Thinking about getting a beater truck just for hunting

[Alan]

My daily driver is too nice to beat up on rough roads and I'm tired of worrying about scratches. Seen some old Toyotas and Fords for cheap that still run. Is having a dedicated hunting vehicle worth it or am I just making excuses to buy another truck?

 

[Redhawker]

If you want it and can afford it, go for it. The only problem with a beater is that you don't know the prior maintenance and what problems it may have. Being that you may take it back in the woods a ways, it could leave you stranded in a place not easy to get help. Of course, that can also happen with a new truck, but it's probably not as likely. Whatever you get, I'd have a good mechanic go over it with a fine-toothed comb.

 

[BKLooney]

It's an excuse and you know it!

 

[MC2]

Get a beater...like an 1987 Ford bronco 4 speed with granny gear and a 302...I just might happen to know where you can buy such a jewel...

 

[Lt Choate]

Even if a person never hunts anything more intriguing than the ketchup bottle in the fridge.... they need an old knockaround truck. It should be written in the Constitution or something.

 

[BKLooney]

Every time I have bought a beater anything I've always tinkered and ended up pouring cash into them that they end up being a non-beater and I'm kinda back at square one! I would like to find an old square body in decent shape, not really as a beater so much but just as a vehicle that is not reliant on computers and chips just to run...

 

[Wadlow Palerider]

My Bro in law - the mechanic had an early 2000 something F150 like an '01 or '02 maybe with the V6 engine. Well the engine dropped a valve & he lost a piston in the ordeal. He wasn't satisfied with the V6 to be begin with. He ordered a 289 crate engine from the mid-sixties despite everyone telling him he couldn't make it work. Six months later - he had it running smooth, purring like a kitten. Many obstacles to overcome but he was determined. The rear end was geared too low for the engine so he put taller gears in it. It did have a mass of wires running along one of the fender wells - he taped together with black electrician's tape and he placed a small bit of that same tape over the check engine light. He drove it a while and sold it. Some folks are gifted that way and they need something to tinker with. I fall into the camp of - not wanting to wrench on anything - not anymore. Vehicles have become too complex. We used to be able to take a car apart with, 7/16, 1/2, 9/16 a 5/8, a crescent wrench, a couple of screwdrivers and a hammer. That ship has long sailed. Today, a good mechanic is like a doctor. If you find one you trust, you better stick with him.

 

[Redhawker]

Vehicles have become too complex. We used to be able to take a car apart with, 7/16, 1/2, 9/16 a 5/8, a crescent wrench, a couple of screwdrivers and a hammer. That ship has long sailed.

Amen to that. I remember when I was a kid helping my dad swap out an engine in the family's mid 60's Ford F250, using mostly open-end wrenches. I used to have a '54 GMC pickup with the 248 straight 6 engine. It was an unusual one, as it had a factory 4-speed stick instead of the 3-on-the-tree most of them from that era had. I almost never used 1st gear, as it was extremely low, and 2nd was about as low as 1st in most trucks. It was a breeze to work on. It had two radiator hoses, two heater hoses, 6 plug wires, and a coil wire. There was almost enough room in the engine compartment that you could have almost stood between the engine and the fender to work on it. Wish I'd never sold it.

 

[Wadlow Palerider]

Amen to that. I remember when I was a kid helping my dad swap out an engine in the family's mid 60's Ford F250, using mostly open-end wrenches. I used to have a '54 GMC pickup with the 248 straight 6 engine. It was an unusual one, as it had a factory 4-speed stick instead of the 3-on-the-tree most of them from that era had. I almost never used 1st gear, as it was extremely low, and 2nd was about as low as 1st in most trucks. It was a breeze to work on. It had two radiator hoses, two heater hoses, 6 plug wires, and a coil wire. There was almost enough room in the engine compartment that you could have almost stood between the engine and the fender to work on it. Wish I'd never sold it.View attachment 152