Pardon Me… Your Behind is Showing

[Jon in AZ]

Anybody else feel like modern pickups have become absurdly large?

The navy blue one pulled in right next to me at the local Walmart, dwarfing my Pilot, forcing traffic to detour into the opposite lane, and requiring me to back out around it with zero visibility. Hard to see in the photo, but the truck bed was angled across the rear of my vehicle. There were plenty of double spots a little further out.


I filed this one under "There Oughtta Be a Law."

[mary and bob]

I like the shin buster ball mount on the grey truck. My 2012 Ram 1500 quad cab does feel big, and even though I park way out where nobody else is, someone will park next to me. It's a running joke between me and my wife about where I park. I just tell her "Hey, the walk is good for you"

[Doug P.]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Anybody else feel like modern pickups have become absurdly large?

The navy blue one pulled in right next to me at the local Walmart, dwarfing my Pilot, forcing traffic to detour into the opposite lane, and requiring me to back out around it with zero visibility. Hard to see in the photo, but the truck bed was angled across the rear of my vehicle. There were plenty of double spots a little further out.
Attachment 95069

I filed this one under "There Oughtta Be a Law."

Yup there oughtta be a law.... Against the tiny size of parking spots :-)

Cheers
Doug

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Doug P.

Yup there oughtta be a law.... Against the tiny size of parking spots :-)

Cheers
Doug

Yup! Totally agree on that!

Here in the city they are making them smaller and smaller even finding a spot to parking my tiny Nissan truck impossible at the local grocery store.

[Jon in AZ]

I was in a parking lot recently in which about 50% of the spaces were marked "compact." Apparently Suburbans, crew cab pickups, and vans (including one 15-passenger) are compacts. But a Mini Cooper is not, as it required two spaces.

When planners design parking lots according to what they think people ought to drive, rather than what people actually do drive...

Oh well... pulling a trailer has gotten me used to parking on the outer fringes, and besides, as Bob says, I need the exercise.

[Mike Magee]

My last pickup was an '86 Dodge D150. It turned with the alacrity of a houseboat. We haven't wanted a pickup since selling it in '98.

[tractors1]

I was amused that the current crop of big trucks have mirrors that fold in against the doors when you park.....

[MyronL]

My Silverado 1500 double-cab, short bed, is so big it took several months after I got it before I got used to backing up my trailer with it. Previously towed with a Tahoe.

Then one day I walked back to the truck and saw somebody had used their vehicle, probably another big truck, and kissed my tail light, cracking the lens. I now give thanks every day for having a blue disability tag I can use.

[Elizabeth EWA]

The Chevy Colorado that I just got is what they call a mid-size. It's plenty big enough for me. When I was shopping, I didn't even consider the full size trucks.

[floyd]

I'm 6 ft tall and I refuse to own a truck which is soo tall that I can barely see into the box, let alone reach into the box for something.
If they don't bring back the Ranger, I'll be driving my 2001 for another 15 years.

What really bothers me though is that the new vehicles are little more than smart phones with wheels. Nobody seems to care about the mechanicals anymore, they simply want to know how many "apps" they can get on the big screen dash.

Of course, there are all those terrifying new electronic "safety" devices which take control away from the driver. (for his own good of course)

I just went for a drive tonight in my 1995 Mustang. It did just, and only just, what it was told.... What a pleasure!

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by floyd

I'm 6 ft tall and I refuse to own a truck which is soo tall that I can barely see into the box, let alone reach into the box for something.
If they don't bring back the Ranger, I'll be driving my 2001 for another 15 years.
What really bothers me though is that the new vehicles are little more than smart phones with wheels. Nobody seems to care about the mechanicals anymore, they simply want to know how many "apps" they can get on the big screen dash.
Of course, there are all those terrifying new electronic "safety" devices which take control away from the driver. (for his own good of course)
I just went for a drive tonight in my 1995 Mustang. It did just, and only just, what it was told.... What a pleasure!

Been saying that for years Floyd. Now I see commercials for button to back your trailer up or park your car. Guess I'm old school but if you really need that......
Wonder how many young folks would know how to turn on the head lights by pulling a switch on the dash or hit the high beams with a foot switch .

[cpaharley2008]

Here in Pennsylvania you can get a ticket for leaving the shin buster ball mount in your receiver while not towing, that could save almost a 1' of parking space from just one vehicle..

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Borrego Dave

Now I see commercials for button to back your trailer up or park your car. Guess I'm old school but if you really need that......
Wonder how many young folks would know how to turn on the head lights by pulling a switch on the dash or hit the high beams with a foot switch .

Not sure how keen I am on Ford's turn of a dial reversing.

But I remember well pulling the light switch on and using the foot switch to change from high to low beam. Man, am I ever glad we have gone beyond that.

Vehicles today overall provide WAY more ease of use and efficiency. It is a good thing for progress, or we would be all still driving Model T's.

I own a couple big pickups, a 2013 F-350 crew cab with an 8' box, pretty much the biggest pickup you can get, but it serves me well as a work vehicle carrying tools and towing construction trailers. My 2015 F-150 works great for towing my fifth wheel (for this year a 22' stickie, but later an Escape 5.0TA). Still a fairly large vehicle, but with great features. Still, I wish we would see some smaller trucks with better tow and cargo capacities. Maybe the upsized Ford Ranger will fit that bill when it hits North American markets some time next year as reported.

[LyleB]

[QUOTE=
But I remember well pulling the light switch on and using the foot switch to change from high to low beam. Man, am I ever glad we have gone beyond that.

[/QUOTE]


I don't know, to this day, I would prefer the foot switch dimmer. I found it much more convenient 98% of the time. The only inconvenience was if you had a standard transmission and unexpectedly needed to switch to low beams while turning a corner and also needing the clutch. Got around that by just dimming the lights before entering the intersection. Pull light switch - no problem with that either, worked just fine and was more standardized from one vehicle to another - today you have to read the manual to figure out how to operate the headlights and interior courtesy lights.

I do agree with Floyd - I'm waiting for a true small pick-up to be re-introduced, but I'm not holding my breath. I've had two S-10s and a Ranger in the past, today I have an F-150. I preferred the small trucks 90% of the time. I hear Ford MAY bring their current Ranger back to the US, but it is not at all like the old one, more like a much older F-150, before they super-sized them.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by tractors1

I was amused that the current crop of big trucks have mirrors that fold in against the doors when you park.....

Thats a feature found on many vehicles these days.

Trust me if you ever travel on a ferry or park in city parking lots its one feature you will use a lot!

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Carol H

Thats a feature found on many vehicles these days.

Trust me if you ever travel on a ferry or park in city parking lots its one feature you will use a lot!

Both my trucks have them, and I love them. At the touch of a button, they are right out of the way, instead of blocking peoples walking path, both in parking lots, and along sidewalks.

Plus, both trucks have trailering mirrors, that extend at the touch of a button. This feature is so much better than the add-on mirrors used for towing. I specifically looked for that when I bought my F-150.

One job we are doing now is in an apartment building, and if I couldn't fold my mirrors in, it sure would be a tight squeeze to get through doors, and into tight parking spots in the underground parking.

Have I said yet how much I appreciate my folding, extendible mirrors.

[David and Nancy]

Big pickups are pretty standard status symbol requirements here in rural Wyoming. My first truck decades ago was a 72 Datsun, but that would have made me a heretic around here. Then I had a series of half ton Fords for many years. I recently purchased a 3/4 ton Chevy Silverado that is so huge to me that I need a stool to climb over the tailgate. But it tows the Bigfoot 25 with some authority, so I can live with it.

Nancy drives a Toyota Prius and I have an old beater Suzuki SX4 for general running around. These cars are not viewed favorably by the local cowboys, probably questioning our political leanings.

But when we go out for dinner at the Buffalo Jump Saloon and Steakhouse, we always arrive in style with the truck. Generally, 90% of the vehicles in the parking lot are pickup trucks. Many of them are even bigger than mine.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Doug P.

Yup there oughtta be a law.... Against the tiny size of parking spots :-)

Not trying to start a war against large trucks, really!

These weren't "compact" spaces. My not-exactly-compact 8-passenger SUV fit with plenty of length and width to spare.

But I do believe that if you don't fit in a parking space without impeding the flow of traffic, you find another place to park. When I'm pulling my trailer, I have to look for a double spot. Sometimes it means a long hike. Why should an oversized truck be different?

Over the last 40 years I watched as regular cabs begat extended cabs begat crew cabs. Crew cabs have become the best-selling configuration. Combined with an 8' box (the default choice of contractors, ranchers, and fifth wheel owners), the number of vehicles on the road that do not fit into standard parking spaces has multiplied quickly. I see this as a fairly recent problem that has yet to be addressed by ordinances or parking lot designers.

It's a jungle out there! This is our off-season. You should see it around the Fourth of July or Christmas…

[Timber Wolf]

I really like my 2003 F-150 and wish I could buy a new truck of similar size. I refuse to carry around a step stool just to reach over the bedside. I have a camper shell with side doors and use the whole truck bed and access it from three sides when camping. I will probably be looking at a "mid" size truck as a replacement, when I retire in six or seven years.

[Donna D.]

I still own three cars with foot activated dimmer switches. Had one BAD experience with one in a 1967 Mustang. Remember, it's connected to the headlights and when that switch goes out so do the headlights! That never happens during daylight hours I had to drive home about 25 miles with my emergency flashers only.