cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/13716542
this post was submitted on 27 Sep 2024
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Think of a pickup truck, you have a big engine and a cab up front, and then not much in the back except a big empty bed.
Most pickup trucks are rear wheel drive, so there's not much weight over those drive wheels. That can create some traction issues in rain, snow, loose sand, mud, etc. if you're not careful, it's not hard to spin your tires when starting from a stop, or oversteer hydroplane. Having some weight in the bed-cargo, sandbags, etc. can help a lot with that. They also have a higher center of gravity than most smaller vehicles so they're a higher rollover risk when that kind of thing happens.
Most people who drive trucks regularly are used to this in their vehicles and know how to compensate for it. It also helps to have some weight in the bed over those rear wheels- cargo, sandbags, etc. Or depending on what sort of 4wd system it has (if equipped, I'm not sure if home Depot rentals are 4wd or not) you may also be able to put it in 4wd to help, some are able to be driven on dry pavement in 4wd provided you stay under a certain speed, others should really only be put into 4wd if you're driving through significant mud or snow or similar conditions or you risk significant wear and damage to various vehicle component, or at least compromising some of the handling characteristics or increased fuel usage.
It's something most people should be able to learn and adapt to pretty quickly, but frankly I've seen how people drive, and I don't exactly blame the lawyers and bean counters for hedging their bets there. You can't know for certain what that person's driving experience is like, but since they need to rent a truck, it's probably a pretty safe bet that they don't regularly drive one, and may not know how to drive one safely in inclement weather.
One of the cars I learned how to drive in was my dad's rwd ranger. It's kind of shitty in any kind of weather, and it has occasionally struggled to get up some sheepish gravel driveways without some weight in the bed, even though other cars had absolutely no issues making it.
This is certainly more detail than I expected at all, let alone almost a month later.
Thank you for taking the time to respond.
Yeah, I kind of ended up here accidentally while scrolling through someone else's comment history. Thought about not commenting since this thread is a few weeks old, but I figured I have some thoughts and Lemmy can always use more activity in general.
Also I do want to say that while there are some different concerns with driving a pickup truck vs other types of vehicles, 99% of the time it's not all that different than driving any other car, it's just that for that 1% of the time it really pays to know what you're doing and take a little extra care.
And for all my words, my personal biggest concern with people driving trucks (rented or otherwise) is people not securing their loads properly, which is totally independent of weather. If I could add one thing to school curriculums it would be how to use a ratchet strap.
No worries, at least from me, about reviving a dead thread; I appreciate the engagement.
If you scroll through my comment history, you'll find a few comments about my previous vehicle, a Ford Flex. One of many reasons I miss it is that it had hauling capacity plus enclosure (I'm aware you can get covers for most if not all US pick-up trucks). One time I confidently transported a queen sized mattress within it, for example; every one of the few times I've tried to transport anything in an uncovered pick-up I've spent the entire drive checking whether the load was still in the bed, but that was never necessary in what was essentially a large minivan.
I think, in the case of the Home Depot truck, I ended up renting a U-Haul (or equivalent) instead.
The flex was a cool car, never had one but I remember trying to convince my parents to get one when they traded in the family minivan during Cash for Clunkers (also I love minivans in general, there's a good chance I'll be a minivan guy someday )
That also touches on something that drives me nuts about a lot of pickup trucks- the short beds that so many of them have these days. It feels like it misses the point of a truck- being able to haul big shit around. If I can't fit a mattress, couch, or refrigerator comfortably in the bed, what's the point? My dad's truck is a single cab with a 7ft bed and I can't imagine having a smaller bed, it's going to be a sad day when that truck finally dies (although it's a '93 with less than 100k miles on it, so at this rate it may well outlive me)
Even though we had the truck, we got just as much use out of the van hauling mattresses and such for exactly the reason you gave- it was covered. My wife and I actually borrowed their van once for a road trip (different van, after they traded it in my parents realized they missed having a van and got another) because we could fit a full sized air mattress in the back and camp out in the car with some room to spare for a cooler and our bags.
Sounds like we're on the same page.
The model of Flex I had didn't have this, but some models had a minifridge built into them. I forget whether "built in" was an option, but you could also fit a decent sized mattress into the back as well. While I don't travel much, I suspect the car would have been fantastic for road tripping; my only concern would have been the battery life, but perhaps that concern would have been unfounded.
I originally justified getting it for two main reasons:
Of course, the real reason I got one was that the first time I saw one on the road I said something like "what is that?! I want one!"
Nowadays I want a similar vehicle (or a van as you suggested) but electric. Sadly, while many options matching that desire seem to exist, few or none of them are in the US and even fewer at a reasonable price.
Yeah, I'm holding onto hope for the electric VW bus when that comes out. Fingers crossed it kicks off a wave of electric vans
That would be amazing.