Comparison left vs right for a craftsman who doesnt know which one he should buy:
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l/r same bed size
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r lower bed for way easier loading/unloading
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r less likely to crash
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r less fuel consumption and costs
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r less expensive to repair
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r easy to park
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r easy to get around in narrow places like crowded construction sites or towns
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r not participating in road arms race
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l You get taken serious by your fellow carbrained americans because ““trucks”” are normalized and small handy cars are ridiculed.
So unless you are a fragile piece of human, choose the right one.
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Oh hey, it’s the cult people. Happy to see y’all finally got settled in.
This is why I loved my Nissan d21 when I had it
This is a simillar truck compared to what I had
I like those old school trucks. Perfect size. No over the top gaudy BS. Just simple and utilitarian.
Why isn’t that an option anymore‽ I’d absolutely love my 94 Ford ranger again, and I’m totes jelly of the old school Tacoma owners.
Brooo I’m jelly of the old school Toyota truck owners. From before it was called the Tacoma
I had a '95 ranger for 15 years. Little 4-banger that I beat the shit out of, and moved half way across the country (and back, fuck Missouri!) in. Now I have a '12 Ranger. Similar in size, maybe a ltitle bigger. But they don’t sell them anymore in this size. I’m not sure what I’ll get next. I like the small pickups, but I wouldn’t want to try to drive the little one in the picture on the local freeways.
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The emissions laws are terribly written. Combined with safety laws, makes going bigger the sensible option. And to the average buyer, go a little bigger than you absolutely need is definitely something to think about.
Yeah everyone I know would love a nice small ranger or Tacoma but everything is giant now
The Ford Maverick scratches that old Ranger itch pretty well. I’ve had one for about a year and love it.
I heard the markup on those were crazy due to demand. Did you get a decent deal?
Yeah I ordered from Ford directly, no dealer markup.
A friend died in a Ford Ranger. They literally have no crumple zone.
As an American, I’ve written to multiple manufacturers, foreign and domestic, to bring/build the smaller Kei trucks but I have never heard any response except for Ford that basically sent a brochure for their F150 that has ‘more space’ for ‘getting work done’. I would love these for practicality but the cost of importing a used one was MUCH higher than buying a normal truck/suv here. :(
I get the point your trying to prove but i don’t think it’s fair to compare these 2 as they are meant for different things and also brings in the assumption that all American craftsman vehicles are 2500HD’s, which is not true.
Now I agree, people using the one on the left specifically as a daily driver is actually overkill and are not using it for what it’s supposed to be used for. The one on the left is a 2500HD. They are SUPPOSED to be used for hauling and carrying equipment. The crew cab is meant to also transport the crew that is for said equipment.
The one the right is specifically meant what appears to be lighter duty use and hauling. I agree that people should use the right tool for the job. I find the one on the right to be very practical. But for the sake of this post as a means to compare Japanese craftsman vehicles to American.
You should actually show something actually comparable. Like a ford ranger with a standard cab. Which might be about the same size and power. Maybe even the same bed size. Not something that has HD (Heavy duty) in its name.
I do woodworking and have gotten by with my Subaru but occasionally need to pick up 4x8 sheets of plywood, OSB, or even drywall for the house. An electric kei truck would be perfect. I’m rooting for something like the Canoo or Telo EV truck to make it to market
Have you tried using a roof rack to strap the plywood down?
Most roof racks are not rated for much weight. A few sheets would be fine
This is what I do but not when it’s raining. Same with drywall.
Willing to bet right is owned by a true worker doing real work and left is some trumpet who uses that ugly tank to drive to Walmart to buy toilet paper.
Based on what I have seen at construction sites in Asia and the US you are correct.
Most construction workers don’t actually need to move all that much stuff so they tend towards regular vehicles or at most vans or small pickups. Raw material is delivered on semis. Every time I have known someone who owns a vehicle like that they could manage with a sedan. When I go out to a site my gear weights about as much as I do and it’s with two techs in an economy car.
Best example was one place I was at had these fake union jobs. One guy’s whole job was to babysit a machine. He drove one of those. Lazy mofo. Never packed lunch, wouldn’t sweep up his “workspace”, his entire day was on his phone.
One of the electricians in my town has a minivan and I’ve seen him use it to bring an entire 5x14 enclosed trailer full of gear to a jobsite a few times.
I am trying to think and the only construction worker I have ever known to have one of those oversized trucks was a welder. So about 1 out of like a 100. And it was constantly having issues.
Most of them have those job trailers you described when they need to move and secure a bunch of stuff at site. Safer anyway for an electrician since they got those wire spools.
The electrician I’m talking about also has a work area in the front (side closest to the vehicle) which has a workbench and a charging port for a laptop. Actually works very well for him because he can unbox panel and meter boxes and prep them right there without having to make a mess in a client’s house. Probably better than an oversized truck.
I also like the idea of trailers because if you haul something which breaks or damages the trailer, it’s probably cheaper to fix/replace the trailer than a truck. Maybe just me though.
Yep. I’m an American tradesman and the trucks that the guys drive are way too beefy for what they actually do.
I’ve gotten by with small Toyota trucks, and rav 4s…much to the chagrin of the good old boys. Should have seen their face when I rolled up in a prius…till I tell em I get 50 mpg easy.
I would love a small little truck like this one in the photo.
The most handy truck I had doing construction when I was a kid was out Mazda B2200 with the Perkins diesel. It’d go forever on no fuel and was perfect for grabbing a few tools for a quick run to a job site.
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You can get one. They get imported. Search for Japanese car imports to your local area. Search for Kei Truck and you’ll find em. You can get an awd turbo diesel for around 8-10k
Yea I never actually looked into it, i alwats figured the import would be expensive. Right now my situation is a little…um…fkd up… but when I have enough to invest in another vehicle, i will def consider it. I would love one. And would be perfect for my uses. I’m sure I’d get labeled a humorous title by the lovely gentlemen on the job sites. I live in a rural area. And the boys love their big trucks. And guns. And a whole manner of things.
people bring them in all the time. I live in Portland and there’s a guy in town who imports them and fixes them up (@vanlifenorthwest). They’ve gotten popular tho and aren’t the bargains that they once were
A friend of mine bought one; essentially once a car is a classic or something like 25 years old they’re not subjected to the same regulations that newer cars have to meet. Since car culture in Japan is very different than here in the states a lot have lived their lives in garages and have really low miles and if you know what model to get, parts are still readily available. The only issue is driving a right hand drive vehicle in this country takes some getting used to. I drove his for a couple of days and right hand turns in particular feel sketchy
Yea the antique vehicle code or whatever. There’s no emissions inspection where I live anyway lol. I wonder how these trucks are in the snow. I lived in Portland for 6 months and it snowed once barely… but where I’m at now, we get swamped ftmp. I highly doubt there is anyone around here importing these vehicles…maybe in the city though. I’ll have to research. Thanks for the info. Totally forgot about the driver side thing lol.
Also spent a lot of time in the industry (drywall, lath, and plaster). Key cars top out somewhere around 750 pounds of capacity, and I could early blow through that with brining materials to a job site, or hauling stuff to the dump.
Key cars are cool, but you also need other solutions in place for materials delivery and hauling. American trucks are kind of a one size fits all approach to construction. Your truck for heavy hauling is also the truck you use for light hauling.
Yea for sure. I’m not in a line of business where I need to he hauling stuff like that anymore. I mostly stick to the finish work these days. So I can get by w a car. If I were say a plumber or doing gutters or whatever, I could see how it’s reasonable to have say a box truck etc.
Most tradesmen I know haul a trailer with their tools and supplies so that they have the option of unhooking and leaving all that weight behind without unloading the truck. Or, conversely, unhooking at the jobsite so that their workers can keep going while they run for supplies.
Most Kei trucks do top out around 750lbs, but I know for a fact that there are models of Honda Acty that have a rated bed load around 1500lbs and a rated towing capacity around 2200lbs
TIL. That’s pretty cool.
Although the payload capacity of an American truck is often double that. It’s pretty easy to hit 1500lbs with 10 bags of cement, a person, and some gear. I’m assuming Japan has other solutions for hauling that are pretty common. I’m guessing there are some pretty big differences in their construction workflows and logistics that make key cars practical.
IMHO, contractor’s work trucks aren’t the problem is the US. The bigger problem is that most of those vehicles are sold to private citizens who think the space is convenient for an occasional camping trip or an epic Costco run.
I don’t know about Japan but here in Europe I just see tradesmen, needing large quantities, getting their materials delivered on a pallet from a semi-trailer.
Most use vans though for carrying their equipment, since you usually don’t want your gear sitting outside, like it would on a pickup truck.
But L makes owning libs so easy with the ‘rolling coal’ feature
\s
I can confirm, living in SEA, that the right can also roll coal.
Well, if you don’t care about comfort or safety go with the one on the right. I’d be curious to see how that KEI Truck holds up in a major collision with the average American SUV.
I was thinking the opposite. I met with the business end of one of those little trucks while riding a tiny 50cc Honda scooter back in the nineties. We both walked away unscathed. When all the vehicles are small, catastrophic results seem to decline.
In normal countries being able to crush smaller cars during a collision isnt usually a selling point :/
In the US that’s actually a sport!
While true, that’s not a point for the American car. That one won’t stand a chance against a train, but nobody would come to the conclusion that everybody should buy a personal train to haul their lawnmower.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-with-the-most-car-accidents
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24499113/
Long story short, you’re completely incorrect. Driving Japan is scientifically proven to be significantly safer than the US, and one of the reasons for that is the smaller size of car. To quote one of those articles:
For those who do drive, Japan offers vehicles appropriately scaled to urban life: the kei car, a class of vehicle considerably smaller and lighter than a US subcompact. Regulations restrict the size, power and speed of these microcars; typical modern versions might weigh around 2,400 pounds and have length of about 130 inches — some 4,000 lbs less and 100 inches shorter than a Ford F-150 truck, the best-selling American passenger vehicle.
From a safety perspective, kei cars have a lot going for them when compared with American-style SUVs and trucks. Their light weight generates less force in a collision, and their stubby front ends reduce driver blind spots. Research suggests that their occupants are equally safe as those inside full-sized vehicles.
Americans need to stop with the arms race of “bigger is safer”, it’s all bullshit.
That’s the arms race
This is so TRUE! My next car is gonna be a M4 Sherman, I’m afraid of how my average American SUV holds up to the Silverado 2500 HD on the left.
I’m more of a Leopard 2 guy, but get whatever keeps you safe out there.
So you agree that American cars are built with only the passengers safety in mind and people don’t give a shit what happens to the other party?
they both seem too large, are there any smaller ones?
If the one on the right still seems too big for you, maybe look into a cargo bike
Having a back seat is a legit feature. Other than that, you are right on. I would love to have a real small trucks available in the US. But thanks to Country Music that is just not possible.
Yeah can’t put a car seat in the front
You can legally put a front facing car seat in the front of there is no backseat. Rear facing you are SOL.
Aren’t switchable passenger airings still a thing? I know I saw them on Chevy 1500s 20 years ago.
My 2016 Subaru has automatic switching: I assume that’s common now. If the seat has less than 50 lbs, the airbag is off.
That being said, I wouldn’t trust it, since it seems a bit inconsistent, plus would worry car seats are too close in weight
One of these are not for work. You don’t risk a dent on a $60,000 show piece.
I saw a dude on YouTube complaining that his fairly new $85k Dodge Ram work truck was breaking down. I don’t think he expected people to call him an idiot for spending that much on a work truck. I’m sure he did actually use it to haul shit around since he is a farmer but probably $35k of that is comfort stuff.
My wife’s family runs their farms with motorcycles and tractors. They seem to be doing fine. Agreed he is a not wise.
If you are buying brand new, $60K is fairly base model now (for a pickup truck at least).
Why are you saying it like it’s something normal you fat burger.
I fvcking love kei trucks but one counter point - a lot of US is shitty rural roads at 50-60 mph (80-95kmh) plus freeways at even higher speeds. Kei trucks are more of a city thing and just wouldn’t fare well here. They are however very popular on university campuses.
Tows 7500lbs less if anything and I can still seat my family and friends. You are more apt to compare this to a van if you want an actual comparison. But you don’t.
Sounds like 2 different specialized vehicles would work better
Why would anyone want two or more specialized vehicles when they could have a single one that does every job just as well, and a few more besides?
Granted, you’d actually have to be using the bigger truck for those jobs, which the vast majority of owners do not.
Once you get out of the city, those trucks actually start doing work, and a lot of work at that.
In rural settings having more specialized vehicles is like having specialized running shoes and boots. Both wear out slower than wearing a single pair, and each works far better for their specific application.
But if you don’t have parking space for multiple vehicles then the best compromise is the way to go. That is where SUVs and four door cab trucks come in depending on whether you want a permanently enclosed materials area or the option for more seats.
It is a shame that in the US this tends to end up with ever increasing sizes and fewer options for two seater shorter light trucks because people choose the bigger models so they can see over the other bigger models.
More cars you say?
My first car was an early 90s Ranger. These were the days when you could actually buy a small pickup, not whatever the hell the Ranger is now.
Now, look, it was still horrible for the enviroment like all cars. It wasnt great on gas, but compared to larger trucks in that era, it sipped fuel by comparison. But friends asked why I didnt just go for a ‘real truck’.
Simple. It was big enough for anything I needed to haul. I didnt need a huge truck. It was easy to drive and I could park it anywhere, even in the city when I visited.
Now they dont even make small trucks anymore, at least not in North America. Everything is huge even though only, like, 1% of truck owners actually need something that big. And they keep getting bigger year by year. Its insane.
