A Symbol From Texas To The US

Probably at least since the mid-1960s, the pickup truck has been a status symbol. It is a distinct symbol, that speaks a language that is a lot like the person, kind of like the motorcycle.

Truck's functionality is probably why they became the choice of outdoorsman, farmers, repairmen, construction workers, and so many others that are a symbol of a romanized freedom—people being free labor, and not wage slaves (in Jeffersonian terms).

The Bed

You can sleep in long beds pickups. Not that I have, mainly because I don't own a truck. But if I did, I'd probably would have had that experience camping out somewhere. Put it in park, blow up an air matteress, and your sleeping out under the stars, but not in the grass, with the dew and all those rocks. Or if it's raining, and your truck has a cap over the bed, that doesn't leak, you'll probably stay dry.

I once saw somebody go down my road, with a goat tied to the bed of his pickup truck. I guess that's a decent way to transport a single goat, but I assume the goat didn't enjoy it. I've heard (and seen) some people do the same with their dogs, but I would think you'd have to worry about the animal getting hurt. And who knows if they actually like it. Although they might like all the fresh air they get.

And those who put hay bales in their beds. Stacked high. Stay far behind that type. Or those who stick one of those big round bales—they take up a lot of space, and are kind of heavy (I don't have exact figures, but iirc, think 300 lbs).

Like everything, there are more bedliners and junk for beds nowdays. Those plastic duraliners are being replaced with a tar-like bed, that prevents rust better. Just don't be like that idiot I read on a newsgroup that decided he wanted to get rid of his bedliner, so he burned it off (stupid idea).Of course the heat from burning all that plastic off is going to chemically change the metal and burn off the paint—causing rust—look at any burn barrel for a sample case. And bed liners a far better then scratching all that crappy paint up, when you load and unload stuff.

In Tow

I still remember the time last year, I went up to Partridge Run after college on a Friday, was going on a back road, went to pass a pickup truck, that pulled over to get his mail, and got my Plymouth Sundance stuck in a ditch. That sucked. But thanks to a nice person, with a 4x4 Dodge Ram, he pulled me out of the ditch. Thank you, again.

Of course, there are other uses for a pickup trucks, then pulling a crackpot like me out of the ditch. But that was my favorite use so far.

There are those bumper hitches, that have a maximum tounge weight of about 200 lbs. For little trailers, like Mike Connelly's trailer he used to take the water up to the CAN-AM camporee. They are cool for bringing that kind of stuff up. That also would be good for that neat canoe trailer that those rich brats in Troop 42 own.

And there are fullsize pickups and HD pickups. They probably have stronger bumpers for higher loads. And of course there are those bed hitches that are used for really big trailers, used for carrying several large farm animals in and campers the size of mobil homes. I once saw somebody talking on a cellphone, drinking coffee, all at the same time, driving on the Thruway, towing one of those big animal trailers. Neat.

Prolitification of Junk

Too much demand destroys anything. Trucks are the same way. They have too much junk, too many features that nobody really needs. No wonder why they are so expensive.