Orchard Trucks

[disc4tw]

I have been looking at low monetary investment options for a capable vehicle to haul things around the orchard/nursery/farm. Previously I was looking for a 2500 truck but in my price range, the options were limited primarily to rust buckets in southwestern Pennsylvania and I didn’t want to travel far from home for a marginally road capable truck.

I ended up with a 1st generation Toyota Tundra, 2004 Limited double cab extended bed. As far as I can tell, it was the top of the line model of that vintage and has overwhelmingly positive reviews.

It has 350,000 miles on the odometer!!! My good mechanic friend said to check the frame (it’s solid) and make sure the alternator is good because he’s seen a few with bad grounds that melted the battery and caught fire (I already bought a new one).

New brakes, serpentine belt, pulleys, timing belt, water pump, radiator hoses, oil change, transmission drain/fill, power steering flush, and a few other things are on the to do list. I plan to do as much as possible myself. For now, she starts right up and runs quietly and is inspected until September. It looks someone took good care of it at some point because it has an aftermarket k&n air intake and a newer head unit.

This thing is a V8, it has enough towing capacity for the camper (currently a stuff holder), trailering the old Ferguson tractors, and pulling around off grid components and all of my trees and ‘farm stuff’ I keep acquiring. It’s amazing to have access to the larger trucks to borrow at work, but it will be even better to have this to haul stuff plus the kids on weekends with the double cab when my partner is working.

Upgrades I’m considering include getting a 7 pin hitch for trailer hauling, a load handler for dumping compost, woodchips, etc from the bed, and possibly obtaining a dump trailer. For now I can borrow a work trailer or take advantage of my tractor supply credit card perk for one day FREE TRAILER RENTALS.

In the future, the plan is to obtain a Ford Lightning or ideally Silverado EV 4WT (longest range) when finances allow. Having an EV capable of mobile welding and pumping mobility with electricity only will be pretty cool. Our Mitsubishi Outlander is able to do up to 1500 watts but the truck is a better fit overall.

Who else has a solid orchard truck? What are the non-negotiables for your needs? What have you invested in for upgrades to make your orchard truck fit your needs?

[steveb4]

good find. the older tundras were bulletproof. unfortunietly the calcium they use on the roads here rust them out before the engine or tranny go.

[AndySmith]

We traded the 2017 Silverado 5.3L for a '24 GMC Sierra dblcab 2500HD 6.6L w/ the 10 spd. And this year I traded my '19 Mazda CX-5 w/ 16,000mi for a '25 Colorado Z71 2.7L. The rockers on the 2003 Silverado 2500HD were rotted out and it was becoming unreliable and we didn’t drive it far from the house and orchard. We’re all pickups again and I’m loving the Colorado.

[randyks]

These were popular on the farm/orchard especially in Europe. Collect the produce in the field and straight to market in town.

[folkert]

Depends on your size of operation and if you have to use public roads, but a lot of the world is using something like this:

I have a BCS walking tractor with a trailer, happy with it, low costs.

[steveb4]

i used to be a chevy fan until i leased a 09’ and 14’ pick ups. i had a transfer case blow out on the 09’ 90mi. in on a logging road going ice fishing with only 4000mi. on it. had to tow the trailer with my snowmobile on it all he way back in 2wd on iced over roads. my 2014, i was crossing a lake to go icefishing. there was some snowdrifts coming so i put it in 4h . i instantly heard a grinding then a bang and the truck stalled. the front end binded up twisting the front drive shaft. breaking it, then it slammned into the side of the tranny, busting a hole in the housing breaking the shift linkage. it was stuck in gear so we couldnt restart it. we had to disengage the rear drive shaft and find someone to tow us back to the road where the wreaker was waiting. that 1 had 11,000mi. thank God both were under warranty. the dealership was giving me trouble basically accusing me of beating on it. i told them not to worry about it as im trading and not getting a gm product again. since then ive had a ford and now a ram with no issues. my brother finds the used early 2000 chevies and runs them into the ground in the woods. he just junked a 07’ with 278,000 on it before the engine finally blew. seems pre 08’ all are good. not so much after.

[jamie]

when i read the title of this post i thought of ice cream trucks that ride around the block playing jingles, but instead of selling ice cream, it’s selling fruit trees!

[LarisaLee]

Well, I at least, would come running to that jingle!

[krismoriah]

@jamie

i thought of ice cream trucks that ride around the block playing jingles, but instead of selling ice cream, it’s selling fruit trees!

It would be cool if a few food trucks sold plants and trees.

[toad]

Wrenching was my hobby before kids. I have a 1990 F350 to I used to move back east from WA state. It’s been a home improvement and orchard vehicle since then. Very useful and very stinky. Not nice to follow.

[EvoRick]

There is a muscadine grape vineyard near me and they do a lot of their work with a small fleet of the mini Japanese Kei trucks. They are legal on non-highway roads here in NC.

[Bing.Cheah]

Hi Folkert!

I just got a BCS myself, and it’s really handy. I would love to tow a trailer behind it, but I’ve found the BCS-provided options both overpriced and low-capacity.
And it seems like if I were to get something non-BCS, there’s some thinking through / fiddling to get it to mount propertly.

Would you please share what setup you have (what trailer, how you did the hitching)?

[folkert]

I have a BCS 853 with a Ravenna 16 cubic feet trailer, supplied by earthtools.

[folkert]

Earthtools have a video, describing how to mount the trailer, you need a coupling as well:

- YouTube

[folkert]

This setup works well for me, with my land having only a slight slope. If you have more hilly land, then I can see that the 2WD gets you stuck, if fully loaded. In that case you could consider a driven trailer (more expensive), and you’ll need a Grillo 107/ 131 or Barbieri tractor (I have no experience with these) to make it 4WD.

- YouTube

[Bing.Cheah]

Thank you!
Earthtools seem to be the folks to talk to. I’ll give them a call when I’m getting my tools together for the coming season.

My land is a little slopey, but I do have the double-wheel setup on my BCS, and I’m not going to be loading the trailer very heavily. Plus, I’m not going to ride on it. Will be walking beside (on the uphill side!).

Instead of the seat, I might try to set up some kind of tool / water bottle / bag holder

[steveb4]

when i was stationed in Korea in the early 90’s the farmers there used those tractors everywhere. we called them motor buffalo. not fast but got the job done.