Looks like the compact truck is back

[GS1150Pilot]

Actually, from what I've heard, some of the major tire guys will shave a new tire to match the dianeter of a worn tire to avoid having to replace all four.

That is somewhat more reasonable. I like Subarus, and I loved the Brat I had once upon a time, but the new ones just have too much going on beneath them to make me want one.

[dpep]

VERY NICE set up, Jedz!!!

I wanna trade up/sell my HF trailer for the gate/ramp set-up like yours.

Ed

****

Have you looked into Northern Tool? I found them to be a step up from HF in quality and selection with prices still in the reasonable range, particularly if you catch a sale.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/category_trailers-towing+trailers

....

[LAB3]

Have you looked into Northern Tool? I found them to be a step up from HF in quality and selection with prices still in the reasonable range, particularly if you catch a sale.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/category_trailers-towing+trailers

....

HF recently dropped the 40"X48" trailer, at least at the stores in the surrounding area, Northern Tool has a similar trailer BUT it comes with recapped tires that have a speed rating of 45 MPH. I'm not saying they're good or bad one way or the other but make sure you know what you're getting.

[GSXR7ED]

Have you looked into Northern Tool? I found them to be a step up from HF in quality and selection with prices still in the reasonable range, particularly if you catch a sale.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/category_trailers-towing+trailers

....

"There are no stores within 100 mile radius of your zip code."

That's what populates when I clicked on "select your store."

That's OK, Don. I use Lowe's for all my DIY, outdoor and very soon...major appliances! Yes, we are contracting a kitchen remodel and getting new appliances!

I looked at the 5 X 8 Trailer on Northern & Lowe's...there's a $80 difference/advantage in Lowe's favor, $929.99 vs $849.00 and we pay no sales tax here in Delaware; Plus I get 10% military discount.

I'm not pulling the trigger on this yet...but I do like that I can get rid of my bulky ramps I have to carry around to load/offload...plus, this is closer/lower to the ground. Even though I inverted the springs to lower the deck on the HF trailer, it's still a bit high.

Ed

****

[argonsagas]

There's no question Four wheel drive is better than front or rwd drive and front wheel drive is way better than rear when things get slippery. There's no BS in that it's physics front wheel drive put the traction where the weight is.

The only RWD vehicle I owned that was useful in difficult driving conditions was a 1964 Bel-Air station wagon, just short of the mass of the Titanic. It would go anywhere through or over anything because of the massive amount of weight over and hanging past the rear axle.

My driving experience is quite different. I honestly do not know how many vehicles I have driven, regardless of drive train. It probably runs into hundreds and covers everything from a tiny British Prefect that had mechanical brakes,.through sports cars, (both cheap and expensive ones) coupes and sedans, both domestic and foreign, from Chev to Rolls Royce ,and in trucks from an ancient Thames to tractor-trailer. My first venture in FWD was a truck, where FWD was the actual brand name of the truck.
By far, most of the vehicles I have driven were RWD and that remains my preference today.


I spent only a little time on race track, but thoroughly enjoyed rallying for fifteen years...
If you have never tried that sport, it can be where you learn what pucker feels like when the official route runs through a large farm and you follow the ruts at 70MPH while peering through the dust that hangs in the air from the car that went ahead of you..

Weight does not always equal traction. I took a Mercury wagon that weighed as much as your Chev onto the oil-and-water -filled skid pan at Skid Control School in Oakville, Ontario and it fully hydroplaned at just over 60MPH.
If you have never done that, think of black ice, with maybe a little less control. ....
Great fun!

For more qualified opinions on the good and bad of the various types, here are a couple of articles from driver mags and, I presume, their professional drivers:

https://www.motortrend.com/news/awd-vs-fwd-vs-rwd-which-wheel-drive-is-best/

https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/comparisons-of-drivetrains-fwd-rwd-awd

[GS1150Pilot]

The fastest rally cars are AWD, period.

In a rally car engine power is useless if traction is insufficient. Naturally all major rally cars are 4WD nowadays. Not so long ago FIA forced all manufacturers to produce 2500 cars in order to get the necessary homologation so that they could race in the World Rally Championship. This enabled people like myself to get our hands on some of these very special homologation cars. Cars that were, in fact, made solely for racing purposes but had the looks of everyday sedans (well almost…), the famous homologation specials.

A full time 4WD performance car, as mentioned earlier, needs 3 differentials in order to operate properly. A differential is basically a mechanical, gear-based, device that allows engine-driven wheels to rotate at different speeds while still being driven by the same power source. In most instances the differential splits engine torque evenly between the driven wheels. Differentials are used on the axles that hold the wheels that are driven by the engine and, in the case of a 4WD car, between axles. If no differential is present then the driven wheels would spin at the same speed in any circumstances thus rendering the handling of the car very unpleasant. The differential’s inherent ability to allow driven wheels to rotate at different speeds has a drawback. In the case one wheel spins a lot faster than the other a classic differential will transfer all engine torque to the faster spinning wheel thus depriving the most adherent wheel of any torque and consequently traction. Self-locking differentials (a.k.a. Limited Slip Differentials) address this problem by adding to the classic, free or open differential, described above the ability to lock (drive both wheels at the same speed i.e. simulate the differential’s absence) under certain conditions such as when wheel spin occurs. For instance by locking itself, the differential, allows to avoid the immobilization of the vehicle in situations such as when one wheel sits on snow while the other sits on dry tarmac. In this case, the absence of a locking device would send all engine torque to the wheel that spins faster (the one on the snow) and the car would not be able to extract itself. Locking the differential would split torque distribution on both wheels thus allowing the car to move forward.

All attempts to build 4WD cars (with the exception of the Citroën BX 4×4 GroupB car which only made it to three races in its career and had no central differential) involved 3 differentials. Now this is where things get a bit more complex. The differentials in these cars and their self locking or slip limiting abilities make all the difference. Their type and settings can make a car handle exceptionally well or incredibly bad. Comparably to a 2WD car, where if a wheel spins the engine tends to send all its power to that wheel, thus immobilizing the car, in a 4WD car the same one wheel spinning would also draw all engine power and immobilize the car. To avoid this phenomenon most 4WD vehicles use differential locking techniques.

https://rallycars.com/technical-stuf...-charged-cars/

I rallyed Mini Coopers for years, and they far outclassed similar displacement rwd vehicles in the rough. There is a reason they won Monte-Carlo in their heyday, some good part of which came from fwd:

https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/united-kingdom/article/detail/T0164831EN_GB/a-big-victory-for-the-small-car:-50-years-ago-the-classic-mini-won-the-monte-carlo-rally-for-the-first-time-paddy-hopkirk-made-the-one-off-british-small-car-a-motor-sport-legend-in-january-1964-%E2%80%93-timo-maekinen-and-rauno-aaltonen-repeated-the-triumph-in-1965-and-1967?language=en_GB

[GS1150Pilot]

This comparo pretty much pins the tail on the oxcart:

https://www.motorists.org/blog/winter-driving-rwd-fwd-awd-4wd/

[metalfab]

4WD is nice on slippery roads, but having the 4WD isn't all good. 4WD gear uses more fuel, adds weight. So those are a consideration, that and the additional purchase price. A positrac differential adds a lot function to any 2WD vehicle on slippery roads, though they are not recommended in FWD for on road use. I do like the Ford that started this thread, it looks like useful setup.

[LAB3]

I do like the Ford that started this thread, it looks like useful setup.

Yep, 40 MPG in town and the ability to occasionally haul something. Too many folks seem to want to compare it to an actual pickup truck, to me it's a commuter with benefits!

[1948man]

2000lbs towing capacity....
That's the same as my Honda Fit and it has a 6-speed transmission and gets 40-45mpg not loaded, high 20's low 30's towing a MC...

This whole rig cost 40% asking price of the Maverick...
FWD 6-speed 130hp I-VTEC (HONDA) engine. Just a great little car that does everything anyone looking to save a dime needs...
Best,

Do you have the CVT transmission or the older type?

[Vmass]

In 2011 I purchased a Ram Longhorn. The following year I purchased a 7.5' Boss plow with a poly blade. This truck had a 4 wheel drive sysytem that included 2wd/4Auto/4Hi/4Low. The engine was a 5.7 Hemi and was a wonderful truck that never gave me a bit of trouble. When I plowed I would use 4Auto. Very smooth, great traction and none of that jerking and skipping that a 4 wheel drive of the old days would give you on turns or a dry spot. I loved this truck and I loved the color.

In 2018 I decided to buy a new truck. As I shopped I just couldn't get used to what Ram did to their trucks. They put this massive " RAM " logos on the grille and tailgate and it was just too flashy for my likng. I decided on an F-150 XLT. I F'ed up when I bought this truck. It never occured to me to investigte the transmission. Since 7 years prior I bought a truck for much less, I figured the transmission would be similar.....oops!

I had my old plow with a new truck side setup installed on the Ford and when the first snow arrived I was not happy. This new truck has 2wd/4Hi/4l.....No 4 Auto. If the front wheels hit a less slippery spot, you get what I call the old time grab effect. Also, tossing it in reverse and hitting the gas seems to have somewhat of a restricted feel. I later learned that had I stepped up to a Lariat model, I would have gotten the 4Auto button. The other dissapointment when I arrived home with new truck and searched for the garage door buttons to program........Lol....I thought all vehicles came with those these days! I will most likely go back to a Ram for my next truck.

[GS1150Pilot]

We had a couple of Dodge 4X4s with the Cummins back when we hauled horses. My brother still has one. They are pretty fantastic machines.

[GSXR7ED]

Do you have the CVT transmission or the older type?

From what I found online, the CVT was not offered on the Honda Fit in the US prior to 2015.

The Honda Fit was first introduced to US & Canada in 2006 as a 2007 model.

Ed

****

[argonsagas]

The fastest rally cars are AWD, period.

In a rally car engine power is useless if traction is insufficient. Naturally all major rally cars are 4WD nowadays. Not so long ago FIA forced all manufacturers to produce 2500 cars in order to get the necessary homologation so that they could race in the World Rally Championship. This enabled people like myself to get our hands on some of these very special homologation cars. Cars that were, in fact, made solely for racing purposes but had the looks of everyday sedans (well almost…), the famous homologation specials.

A full time 4WD performance car, as mentioned earlier, needs 3 differentials in order to operate properly. A differential is basically a mechanical, gear-based, device that allows engine-driven wheels to rotate at different speeds while still being driven by the same power source. In most instances the differential splits engine torque evenly between the driven wheels. Differentials are used on the axles that hold the wheels that are driven by the engine and, in the case of a 4WD car, between axles. If no differential is present then the driven wheels would spin at the same speed in any circumstances thus rendering the handling of the car very unpleasant. The differential’s inherent ability to allow driven wheels to rotate at different speeds has a drawback. In the case one wheel spins a lot faster than the other a classic differential will transfer all engine torque to the faster spinning wheel thus depriving the most adherent wheel of any torque and consequently traction. Self-locking differentials (a.k.a. Limited Slip Differentials) address this problem by adding to the classic, free or open differential, described above the ability to lock (drive both wheels at the same speed i.e. simulate the differential’s absence) under certain conditions such as when wheel spin occurs. For instance by locking itself, the differential, allows to avoid the immobilization of the vehicle in situations such as when one wheel sits on snow while the other sits on dry tarmac. In this case, the absence of a locking device would send all engine torque to the wheel that spins faster (the one on the snow) and the car would not be able to extract itself. Locking the differential would split torque distribution on both wheels thus allowing the car to move forward.

All attempts to build 4WD cars (with the exception of the Citroën BX 4×4 GroupB car which only made it to three races in its career and had no central differential) involved 3 differentials. Now this is where things get a bit more complex. The differentials in these cars and their self locking or slip limiting abilities make all the difference. Their type and settings can make a car handle exceptionally well or incredibly bad. Comparably to a 2WD car, where if a wheel spins the engine tends to send all its power to that wheel, thus immobilizing the car, in a 4WD car the same one wheel spinning would also draw all engine power and immobilize the car. To avoid this phenomenon most 4WD vehicles use differential locking techniques.

https://rallycars.com/technical-stuf...-charged-cars/

I rallyed Mini Coopers for years, and they far outclassed similar displacement rwd vehicles in the rough. There is a reason they won Monte-Carlo in their heyday, some good part of which came from fwd:

https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/unite...language=en_GB

Never knew you did rallying! Glad to hear of it.


I recall stories about the first of them. They were an instant hit at race tracks.
In modified stock form they had a considerably lower CG than most competitors and some drivers would often just dive into corners and wait for the front tires to pull them through.

I owned one for about three months before it was totalled. Not much driving time in it though, as it was in three collisions in that time and spent weeks in the shops before being destroyed
Two were rear-enders, while I was stopped, which required repairs, and the last was weird.
With only two cars on the road, mine and a Chev already stopped at a traffic light and apparently waiting for me to go straight through before making its left turn, as I reached the crosswalk at about 35 MPH the Chev driver jumped on the gas and drove right into the front of the Mini.

Both cars went up into the air....just like in the movies....and the Mini was instantly shortened by a full foot. Seat belts saved the lives of both me and my passenger as he acquired a huge forehead bump from hitting the windshield, but he did not go through, while for me, the steering wheel rose to the roof , bruising every one of my ribs and cutting my chin as it passed. Had my seat belt not held me back there is no question I would have been crushed against the roof.

Never had a strong liking for Mini's after that......
.

[Jethro]

That little truck looks awesome, If I didn't need to tow heavy trailers I would go for something like that in a heartbeat.