Ah yes, two trailers of hay bales is the exact same thing as one trailer!
Why move hay long distances? Well, in rural areas of the US moving hay 200+ miles in open states like Montana or Kansas isn’t really moving it that far and they don’t necessarily grow hay everywhere. Different crops are clustered in different areas because of growing conditions. I don’t think you grasp the scale of plains in the middle of the US.
Look, the US has a lot of open space OUTSIDE OF CITIES where loads less than commercial cargo need to be moved around at highway speeds (75 mph/120kph) for longer distances. Tractors do NOT meet that need, they aren’t fast enough. Large cargo hauling cabs are overkill.
Construction jobs often needs to move around very heavy, but not massively large construction equipment for which heavy cargo haulers would be overkill.
Again, these ‘oversized’ trucks are actually oversized for commuting and light duty use but are appropriately sized for a ton of purposes that fit between a lawn mower business and building a skyscraper. They are being used in the wrong contexts which makes them a problem. Most of Europe is the wrong context in the same way that most US cities are the wrong context unless they are going to or returning from a job site with a load that probably includes a trailer’s worth of materials and equipment.
Demonize them for being used in the wrong context. That doesn’t mean they don’t have a reason to exist in the first place because of some other options that don’t fit the same need.
Ah yes, two trailers of hay bales is the exact same thing as one trailer!
If you don’t need two trailers, maybe just don’t attach the second trailer?
In Europe, the maximum weight you’re allowed to tow with a passengers car driver’s license is 3500kg. And even that requires an extended licence for driving with large trailers. Everything bigger than that requires a full truck drivers license anyway (Including all the shenanigans that come with commercial freight traffic like a driving logbook, minimum resting times).
So people will either use a real truck if they need one or they’ll use a passenger car if they don’t.
Not sure which type of bobcat that is, but you can probably pull that with a slightly bigger station wagon, but surely with a Van.
No, it’s obviously not.
A van without enclosure looks like that:
A pickup truck with enclosure looks like this:
One of these allows you to see a three year old standing 60cm in front of your car, the other one doesn’t even allow you to see the same kid when it’s 3 meters away.
First of all, I already said they shouldn’t be used for daily commuters and I hope there aren’t a bunch of children on a job site.
Second, the hood design is separate from the purpose of the vehicle. They could put sloped hoods on F350s, and they have had sloped hoods on comparable pickups in the past. That is a separate and valid design issue.
Third, your van without an enclosure IS THE SAME THING with a different cab and hood design. That is a FLATBED PICKUP TRUCK with a better hood design. What you should be arguing for is the DESIGN instead of just trashing the concept of the type of vehicle existing in the first place.
It’s not just the hood. A Ford Transit has a smaller wheelbase, a smaller track and a lower ground clearance than an F250. The smallest F250 engine I could find has 405hp, more than a full sized German fire truck, the biggest Transit engine has 310hp. They’re clearly not built on the same platform. Noone would use a Ford Transit flatbed for their daily commute, and noone would do this to a Ford Transit flatbed either. Because they’re not the same type of car.
I think he means that the engine, transmission, and frame are the same, not necessarily the body.
Also, I don’t think you two really disagree with each other, as his first comment was:
The big one is a work truck and should not be driven as a commuter. It really shouldn’t be allowed on roads where cargo trucks aren’t allowed.
The horrible sightlines of modern pickups is a different issue, and I was actually going to post that same chart in this thread because I was thinking of it too. I will add that the pickup is about the same size as the tank, though, and has a worse view.
Ah yes, two trailers of hay bales is the exact same thing as one trailer!
Why move hay long distances? Well, in rural areas of the US moving hay 200+ miles in open states like Montana or Kansas isn’t really moving it that far and they don’t necessarily grow hay everywhere. Different crops are clustered in different areas because of growing conditions. I don’t think you grasp the scale of plains in the middle of the US.
Look, the US has a lot of open space OUTSIDE OF CITIES where loads less than commercial cargo need to be moved around at highway speeds (75 mph/120kph) for longer distances. Tractors do NOT meet that need, they aren’t fast enough. Large cargo hauling cabs are overkill.
Construction jobs often needs to move around very heavy, but not massively large construction equipment for which heavy cargo haulers would be overkill.
Again, these ‘oversized’ trucks are actually oversized for commuting and light duty use but are appropriately sized for a ton of purposes that fit between a lawn mower business and building a skyscraper. They are being used in the wrong contexts which makes them a problem. Most of Europe is the wrong context in the same way that most US cities are the wrong context unless they are going to or returning from a job site with a load that probably includes a trailer’s worth of materials and equipment.
Demonize them for being used in the wrong context. That doesn’t mean they don’t have a reason to exist in the first place because of some other options that don’t fit the same need.
If you don’t need two trailers, maybe just don’t attach the second trailer?
In Europe, the maximum weight you’re allowed to tow with a passengers car driver’s license is 3500kg. And even that requires an extended licence for driving with large trailers. Everything bigger than that requires a full truck drivers license anyway (Including all the shenanigans that come with commercial freight traffic like a driving logbook, minimum resting times).
So people will either use a real truck if they need one or they’ll use a passenger car if they don’t.
Not sure which type of bobcat that is, but you can probably pull that with a slightly bigger station wagon, but surely with a Van.
A van is an enclosed pickup truck.
No, it’s obviously not.
A van without enclosure looks like that:
A pickup truck with enclosure looks like this:
One of these allows you to see a three year old standing 60cm in front of your car, the other one doesn’t even allow you to see the same kid when it’s 3 meters away.
First of all, I already said they shouldn’t be used for daily commuters and I hope there aren’t a bunch of children on a job site.
Second, the hood design is separate from the purpose of the vehicle. They could put sloped hoods on F350s, and they have had sloped hoods on comparable pickups in the past. That is a separate and valid design issue.
Third, your van without an enclosure IS THE SAME THING with a different cab and hood design. That is a FLATBED PICKUP TRUCK with a better hood design. What you should be arguing for is the DESIGN instead of just trashing the concept of the type of vehicle existing in the first place.
It’s not just the hood. A Ford Transit has a smaller wheelbase, a smaller track and a lower ground clearance than an F250. The smallest F250 engine I could find has 405hp, more than a full sized German fire truck, the biggest Transit engine has 310hp. They’re clearly not built on the same platform. Noone would use a Ford Transit flatbed for their daily commute, and noone would do this to a Ford Transit flatbed either. Because they’re not the same type of car.
I think he means that the engine, transmission, and frame are the same, not necessarily the body.
Also, I don’t think you two really disagree with each other, as his first comment was:
The horrible sightlines of modern pickups is a different issue, and I was actually going to post that same chart in this thread because I was thinking of it too. I will add that the pickup is about the same size as the tank, though, and has a worse view.