning towards a diesel 3/4 or 1 ton truck but I'll probably never tow anything. I want to spend about $20k. Was thinking about buying a truck and a cheap fuel efficient car for my work commute but I'll have four vehicles if I go that route. Anyway, what do you all recommend?

My choices:
5.9 Cummins Dodge up to '06. I think they went to the 6.7 in '07 with all the added emissions crap.
Duramax Chevy/GMC: prefer the LBZ engine as it seems to have the least amount of issues. '06 or '07
Ford diesel: 7.3 would be nice but the truck would be really old. There's deals to be had for the 6.0 but there are a lot of issues with that motor. 6.4 motor sounds great for hp/torque but sounds extremely high tech/complicated.
Tundra: probably the 5.7 motor. MPG isn't great but motor is strong. Not sure how it will handle the weight of firewood though.
Chevy/GMC 1/2 ton gas trucks: The 5.3 motor sounds extremely reliable, decent power, and I can buy a much newer model vs a diesel p/u. Seems like the 5.3 was/is the most widely optioned engine so, worst case scenario, I could pick one up for cheap for an engine swap.
Dodge 1/2 ton gas trucks: Not a huge fan of Dodge so I'll probably skip their gas models unless I see a screaming deal.
Ford 1/2 gas trucks: Their gas trucks sounds a bit gutless so I'll probably pass unless I see a screaming deal.

What would you pick? I would like to cut/haul firewood at least once a week all year long if possible. Selling firewood doesn't seem like it will provide a whole lot of income but I may do it just so I'll have an excuse to upgrade my Makita with a BBK and get another smaller saw to limb. I could get a trailer and tow the wood but that just seems to be a waste of money. I'll probably never tow anything else except firewood.

Of the diesels, $20k gets you a truck roughly 10 years old with 100k miles. Ford 7.3 or a Dodge with a stick shift are about all you want to deal with from that class. If you never plan to tow, Id get a gm gas 5.3 :2cents

 

[dancan]

But remember , 5.o , you can afford to fix LOL
If you were working the truck every day , it's still a hard toss up , I know some company's that have given up on today's diesel trucks and gone to gas only .
If I could find a deal on one of the Dodge/MB diesel Sprinters I'd be happy but I'd always be in fear to have to fix it LOL

 

[Ambull01]

Of the diesels, $20k gets you a truck roughly 10 years old with 100k miles. Ford 7.3 or a Dodge with a stick shift are about all you want to deal with from that class. If you never plan to tow, Id get a gm gas 5.3 :2cents

Yeah, that's the motor that's been calling my name. I was thinking about increasing it to about $25k but that still means a diesel with a lot of miles. From what I've read the newer 5.3's can get low 20 MPGs on the highway. That's pretty good for such a heavy vehicle.

But remember , 5.o , you can afford to fix LOL
If you were working the truck every day , it's still a hard toss up , I know some company's that have given up on today's diesel trucks and gone to gas only .
If I could find a deal on one of the Dodge/MB diesel Sprinters I'd be happy but I'd always be in fear to have to fix it LOL

Yep lol. Those turbo diesels sound a bit complicated. I've heard the same thing about companies getting away from diesels. Evidently some cities have gone to gas vehicles too. Probably all that diesel emissions stuff.

Okay, I'm going to research the hell out of the gasoline truck engines for Ford and Chevy/GMC. Most likely it will be the Chevy 5.3 unless I read something that changes my mind. Thanks for the input guys.

On the topic of scrounging, took my dog for a walk around the neighborhood yesterday. City/tree guys cut a bunch of stuff all over the place. Rounds are everywhere ripe for the taking. My van has been out of commission for a while but I finally installed a new starter and it runs like a champ again. I'm going to get all rounds I can and start stacking them in my front yard. Eastern shore hillbilly.

 

[stihly dan]

7.3 diesel with 138,000 mi for less than $20,000 delivered let me know.

 

[zogger]

Finance or cash? If you got cash you can get some guys labor of love built up nice 80s truck for half what you are thinking of spending.

edit, or just a running stock truck for much cheaper that will do the job. Save it for scrounging and don't use it for commuting, should last awhile, plus, no 5 grand computer needed just to analyze any repairs... example just chosen at random off of CL right now

http://athensga.craigslist.org/cto/5159569092.html

 

[nomad_archer]

Well I'm back from a long 4 day trip up to my cabin. Ran a new electrical circuit and then spent two days bass fishing. Caught a few but the big ones were far and few between. We did catch enough big ones to make a meal out of it. We had NW PA's finest bounty, bambi, bass and beers. It was a nice trip but now back to the real world.

As for trucks once my tacoma wears out, I may be considering a full size since they are getting similar mileage as my tacome. I get a touch over 20 mpg highway. I could really use the extra space and capacity when scrounging. Sometimes I still wish I would have gotten the tundra instead of the tacoma. But the tundra wouldnt fit in the driveway of the house I was renting at the time. Ohhh well.

 

[Ambull01]

7.3 diesel with 138,000 mi for less than $20,000 delivered let me know.

What 7.3 is it? Heard there are a few variations with that motor. 4x4?

Finance or cash? If you got cash you can get some guys labor of love built up nice 80s truck for half what you are thinking of spending.

edit, or just a running stock truck for much cheaper that will do the job. Save it for scrounging and don't use it for commuting, should last awhile, plus, no 5 grand computer needed just to analyze any repairs... example just chosen at random off of CL right now

http://athensga.craigslist.org/cto/5159569092.html

Cash. Yeah the older trucks will probably be cheap to maintain, you have a point.

Well I'm back from a long 4 day trip up to my cabin. Ran a new electrical circuit and then spent two days bass fishing. Caught a few but the big ones were far and few between. We did catch enough big ones to make a meal out of it. We had NW PA's finest bounty, bambi, bass and beers. It was a nice trip but now back to the real world.

As for trucks once my tacoma wears out, I may be considering a full size since they are getting similar mileage as my tacome. I get a touch over 20 mpg highway. I could really use the extra space and capacity when scrounging. Sometimes I still wish I would have gotten the tundra instead of the tacoma. But the tundra wouldnt fit in the driveway of the house I was renting at the time. Ohhh well.

I researched the Tacoma and Frontier. I know they're reliable trucks and easier to maneuver but their mileage kinda sucks when you consider their size. A midsize would probably work a little better for me except for hauling firewood. Read the Tacoma squats a lot with heavy weight. Used Frontiers can be had for a decent price but the mpg turns me off. Looked at the Tundra with the 5.7 then I read about their non-locking diff and saw some videos where they should the limitations of the system.

 

[nomad_archer]

I really like the tacoma for a midsize besides the mileage. I got a new suspension from the factory after I bought mine because of the squating. It took care of it but it is still a mid size and that is some thing to remember when comparing it to other trucks.

I am going to look at a husky 365 x-torq tonight after work. Talked the guy down to $175. Hopefully everything checks out. I hope I have the right tools to pull the muffler. I cant seem to find out what that will take. Otherwise it just looks like a used saw. If it runs there isnt much that cant be fixed reasonably at the price paid to get into a 70cc saw.

 

[Toy4xchris]

I've owned the Chevy duramax, dodge 5.9 cummins and the ford with the 6.4psd would recommend the Chevy and dodge. And personally like the dodge with the 5.7 hemi not the greatest mileage but a good solid reliable truck.

Didn't get anything to do with wood done but got some work on my son's custom wagon done

Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk

 

[zogger]

I really like the tacoma for a midsize besides the mileage. I got a new suspension from the factory after I bought mine because of the squating. It took care of it but it is still a mid size and that is soothing to remember when comparing it to other trucks.

I am going to look at a husky 365 x-torq tonight after work. Talked the guy down to $175. Hopefully everything checks out. I hope I have the right tools to pull the muffler. I cant seem to find out what that will take. Otherwise it just looks like a used saw. If it runs there isnt much that cant be fixed reasonably at the price paid to get into a 70cc saw.

Every fastener of note on huskies is a metric allen. Get a set of T handles that are long and you are good to go to tear em down. 175 if it runs good is a steal, and even if you need a new jug and slug, plenty of cheaper aftermarket parts out there.

I have no idea what they cost besides a whole lot, but supposedly the new full size nissan trucks have or will shortly have a cummins option.

With that said, if I could get a new 80s style yota diesel hiluxe or the nissan equivalent diesel 4x4, which they sold overseas but not in the US, I'd go into hock for one. There's just something about little bitty trucks that are tough as nails that is just slick.

 

[Ambull01]

Every fastener of note on huskies is a metric allen. Get a set of T handles that are long and you are good to go to tear em down. 175 if it runs good is a steal, and even if you need a new jug and slug, plenty of cheaper aftermarket parts out there.

I have no idea what they cost besides a whole lot, but supposedly the new full size nissan trucks have or will shortly have a cummins option.

With that said, if I could get a new 80s style yota diesel hiluxe or the nissan equivalent diesel 4x4, which they sold overseas but not in the US, I'd go into hock for one. There's just something about little bitty trucks that are tough as nails that is just slick.

I may have posted this already, can't remember. You ever see the Top Gear episode where they bought a used Hilux farm truck and tried to kill it? That truck is tough

 

[Toy4xchris]

I may have posted this already, can't remember. You ever see the Top Gear episode where they bought a used Hilux farm truck and tried to kill it? That truck is tough

I've seen it and I have owned a few older hilux toyotas with the gas motors and have yet to kill one

 

[zogger]

I may have posted this already, can't remember. You ever see the Top Gear episode where they bought a used Hilux farm truck and tried to kill it? That truck is tough

ya, it's in parts, I have them saved on the hdd

 

[Mike-M]

...Cash. Yeah the older trucks will probably be cheap to maintain, you have a point.....

Yes and no. My previous truck was a '90 F250 with a 7.3 IDI. Thats known for being the most reliable, bulletproof truck you can find. Mine nickel and dimed me to death. Every few days, something else broke. Everything except the injection pump was super cheap to fix, but there was just so much **** breaking all the time. Any old truck you find is gonna have a billion little problems like that, even if it was really well taken care of.

 

[nomad_archer]

Well I got the 365. I pulled the muffler and it look like one light score on the piston. What do you guys think? It runs well and does everything it should. Looks like it may have been manufactured in 2012?
Any ways do I have to worry about the score or should I run it until it gives me problems and then put in a new piston?

I destroyed the muffler gasket trying to clean things up so I will be ordering a new muffler soon.