Post AcVd07AML46pdORALw by TeflonTrout@mastodon.social
(DIR) More posts by TeflonTrout@mastodon.social
(DIR) Post #AcVQTSc4NbbZ923rjU by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T17:13:40Z
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I repeat this anecdote a lot so forgive me if you've heard it, but ...... my Ukrainian-Canadian grandfather ran his dairy farm using a 1960s-era truck ...... which was by today's standards *tiny*: Lower-slung, small cabBut! It was *more usable* than today's monstrositiesIt had a longer bed than today's trucks; being lower-slung made loading/unloading easierAgain: He ran a whole-ass farm with this vehicle; drove over rough terrainNobody *needs* today's bloated, paramilitary trucks
(DIR) Post #AcVQp3OunZh1JzCld2 by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-05T17:18:19Z
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@clive Yes and not, trucks are also used for towing, and longer wheelbase, heavier weight and higher ground clearance make it safer to tow; as do more powerful engines. We have 3/4t truck with Diesel engine to tow our large and heavy travel trailer; to safely do this you [perhaps unfortunately] actually need a beefy truck.Yes, people used to tow long trailers even with cars in the past, but those trailers where much lighter and the cars much less safe than today.
(DIR) Post #AcVR4NBdW9Xp1uIZpA by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T17:21:03Z
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@thomasfuchs Yeah, I take your point about towingI would hazard a guess, though, that a rather small proportion of these ginormous trucks on the road are doing much towingI could be wrong! But that'd be my guessPeople tend to buy vehicles based on an imaginary maximum spec (I'll be offroading a lot, etc) that they never use
(DIR) Post #AcVRC7K4NpUw93w5bs by ncweaver@thecooltable.wtf
2023-12-05T17:21:57Z
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@clive Probably the best truck for most people on sale today is the Ford Maverick. A short-cab/long bed variant would be the ultimate work truck for so many users, too.As a bonus, it doesn't break the bank.
(DIR) Post #AcVRPb4j4jxeBZBdlA by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T17:24:52Z
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@ncweaver Yep, the Maverick is quite affordable by these standards!I suspect a lot of Americans would get enormous value --- in terms of schlepping stuff around when they have loads (camping, sports equipment, ATVs, etc.) -- with European-style trucksEurope certainly runs nicely on them!And they're considerably safer: Small front noses, superb from windshield viewAnd better on gas, so much cheaper to operate
(DIR) Post #AcVRsfxdzObhjijwXY by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-05T17:26:49Z
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@clive That guess is definitely correct.
(DIR) Post #AcVRsgsMaVyeZdHEwq by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T17:27:27Z
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@thomasfuchs lol
(DIR) Post #AcVSCUsqss1ZAkwyCO by wndlb@mas.to
2023-12-05T17:33:11Z
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@clive @ncweaver It would be an utter hoot to drive a Cybertruck around the EU or UK...
(DIR) Post #AcVSpyJjNuUPkjLUK8 by autumn@triangletoot.party
2023-12-05T17:33:43Z
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@thomasfuchs @clive i’ve always really wished we had the light little trailers like they do in europe so i didn’t need a big truck to haul mine. that said, the truck only leaves the driveway if we’re towing or hauling something in the bed.
(DIR) Post #AcVSpzCg5cRSV93My8 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T17:40:53Z
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@autumn @thomasfuchs Yep yep -- I know plenty of folks who'd prefer alternatives that are lighter yet highly capableIf a European firm ever produced a left-hand-drive version of those trucks, I bet they'd find a decent, and possibly significant, market in the USAs a rough parallel, consider all the smaller US towns that are permitting golf-carts to be driven around -- residents seem to enjoy having a small lightweight alternative for errands
(DIR) Post #AcVSwsJs5AubB6hdxo by xoagray@meow.social
2023-12-05T17:41:02Z
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@clive Heh, maybe it's because I'm an older model at this point myself, but I think these looked a lot better than anything we've got now too.
(DIR) Post #AcVT2vMffoyCMNtftI by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T17:42:21Z
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@autumn @thomasfuchs That golf-cart trend has its own problems, mind you; in a collision with a regular car, it's terribly dangerous to be in a golf cartBut the *demand* for vehicles that are smaller and lighter, in so many towns -- I encountered tons of them while riding across the country this year -- is damn interesting
(DIR) Post #AcVTATx1Ts7peeVJWi by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T17:44:28Z
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@xoagray True enoughAlso, that loooooong bed? It could fit me and like a *dozen* of my cousins for a bouncy ride across the fieldsYeeeeeeee haAmazing none of us broke our necks 😂
(DIR) Post #AcVTJeriGqy46xObkO by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-05T17:38:07Z
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@autumn @clive You can get light little trailers here too, we're actually thinking of maybe getting a second small trailer for weekend stuff.
(DIR) Post #AcVTJfoYk42V3SvbTE by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T17:46:15Z
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@thomasfuchs @autumn Yeah, I've seen some good options in smaller trailersSome of 'em have these wild fold-out engineering now -- it's like you pull a cord and *pop* it's a three-story house 😂
(DIR) Post #AcVTQ1HXq5jrNAVniC by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T17:46:44Z
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@thomasfuchs @autumn (Though I've always been a bit dubious about how durable are those fold-in/fold-out units)
(DIR) Post #AcVTcvSAoxaR3ndaLY by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-05T17:46:20Z
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@clive @autumn Also, geography in the US for towing is more challenging, e.g. highest point in Interstate system is at 11,158ft.
(DIR) Post #AcVTcwHviWzFeJqv1E by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T17:48:20Z
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@thomasfuchs @autumn o yesHaving bicycled to 10,267 feet in the rockies, I can attest it is QUITE A CLIMB(Though I didn't do the Teton pass, which has several miles of a 10-degree grade yeeeeow)
(DIR) Post #AcVTkeSlsHg6gMbKHQ by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-05T17:48:22Z
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@clive @autumn Not very, especially slide-outs. Smaller trailers with pop-up roofs fare better.
(DIR) Post #AcVTqNBL2RfUp6AutU by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-05T17:50:20Z
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@clive @autumn@triangletoot.partyfun to be stuck at 2mph behind someone towing something way too heavy for their SUV :)
(DIR) Post #AcVU31aGeNRrbRrtb6 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T17:52:13Z
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@thomasfuchs lolol yes
(DIR) Post #AcVU9LkQauUlsTdXrE by atthenius@fediscience.org
2023-12-05T17:52:17Z
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@clive Meanwhile nyc parks has purchased the Chevy Silverado 2500HD. Seeing the scarcely taller than 5’ parks employee woman attempt to sling a 50 gallon trash bag up and over the 57” (closed) tailgate might have been humorous if it wasn’t so infuriating. (Both the boss’ refusal to put the tailgate down and NYC’s approach to replace the electric golf cart things w these monsters !)
(DIR) Post #AcVUJA1T2jO8POHjpQ by autumn@triangletoot.party
2023-12-05T17:54:31Z
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@clive @thomasfuchs tell me about it. i ride my bike (electric sometimes, acoustic other) for in-town errands, and it’s always a gamble. thankfully have only been hit by a car once (fractured my pelvis, yeesh).
(DIR) Post #AcVUPA6de6YoP9Z7XE by bruce@darkmoon.social
2023-12-05T17:54:56Z
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@clive It's possible to buy similar new trucks with a standard cab and a long bed, but you have to buy it as a "fleet vehicle" on special order. You won't see one on most dealership lots.
(DIR) Post #AcVUYv5qJmP8jsqWn2 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T17:56:59Z
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@autumn @thomasfuchs Yep yep I've ridden a lot -- at this point probably thousands of miles -- on smaller country throughwaysThey're not remotely designed for bikes to share with cars and trucksThe absolute great majority of drivers were attentive, gave me a wide wide berth (to the point where they were endangering themselves)But you only need the one rare driver to be nose-down in Tik Tok yiiiikes
(DIR) Post #AcVUgGaOo4CRQPdr5U by bruce@darkmoon.social
2023-12-05T17:56:40Z
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@thomasfuchs @clive @autumn I'm considering getting a smaller travel trailer to tow behind my Nissan Frontier. I specifically don't want slide-outs, with their added complexity and attendant maintenance issues.
(DIR) Post #AcVUgKhdV6MiC13gvI by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T18:00:23Z
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@bruce @thomasfuchs @autumn Yeah, that's what I wondered about too -- they're fiddly, just more things to break
(DIR) Post #AcVUlk2SjJ4kDcNYOW by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T18:01:06Z
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@bruce Aha, interesting! That's too badI bet more people would go for one
(DIR) Post #AcVUt0rOaPCQPtfaG8 by autumn@triangletoot.party
2023-12-05T17:53:07Z
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@thomasfuchs @clive this is largely why i upgraded from an SUV to a truck. my SUV was fine towing on flat land, but it never would have made it up the (appalachian, in my case) mountains.
(DIR) Post #AcVUt1g5XvkUx7O4H2 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T18:02:25Z
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@autumn @thomasfuchs Ack, yesThe Appalachians are steeper even than the rockies, though I hardly need to tell you thatThey go *right* up and *right* down
(DIR) Post #AcVUz1sLiwanIrz720 by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-05T18:02:52Z
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@clive @bruce @autumn slide-outs also have some other issues, for example the make insulation worse; a real problem if you're in the heat or cold
(DIR) Post #AcVV4j1miEt0aM78FM by clare@sfba.social
2023-12-05T18:03:03Z
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@clive I bought this F250 a few months ago. Looks better to me than any of the new trucks out there.
(DIR) Post #AcVVAvxVY3E2Qa4eX2 by bruce@darkmoon.social
2023-12-05T18:03:11Z
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@clive I suspect that's the point. Such trucks are less expensive.
(DIR) Post #AcVVGfNK7PoIjRsmYa by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T18:03:16Z
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@atthenius oh man aliveThat is the *worst*I didn't know!
(DIR) Post #AcVVQsARPcchInivrM by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T18:04:29Z
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@clare AgreedIt is probably heavily propelled by nostalgia in my case, but I also find those trucks just are so much more stylish
(DIR) Post #AcVVWkJZWOD2gWnMcy by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T18:04:48Z
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@bruce yeah, true
(DIR) Post #AcVVcJ8VU1Lq87GtmK by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T18:05:02Z
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@thomasfuchs @bruce @autumn Yep, that makes sense
(DIR) Post #AcVVqFyq0uaKOcOtIe by xoagray@meow.social
2023-12-05T18:12:31Z
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@clive Or driving through the hills. We used to have an old dirt road near where I lived when I was a kid we called the "roller coaster road" because that's what it felt like going over it. Riding over that with a bunch of friends in the back of a truck was something too.
(DIR) Post #AcVWgi8WZgcAmNwXtA by RedStateExile@mastodon.social
2023-12-05T18:20:24Z
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@cliveWe live full time in a 6,000 lbs trailer with a slide. Tow it with a Nissan Armada (9,000 capacity.) Removed the awful sofa that looks like it belonged to my great uncle and was beyond uncomfortable. Replaced it with 2 chairs from IKEA. That removed a huge amount of weight from the slide.
(DIR) Post #AcVWzh7qYcQR97g7k0 by Sir_Osis_of_Liver@mastodon.social
2023-12-05T18:23:04Z
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@thomasfuchs @clive Dad hauled a 30' 5th wheel all around North America in a '95 Chevy Cheyenne 2500. Regular cab, long bed, 5.7L with manual transmission and 2wd. It only had 200hp, but he had no issues running at highway speeds.That would have been really close in size to that '65 F150, closer than anything on the road these days.
(DIR) Post #AcVWziDuTYryYDWTpY by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T18:27:26Z
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@Sir_Osis_of_Liver @thomasfuchs Yep yep -- it really is closer, judging by this picture
(DIR) Post #AcVXOU1yNdz9lzkdTU by CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social
2023-12-05T18:31:52Z
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@clive @thomasfuchs I understand the term is"Pavement Princess"All the off-road capabilities, never used.
(DIR) Post #AcVYWf8p3VkiVDQ2im by StanWonn@mstdn.social
2023-12-05T18:44:33Z
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@clive Agree 100%. When I bought my first vehicle in the late 1980s, I seriously considered buying one of the small pickup trucks Mazda made at the time. I would consider it now if they still made them. That would be more than adequate for my needs.
(DIR) Post #AcVZHc8S387Yn2dLn6 by MeanwhileinCanada@ohai.social
2023-12-05T18:52:55Z
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@clive This photo says it all
(DIR) Post #AcVZmRigp9ahSpHm5Y by lanodan@queer.hacktivis.me
2023-12-05T18:59:05.711859Z
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@clive Now that's something I'd actually call a truck, it's like a cab attached to a trailer.
(DIR) Post #AcVaDk82ULE0NQ9uVc by piggo@piggo.space
2023-12-05T19:04:14.009665Z
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@MeanwhileinCanada @clive that car looks like a shitty DIY body job you'd do in a day in a hackerspace
(DIR) Post #AcVaqiXmJZMIksma3M by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T19:10:38Z
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@MeanwhileinCanada I know, migod
(DIR) Post #AcVbCERWuR03lo7QWG by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T19:11:22Z
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@lanodan yep yep
(DIR) Post #AcVbLQdcwBMQCOA8Vk by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T19:12:22Z
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@StanWonn I really feels like the demand is still there, right?
(DIR) Post #AcVbRSYEjnGzryW728 by wndlb@mas.to
2023-12-05T18:34:06Z
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@irwindev @ncweaver @clive There is no 2-seater EV (yet), and I must have a 0-60 time that exceeds most 427 Cobras and nearly all classic Vettes. 😁🙄
(DIR) Post #AcVbRTHxzlqw9nudJQ by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T19:13:32Z
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@wndlb @irwindev @ncweaver I knowThe acceleration is fun, I'm sure!But wow, so very overspecced
(DIR) Post #AcVbXVcSFASv7eNHAe by stevenray@sfba.social
2023-12-05T18:22:48Z
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@clare @clive that’s gorgeous. I’m not a truck person at all, but I love the stylishness of American vehicles from the 60s and 70s. That color combo is fabulous!
(DIR) Post #AcVbXWYwjhFm33jzLE by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T19:14:28Z
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@stevenray @clare truly, eh?
(DIR) Post #AcVbdjgMs0wyTZAqrQ by lord@pleroma.lord.re
2023-12-05T19:11:02.332148Z
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@MeanwhileinCanada @clive This car is ugly as fuck ! It can't even hold a bicycle ! Who's the dumbest, the guy who build it or the ones buying it.
(DIR) Post #AcVbdlGYyvUtO77Guu by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T19:15:17Z
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@lord @MeanwhileinCanada When I saw that bicycle photo my sense of the deep, deep inutility of this vehicle was cemented
(DIR) Post #AcVbon82Oh6ALkO7ai by jiub@mstdn.social
2023-12-05T19:16:05Z
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@clive lol @thomasfuchs blocked me because I dared to insult his gas-guzzling hobby.
(DIR) Post #AcVbuzV1JfeGSE5tj6 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T19:15:29Z
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@allenstenhaus Yep -- they're all over Europe and Asia
(DIR) Post #AcVc5XzRw2aIJzMQxE by GGMcBG@mstdn.plus
2023-12-05T19:23:23Z
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@clive Those who know me, know of my absolute loathing for pickup truck culture. The big suckers. There ain't a likable owner in the bunch. You* don't have to be offended by that if you don't want to be. I'm probably not talking about you anyway. 😉 Small people who demand to be seen lease those trucks for simple road use. People who like to force themselves on others in whatever way makes them feel bigger. *- not you 👍
(DIR) Post #AcVcGTCe4eOwexk20u by Linux_Is_Best@mstdn.social
2023-12-05T19:26:28Z
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@clive Station wagons may not be "sexy", but they get the job done.I not too long ago helped someone move, and the station wagon could hold more than their so-called light truck (pick-up).
(DIR) Post #AcVcMxu8q63VcHBRce by chemoelectric@masto.ai
2023-12-05T19:27:28Z
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@clive Yeah, next door neighbor was a house painter or some such and had such a truck.
(DIR) Post #AcVcgAQCWcmFwJKqo4 by StanWonn@mstdn.social
2023-12-05T19:30:52Z
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@clive Possibly. Ford has had good sales on the Maverick so far. But I also think that crossover vehicles take up some of the potential market.
(DIR) Post #AcVcoD5CVxTaVgLcqu by andycarolan@social.lol
2023-12-05T19:31:37Z
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@clive many people want that kind of vehicle, it’s just that car makers don’t want to sell them. They wouldn’t make enough money selling anything sensible @StanWonn
(DIR) Post #AcVd07AML46pdORALw by TeflonTrout@mastodon.social
2023-12-05T19:34:09Z
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@clive *No people need them.Not for towing, lifts put a ton of unnecessary stress on drive train and suspension when under load.Not for remote work sites- most such places are far harder to get to in large vehicles than small. Most capable street legal machine I've ever seen was a Suzuki Samurai.Not for cargo, as stated, low bed heights are better. Ford, Mercedes, and Dodge all have very efficient cargo vans that beat pickups hands down.
(DIR) Post #AcVd6jXwYQaaPGcn2G by erik@mastodon.infrageeks.social
2023-12-05T19:34:19Z
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@clive @bknudtson This reminds me of my grandfather who to the best of my recollection never owned a truck, running a farm in Northern Canada that was originally dairy, transitioned to beef as he aged. They had a sedan for church & town and "farm stuff" was all done with a couple of tractors (1940s & 1970s eras). The only other motorized vehicle was a snowmobile to get to the sugarbush
(DIR) Post #AcVdvqGpJYrU1rzMp6 by roadriverrail@signs.codes
2023-12-05T19:45:10Z
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@clive Absolutely spot on. And what gets my goat even harder is that, throughout my childhood (80s and 90s), we had an answer for rural and exurban people who needed moderate cargo capacity, light hauling ability, and/or a little offroad capability-- light trucks like the Ford Ranger. But many/most of those were discontinued, and the ones that were brought back were done only after marketing had shifted consumer tastes.
(DIR) Post #AcVf0Gg3Azsj2bSerQ by mjgraves@fosstodon.org
2023-12-05T19:57:11Z
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@clive Most of today's big pickup trucks are not for any real-world utility beyond Viagra equivalent.
(DIR) Post #AcVfCoCWMUXEUJd3qa by jfmezei@mstdn.ca
2023-12-05T19:59:20Z
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@clive The Dodge RAM and Ford F150 are compact sports cars that are *needed* to compensate for a driver's low testosterone levels, much like the Corvette used to play that role in the 1960s and 70s. (Although one could argue they are more like a station wagon from space point of view, except the trunk isn't protected from environment like in station wagon, but to the owner, this makes his car look cool. All the trunk is used for is carry groceries from the Costco. 😉
(DIR) Post #AcVfXx06q6a1rSuA0u by nini@bitbang.social
2023-12-05T20:03:18Z
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@clive That's a workin' truck there.
(DIR) Post #AcVfquUYOM65a9BZ68 by birwin@mas.to
2023-12-05T20:05:54Z
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@clive I grew up in the 90s in the sticks. The weirdest dynamic I experienced was “mudding culture”. Here’s a summary for those who don’t know it. 1) Buy a bigger truck or lift kit. 2) Notice some backwoods area that mucks up when it rains.3) Drive in it. 4) Did you get stuck? No, then find deeper mud and return to step 2. Yes, return to step 1.
(DIR) Post #AcVfyua1wnC0AlYwUq by vfrmedia@social.tchncs.de
2023-12-05T20:08:00Z
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@clive @autumn @thomasfuchs Most of Europe is left hand drive, its only UK and IE which are right hand drive - the problem is the USA subsidiaries of European car manufacturers don't want to give up the profits they make by selling larger vehicles (for the same reasons, superminis are uncommon in USA even though I've read a lot of Americans saying they would drive one if they could get one)
(DIR) Post #AcVgTElNTJKfSNKYC0 by servelan@newsie.social
2023-12-05T20:13:36Z
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@clive I need a truck for hauling dirt, stuff I might find at a garage sale, lumber...don't need a big one but that's all that's out there.
(DIR) Post #AcVgaRgtnyLjZvfmls by Cymphoni_Fantastique@mastodon.social
2023-12-05T20:14:47Z
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@clive I've never understood why you needed to have a truck so big, you needed a step ladder to get in the thing. This is far more sensible. An actual working truck.
(DIR) Post #AcVgoxbLxWg4bM044u by enmodo@mastodon.social
2023-12-05T20:15:56Z
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@clive I've always marveled at how tiny the bed of even the biggest trucks are - every since they decided the cab should be some giant luxury seats six space. Even that monster Cybertruck can't take a 4x8 with lowering the tailgate.
(DIR) Post #AcVhbOAwScsgv3jsKe by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T20:25:10Z
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@enmodo I knowI peek inside all those beds when I see them aroundThey're tiny! Man alive, you could readily haul more stuff in a minivan with the seats folded down<signed, guy in a six-piece country band that hauls everyone and all our gear to gigs in our singer/drummer's aged minivan>
(DIR) Post #AcVhoMvsOS9ApRsi6y by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T20:28:20Z
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@Cymphoni_Fantastique Yep yepLike I was saying in another thread, with those older, lower-slung beds, you could *jump* into the bed from the ground when the tailgate was downIt made loading and unloading so much easier
(DIR) Post #AcVhvtkgllgIdzEs0e by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T20:29:39Z
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@vfrmedia @autumn @thomasfuchs Good point
(DIR) Post #AcViB1k5LOXdlkAdIO by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T20:31:48Z
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@birwin lolI mean, I'm gearhead and engineering nerd, so I get itIt's fun to test the tolerances of gearI don't think I'd want to risk standing my vehicle mind you
(DIR) Post #AcViBdlTyeEph57HkW by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T20:29:19Z
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@robcornelius Basically yeah
(DIR) Post #AcViQr1ix4XnAWy4UC by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T20:34:50Z
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@nini Truly it isAnd wow, was my grandfather's truck ever filthyI mean, he cleaned it. Sometimes? "Why bother to clean it when it's just gonna go across a field tomorrow and get messed up", was his attitude, as I recallWhen I'm cycling across the country I can spot the *actual* working trucksThey look like they've just returned from the Battle of DieppeThe shiny ones in the exurbs? lol taxis in NYC see more action
(DIR) Post #AcViWfUYkdW18DEBPc by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T20:29:11Z
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@servelan I know, the automakers just refuse to make a reasonable truck any moreIt's either "buy a giant tank" or buy no truck at all
(DIR) Post #AcViir9REBp2ld9zRw by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T20:36:55Z
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@jfmezei lolol
(DIR) Post #AcViivqTm6czKHKQ5o by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T20:37:43Z
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@jfmezei BTW, love the shot of your fully-loaded bike in your Mastodon bio!What trip was that?
(DIR) Post #AcViqiZ922kgSNvtdA by chemoelectric@masto.ai
2023-12-05T19:33:56Z
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@Linux_Is_Best @clive I had a station wagon for some years and it was good. But my 1991 Civic hatchback could hold an amazing amount of stuff with the back seats down, too! (That was still a 1980s-style car, however, without 1990s ff. safety features. Also had no A/C, etc.)
(DIR) Post #AcViqjX3RIfrSBxk0m by Linux_Is_Best@mstdn.social
2023-12-05T19:36:16Z
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@chemoelectric @clive @Coffeeaddict My sister had one of those newer Honda CRVs and with the seats down, the station wagon could still hold more.
(DIR) Post #AcViqkJcWjWRsogWi8 by chemoelectric@masto.ai
2023-12-05T20:02:02Z
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@Linux_Is_Best @clive @Coffeeaddict Mine was a 2003 Subaru Legacy something or another that was a demo model. Not a ‘real’ Subaru model. Basically the same as an Outback except without the ‘offroad’ jacked-uppedness, etc. I never really hauled anything with it, so never knew what it could carry. Probably a LOT. Especially with the roof rack.It got totaled in a head-on with a Cadillac. My wife wasn’t too badly hurt but only because the crumple section really worked as it is supposed to!
(DIR) Post #AcViqkdpJbgYtU8fCq by chemoelectric@masto.ai
2023-12-05T19:34:55Z
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@Linux_Is_Best @clive I mean, I basically did most of a house move with that car, in multiple trips.
(DIR) Post #AcViql9NQIvGTKtrNo by chemoelectric@masto.ai
2023-12-05T20:03:17Z
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@Linux_Is_Best @clive @Coffeeaddict It had useless demo features that aren’t worth mentioning. :) I got it because my Civic was leaking oil and I wanted to move up to a midsize for safety. That ended up paying off!
(DIR) Post #AcViqlvwVjlqtxce5A by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T20:36:32Z
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@chemoelectric @Linux_Is_Best @Coffeeaddict Hatchbacks, station wagons and minivans can do a lot of what people often think they need a truck for -- and oftentimes do it betterI've always thought the slogan for any minivan ought to be "when you need to actually *get shit done*"
(DIR) Post #AcVixyxUTzbnKCmh3Q by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T20:38:02Z
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@mjgraves Frequently, it would seem so
(DIR) Post #AcVj3BeAjd4o7pEKHo by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T20:38:32Z
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@andycarolan @StanWonn Yeah, I bet that's absolutely right
(DIR) Post #AcVj9BY01BAtYPCeJM by StanWonn@mstdn.social
2023-12-05T19:52:27Z
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@andycarolan @clive Right. That’s why the UAW shutdown of the main Ford truck plant made such a big difference in their strike…it shut down (temporarily) where the most profitable Ford vehicles were being assembled.
(DIR) Post #AcVj9EC8AwSrlRzj8q by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T20:38:39Z
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@StanWonn @andycarolan Yes!
(DIR) Post #AcVjFLb3ZGb8SVZU6y by tk@f.kawa-kun.com
2023-12-05T19:42:58Z
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Pretty much why I'm looking for a two-door pickup from the '80s for my eventual truck.
(DIR) Post #AcVjFMfhZTuLnCkhzU by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T20:39:12Z
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@tk yep yepFunctional as heck for a great many purposes
(DIR) Post #AcVjKptaLRRPsQr5CC by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T20:40:04Z
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@roadriverrail Yep yep -- they stopped selling them because they could make more money selling the bloated, jacked-up models
(DIR) Post #AcVjyIjF4s8GaxpsIq by mjgraves@fosstodon.org
2023-12-05T20:44:09Z
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@clive Most definitely in the case of Tesla's Cybertruck. It beats the Hummer as the leading automotive sign of testosterone surplus and intellect deficiency.
(DIR) Post #AcVkNtB4hMlksZ3UsS by LALegault@newsie.social
2023-12-05T20:48:07Z
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@clive @sarahc now that’s a truck!
(DIR) Post #AcVkqFs5utknN4hg0G by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T20:49:52Z
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@LALegault @sarahc Truly, eh?As a bonus, fun to look at
(DIR) Post #AcVkwa7vWLKzvh7r6W by Okanogen@mastodon.social
2023-12-05T20:51:37Z
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@clive I had an old F150 like this, a 1981. I spent 3 hours stuck on a tiny puddle of ice once, and it's the last 2-wheel drive truck I will ever own.
(DIR) Post #AcVl9FdyzGPeARA2YS by OdinVex@universeodon.com
2023-12-05T20:52:32Z
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@clive They're not even paramilitary, they're extremely overpriced garbage that doesn't last worth a #@$^ with copyrighted parts to prevent third-parties from providing cheaper alternative quality parts without paying licensing fees (#@$^ Ford for starting that &^*$).
(DIR) Post #AcVlbAiQu5VCzVYXJY by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T20:56:03Z
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@Okanogen yeah, I'm pretty sure my grandfather battled a lot of ice tooIt was Ontario in the 70s! not fun
(DIR) Post #AcVlgRPcFnkSDqGcsq by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T20:57:05Z
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@OdinVex Fair enoughThe actual military would probably insist on being able to repair the vehicle themselves 😅
(DIR) Post #AcVm0DqGPvX1vWADdA by BackFromTheDud@mas.to
2023-12-05T21:01:53Z
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@clive "The Car Wizard" on YouTube made this point in his newly released video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8iPmjRfFrQ
(DIR) Post #AcVm5dpVDsZHySOM5o by Sir_Osis_of_Liver@mastodon.social
2023-12-05T21:01:42Z
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@clive @birwin A fellow I knew was into off-roading. Bought a relatively new Jeep TJ and added a lift for larger wheels tires. And broke U-joints. Then upgraded the driveshafts and u-joints. And stripped the axle splines. Upgraded to heavy duty axles. And broke the transfer case, and so on and so on.It's the best way to find the next weakest link. 🙂
(DIR) Post #AcVmE3HWTdYDEEVabI by lkanies@hachyderm.io
2023-12-05T21:08:07Z
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@clive @thomasfuchs I could not find the source data, but:“Survey data from vehicle research firm Strategic Vision shows a third of today’s pickup owners rarely or never use their truck for hauling, while two-thirds rarely or never use it for towing.”https://www.axios.com/2023/01/23/pickup-trucks-f150-size-weight-safety
(DIR) Post #AcVmPOwcH98FbG8pkm by stfn@fosstodon.org
2023-12-05T21:14:30Z
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@Linux_Is_Best @clive I have a station-wagon (2004 Mazda 6) and it gets the job done. I moved a whole flat with it, I carried 3 tree seedlings together with concrete bricks to my allotment. It's great, and it's not a bloated, heightened, awful truck.
(DIR) Post #AcVmPPipNthG0mhKts by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T21:16:03Z
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@stfn @Linux_Is_Best Station wagons rock, man
(DIR) Post #AcVmVDwQ68TVDBpH4C by ksaj@infosec.exchange
2023-12-05T21:03:52Z
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@wndlb @clive @ncweaver I'd like to see cybertruck working farm duty. It would totally fail as a truck because the bed is smaller than the one you sleep on.A shitty old stationwagon is more utile than the cybertruck, and as a bonus, you can see out the back!
(DIR) Post #AcVmVHawVvfiXjoB96 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T21:17:26Z
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@ksaj @wndlb @ncweaver Yep yepFor the significant chunk of things for which many Americans buy a very-large truck, they'd actually be better served by a station wagon or minivan
(DIR) Post #AcVmazuLBfWrQPbfWq by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T21:17:58Z
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@Sir_Osis_of_Liver @birwin lolol
(DIR) Post #AcVmglcfDC6erG5bg8 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T21:18:17Z
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@BackFromTheDud oh cool, will check out!
(DIR) Post #AcVmxLFUWQOFz59cHY by stfn@fosstodon.org
2023-12-05T21:23:34Z
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@clive @Linux_Is_Best They do, I want my next car to also be a station wagon. I have a few models in mind. But in the meantime, I hope my Mazda will run as long as possible
(DIR) Post #AcVoOr2cWho8MLohkm by Seilenos@queerspirituality.social
2023-12-05T21:42:27Z
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@clive And certainly no one needs a Tesla cyber truck (in name only).
(DIR) Post #AcVodQiKh0ij3DHGdc by roadriverrail@signs.codes
2023-12-05T21:44:57Z
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@clive Indeed indeed. I still cling to the old, slightly dented Ranger my partner's parents sold us when they couldn't climb up in it any longer, and we typically only drive it when there's a reason to. I just do not understand Cult Of The Big Truck.
(DIR) Post #AcVolljGRXeqXogoMq by 7islucky@mastodon.social
2023-12-05T21:45:47Z
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@clive Wholeheartedly agree.
(DIR) Post #AcVouxJ4ldOT3eowgS by old_hippie@masto.ai
2023-12-05T21:47:17Z
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@clive We have a 2004 Chevy Silverado 4x4 6 cylinder work truck that's used as needed to get supplies and haul stuff both on and off road. It is about the same size as current mid sized pickups.I wouldn't want (and couldn't afford) a larger truck. They are too difficult to maneuver and have terrible visibility while driving.
(DIR) Post #AcVpNbLdUKi3Ltg4FE by OdinVex@universeodon.com
2023-12-05T21:53:25Z
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@clive Like that'd ever be allowed. I'm honestly surprised there aren't branded repair stations in the middle of warzones playing both sides. $%^& the Fine Print.
(DIR) Post #AcVpagavIDotOA4EAS by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T21:54:21Z
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@OdinVex truly
(DIR) Post #AcVphmOO8REXOhaQiW by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T21:54:36Z
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@7islucky 🤘
(DIR) Post #AcVppwcjyjN1RkC2L2 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T21:55:32Z
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@roadriverrail I suspect there are a ton of subterranean issues, logistical economic and psychological, going on with Big Trucks today
(DIR) Post #AcVpxabjiaD3TtMva4 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T21:56:13Z
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@Seilenos Yeah, it was conversations about cybertrucks that got me thinking about my grandfather's old truck
(DIR) Post #AcVpyaHgPF0YleSmvo by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T21:54:04Z
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@old_hippie Yeah, that looks great!The bed is much lower and more accessible -- and longer! -- than a lot of today's trucks
(DIR) Post #AcVqDAw0wAPUUWHlIm by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-05T17:18:51Z
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@clive Completely agree though that most people get trucks as status symbol or fashion accessory.
(DIR) Post #AcVqDBq1ZvDHIEUUbY by tehstu@hachyderm.io
2023-12-05T17:21:02Z
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@thomasfuchs @clive I suspect the overwhelming majority are Chelsea Tractors. Or perhaps Chelsea Tanks, given the size of modern pickups.
(DIR) Post #AcVqDCwRTXwOiQV8FM by weezmgk@mastodon.social
2023-12-05T21:18:28Z
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@tehstu tanks have better forward visibility, which is not an imperative for trailer towing but it is nice for not flattening children @thomasfuchs @clive
(DIR) Post #AcVqDDyxbfY7wWgeoK by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T21:58:32Z
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@weezmgk @tehstu @thomasfuchs I've seen that diagram is it actually true? Can you see more out the front of a sherman tank?
(DIR) Post #AcVqKV4uRVHgzZwHCK by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T21:57:09Z
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@SunnJax @StanWonn Yikes!I'm super careful around them when I'm cyclingIt is very easy to slip into a blind spot with even an *attentive* driver at the wheel
(DIR) Post #AcVqLA8XmtYMKixG3U by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-05T21:57:56Z
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@stfn @Linux_Is_Best Yep, drive 'em into the groundit forestals the moment when ya gotta acquire that new pile of aluminum
(DIR) Post #AcVqUTUTCUw2xoePq4 by DoomsdaysCW@kolektiva.social
2023-12-05T22:04:47Z
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@clive I have a couple of friends who are working on trying to retrofit old cars and trucks as hybrids or EVs. They are made tough and last for years if maintained properly. My late uncle used to restore old cars and trucks right up until he couldn't do it anymore.
(DIR) Post #AcVqptyVvW2fBYvA2a by stfn@fosstodon.org
2023-12-05T22:09:45Z
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@clive @Linux_Is_Best Indeed, what you already have has the lowest carbon footprint.
(DIR) Post #AcVqxUMB3iEi33bhB2 by Seilenos@queerspirituality.social
2023-12-05T22:10:17Z
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@clive I grew up on a farm. I look at Musk's monstrosity and see absolutely no practical truck (or truck adjacent, e.g., SUV) use for it.
(DIR) Post #AcVrFBTtyZEWiger1E by weezmgk@mastodon.social
2023-12-05T22:14:18Z
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@clive It's true, but the M1A1 main battle tank is a lot bigger than a Sherman. The driver sits lower in the Abrams vs Sherman. The driver position on the Sherman is higher and the nose is shorter, so the visibility in the Sherman is even better than the Abrams. @tehstu @thomasfuchs
(DIR) Post #AcVrmOWaVBnsjGkZZA by roadriverrail@signs.codes
2023-12-05T22:20:20Z
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@clive Oh, absolutely.
(DIR) Post #AcVsOXN83WTlAnVufQ by JenWojcik@mastodon.social
2023-12-05T22:26:49Z
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@clive My grandfather had one very similar and also was a farmer. Agreed.
(DIR) Post #AcVvb6EGaFN2cN3AY4 by CMDR_Royal_Mons@mastodonapp.uk
2023-12-05T23:03:07Z
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@clive Today is more about fashion and making a statement than about utility.
(DIR) Post #AcVvsJgrmvEzI3dZlQ by AlgoCompSynth@ravenation.club
2023-12-05T23:06:13Z
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@clive The only people who need those trucks are oil company and auto company executives. 😡
(DIR) Post #AcVwENYg5VX3eoKLvU by nrmacdonald@mastodon.social
2023-12-05T23:10:09Z
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@clive The push to BIGGER cars and trucks in north america is all about consumption and the profits derived from that consumption. They use more of everything used to build, run, and maintain them and the infrastructure needed to accommodate them.
(DIR) Post #AcVwWVJzxleQwm6V60 by enmodo@mastodon.social
2023-12-05T23:13:33Z
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@clive didn't think about a minivan but my little VW Golf has hauled more lumber from Lowes than many guys at the contractors checkout believed was possible. I've had a dozen 8' 2x4s in there many a time. A ton of river rock? Done. The list goes on. If I had a roof rack then sliding on a big pile of sheet rock or plywood would be easy.
(DIR) Post #AcVwoQkJiHq9y7xhrc by log@mastodon.sdf.org
2023-12-05T23:16:44Z
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@clive Based on vid-shares from actual dairy and cattle farmers, off-road vehicles small enough to maneuver around and into the herd are even more useful, especially if there is a cargo bed that is low enough for adult bovines to eat feed pellets out of it, or easily move hay bales.
(DIR) Post #AcVxizxhy5LlPECQ88 by researchbuzz@researchbuzz.masto.host
2023-12-05T23:26:31Z
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@clive My uncle has a 1980ish Dodge Ram that looks very similar. It's his main vehicle! Extended truck beds are underrated
(DIR) Post #AcVxp90NG8rlBpNQgK by Onlineadviser@c.im
2023-12-05T23:28:01Z
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@clive I never imagined myself as a truck person but I am now living in rural lowland and operate a marina side business with two old trucks. Friends tell me the old trucks are better than the new ones for my purposes.
(DIR) Post #AcVyp7VkugokVjbk00 by peterbrown@mastodon.scot
2023-12-05T23:39:10Z
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@clive @autumn @thomasfuchs All European trucks are left-hand drive. Only the UK and Japan produce right hand drive
(DIR) Post #AcW0n9vZ9t33KlsBea by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-06T00:01:14Z
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@clive @vfrmedia @autumn fwiw as a driver of a truck & trailer in the US, I’m very much of the opinion that there should be special driver licenses required for the bigger pickup trucks. I think this would solve a lot of the “driving for prestige” use.
(DIR) Post #AcW23ClcT7LCjDR4TI by cassandracorvid@mstdn.social
2023-12-06T00:14:53Z
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@clive Watching these tank-like 4 x 4s slow down to go over railroad tracks is my hobby.
(DIR) Post #AcW2pPfFotGEd2Rh1k by gephorian@mastodon.social
2023-12-06T00:24:06Z
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@clive My 2001 Silverado 1500 handles most of my farm needs just fine. Only thing I need is more tow rating to move our skid steer around, and I'd love to have more capacity in the bed to move bulk grain bags. Those weigh in the range of a ton, but we get by with a trailer just fine. My mom has a 2022 3500 dually, that thing is a menace to society. Massive tow rating, sure, but you can't see out the windshield for anything. If we didn't live out in the country I'd be a lot more mad about it.
(DIR) Post #AcW3DZZ0fMLqHT2rGi by nazgul@infosec.exchange
2023-12-06T00:28:32Z
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@clive @lisamelton I live in farming county and those old trucks are all over the place. The big ones? Those are the RV owners, military, or refinery folks. And only the first actually have a need for one. Farm workers stay practical.
(DIR) Post #AcW4eh3szquLJAz1xQ by GatekeepKen@mastodon.social
2023-12-06T00:44:39Z
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@clive Gas fillier is right by the driver. The driver is sitting on a tank of gas! Many have died in this truck.
(DIR) Post #AcW6jXEj9ZuSBzUTrs by heydavidbailey@mastodon.cloud
2023-12-06T01:07:49Z
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@clive #BigTrucksTinyFucks
(DIR) Post #AcWCvZsLlb5bZr9KHg by brianinbc@thecanadian.social
2023-12-06T02:17:19Z
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@clive that truck is just so nice. Now if we could just close the EPA loophole and regulate towards pedestrian safety we might reverse the present trend.
(DIR) Post #AcWOGfTRFMlYW6kxXc by Yorgus@mstdn.social
2023-12-06T04:22:36Z
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@clive @thomasfuchs My BIL drove a 4x4 truck to work every day (about 1 mile). SIL drove a 4x4 SUV to scoot around town. Oldest child drove a 4x4 SUV to school (also about one mile). Her brother drove a 4x4 truck to the SAME SCHOOL. This was in Mesa, AZ where roads are flat and it snows about once every 10 years.
(DIR) Post #AcWw95gFKB1Nv6J0PA by mlanger@mastodon.world
2023-12-06T10:43:57Z
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@clive @philbaker1 For me, it’s about how much weight my truck can handle safely on long hauls. 2 full pallets of Pergo in the bed? 3600+ pounds of truck camper thousands of miles? Towing 15,000 pounds? I don’t care how physically large my truck is as long as it can do the job I need it to do. Today’s small trucks can’t.But yes, most people don’t NEED a truck that can do these things. Please don’t criticize the people who do. I’m just lucky it’s not my only vehicle. It’s a bitch to park.
(DIR) Post #AcXC1Y9jAT7vBXWOHI by abosio@fosstodon.org
2023-12-06T13:41:53Z
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@clive They “need” them, just for a different reason.
(DIR) Post #AcXCnhsyIPx7GGeAim by wndlb@mas.to
2023-12-06T13:50:11Z
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@clive @ksaj @ncweaver People don't do this with houses--even though, someday, there might be a dance party, people don't buy houses with ballrooms. Is the different thinking ('someday I MAY haul 12-foot long boards') because ppl can afford to cover such minimal use cases with vehicles?
(DIR) Post #AcXIibHG2OFT2jxG9Q by slimdave@ruby.social
2023-12-06T14:56:51Z
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@clive @autumn @thomasfuchs They would have to manufacture or assemble in the US to avoid the 25% Chicken Tax, though.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax
(DIR) Post #AcXQ5ZUJYX4TphxjyC by ksaj@infosec.exchange
2023-12-06T14:25:40Z
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@wndlb @clive @ncweaver There is a picture demonstrating that it won't even hold a bicycle.
(DIR) Post #AcXQ5aHabKUEIX15m4 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:17:49Z
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@ksaj @wndlb @ncweaver Yeah, that one blew my mind
(DIR) Post #AcXQ7vXuW2hMp8lfqS by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:17:30Z
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@wndlb @ksaj @ncweaver That's an illustrative analogue
(DIR) Post #AcXQNwE3kvqJZ87LGa by taur10@venera.social
2023-12-06T13:23:32Z
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@clive For me, the problem is cargo capacity, I do deliveries, and modern trucks are basically just cars with an open top trunk. The Maverick for example has a bed shorter than the cargo space available to me in my Crosstrek (seats down).
(DIR) Post #AcXQNxByABlUYw9BeC by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:19:17Z
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@taur10 The short beds kind of blow my mind, whenever I look at themYou can't carry much
(DIR) Post #AcXQOqqHG1gh9sQebw by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:18:53Z
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@abosio Fair enough, yeah
(DIR) Post #AcXQd1uatiQXXoD0sK by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:18:40Z
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@slimdave @autumn @thomasfuchs I had no idea about that tax!!
(DIR) Post #AcXQj26V62zFsSdm52 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:22:46Z
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@Yorgus @thomasfuchs oh my goodness
(DIR) Post #AcXQlJq67yExSi3gEC by philbaker1@fosstodon.org
2023-12-06T11:03:48Z
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@mlanger @clive I don't think the @clive is criticizing those who choose a correctly-sized tool for the job. It's just that many truck drivers don't have such requirements. It's cosplay. Kind of like the industrial oven craze in kitchens a few years back.I used to own a 2000 Chevy Silverado, which is closer in size to the current Chevy Colorado. Probably all that most suburban folks need.
(DIR) Post #AcXQlKe588DrxjRb8a by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:22:21Z
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@philbaker1 @mlanger Yeah, agreed -- as @thomasfuchs pointed out, if you need to haul a really big trailer today, you definitely need a heavy and powerful truck ... a smaller one won't do!My point was based in my suspicion -- admittedly absent any data, though some folks in the thread later pointed to some -- that quite a few of the bigger trucks one sees on the roads, particularly in the suburbs, are rarely/never hauling anything 😅
(DIR) Post #AcXQtHYSVNemh3bZJo by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:23:59Z
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@jackfrost Cargo vans are f'in metalCapacious, great front visibility while driving, absolutely rock-solid and designed to take a beating
(DIR) Post #AcXQzOm2ZsiSovsGbg by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:22:58Z
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@brianinbc It's quite pretty, eh?
(DIR) Post #AcXRBcQHelhecxWavo by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:26:56Z
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@nazgul @lisamelton Yep, when you need to carry around irregularly sized loads of stuff, a nice big bed is what you need
(DIR) Post #AcXRMF6Yh2UVUcMeB6 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:28:39Z
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@gephorian 2001 Silverado, cool year -- I just googled it!
(DIR) Post #AcXRZCcZEsDvYQW33Q by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:29:03Z
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@cassandracorvid lolol yes
(DIR) Post #AcXRft2QRitoqVnXpw by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:29:33Z
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@linuxfiend @log An electrified late 80s model would be pretty wild!
(DIR) Post #AcXRlfAytiSbaiYQsK by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-06T16:29:34Z
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@clive @philbaker1 @mlanger If I lived in the burbs, not rural like I do and if I didn't have to need to tow... I'd probably get a minivan tbqh. Great for occasional hauling of stuff, super roomy for little trips and shopping.
(DIR) Post #AcXRxupIXIh7bYFqam by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:33:28Z
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@Onlineadviser Aha, interesting!When I'm out doing cross-country riding in the deep countryside I'll often see older trucks, and I was never sure if people were keeping them around for nostalgic/aesthetic reasons, or because they offered functionality
(DIR) Post #AcXSAjIUiDpVc21NKq by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:35:12Z
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@enmodo I've hauled crazily big loads of wood in my little 2010 Hyundai ElantraI bought it because I'm in a couple of bands and knew I'd be using it for gigs; it has a *really* capacious trunkBut with the back seats folded down I also found I could move around truly long-ass pieces of wood
(DIR) Post #AcXSGaADaDtj1TwOKe by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:35:31Z
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@AlgoCompSynth They're certainly happy about them
(DIR) Post #AcXSMZu7Sg3XxHGmsy by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:35:45Z
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@CMDR_Royal_Mons Definitely a lot of aesthetics
(DIR) Post #AcXSTh03Thq3zORFrc by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:38:21Z
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@JenWojcik Yep yepThose folks back then were very practical -- as other people responding to this post have pointed out, there's still a lot of farmers today keeping the older trucks running
(DIR) Post #AcXSYjE0dINyL1Mnvk by autumn@triangletoot.party
2023-12-06T00:07:25Z
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@clive @vfrmedia @thomasfuchs agreed! i only really drive on the freeway; my partner is much better at handling the smaller streets and backing it into impossible spots. 😅
(DIR) Post #AcXSYkCH1EajLvYvrc by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:31:59Z
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@autumn @vfrmedia @thomasfuchs Yeah -- when I'm on the road doing some reporting and rent a car, they always try to upsell me to a big SUV but I don't even want to drive something that bigI don't feel like I have the experience -- muscle-memory and proprioception -- to drive it safely; I'm used much smaller cars ... I'd be dangerous behind the wheel
(DIR) Post #AcXShBrq1bb3UI20lE by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:41:56Z
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@DoomsdaysCW I once profiled a mechanic for Fast Company who specialized in taking muscle cars from the 70s and 80s and making them electric, or to run on recycled restaurant grease/oil and the likefun stuff!
(DIR) Post #AcXSoJzaDOQ8iJ3RCK by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-06T16:42:44Z
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@clive @autumn @vfrmedia The larger the vehicle the more defensively and cautiously you should drive; unfortunately most people do the opposite.
(DIR) Post #AcXT3ZiG34etoWDxWy by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:40:51Z
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@stfn @Linux_Is_Best yep yep
(DIR) Post #AcXTDsxbLFcAP9Jjf6 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T16:51:58Z
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@thomasfuchs @autumn @vfrmedia yeah truly!
(DIR) Post #AcXTJzym9skVuXmWbw by ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org
2023-12-06T16:52:10Z
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@clive @DoomsdaysCW As someone who uses a SUV (yes, inefficient gas guzzler) for utilitarian reasons (hauling beehives), the vast majority of large trucks nowadays are really not suited for the job. 1. Their plastic bits fall off on rough roads and 4WD (really!). 2. Way, way too big to fit down narrow farm paths. 3. Too big to navigate around corners on narrow dirt roads. 4. Way too high to lift heavy stuff into. 5. Too hard to see where you're going, especially among trees, the fronts are WAY TOO HIGH and blocky. They are built to intimidate other drivers on the road, NOT for usability.
(DIR) Post #AcXTPj7ZkVitMdd476 by kmck@mas.to
2023-12-06T16:52:20Z
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@clive @DoomsdaysCW This would be a great way to go electric while also opting out of persistent tracking and overall assisted driving featuritis.
(DIR) Post #AcXUWTTER7S4o0XXaC by donkeyherder@kolektiva.social
2023-12-06T17:05:24Z
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@ai6yr @clive @DoomsdaysCW I’ve got a 2014 f150 for horse stuff. It’s the last one built on the 2009 body plan, and thus the last of the slightly too large but manageable “half ton” trucks. I’m horrified by the new “city trucks” I see on the road - they’re at least 10% taller and wider than my 2014, and my 2014 was a complete nightmare in San Francisco.
(DIR) Post #AcXUWUXsRKlI8hilSi by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T17:09:10Z
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@donkeyherder @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW aha, interesting to hear!
(DIR) Post #AcXUv1t47ySiUsKf9k by jimhubbell@mastodon.world
2023-12-06T17:01:22Z
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@ai6yr @clive @DoomsdaysCW In Utah, where too many people think camping requires a 40-foot 5th wheel trailer with toy hauling garage included, those big pickups do have a certain amount of utility. On the one weekend a month the family can afford to go "camping" because the rest of the time both mom and dad are working overtime to make the payments on the truck, the trailer, and the toys.
(DIR) Post #AcXUv6MHVID0Me23FY by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T17:13:35Z
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@jimhubbell @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW Yeah, those ironies cut deep
(DIR) Post #AcXV1TZO7KOY5gCb1E by W6KME@mastodon.radio
2023-12-06T17:00:32Z
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@ai6yr @clive @DoomsdaysCW For over 20 years I've been using the same pickup. It's hauled countless hay bales down countless miles of farm tracks and dirt roads. Many trips full of rock, way beyond the stated load limit. It's been beat, ridden hard, and treated like a work truck. It's got 2wd and a V6. It was cheap. It's not a daily driver. It's not a car. You can't buy an equivalent truck any longer. The Blue Book says it's worthless. I spend what I have to to preserve it.
(DIR) Post #AcXV1UTOl5CKtOPKK0 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T17:13:50Z
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@W6KME @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW Very cool!Is it reasonably easy to repair?
(DIR) Post #AcXV9rZikXdUrIMCjQ by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T17:16:12Z
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@kmck @DoomsdaysCW Yeah, the surveillance-panopticon-on-wheels aspect of modern EVs is really bleah
(DIR) Post #AcXVINE0xa09KsGKCe by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T17:15:20Z
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@ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW It does seem like the specs on today's trucks is ... off? The main thing that baffles me is those jacked-up beds, and how tiny they are ... hard to load and unload, and you can't load/unload much
(DIR) Post #AcXVrasaBYYJor230q by tehstu@hachyderm.io
2023-12-06T17:23:56Z
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@clive @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW I passed a late 90s F150 (10th gen?) the other day, and couldn't get over how reasonably sized it was. I don't see many these days, just the modern tanks. A cursory glance of wiki also reveals that era 150 with a standard cab and 6.5' bed is only slightly bigger than my Subaru.
(DIR) Post #AcXVzZXn2B2Zzi6vpI by virgilpierce@nerdculture.de
2023-12-06T17:24:33Z
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@clive @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW Almost as if they are empty all the time.
(DIR) Post #AcXWOFnzYj6G11STUu by riedlr@universeodon.com
2023-12-06T17:19:42Z
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@ai6yr @clive @DoomsdaysCW When I was camping off a forest road one year, a forest ranger asked me to drive him to a site in my 2-door jeep to investigate the source of a smoke plume because his truck was too big to travel down the road that led to the site…
(DIR) Post #AcXWOGgEJ4U8jEpn2O by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T17:29:20Z
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@riedlr @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW oh wow!Yeah, that says it all
(DIR) Post #AcXWVHPxxiwf2lZRa4 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T17:30:08Z
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@tehstu @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW yep yepThe embiggification of those trucks in the last two decades is just wild
(DIR) Post #AcXWbjxok3hDJaU7sW by virgilpierce@nerdculture.de
2023-12-06T17:27:59Z
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@ai6yr @clive @DoomsdaysCW I'll take a Panda for off/rough road use over anything the US is building. Light weight is the way to go.
(DIR) Post #AcXWbkvj9JcOJOVyG8 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T17:30:59Z
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@virgilpierce @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW yep yep
(DIR) Post #AcXWktee55r7ybspqy by ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org
2023-12-06T17:33:21Z
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@clive @jimhubbell @DoomsdaysCW Having grown up in Utah, I remember many times being stuck up and down the canyons when someone with their pop up campers (in my day) would jack-knife across the road and block stuff for an hour, LOL. I think it's a local cultural thing.
(DIR) Post #AcXWqfQrs7YJbYBt56 by jgkoomey@mastodon.energy
2023-12-06T17:32:50Z
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@clive @tehstu @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW It is a failure of regulation. We need to fix that.
(DIR) Post #AcXWqgXdkQZ12qMoHA by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T17:33:28Z
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@jgkoomey @tehstu @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW truly
(DIR) Post #AcXXPQYr9dPDcNVCDo by W6KME@mastodon.radio
2023-12-06T17:41:28Z
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@clive @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW Sometimes yes, sometimes no. These days I'm more likely to pay a garage for repairs, so I have more money into it than it's worth, but that misses the point-it's a cheap solid workhorse that they don't want to build any more.
(DIR) Post #AcXY7r9xchSqqy2iPI by KanaMauna@sauropods.win
2023-12-06T17:49:32Z
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@clive A few years ago we inherited a small, early nineties Toyota truck from my grandfather. We nicknamed it “the Technical” and gave it to my son. He found that contractors and landscapers would constantly approach him in parking lots and offer to buy the truck. Eventually he took one up on the offer. Clearly there is a huge unmet demand for smaller trucks.
(DIR) Post #AcXYvKe8mSxmUikckq by njwatt@jawns.club
2023-12-06T17:58:25Z
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@clive @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW as a relatively short (5’6”) man they are nearly unusable for me with anything remotely heavy
(DIR) Post #AcXdt7pHyTfJvPjU12 by JenWojcik@mastodon.social
2023-12-06T18:53:55Z
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@clive In my case, and what seems to be yours too...they were the depression generation. Everything was useful, and everything was kept. :)
(DIR) Post #AcXg1P0ACUFrQ0tT3A by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T19:18:04Z
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@JenWojcik Yep I’m 55, youngest child of the youngest child of my grandparents — grandfather was born around 1915, inherited his father’s debt-ridden farm at age 17 in the middle of the depression …. Out in frozen-ass WinnipegHe could repair a tractor using, like, a *coat hanger*
(DIR) Post #AcXgNsog1xMCG4EygK by cmgrowell@m.ai6yr.org
2023-12-06T18:10:54Z
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@ai6yr @clive @DoomsdaysCW They need to make things like this street legal. Of course, if they did that in the US they would assume we want 300 mile range and it would cost $70k.https://electrek.co/2023/11/14/two-years-after-buying-a-2000-electric-truck-from-china/
(DIR) Post #AcXgNtxDnfmnmrFJdg by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T19:22:04Z
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@ai6yr @cmgrowell @DoomsdaysCW Holy crap, I remember seeing the original video when he unboxed that crate shipped form China!That is truly fascinating to readHe hauls 700-800 pounds in that thing? DamnThe hydraulic dump would alone sell a zillion of these things if they were made easily buyable in the USImagine all the back pain avoided!!
(DIR) Post #AcXga9XHh4cLaUxKj2 by JenWojcik@mastodon.social
2023-12-06T19:22:04Z
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@clive My grandaddy could as well. The king of jerry-rigging. It was amazing to watch. 6th grade education, but the smartest man I ever knew. Born 1917.
(DIR) Post #AcXghg9goWE8mYVaHg by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T19:23:15Z
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@njwatt @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW Yeah I’m 5’8” so I have the a similar reaction when I look at those jacked up bedsMy back aches
(DIR) Post #AcXgn1GBm36HgZ5wrw by ak@mastodon.social
2023-12-06T17:56:32Z
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@riedlr @ai6yr @clive @DoomsdaysCW when I had a Wrangler with a 4-cyl engine it would routinely make it through snow that would stop much larger SUVs
(DIR) Post #AcXgn2RDOXVxL3GGh6 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T19:23:40Z
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@ai6yr @riedlr @ak @DoomsdaysCW Wranglers are f’in metal
(DIR) Post #AcXguJwKinNleAHzJQ by fiberdrive@sfba.social
2023-12-06T17:52:49Z
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@W6KME @ai6yr @clive @DoomsdaysCWFrom a non-work perspective: I occasionally offroad, tow, and camp, and drive a small SUV (2017 Jeep Patriot). It's very bare bones, which is how I prefer it, but I would love if someone made a similarly sized, spartan, electric. I don't want a touch screen infotainment system, and to be jacked up 3 feet in the air, or to climb up into my truck. I want something that can be comfortable, take rough dirt roads, light tow duty, and has buttons and knobs.I've seriously considered converting it to electric when it goes out, unless something else fits the bill.
(DIR) Post #AcXguKzumxqEvYyMXA by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T19:26:03Z
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@fiberdrive @W6KME @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW Build quality on jeeps is usually pretty robust I hear so with luck you’ll get many years out of itBut I hear you on the desirability of a simpler vehicle with those specs And … dashboard knobs! Omg enough with the iPhone-ization of dashboards
(DIR) Post #AcXh0xSShsI7wpTwx6 by ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org
2023-12-06T17:47:59Z
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@W6KME @clive @DoomsdaysCW According to Blue Book, my 4Runner is near worthless... but a new vehicle with 4WD that isn't ultra tech connected etc. and which would only work the same would cost a pretty penny (and the only advantage would be it would not be losing paint, LOL).
(DIR) Post #AcXh0yMTLd5ukXggFs by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T19:28:38Z
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@DoomsdaysCW @ai6yr @W6KME I knowThe models these days are really up there in price
(DIR) Post #AcXh85tLkUQa8DSfE8 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T19:27:28Z
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@KanaMauna oh that is incredibly interesting to hear! Makes sense, too
(DIR) Post #AcXhFwuwzy4icCxJpo by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T19:30:49Z
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@rora_borealis @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW someone was just saying in a different thread here that they had an old workhorse pickup that — when their son drove it around — farmers and ranchers would constantly come up and offer to buy it The demand is there, the auto makers just aren’t serving it
(DIR) Post #AcXhWbSe1iDuzYendA by kc2ihx@mastodon.hams.social
2023-12-06T17:35:36Z
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@tehstu @clive @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW I've got a 4ft x 8ft utility trailer that I pull behind my Subaru. Once when I went to pick up gravel from the landscape supply store and I was asking about weight to figure out how many trips I would need to take I found out it's about on par with what they'll put in a pickup. ~1/2 cubic yard per trip.I have to imagine some of the short beds are even worse, even if they can take the weight, it's a narrow target to load with their dump.
(DIR) Post #AcXhWcNibVsRqZMNai by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T19:33:10Z
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@tehstu @kc2ihx @DoomsdaysCW @ai6yr That’s wild to hear!Subarus are tanks, indestructible. When my family was shopping for good used car back in 2013 we wanted to get a used Subaru, but we couldn’t find one on the market – nobody ever sells theirs!
(DIR) Post #AcXiP3a9gmBvqU8T2m by chris@montereybay.social
2023-12-06T19:44:42Z
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@clive @rora_borealis @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW Jeez, don't even get me started about my brother's 1978 Datsun pickup truck. That thing was indestructible, until my brother finally destructed it. Good times.
(DIR) Post #AcXiqhYJBl8vd6SC80 by fiberdrive@sfba.social
2023-12-06T19:49:41Z
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@clive @W6KME @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW I can never hit the touch screen where I want in my Jeep Renegade, but the Patriot is all second nature. The tactile feel of buttons and knobs is just so much better and more accurate in a moving vehicle.
(DIR) Post #AcXj4JLjyEa0cX44iO by bruceturner@toad.social
2023-12-06T19:52:05Z
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@clive @ai6yr @cmgrowell @DoomsdaysCW Check out this kei truck with a dump bed. Waaaaant! https://weird.autos/@tikibunnyimports/111398306020233979
(DIR) Post #AcXk8OG3lNOwxKutAO by W6KME@mastodon.radio
2023-12-06T20:03:42Z
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@clive @rora_borealis @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW Why would Ford build an F-150 with no frills for 25k, when their profit alone on the 60k fancy-boy models is more than that?
(DIR) Post #AcXm0sHsQm2bgLJJfE by CavedaleRhones@sfba.social
2023-12-06T20:23:59Z
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@clive I have a Dodge Dakota (mid size) with 170,000 miles on it. Still going strong. 4WD, Tow hitch, Lumber rack. It is a real workhorse and small enough to maneuver our tight gravel roads. The new huge trucks all seem to have 4 doors and seat 4 people. Unneeded and cuts into the bed (which is why you buy a pickup). And don’t get me started on the electrics. I’d love a small/medium sized electric, but they are either huge (Ford) or have no hope of putting a *useful* lumber rack on them. Waiting for some Tesla truck owner to try and carry home a few 20 foot pieces of rebar instead of a couple of folding chairs and a cooler.
(DIR) Post #AcXm6wzppscG1YljNo by sidereal@kolektiva.social
2023-12-06T19:44:50Z
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@vfrmedia @clive @autumn @thomasfuchs Yes, also right hand drive vehicles are often legal and not exactly common, but not unheard of in some areas here (around where I live, mostly Japanese domestic imports)And, let me tell you, if you want a great light truck, you could do a lot worse than a JDM kei truck
(DIR) Post #AcXm6xpEkljUayomVE by vfrmedia@social.tchncs.de
2023-12-06T19:49:28Z
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@sidereal @clive @autumn @thomasfuchs I see Kei trucks a lot on Japanese cat videos - there is some fish docks where the fish that did not sell and would be out of date for human consumption are brought back in these trucks, various "uncles and aunties" with high end cameras feed them to the "stray" cats and take videos of them which get uploaded to social media (I think this has been going on for decades, even before Youtube etc and seems like a good idea for everyone involved)
(DIR) Post #AcXm6yjFOWXHOh1Vo0 by sidereal@kolektiva.social
2023-12-06T20:17:34Z
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@vfrmedia @clive @autumn @thomasfuchs I'm also totally obsessed with their tiny fire trucks. Imagine rolling up with the squad in this bad boy blaring music on the sirenThere's a dealership near here that sells these for like $8K and every day I have to stop myself from selling everything I own and moving into one
(DIR) Post #AcXm6zZMGmDg0JP81w by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T20:24:22Z
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@sidereal @vfrmedia @autumn @thomasfuchs Lol Those are adorable!
(DIR) Post #AcXm7lJ2mjgs3c8mGW by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-06T19:48:20Z
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@sidereal @vfrmedia @clive @autumn I see them sometimes, but obviously you cannot tow with them
(DIR) Post #AcXm7lzwDG0ACeD27k by sidereal@kolektiva.social
2023-12-06T20:21:03Z
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@thomasfuchs @vfrmedia @clive @autumn Oh man I figured "kei truck towing" would be a great image search, and I was not disappointedIt's true, they're not exactly dual-wheel F150's
(DIR) Post #AcXm7mg7gPkIJTwisS by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T20:23:59Z
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@thomasfuchs @sidereal @vfrmedia @autumn Yeah — I mean you could do light towing, but nothing really big
(DIR) Post #AcXmPayjvAcBEv9BAW by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T20:24:55Z
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@rora_borealis @DoomsdaysCW @ai6yr @W6KME Alas, yeah
(DIR) Post #AcXmnF0BHWq61v61wm by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-06T20:33:55Z
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@clive @sidereal @vfrmedia @autumn with light towing honestly a normal car would probably do better
(DIR) Post #AcXnXNygF4axBlOjJY by KanaMauna@sauropods.win
2023-12-06T20:42:11Z
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@clive We had to replace our garage door and the contractor had a big monstrous truck to carry all his gear. Yet he told us he was looking to switch to a small truck similar to my son’s so he could back up into garages and use the bed as a work platform.
(DIR) Post #AcXnjzwwt9rQQqbOBU by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T20:44:25Z
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@KanaMauna Oh that makes total sense It’s be a great work platform!
(DIR) Post #AcXnrefJuIzojj0W9Y by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T20:45:30Z
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@vfrmedia @autumn @sidereal @thomasfuchs True!the wee truck would probably most just be better for lots of yard and farm work, ie schlepping stuff around
(DIR) Post #AcXnyViXZf6F0mmag4 by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-06T20:47:03Z
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@clive @vfrmedia @autumn @sidereal yeah, I see them used sometimes by local small businesses for various deliveries
(DIR) Post #AcXoAJ7IFWFNPEzBFQ by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T20:49:08Z
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@CavedaleRhones I saw an analysis a while ago of why the vast majority of the market modern trucks of shifted to passenger car with the resulting tiny bedAnalysis, as I recall, was that back in the 60s a farmer would have a regular pick-up for work, and a small sedan for driving the family around The vogue for bulky modern trucks with passenger cabs was basically the idea that you’d merge the two functionsWhich sort of … *can* work? So long as you never need a big load
(DIR) Post #AcXoKgWi4BdYuGp3dQ by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T20:51:10Z
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@CavedaleRhones (that theory also posited that instead of needing two vehicles – a small pick-up, and a sedan — the modern family would simply require one vehicle: the large jacked-up truck with a big cabbut in practice, I gather, a lot of families still needed two vehicles, and often wound up with two jacked-up trucks 😂)
(DIR) Post #AcXpn0bH7ui9E61mE4 by lkanies@hachyderm.io
2023-12-06T21:07:27Z
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@clive @vfrmedia @autumn @sidereal @thomasfuchs I’m trying to solve something a lot like this for my parents - they live in a community that often uses golf carts, and they need to do super light towing for gardening.Most golf carts seem very old tech. But I have not found a modern equivalent that also tows. Those tiny electric cars, like the Wink Sprout, look great, but don’t quite fit for them.
(DIR) Post #AcXq5IU3NIjlu5N1PM by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T21:10:47Z
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@autumn @thomasfuchs @vfrmedia @lkanies @sidereal Damn, that’s a conundrum I would’ve thought by now, with the market for golf carts being as big as it was, there would’ve been some model that offered light towing
(DIR) Post #AcXqR2R9iVNSVSNk2a by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-06T21:14:35Z
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@clive @autumn @vfrmedia @lkanies @sidereal towing is… kinda hard to do. Electric is actually great for it because of massive torque, but energy density of batteries is miniscule compared to e.g. Diesel.So you need more batteries, but that also means more weight, etc.
(DIR) Post #AcXu2kTBGcJBeG0Cps by lkanies@hachyderm.io
2023-12-06T21:55:09Z
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@clive @autumn @thomasfuchs @vfrmedia @sidereal some do. But the golf carts just all seem kinda crappy for the price. 50% more expensive than a Sprout, but almost no features, low quality materials everywhere, basically disposable if something goes wrong.
(DIR) Post #AcXvXAzDLKb8Wv3hI0 by DoomsdaysCW@kolektiva.social
2023-12-06T22:11:52Z
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Subarus are great until the unibody rusts out. I've retired a few of them...@clive @tehstu @kc2ihx @ai6yr
(DIR) Post #AcXvevUKqehQmRJKRE by DoomsdaysCW@kolektiva.social
2023-12-06T22:13:14Z
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Also, my second car was a 1975 Plymouth Duster. I could use parts from other car brands for some of it, and even drove it without out -- and it forgave me! @clive @tehstu @kc2ihx @ai6yr
(DIR) Post #AcXyqtTKTCtHrfEpvc by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-06T21:58:31Z
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@lkanies @clive @autumn @vfrmedia @sidereal was looking at golf carts at our last house (mainly to bring trash to roadside, super long driveway) and yeah, nope
(DIR) Post #AcXyquRwppNctfbFPk by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T22:48:55Z
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@thomasfuchs @lkanies @autumn @vfrmedia @sidereal That’s too badI guess the main market of “noodling around town” is big enough the golf-cart makers haven’t felt any need to branch out
(DIR) Post #AcXz0VTcXTFyL9xU80 by mlanger@mastodon.world
2023-12-06T21:44:24Z
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@philbaker1 @clive I agree that most folks with big trucks don't need them, but it's becoming tiresome to hear people complaining about big trucks all the time. The people who need to hear those complaints don't give a damn about the complaints and the people who need those trucks are tired of people trying to make us feel guilty for having them.
(DIR) Post #AcXz0WPl3JlFFT9ukK by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T22:50:28Z
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@philbaker1 @mlanger Yeah, true enough — the suburbanites that overfit themselves aren’t likely listening to anything 😅
(DIR) Post #AcXzFbgPkJe3vt8v1E by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T22:53:27Z
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@autumn @thomasfuchs @vfrmedia @lkanies @sidereal YepIt’s mildly related to the difficulty of electrifying planes of any significant sizeA fuel-filled tank gets lighter as the fuel is burned during the flight, which is precisely what you want — ie as fuel depletes, you need marginally less and less of it because the plane is lighter and lighter But a battery is the same weight whether it’s charged or dead
(DIR) Post #AcXzN584fFsRHke2ue by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T22:54:29Z
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@ai6yr @kc2ihx @DoomsdaysCW @tehstu Cool!
(DIR) Post #AcXzUQui4K8MsLtoOG by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-06T22:55:39Z
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@clive @autumn @vfrmedia @lkanies @sidereal imagining planes that drop batteries on little parachutes lol
(DIR) Post #AcY1aGDSxEiDLNZwbg by nyquildotorg@fedia.social
2023-12-06T23:00:39.259Z
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@thomasfuchs @clive @autumn @vfrmedia @lkanies @sidereal picking up more batteries with hooks like mail on a train
(DIR) Post #AcY1aIKz4FujvH6ybQ by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-06T23:19:36Z
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@thomasfuchs @nyquildotorg @lkanies @vfrmedia @sidereal @autumn 😂
(DIR) Post #AcY5kmoX0juz9mBrcm by phil_stevens@mastodon.nz
2023-12-07T00:06:18Z
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@clive @thomasfuchs @nyquildotorg @lkanies @vfrmedia @sidereal @autumn Hear me out here...entire top surface of the plane is PV. Yes, it won't charge at the same rate that motors are using power (especially takeoff and climbing), but at high-altitude cruise it's in the ballpark. A range extender for daytime flights.
(DIR) Post #AcY5vyffGdBj7FNa9g by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-07T00:08:23Z
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@phil_stevens @thomasfuchs @nyquildotorg @lkanies @vfrmedia @sidereal @autumn With a very ultralight, one-seater nearly-glider-class plane that might be of use!
(DIR) Post #AcY63KaSBNy178RrLE by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-07T00:08:34Z
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@pearofdoom It really is
(DIR) Post #AcY6P2CvCKugTvn4XA by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-07T00:11:07Z
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@clive first flight around the earth in a solar powered plane was in 2015/16 btw
(DIR) Post #AcY6kFhCFBTqOd4Jn6 by phil_stevens@mastodon.nz
2023-12-07T00:17:27Z
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@clive @thomasfuchs @nyquildotorg @lkanies @vfrmedia @sidereal @autumn Obviously not going to work with typical long-haul aircraft.
(DIR) Post #AcY7SurCZHm6nW2uJs by phil_stevens@mastodon.nz
2023-12-07T00:25:11Z
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@clive @thomasfuchs @nyquildotorg @lkanies @vfrmedia @sidereal @autumn One very diminutive passenger might fit on one of these:https://www.keaaerospace.com/Apparently Airbus is in this space as well...theirs gives off some big albatross vibes:https://www.airbus.com/en/products-services/defence/uas/uas-solutions/zephyr
(DIR) Post #AcY9Lz8ATpvHvvnwQa by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-07T00:46:17Z
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@thomasfuchs Whoa!
(DIR) Post #AcYPC8iRaRUm226EXQ by pixel@social.pixels.pizza
2023-12-07T03:44:10Z
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@clive @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW I theorize that pickup trucks are on an evolutionary path to becoming vans.
(DIR) Post #AcYQ6cCHACahgNyzb6 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-07T03:54:26Z
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@pixel @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW The Carcinisation theory of trucks!I like it
(DIR) Post #AcYSv1ZXIF5mln1kZc by steptoeedwall@mastodon.social
2023-12-07T04:25:56Z
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@clive I had one just like that! I loved that old truck. Same color with two spare 15 gallon saddle tanks in the bed
(DIR) Post #AcYTwt4Fz32CvWqgbY by pixel@social.pixels.pizza
2023-12-07T04:37:30Z
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@clive haha yeah. I imagine the front end will continue to get taller, and the bed will continue to shrink until... it's a van!
(DIR) Post #AcYWAVq7LEsqqgrNk8 by BrunoMcGee@newsie.social
2023-12-07T05:02:21Z
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@clive @rora_borealis @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW I think the attraction of older pickup trucks is that they're simpler to maintain and work on. Long-time farmers and ranchers - who do a lot of mechanical work anyway - will be familiar with them.
(DIR) Post #AcYvWsygUbo1prdGBU by slimdave@ruby.social
2023-12-07T09:46:20Z
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@clive @autumn @thomasfuchs It's interesting as an example of "why things don't happen even though they seem to be a good idea". Smaller euro-style light trucks might not sell in the volumes needed to support a dedicated manufacture or assembly plant, so the US can't have them at all.
(DIR) Post #AcZQqDB4iAiAZ77gvo by notthatdelta@mstdn.social
2023-12-07T15:37:21Z
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@clive Guess which one of these trucks is used for actual work, and which one is used to move people around?Even with a non-factory 2.5" lift my Dakota's roof line barely clears the hood of the RAM 2500. Yet my bed is 2' longer. Also, the RAM has clearly never been used for towing, as it doesn't have a hitch or receiver.
(DIR) Post #AcZSlNYatTLRDUwnIm by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-07T15:58:34Z
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@notthatdelta Yes! LolI cycled across United States this summer as part of research my next book — it was funny, you could always tell which were the serious working trucks because they really *showed* it
(DIR) Post #AcZT58W8WKFiMcDd2m by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-07T16:01:08Z
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@autumn @thomasfuchs @slimdave Yeah true And more to the point, they probably wouldn’t be as profitable – wouldn’t have the margins of the high-end SUVs and trucks — so no auto maker is going to bother making them
(DIR) Post #AcZTAzZCi9OWLFRhiq by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-07T16:01:44Z
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@rora_borealis @ai6yr @BrunoMcGee @DoomsdaysCW Undoubtedly that’s a big part of it too!
(DIR) Post #AcZTGxQpYuXnSQNF2W by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-07T16:02:02Z
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@pixel 🦀
(DIR) Post #AcZTMyaIBok6lmfZ4a by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-07T16:02:11Z
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@steptoeedwall Nice!
(DIR) Post #AcZaVahZ3O7Ez57rJQ by notthatdelta@mstdn.social
2023-12-07T17:25:34Z
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@clive totally! As a general rule if your truck doesn't have dents/scratches/rust (especially around the bed) then you would be just fine driving a car.
(DIR) Post #AcZbYz0tDgOFCzLXGq by DoomsdaysCW@kolektiva.social
2023-12-07T16:56:32Z
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I miss being able to work on my own vehicle. Everything is computerized now... @BrunoMcGee @clive @rora_borealis @ai6yr
(DIR) Post #AcZbZ033N7iOPzMmHY by BrunoMcGee@newsie.social
2023-12-07T17:03:04Z
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@DoomsdaysCW @clive @rora_borealis @ai6yr There have been articles in recent months about lawsuits brought by farmer groups, about "right to repair" their equipment, which nowadays are full of computing. For a long while they've pretty much been forced to take their equipment to dealers.
(DIR) Post #AcZbZ0ve69Nr9IuNNI by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-07T17:37:27Z
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@BrunoMcGee @DoomsdaysCW @rora_borealis @ai6yr 100%It is a huge huge problem for farmers and ranchers
(DIR) Post #AcaVc2tpiSAkA9K8ye by cmgrowell@m.ai6yr.org
2023-12-07T18:16:58Z
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@bruceturner @clive @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW I like the looks of this one, but the article didn't seem too positive about it ever coming to market. Similar front end shape. We have a 2017 Tacoma and it is kind of ridiculous that you need a front grill camera to see obstacles in front of you, especially when 4x4ing.https://electrek.co/2023/11/10/check-out-canoos-rugged-new-american-bulldog-electric-pickup/
(DIR) Post #AcaVc4Guc8EAQ185aa by taur10@venera.social
2023-12-07T21:46:00Z
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@cmgrowell @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW @bruceturner @clive It's unlikely to ever happen, they're years behind on producing anything, and have promised so many vehicles to commercial clients that anyone who's put a deposit down will have to wait years before getting there's even if production ever actually happens.That said, what they're promising is good enough that I've invested a small amount in it, it'll sting to lose it, but if'n they actually start production, I'll get a nice reward.
(DIR) Post #AcaVc5XxsDSiNC7Do8 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-08T04:05:12Z
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@taur10 @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW @bruceturner That's too bad to hearLike @cmgrowell, I dig the design of this thing -- would love to see the major automakers deliver stuff in this style and form factor
(DIR) Post #AcaVjWLUdOP7W0pGs4 by DoomsdaysCW@kolektiva.social
2023-12-07T20:49:00Z
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Yes. My farmer friends would rather keep their old tractors going than buy new ones for that very reason. @BrunoMcGee @clive @rora_borealis @ai6yr
(DIR) Post #AcaVjXMaqmsWfiLfE0 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-08T04:06:54Z
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@DoomsdaysCW @BrunoMcGee @rora_borealis @ai6yr Yeah, John Deere's lunatic DRM is a huge problem for farmersIt's so terrible of Deere -- this is a population of customers who are *accustomed* to fixing gear themselves, who expect to do it and want to do it
(DIR) Post #AcacFiVDZQOeD86tEG by BrunoMcGee@newsie.social
2023-12-08T05:19:57Z
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@clive @DoomsdaysCW @rora_borealis @ai6yr About a year ago I read a colorful article - I think it might have been in the Guardian - about a line of tractors built and exported by Belarus. An important export for Balarus too. Tractors not as expensive or high-tech as western brands, but rugged and serviceable for developing countries.
(DIR) Post #Acad7XkVlcPuUtvirI by BrunoMcGee@newsie.social
2023-12-08T05:29:42Z
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@clive @DoomsdaysCW @rora_borealis @ai6yr Aha, the "Minsk Tractor Works" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus_(tractor)
(DIR) Post #AcaemlRfqk7InoL32W by joycebell@mas.to
2023-12-08T05:48:19Z
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@clive @rora_borealis @ai6yr @DoomsdaysCW There was an old rusty truck (late 60s maybe), not sure of make, missing tires, and up on blocks on one of my walking routes. Homemade block letter sign on windshield: THIS TRUCK IS NOT FOR SALE. 🙂
(DIR) Post #AcafjD3BNBqLDIkf0C by BrunoMcGee@newsie.social
2023-12-08T05:58:55Z
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@clive A guy I used to know grew up on a farm in Nebraska. His dad was thrifty: used the pickup truck only for chores on the farm or the occasional trek to town for bulky supplies. For all other non-farm errands or trips, he drove an old Corvair, because it got better gas mileage. He also didn't raise farm animals: once the soybean/corn/wheat crop was in, he would batten down the farm and spend the winter in a bungalow he owned in Orange County, California. Kind of an early adopter of snowbird.
(DIR) Post #Acb3EU60LW5G0BxBlQ by slimdave@ruby.social
2023-12-08T10:22:13Z
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@clive @autumn @thomasfuchs You can only hope that eventually it will get to the point where an existing manufacturer could disrupt the market with a smaller truck. Maybe that's what the Maverick is?
(DIR) Post #AcbMaPPoKL8MzANyka by ClimateJenny@mastodon.social
2023-12-08T13:59:05Z
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@clive My 90-year-old FIL in the Midwest was having trouble getting an auction house to help him with downsizing until they heard he had a small pickup to sell. Now I see why that was the prize item.
(DIR) Post #AcbY4GkkCH7iIqcOLw by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-08T16:07:39Z
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@ClimateJenny Wow!
(DIR) Post #AcbYbjwWgqTcOH5bIe by thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io
2023-12-08T16:13:45Z
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@clive @autumn @slimdave there's plenty of small trucks that make profit for manufacturers, but they're mostly sold in in developing countries and regional markets; essentially were there's no demand for the big trucks
(DIR) Post #AccfW5t35GJxY2g4H2 by dberger43@mastodon.social
2023-12-09T05:05:57Z
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@clive looks a lot like the F150 of my 1950s west Texas childhood, the only truck my dad used, running cattle on 6 and a half square miles of pasture with no roads much other than pickup tracks.
(DIR) Post #AccgbxiEUNzNt3yqdE by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-09T05:18:12Z
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@dberger43 Yeah, those vehicles could really handle rough terrain!
(DIR) Post #Acenu6EecyhXWof2QK by amy@jawns.club
2023-12-10T05:49:22Z
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@clive this is a death trap i’m all for making smaller vehicles but this isn’t romance, it’s horror
(DIR) Post #AcftHNJry9nE6Ryi12 by clive@saturation.social
2023-12-10T18:23:42Z
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@amy Definitely the lack of crumple zones make those older trucks super deadly in a head-on