Why should I...

[TXCOMT]

...trade my '16 Reb for a '17 Tradesman CTD with the off-road package? Well, I'm telling myself it's because we're closing on 12 acres west of Fort Worth in a couple of days and need a "farm truck" that'll haul stuff to build a barn and house!

Am I whack or what? This Reb is the truck I told my wife I'd keep for 10 years...heck, it's only been three and I want a CTD! Guess I could extol the improved fuel mileage or the heavier towing capabilities, but I'm thinking I need more ammo than that!

Thoughts (although I have a feeling what y'all will say)?

TXCOMT

 

[olyelr]

Sometimes in life you just gotta do things that make you happy, regardless if there is any other reasons or not.

If you like the idea of a cummins, get it.

 

[Donutsahoy]

You need more reasoning other than it’s a diesel?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BWL]

I have a half ton and 20 acres. It does everything fine and I rent a trailer if I need to haul more or get it delivered. Spend the money on a small tractor with front loader and forks and scraper box for grading the roads and clearing ditches, moving material around etc. If you're going to use it as a hobby farm it'll be more usefull than a bigger truck. If you're going to be hauling horses or livestock then Ignore my previous statement as you'll need a HD truck.

 

[Thendrix]

I agree with BWL. I've spent my entire life on a farm and you can do a lot with a 1/2 ton. Get you a decent 40hp or so utility tractor with a loader and 4wd. If you plan on hauling livestock you can do it with a 1/2 ton truck. It'll just need to be a small trailer with a lighter load. No more than a 2 horse trailer or 12 ft stock trailer with good brakes and common sense when driving and you'll probably be fine. No more than a 16 ft utility trailer with 3500 lbs axles and good brakes and don't over load it.

 

[TXCOMT]

Thanks, B&T, those are some good words! Yep, I already put a deposit down on a Branson 2400H with an FEL, a BB and an RC Saturday, so the tractor's covered. I'm not planning on running cows or horses on it (too many trees and not enough pasture), so I think I'll hold onto the Reb; of course, I'll still test drive that CTD as I've got to drop off my rig for warranty work anyway!

TXCOMT

 

[McBroom]

Your Rebel is more than capable of taking care of 12 acres. Especially your Rebel! I know this because I’ve seen it.
The only recommendation I’m gonna make is a 16-18’ pipe rail utility trailer with a brake axle.


I love my truck!
Blue Mule 18 Ram 4x4 C/C
Tradesman Power Wagon

 

[SouthTexan]

I had the same issue with my 300 acre farm. I had a 2012 F150 HD Ecoboost though. I would tow cattle and hay trailers as well as my bumper pull RV I had at the time. I would also load it up with feed, an ATV, and other supplies needed for farming and hunting. It handled the weight better than any half ton I owned and the engine in that truck would pull anything you put behind like a diesel, but I found myself pushing the truck's suspension more often than I wanted which had me worrying about long term reliability.

My advice is to figure out how you are going to use the truck. Not everyone who has a farm or land will use it the same. If you will not be pushing the trucks suspension to it's max very often and a pair of aftermarket coils that make the suspension stiffer will do, then keep what you got. However, if you think you will be pushing the suspension to its limits a lot to the point where it may cause parts to fail quicker, then you might need to step up to an HD especially if you plan on keeping it for 10 years. Sure, any half ton can do most of what an HD can do on a small farm, but can it do it day in and day out for 10 years without having to replace parts all the time is the question.

 

[TXCOMT]

Good points, my fellow Texans! A pipe trailer, Mc, is indeed a great suggestion...I've been debating lengths, but I'm thinking that's a good, all-round size for most anything I'll throw at it. ST, I hadn't really thought about things from a suspension point of view; my Reb has air suspension, so it should be good to go, but with air, you never really know, right? Thankfully, several Reb owners over on the Z forum have swapped air for coils, so it's definitely possible.

TXCOMT

 

[BWL]

You can get trailers that have a full flat deck, but still have a fairly low deck vs the car hauler style. If you get stuff on pallets or pipe or lumber and your tractor has forks it'll make life a lot easier and you can weld on stake pockets and wall it in if you have a lot off loose stuf to haul like dump runs or firewood loads. It will still haul your tractor in for service if needed, just a bit steeper ramp.

 

[TXCOMT]

You can get trailers that have a full flat deck, but still have a fairly low deck vs the car hauler style. If you get stuff on pallets or pipe or lumber and your tractor has forks it'll make life a lot easier and you can weld on stake pockets and wall it in if you have a lot off loose stuf to haul like dump runs or firewood loads. It will still haul your tractor in for service if needed, just a bit steeper ramp.View attachment 165447

Great; thanks! No, I don't have forks, but I'll either get 'em and fab 'em!

The more I'm thinking this through, the more serious I'm looking at diesel 2500s...I can already see the wife's reaction.

TXCOMT

 

[Iron Outlaw]

As a contractor that works out of my truck 5-6 days a week hauling a bunch of tools, materials and a decent sized dump trailer, I say get another older truck for farm work.

My truck is a 2016 and its beat pretty bad. I've put over 40,000 miles on it in under 2 years (70,000 total). I use it for family use to and it's always dirty and smells like sawdust and sweat . I've got an older Ford van I started using some and it's really nice keeping my ram cleaner. The van is limited on weight and I have to haul the heavy stuff and my trailer with the truck,but my use has cut down a good bit.

 

[BWL]

I managed to keep my old ram pristine inside for 272000 km with muddy guys including myself getting in and out. The trick is the leather non ventilated seats can just be wiped down. Not sure how my ventilated seats are going to hold up on the new one. The cloth ones even with covers get dusty, but the leather doesn't.

 

[TXCOMT]

As a contractor that works out of my truck 5-6 days a week hauling a bunch of tools, materials and a decent sized dump trailer, I say get another older truck for farm work.

Yep, that may just be the ticket; thanks for the idea!

TXCOMT

 

[McBroom]

Yep, that may just be the ticket; thanks for the idea!

TXCOMT

That’s what I’d do.
Get a beater truck for farm use (no tags required)if kept on the property.
An 18’ flatbed utility trailer will be fine behind the Rebel and it has more than enough power to pull it.
If your set on a 2500 then let’s talk. I’ll trade you for mine.


I love my truck!
Blue Mule 18 Ram 4x4 C/C
Tradesman Power Wagon

 

[allenmp]

Also remember if your just tooling around on your acreage and not doing any long distance runs and working that Cummins it could potentially give you issues with the emissions equipment on the truck and if you delete it you can say bye bye to your warranty
I had a Cummins for a year and had it in the shop 6 times for emissions related crap
More than likely cause i never worked it the way it's supposed to be worked
I ended up trading it in on a 2017 2500 CCLB with the 6.4 hemi even though that Cummins was a beast
Couldn't be happier with the hemi

 

[TXCOMT]

Also remember if your just tooling around on your acreage and not doing any long distance runs and working that Cummins it could potentially give you issues with the emissions equipment on the truck and if you delete it you can say bye bye to your warranty
I had a Cummins for a year and had it in the shop 6 times for emissions related crap
More than likely cause i never worked it the way it's supposed to be worked
I ended up trading it in on a 2017 2500 CCLB with the 6.4 hemi even though that Cummins was a beast
Couldn't be happier with the hemi

That may be the biggest thing...while I might be getting a lot of windshield time in the thing, I won't be working it hard. Heck, the Reb is probably perfect for me, so I think I'll stay with it!

TXCOMT

 

[COAinPaso]

Tooling around the farm WILL screw with emissions equipment. Not enough heat. The exhaust brake will turn on and you will have to try drive against it (up to about 17-1800 rpms, then it lets go), or you can park and let it idle up with the exhaust brake on until it has decided that you are allowed to drive normal again. My scr was replaced under warranty around 60k miles.

 

[TXCOMT]

Tooling around the farm WILL screw with emissions equipment. Not enough heat. The exhaust brake will turn on and you will have to try drive against it (up to about 17-1800 rpms, then it lets go), or you can park and let it idle up with the exhaust brake on until it has decided that you are allowed to drive normal again. My scr was replaced under warranty around 60k miles.

Thanks...I had no idea. Well, I've decided a 2500 of any stripe is too much truck for my purposes, so the Reb stays. Perhaps a beater farm truck is in my future; something pre-DEF, I'm sure.

TXCOMT

 

[COAinPaso]

Thanks...I had no idea. Well, I've decided a 2500 of any stripe is too much truck for my purposes, so the Reb stays. Perhaps a beater farm truck is in my future; something pre-DEF, I'm sure.

TXCOMT

Wasn’t trying to scare you off of a Cummins, but that’s why I sold mine. Bought a new hemi, and then an 85 ford diesel for a ranch truck. Good luck with the farm!