It's a 30 foot. I had a 22 foot one for about 8 years and traded it in this spring. My wife, daughters and I love to camp! I would probably get more wood cut and split If I could give up fishing and camping but I also enjoy the family time and hanging out with my kids.
Hey guy's, what I'm seeing here is mostly newer model trucks, Chevy, Dodge , Ford, and a few yota's, which is all well and good, but, does nobody drive an old beater to haul wood on. Don't get me wrong the newer trucks are fine, but I love the finess of an older truck. Going out in the morning pulling out the manual choke patting the gas pedal 3 or 4 times and then turning the key and hearing it say wah, wah, wah, and kicking to life. Plus, if I bend a fender in the woods I haven't tore up my daily driver $10,000 or more truck. I once had a 1950 Dodge LWB narrow box truck. I had a six-cylinder flat head in it with a Granny low 4-speed. This old Dodge would only run about 50mph wide open because of the low gear ratio, but that what a truck was for back in the day, to do a days work with out all the frills. This old Dodge had 17 leaves on each side of the rear axel, that's right 17, from the shortest being about 1ft in length to the longest going from spring hanger to spring hanger. And this truck was rated at a 1/2 ton. ( probably a 1 ton rating in todays trucks.) Oh sure the trucks of today ride as good as a car with all their gadgets and gismos, but for my money I'll take an older truck 10 to 1 any day over a newer model. Who needs a truck today with a rear view backup cam mounted in the dash. Slow down and take your time, look both ways twice be fore backing up. Who needs a truck with a GPS system in the dash? Remember maps back in the 50's thru 80's? Hell, can anyone even read a road map today? You could get one free at any service station. (Notice I said service station, where the attendant one or more came out and pumped your gas, checked your oil, and washed your windshield with a smile, and thanked you for stopping in, and please come again attitude. Sorry, but in my opinion we the American public have gotten to soft, we are totally spoiled to these new fancy cars and trucks loaded to the gills with all the luxury items. All this does is drive the cost up on a new car and truck. This country despertly needs to revert back to the 50' and 60's when times were easier without all the hustle and bustle of today...! Learn how to pull out a manual choke in the morning, learn how to drive a car or truck without power steering and power brakes, learn how to drive a 4-speed manual transmission with a granny low gear. This once fine country has went to Hell in a hand basket and we the American public have allowed it to happen. The Federal Government, the EPA, and OSHA have absolutely no business in the car industry. This is one reason the prices are so high, because there are federally mandated government laws put into effect on vehicles which is wrong, wrong, wrong. American people wake up, and quite buying these plastic pieces of crap that the Feds and the auto industry are forcing on us. I know this is a super long post, and I could go on and on, but you get the basic idea. Stand up and tell the government enough is enough. P.S. I'll get off my soap box for now...! 'Just Sayin' Now, this is a wood hauler...! I'll take this old IHC over a new truck any day...!
I get your point(s) Paul. The old trucks are nice for working, and not having to worry about scratching them. I have owned an old 1972 Swiss Military Truck called a Pinzgauer. A "real" off-road work truck. With axle lockers and differntial for true 4 wheel drive. I have owned an old 1986 Jeep J-20, 3/4 ton truck. A work truck that could haul with the best of them. I have owned older Fords and Chevys. And newer model trucks. When I was a kid my father had a 1955 GMC. The floor of the bed of that truck had one huge sheet of steel. Real thick steel. It had to have been 5/8" thick, maybe 3/4". The truck was two wheel drive, no power steering, etc. You get the idea. But could haul huge loads and pull like a tractor. After that he had a 1978 Jeep J-10. Those old Jeeps can really go through some "stuff"! I enjoyed those trucks. But I was a little younger then and had more time and desire to "mess" with them if need be. Now, I don't want to play mechanic. I want to turn the key and have it start right up, be warmed up in a matter of minutes, not an hour, and work on things I enjoy doing. I want my truck to be able to haul wood, go through the woods, and be able to go down the road at 70 mph comfortably, and be reliable year round. And I want the safety features of these new trucks. So, although I like the older trucks, I like my newer one. I just had to pick it up a little (2-1/2" lift) and put some bigger tires on it. As far as the government being involved. Bring on the safety, with all these nut cases out there talking on their phones, texting on their phones, drying/curling their hair, compromising and arguing with their kids, all while driving. I am glad we have much safer vehicles. My kids and wife are out there on those roads. Back before I had my equipment, I did at one time have an old beater truck for the woods, and a newer model truck for the road. That was cool.
Guess you missed my post. Proudly out pull most with a cub cadet and a s-10. Probably cut more than anybody on here to.
Glad for ya there man! Certainly not diminishing any other way of doing things Jay. I have worked with lots of different trucks, tractors, garden tractors, wheel barrows, etc. etc. There were many times when I paid to have the wood dumped in the yard and I stacked it outside, and then wheel barrowed all of it under cover because I had no truck, no chainsaw , etc. etc. Whatever way people get it done is the way it gets done.
Got to do what you got to do. I am almost 50 and very close to being credit free. Very awesome felling. I do the biggest hardwood trees with very. Little. Wish I had a Johnny bucket. Lol
I here that! Good for you on the credit free thing! I am mid 40s and plan on working for 20 more years in this job. Hope to be credit free by the time I am 55 though. My wife and I are working on our plan.
My son and I own this 1988 Ford F250. It's only job is to haul fire wood and it will haul anything you can fit in it. We Hettinger boys name our trucks....here is Everette. Oh, that is me and my grandson Trent.
Anymore I haul with trailers. So I feel left out. But I can haul a whole lot more this way. 16 & 20' trailers with a 3' high pile of logs 8-11' long = 4-5 cords plus. Not to mention being able to do most of the loading & unloading with the tractor.
Many wouldn't call it old but I still have my beast: '89 GMC C3500 7.4L Will haul whatever amount of wood you can pile in the bed and still drives around comfortably. And while I am quite sentimental about the old girl, it's no daily diver. At 6-7 MPG, there's no way it could be my daily driver. My 2013 Silverado is only 75% of the truck the old 1 ton is but gets over twice the mileage, and is far safer/more comfortable. We don't need to ditch the technology in modern vehicles but I do agree a return to that older way of thinking would do much of this country a whole ton of good.
Nice pics Camp… your life in the pro logging world blows me away!! I'm thinking one of your loads there just might squat my Silverado a little… like… to nothing left but a smear in the road… … nice loads.
Nice Hedgerow. Are you going to dump that to the back or to one of the sides. I have always thought it was interesting to see the side dumpers. Seems like they would be handy in some cases. On a bed like though you would probably need two cylinders to do that. Eh?
