What pickup?

Jsmith2211

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Somerset
My dad has a 2.0l diesel ford kuga 4wd. Good car really. Far more comfortable (much better seat support) and a better drive than my Isuzu d-max. But think it can only legally tow 2100kg which restricts what can go in cattle trailer. On the plus side wet dogs, oil, tools and dead things can go in the back of pickup and is of course separate from cabin. Unfortunately dad has had to give up driving so think we’ll have to sell it, which having had a run or two in it made me have a think and consider it for myself. His Kuga is manual gearbox though as I prefer autos these days. Nice cars though..
Hit the nail on the head on the pickup. Can get a surprising amount in the back of the focus, but you cant put a big diesel generator in it, plus a compressor, a toolbox and other odds and ends, then drive out and service the combine during harvest. Plus a lot of the things i move around are extremely dirty, not just oily but also can be coated in dust from the grain shed (as we mill all our crops into meal with a roller mill, it makes a lot of dust). Seems wrong to throw that in the back of a nice car really, cant do its value any good, and im getting rather tired of using a tractor and trailer to move anything that wont fit in the car (no towhitch, and dont think its worth fitting one on a 1.6 petrol). How does the auto box stack up to manual for towing? I was always told they werent as good.
 

ricky_rascal

Member
Location
N. Yorks
Hit the nail on the head on the pickup. Can get a surprising amount in the back of the focus, but you cant put a big diesel generator in it, plus a compressor, a toolbox and other odds and ends, then drive out and service the combine during harvest. Plus a lot of the things i move around are extremely dirty, not just oily but also can be coated in dust from the grain shed (as we mill all our crops into meal with a roller mill, it makes a lot of dust). Seems wrong to throw that in the back of a nice car really, cant do its value any good, and im getting rather tired of using a tractor and trailer to move anything that wont fit in the car (no towhitch, and dont think its worth fitting one on a 1.6 petrol). How does the auto box stack up to manual for towing? I was always told they werent as good.

Cant speak for the Ford but as far as the Isuzu goes then no reason at not to go auto. There is no clutch to burn out slipping it (mrs rascal :rolleyes: ) and no dual mass flywheel to fly to bits. Does use more diesel compared to manual.
 

Jsmith2211

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Somerset
Cant speak for the Ford but as far as the Isuzu goes then no reason at not to go auto. There is no clutch to burn out slipping it (mrs rascal :rolleyes: ) and no dual mass flywheel to fly to bits. Does use more diesel compared to manual.
Do they not use power or not transfer it as well to the wheels as a manual?
 

ricky_rascal

Member
Location
N. Yorks
Do they not use power or not transfer it as well to the wheels as a manual?

I think you have same power to wheels regardless of auto or manual. I’ve not had issue taking up power at the wheels. Certainly never had problems setting off with fully loaded cattle trailer. With my last manual we loaded trailer up down bottom of field. Mrs drove it back up to yard. Exit gate to yard a little tight and myself following up some 300 yards behind could smell the clutch as there was much slipping as she went through gateway!
 

Jsmith2211

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Somerset
I think you have same power to wheels regardless of auto or manual. I’ve not had issue taking up power at the wheels. Certainly never had problems setting off with fully loaded cattle trailer. With my last manual we loaded trailer up down bottom of field. Mrs drove it back up to yard. Exit gate to yard a little tight and myself following up some 300 yards behind could smell the clutch as there was much slipping as she went through gateway!
Interesting. I was always told an auto box wasnt as good as a manual. Maybe that is only the older ones?
I'd buy a Navara. If you are worried about it snapping then take the back off and strengthen it.
Any pickup is going to use twice as much fuel as your Focus at best. I'd stay with what you have until fuel prices calm down.
Only reason i mention the snapping in half is because that is what several people have told me, and when i asked the chap in the garage he said he wouldnt have one if you paid him...
 

ricky_rascal

Member
Location
N. Yorks
Interesting. I was always told an auto box wasnt as good as a manual. Maybe that is only the older ones?

Only reason i mention the snapping in half is because that is what several people have told me, and when i asked the chap in the garage he said he wouldnt have one if you paid him...
Probably older auto box’s.

Not so much of late but at UPull It at Full Sutton had a compound exclusively full of navaras with the corrosion problem. You would hope later Navaras wouldn’t suffer from the same prob.
 

Kidds

Member
Horticulture
Only reason i mention the snapping in half is because that is what several people have told me, and when i asked the chap in the garage he said he wouldnt have one if you paid him...
There certainly was an issue with corrosion but as I said it's not something you can't pre-empt and fix before it is an issue. All pickups seem to have an issue, Rangers blew loads of engines due to oil pump, Toyotas use a lot of fuel etc. At your budget you are only going to get a quite old truck and if it has made it that far it will probably be OK.
I don't think any of them are perfect, they all have some sort of fault or failure and they are really a mish mash of good and bad bits.
I like my Navara but I won't pretend it is the be all and end all and I very much doubt any of them are.

The tub on a 4x4 pickup has to be one of the daftest designs out there. How are you supposed to reach anything if you can't drop the sides. Only the tailgate drops and that only goes down level with the floor so you have to stand 3 feet away so still can't reach anything. If it dropped down vertically it would be a start but they put a feckin big bumper in the way of that happening.
You are much better off with a Disco type vehicle where you can actually get at what is inside and/or a trailer.
 
I've a 17 plate Navara and if I drive gently it is fairly easy to get 40+ mpg (it is also fairly easy to get the same as your Focus too)
Cruise control set to 55-60mph on good roads and 45mpg is normal, best ever was 66mpg on a 4 mile journey.
A trailer empty or full knocks 10mpg off and a heavy trailer will knock more.
The above figures are with Conticontact tyres, put mud tyres on and it is a very different story.
Must be the fendt of pickups
 

Mc115reed

Member
Livestock Farmer
Your car is worth 2k for a quick sale or 2.5k if you spend a while advertising and dealing with the idiots that come with selling cars… so your probably gonna have 4K too spend, realistically all your gonna get for that with less than 200k miles on the clock is a Nissan navara or a Ford range old shape
 
Do they not use power or not transfer it as well to the wheels as a manual?
i think my auto isuzu will put the power down better than a manual as you can feather the throttle in on slippery surface without riding the clutch
certainly tows the trailer fine just a bit heavier on juice
if needed when not loaded and wet corners you don't want to be trying too hard....
 

Davy_g

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Co Down
Two options for a budget pick up.
I used to have a Greatwall. Get what you pay for but a big step up from my old Berlingo van. Downside was the worry about lack of parts. Look for an old SE that wasn't farmed.
Moved onto a Fait Fullback, cheaper than the L200 which it is a copy of. Plenty of parts about off the L200's. I liked them both and there was value in both. Sold the Greatwall for humble money - didnt retain much value.
 
Have a look for a Ssangyong Musso pick up - not the current model, but the original with the MB licensed 2.9 TD engine.
Then for real fuel economy fill the tank with veg oil and it will run very happily with no mods needed.
 

JP1

Member
Livestock Farmer
W126?
276110521_2018724918288482_6333429483618171813_n.jpg
 

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