# Need opinions from pickup truck drivers.



## Frank Castle (Dec 27, 2011)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> I have never lost anything out of a truck bed or trailer.


Yes.

However about six months ago, after hauling a trailer for 25+ years, for the first time I forgot to flip the tongue latch down and lock the trailer to the ball when I hooked up the trailer. Went about 5 miles, found out just how good the safety chains are!!


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## tedanderson (May 19, 2010)

Californiadecks said:


> Lose enough stuff and you will get in the habit of making sure it's up. Ask me how I know?


I agree. For the same reason, I've stopped putting stuff on the roof.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

What gets me distracted is the phone.


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## TimNJ (Sep 7, 2005)

I have two different truck load stories.
I had a Toyota pickup and had a sheet of 5/8" sheathing in it. I also bought a roll felt and rolled down the plywood so that it was against the back of the cab and I figured the weight of the felt would also hold the plywood down. 
I was stopped at a light and when it turned green that roll of felt rolled right up the plywood and out the bed and started rolling down the middle of a very major highway.
Needless to say I wasn't sticking around to see the results.

Second one was when I loaded some 16' pieces of casing on my ladder rack and forgot to bungee them.
I drove 10miles from the yard and couldn't believe when I got home that I didn't lose a single piece!


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## Xtrememtnbiker (Jun 9, 2013)

I picked up about a 3x4 piece of 1/2" Kerdi board off the side of the road today.

That's like... $40. :laughing:


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

Scariest thing for me was to put my tapco brake on the rack. My policy was to always strap it immediately after putting it up there.


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## Mort (Jul 18, 2012)

Oh good lord! Enough with the god damn warning lights! My wife's 2013 Focus is the most irritating car I've ever driven, due to the warning lights and chimes and all that bs. Sometimes I want to brick the accelerator pedal on it. 

If you leave your gate down you deserve what you get. Same thing if you follow too close.


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## MrDolan (Dec 3, 2015)

I can't recall losing anything due to that issue, but hey maybe other people enjoy throwing their money out the back end of their truck.


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## Morning Wood (Jan 12, 2008)

That wouldn't be a bad thing to have. Never lost anything out of the bed due to tailgate though. Did drop a trailer crossing route 1 in Ipswich though. That sucked. Dropped it on the ball with the coupler locked. Couple minutes was hooked back up though. I have towed some trailers with the coupler unlocked. Never been an issue with all the tongue weight.


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

30 years of loading truck beds ..Tail gate up..Tail gate down. I've never lost anything! 


I was driving down a secondary road about 12 years ago... And up ahead the road was cluttered With cordless drills !! :blink: 2 makitas and a dewalt . With 2 tubes full of drill bits . Sawzaw blades ..Bits etc.. 

I stopped and picked It all up.. I won't lie!!! I Thought about keeping that chit!!:whistling My wife put an add in the local paper in the lost and found. Not one day after the guy calls me describing his tools .. 

I met him at his home . His driveway was 50 ft from where I found them. They must have fell out when he left the drive that morning. He was a Barn builder [horse barns] While I was pulling the drills out my truck He was writing a check . I said no !! No!! I told him What I did for a living .. He said yeah I know who you are!! And your going to take this money!! He handed me a check for $250 . He said that's not even close to the money you saved me!!


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## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

Mort said:


> Oh good lord! Enough with the god damn warning lights! My wife's 2013 Focus is the most irritating car I've ever driven, due to the warning lights and chimes and all that bs. Sometimes I want to brick the accelerator pedal on it.
> 
> If you leave your gate down you deserve what you get. Same thing if you follow too close.


....yea..it's just so crazy in there..


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## 91782 (Sep 6, 2012)

blacktop said:


> http://www.contractortalk.com/attac...ed-opinions-pickup-truck-drivers-img_0441.jpg


Amish drywallers drink Coors Light? I did not know that!!!


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

SmallTownGuy said:


> Amish drywallers drink Coors Light? I did not know that!!!


If you had called me a southern Baptist I would have been offended !!



I Plow over a Amish cart at'least once a year. :whistling They're good people!! Very forgiving!! :laughing:


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

BCConstruction said:


> Around here a lot of people run with their tailgates down as they believe it gives them more mpg. Mines down a lot as I only have a 6.5ft bed so bed extender is used a lot so would def need a shut off function


Generally you'd get worse gas mileage with the tailgate down.


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## MIKE ANTONETTI (Jul 17, 2012)

Wish my van would of had at least a light on instrument panel when back doors open.

I got a nice fiberglass 6' ladder that fell off truck, that sucker slid 100'

A empty tote uplifted out of bed of my truck, hit the trailer, went under a Harley and lodged in between fender causing only 250$ in paint damage. Guy stayed upright, custom Harley at least 50k. That was my lucky day.

I'm more cautious with things in bed of truck, I saw the Harley rider, still no helmet, shorts and t shirt, actually a paint contractor.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

hdavis said:


> Generally you'd get worse gas mileage with the tailgate down.


How's that?


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

Californiadecks said:


> How's that?


Helps prevent flow turbulance coming off the cab.


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## 91782 (Sep 6, 2012)

hdavis said:


> Helps prevent flow turbulance coming off the cab.


Damn! Well la dee dah:

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/m...s-database/driving-tailgate-fuel-consumption/

And a tonneau cover is even worser:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/08/pickup-truck-tailgates-and-fuel-economy/index.htm

Apparently somebody thought removing a tailgate entirely was the best path to fuel economy - I've had them stolen from leased company trucks before.

Wish Good Samaritans would leave well enough alone.:whistling


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

SmallTownGuy said:


> And a tonneau cover is even worser:
> 
> http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/08/pickup-truck-tailgates-and-fuel-economy/index.htm


 You can cover much of the bed, but it still has to be open behind the cab for a few feet so the vortex can form. That gives even less drag, but it's a weird set up.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

Fuel economy is the last of my concerns when purchasing a vehicle. onstar app being able to set up a route at night and send it to my truck, the phone system and the fact that I've had 8 Chevy trucks with very minimal problems in the last 36 years is more important to me. 

They can get poor mileage as long as I have a big tank. I hate gas stations.


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