New wood truck!

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FLINT

Minister of Fire
Dec 5, 2008
535
Western VA Mtns.
Just thought I would share my new wood truck.

Its a 1986 Chevy K30 - 1 ton, 4x4, 8' bed, 6.3 diesel, w/ 4.56 gears, locker in rear and limited slip in front. Its also known as a CUCV m1028. I'm attaching some pics.

I've already loaded it up with a heaping load of green chestnut oak and the rear barely sagged at all. Driving down the road I kept forgetting it was loaded to the hilt with wood as it drove and braked like empty. I wish I had taken a picture of it loaded up. Also, I should have taken a picture of the rear springs - I think there are 10 leaves!!! Man, a 1-ton truck is really awesome for wood (actually, the military classifies these as 5/4 ton).
 

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Real nice, was it from a Govt auction or from someone that already had it??
 
Now THAT is a wood truck !!

I remember them from when I worked in the same building as the GM-MVO (Military Vehicle Operations).

Very nice. Enjoy it!

Mike P (Live from GM)

PS - let me know if you ever need the discount on a new GM vehicle.
 
Awesome wood truck!
 
Looks nice!

Don't wander too far away from it in the woods or you may not be able to find it!
 
Nice truck FLINT. Don't be afraid to load it up. I stuck a 42 bag pallet of 80# quickcrete on my K-30. 3360lbs and the springs only went flat. 11 leaves on mine in the rear. Love the paint.
 
I've seen several of those for sale on CL around here, they weren't as nice looking as that one, though. Now, does it have A/C? that's the thing that's been holding me back from a dedicated wood truck, lol.
 
Beetle-Kill said:
Danno, they all have A/C. They're called "windows".
I'm the first to admit that I'm wuss when it comes to heat. Never had air conditioning while growing up, so I don't know what the problem is now, but I just can't stand hot weather NOR humidity. 20 below for a week straight doesn't phase me. I'll go outside for hours on end and work in it, but when it gets hot i work for 15 minutes and come in to cool off for a half-hour or so, then repeat all day long. I don't get anything substantial done when the weather is over 85.
 
Hey thanks for the comments guys.

and yes, this thing is definitely bare bones - no A/C, or radio, or cruise, or even an interior light. I'm having some storage bins fabed up out of 3/32 steel for behind the seat to store all my cutting equip. etc.

and yeah, the paint really does blend in in the woods, but in town this thing sticks out as if it was blaze orange - everyone stares. I'm thinking of painting it as I don't really love the attention. maybe even just solid green or something.

only downside is the max speed is about 55mph because of the really low axle gears and the automatic trans only has 3 gears. this is totally fine with me as its primary purpose really is just to haul wood, and i don't haul haul over 20 miles - usually much less.
 
Beetle-Kill said:
Danno, they all have A/C. They're called "windows".

But they don't have a button to roll them down? How in the heck do you roll the windows down without a butto.....wait, whats these handle thingy's on the door?

Don't forget to hook up the redneck cruise control, cut the last stick of firewood just the right length to fit between the gas peddle and dash.

Nice pickup, seriously. Perfect for wood hauling. A true work pickup!

But you might be getting pegged for being in a militia outfit.
 
My first truck was almost identical to that, but a civilian model from GMC. It was a weird factory freak if ever I saw one. Labeled a 3/4 ton, it was an 85 GMC Sierra, but I think it was a heavy duty 1 ton because we could put an honet 4000lb of sand in the bed and it wouuldn't sag. No deisel, but it was a 350 4bbl, ran on leaded gas, no pollution control equipment, 3 speed auto...it was a weird truck that should not have existed according to the records. Sadly my brother used to store it next to his barn on a grassy, shady area so alot of it had dissolved by the time I got it. Ran it as a yard plow truck for a winter and in the spring I snapped the driveshaft in half and then when I replaced the the main transfer case underwent a RUD event (Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly).

That truck ought to haul anything and everyting you need it to. Our local firechief picked up a 2 door half ton blazer variant of that style truck, same brush guard, paintjob, etc at a govt auction for next to nothing. Its a pretty nice truck.
 
mayhem said:
My first truck was almost identical to that, but a civilian model from GMC. It was a weird factory freak if ever I saw one. Labeled a 3/4 ton, it was an 85 GMC Sierra, but I think it was a heavy duty 1 ton because we could put an honet 4000lb of sand in the bed and it wouuldn't sag. No deisel, but it was a 350 4bbl, ran on leaded gas, no pollution control equipment, 3 speed auto...it was a weird truck that should not have existed according to the records. Sadly my brother used to store it next to his barn on a grassy, shady area so alot of it had dissolved by the time I got it. Ran it as a yard plow truck for a winter and in the spring I snapped the driveshaft in half and then when I replaced the the main transfer case underwent a RUD event (Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly).

That truck ought to haul anything and everyting you need it to. Our local firechief picked up a 2 door half ton blazer variant of that style truck, same brush guard, paintjob, etc at a govt auction for next to nothing. Its a pretty nice truck.

I think I have the Ford equivalent to your GMC...except it's not factory. The 86 F-250 4X4 I have was bought from a local engine shop...it has a 351 4bbl...but it's been bored out, oversized pistons. etc....and they told me it's a 1 ton chassis. I don't know how to tell that but I've loaded her with a lot of heavy materials and towed some excavation equipment and decent sized horse trailers with it and hardly ever saw it sag at all. Sadly the body is rotting out now but I keep patching it up. I'll take this truck most anywhere. Great wood truck...loaded it up with big rounds of ash(2 layers) and towed my tractor back to our place up the steep hill we live on and I think I heard the engine ask me if that's all I got! :)
No AC but going about 55-60 with windows down and vent windows open all the way feels great!

That camo truck looks great!
 
flyingcow said:
Beetle-Kill said:
Danno, they all have A/C. They're called "windows".

But they don't have a button to roll them down? How in the heck do you roll the windows down without a butto.....wait, whats these handle thingy's on the door?

Don't forget to hook up the redneck cruise control, cut the last stick of firewood just the right length to fit between the gas peddle and dash.

Nice pickup, seriously. Perfect for wood hauling. A true work pickup!

But you might be getting pegged for being in a militia outfit.

You joke, but my good friend (and wood cutting buddy) has a boy who got in his grandfather's older one-ton GMC and he honestly couldn't figure out how to get the window to go down until his father showed him . . . and then he thought that was the coolest thing . . . my friend Joe said his boy must have spent 10 or 15 minutes just rolling the window up and down due to the novelty of it all.
 
firefighterjake said:
flyingcow said:
Beetle-Kill said:
Danno, they all have A/C. They're called "windows".

But they don't have a button to roll them down? How in the heck do you roll the windows down without a butto.....wait, whats these handle thingy's on the door?

Don't forget to hook up the redneck cruise control, cut the last stick of firewood just the right length to fit between the gas peddle and dash.

Nice pickup, seriously. Perfect for wood hauling. A true work pickup!

But you might be getting pegged for being in a militia outfit.

You joke, but my good friend (and wood cutting buddy) has a boy who got in his grandfather's older one-ton GMC and he honestly couldn't figure out how to get the window to go down until his father showed him . . . and then he thought that was the coolest thing . . . my friend Joe said his boy must have spent 10 or 15 minutes just rolling the window up and down due to the novelty of it all.

wow, that is funny.. and kind of sad
 
Wait till you come across someone who hasnt started a vehicle with a carb. "Why do you pump the gas one time"
 
zzr7ky,
whats this about a GM discount ?
rn
 
ANeat said:
Wait till you come across someone who hasnt started a vehicle with a carb. "Why do you pump the gas one time"


yep, I know the drill on that one - my last truck was an 85 nissan with a weber.

this truck is a diesel so it has a different start up procedure. turn key, wait for glow plug light to go out, turn key rest of way - and never touch the 'gas' pedal until you are ready to make the truck move.
 
ANeat said:
Wait till you come across someone who hasnt started a vehicle with a carb. "Why do you pump the gas one time"

Funny, I've been thinking alot lately of all the things my 7 year old daughter will never experience.

- Taking film to be developed and waiting a few days to see if your pictures came out or not.
- Having to watch commercials.
- Having to wait till you get to a building to make a phone call.
- Getting up to change the channel on the TV.
- Vinyl records.
- Cassette tapes.

And I know my parents thought the same thing.
 
Why won't she be watching commercials? I also have a seven year old daughter who is well aware of commercials between sponge bob episodes or I guess they watch some sort of wizard show now. Still, plenty of commercials on cable, over the air, and all network television and radio.
 
great looking truck. We have on of those at our fire company as our brush truck. They sure are tough trucks but they will not get out of there own way, the 6.3 is so powerless. In order for our brush truck to make it up hills in the woods it HAS to be 4 low or it does not have enough power to move.
 
Highbeam said:
Why won't she be watching commercials? I also have a seven year old daughter who is well aware of commercials between sponge bob episodes or I guess they watch some sort of wizard show now. Still, plenty of commercials on cable, over the air, and all network television and radio.

Pause live tv at the beginning of the commercial break, hit the bathroom and then advance to the show.

Or watch recorded shows on the DVR and skip commercials that way. Thats actually how we do about 90% + or out TV watching.
 
mayhem said:
ANeat said:
Wait till you come across someone who hasnt started a vehicle with a carb. "Why do you pump the gas one time"

Funny, I've been thinking alot lately of all the things my 7 year old daughter will never experience.

- Taking film to be developed and waiting a few days to see if your pictures came out or not.
- Having to watch commercials.
- Having to wait till you get to a building to make a phone call.
- Getting up to change the channel on the TV.- Vinyl records.
- Cassette tapes.

And I know my parents thought the same thing.

A number of years ago my young step-daughter was freaking out because she wanted to change the channel on the TV and couldn't find the TV remote . . . freaking out until I simply got out of the chair, walked over to the TV and used the button on the front of the TV to change the channel . . . something that never even occurred to her.

It really is interesting to see how things have changed . . . my buddy is a Mason and he was reading a list of things that young adults/teens these days will never experience or know anything about . . . it was interesting . . . a world where kids have never known a time when cell phones were so rare and expensive that only the rich and the famous had them and they were the size of a shoebox . . . a world where nearly every family has at least two vehicles and no one has to "sit on the hump" . . . a world where the idea of having to reheat left-overs on the stove top or cook popcorn over the stove or using a hot air popper is completely foreign to them as having to wait more than 10 minutes to cook a meal . . . a world where you can always find the answer to your question in 15 seconds by going on the internet and encyclopedias are a strange and archaic way to look up information.
 
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