• BorgDrone@lemmy.one
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    7 months ago

    What does one need a truck for anyway? They seen highly unpractical as working vehicles.

    • grrgyle@slrpnk.net
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      7 months ago

      I know actual farmers and seems like they use a trailer more than a truck. Which makes sense, because they can just remove it when unneeded

      • evranch@lemmy.ca
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        7 months ago

        So as a farmer here in Canada, it depends where you live and what you farm. We use a lot of trailers, but they are all pulled by truck. The most common hookup methods for large trailers are gooseneck or 5th wheel, both of which require a truck as the connection point is right above the rear axle to improve towing capacity and handling.

        My farm’s heavy truck is a 1-ton flatbed with tilt deck and gooseneck hitch as well as a pintle hitch. This truck allows me to pull livestock trailers, hay wagons and farm equipment, and haul pallets, tanks and bagged goods, a very versatile truck.

        It also drinks fuel like you wouldn’t believe, so if I’m not hauling I drive an efficient diesel car when I go to the city (~200km)

      • BorgDrone@lemmy.one
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        7 months ago

        Yeah, I usually see farmers use a 4WD with a trailer, or just their tractors. Trucks aren’t really a thing here, just the occasional douchebag who has imported one from the US.

        For uses like construction and other blue collar work people use vans. Lots of storage space, and it’s enclosed so protected against the elements and from theft.

    • delirious_owl@discuss.online
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      7 months ago

      They’re very common in my country. Most taxis are Toyota pickup trucks. They are great on dirt roads and you can fit a lot of people, animals, and groceries in the back.

      It’s also great for bicycles.

          • NegativeInf@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            As someone from the USA, specifically in Texas, it’s hilarious to watch people lose their minds when you tell them Mexicans or Brazilians are Americans as well.

            It’s like some people don’t understand geography.

            • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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              7 months ago

              Hey, we have a government program in the US that pays people to learn geography. All you have to do is hold guns on world heritage sites (a friend of mine once had to secure ziggurats)

      • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        What country? Here in the US cyclists rarely drive pickups, we’re more likely to drive a subcompact hatchback or SUV and either throw it in the back or get a rack

    • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      They’re great for hauling medium amounts of heavy shit and for hitching. So if you’re building a whole house it may not be perfect, but you probably can put your tools in the bed and use a trailer for lumber. But if you’re a carpenter or a mason you can throw a fair amount of wood or stone or brick in the bed and it wont have an issue

      • BorgDrone@lemmy.one
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        7 months ago

        but you probably can put your tools in the bed

        But that’s still impractical, you can only put your tools in there temporarily, but you can’t leave them unattended in an open truck bed or they would get stolen. Over here carpenters, masons, electricians and people in similar occupations usually use vans. Often they have shelves and other storage solutions in their van for their tools. Here are some examples (text is in Dutch but the photos are self explanatory).

        You can still use a trailer with a van, and they often have roof-racks for things like long pieces of lumber, a ladder, etc. In comparison a truck just seems way less practical than a van.

        • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          Yeah that makes a lot of sense. I know farmers use open bed trucks for stuff like dirt and manure. The bed is a plus there as you can use a tarp to keep it in in transport then wash it out after. So yeah we wind up with farmers having trucks, some trades like masons use either, and tradesfolks like plumbers and electricians where they have a lot of tools and equipment that needs to be kept organized go with vans. It’s just that we have a metric fuck ton of arable land and as such a lot of farmers (though often it’s a capital intensive hobby) anywhere remotely rural. This results in pickup trucks being the iconic vehicle of the rural American and part of their identity even if they’re an accountant.