Best truck/van for TV pickup.
I've gotten pretty good getting up to 27" into the back of my Ranger. But I just can't deal with 30" and above.
I'm one-manning it. I was looking at a Dodge Caravan which sits lower to the ground. Or maybe a Mazda MPV. But maybe there is something better. |
Ford Transit Connect cargo? Don't know how pretty or car-like it needs to be, but that thing will hold a bunch, and with a ramp you could roll stuff into it on two-wheelers. You can almost stand up in them, even the smaller ones. Add shelves to hold a few treasures in one trip, too. Used, they seem to be priced on-par with other cars and trucks.
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Some of the GM stuff with factory air suspension one can let the air out of for loading.
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Caravans are pretty good. MPV's are alright - in reality they're really just a Ford Focus. not that that's entirely a bad thing. Dunno how big of sets you're talking about, so I don't know what's big enough. You just want something lower, huh? You could get a small FWD suv, or tall hatchback type of car, like a Toyota matrix or similar. Small car, small engine, decent cargo room.
You could bolt a winch to the front of your Ranger's bed, and use a couple of 2x4s for a ramp, and winch your giant tvs up onto the bed. I mean. Not even joking, what's an $80 winch from harbor freight, a couple of bolts, and maybe $20 worth of wires, compared to buying a whole vehicle? Wrap a Kevlar strap, with something soft over it, around the tv, maybe make a plywood sled for it. Good to go. |
Here's the $1000 solution mounted in the back of a Caravan. Wheelchair lift that goes from ground level outside to floor level inside with the push of a button. No lifting at all -- except it can't reach all the way into the estate sale basement and yank out a 6' Zenith aircraft carrier for you...
https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/...523446283.html Not mine/no relation, etc. |
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I was using a engine lift as well! |
A Honda Element has 70 cubic ft of space if the rear sets are out or the vehicle. Plus a high ceiling. Rear opens up like the old 60's station wagons. But one trying to do it alone That would be hard. I turn 59 in June and can't believe the upper body strength I don't have anymore. I used to take combos out of basements with another person back in my early twenties. Those were the days. I could hear the 15734 Hz frequency, I could see well not needing the magnifying lens, and I had upper body strength back then too lol.
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Anyhoo, back on topic, have you considered a hydraulic scissor lift table? |
+1 on Popester's Honda Element recommendation. A good box for boxes. Would have clicked "Like" if we had the button.
One thing to keep a craigslist eye out for is a thing called a Hoyer lift. Used to lift/transfer immobile patients out of beds or chairs, or pick up a fallen individual from the floor. It's configured like an engine lift, and it's hydraulic, and uses a canvas sling for people cargo. They are rated to lift 400 lbs. of human, and are very lightweight and break down into sections that are easily carried and fit in a car trunk. Along with some straps from Harbor Freight, they would do a good job of picking up any TV I've ever run across. I have one I snagged for $50. I've used it to load/unload 35HP outboards from the back of my Suburban, and a darn heavy electric lawn tractor from a hitch platform. In addition to various bits and pieces around the garage and shop. Plus a person or two, when used for its original purpose. So if you can wheel the cargo to the back of your truck, this can lift it, without having to carry around and set up something that weighs just as much as the TV you're moving. |
I got a new Caravan 2 yrs ago. We also used them for service
at the shop & used a G-20 for big multi deliveries. Caravan will work great. You can also lay 4X8 plywood etc flat in it & close it up. And they start under 20K....... They are all the same drive line so the only important option is fold away seats. The rest is just crap & cosmetics. Even the cheap radio / CD sounds good. You will also be surprized with the power. Almost 300 horsies. Moving big sets alone is an art. Above 27" it gets tricky. Try this. Get a tall appliance dolly & extra straps. Strap set on, lean the dolly on the truck gate. Get behind it & push it in. Even works with refrigerators etc. One man job:thmbsp: 73 Zeno :smoke: LFOD ! |
Thanks All!
Great ideas. There's a Harbor Freight about 5 miles away.
Saw a GMC Safari for sale for $2K. Gonna check that out today. Looked like it was already set up for cargo. Would like to stay with a rear wheel drive vehicle. Those front wheel models are difficult to work on. |
Used to own an Astro van, like Safari. Sit in the passenger seat and evaluate if the legroom will work for any passengers you may have.
Make sure the instrument cluster works reliably. Evaluate the unloaded ride quality. Mine defined the term 'bouncy'. Bought it brand new, traded it after only 12 months. |
I think all the mini vans are bouncy, the Caravan is. But thats coming
from being used to Crown Vics, Roadmasters, 88's etc. If I had a choice it would be 6 pasanger, full frame, big block V8, miminum 2.5 tons. Only options seats & windows, CD, int wipers, keep the rest. And yes NO AC ! 73 Zeno:smoke: LFOD ! |
I have owned about 7 Astro vans (same as Safari). They are easy/cheap to work on, and they can haul all the junk I can stuff in 'em, and pull a trailer too!
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Now that my Grand Marquis is up and running, I'm thinking of looking around for a TV hauler too. Right now I'm thinking I'd like an older American full size truck with a V8 old enough to still use a carburetor and distributor, but new enough that I can find a camper shell that fits on it, sort of 1960s - early 1980s.
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The first gen Scion B is low to the ground and has a cavernous cargo space with the rear seats removed, 30+ MPG don't hurt either.
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I had an older full-size GM van; those, & the old Ford/Dodge competitors, are extremely versatile vehicles. Right now my company vehicle is a Transit Connect. It's been reliable enough & the last time I checked it was averaging 29mpg, and that's with it idling most of the day. My biggest complaint is that FoMoCo exerted no effort whatsoever in balancing that engine. You can't leave anything light weight sitting around because at idle it will shake everything until it falls on the floor.
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MadMan, I had forgotten about that. I remember when Escorts were still showing up in the shop on a regular basis they always seemed to be extremely "buzzy" compared to everything else, and I've seen it with some aging Focus models as well. My T-C is closing in on 100k and, yep, might just be showing its age.
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I know the title of this thread is best Truck/Van for tv pick up, But I gotta put in a plug
for the good old 1986 Honda prelude as the BEST vehicle choice for picking up those gotta have tvs..... We got a good choice of large vehicles at our little piece of heaven, a Big Van, I got a pick-up, a sedan of pretty ample size - tv speaking.... But I got some pretty neato deals showing up in my Maaco special.... I mean try negotiating a lower price on a $50. simulated-wood grain covered must have when yer stepping out of a $40K Almost new Suburban might be hard....... Turn that around and show up in a rusty old Honda and you might just get that "awe this poor guy" sympathetic "Oh, I'll take xx" even if you didn't even ask.... Happened to me once...... Not sure if the Prelude was the reason though..... Then you know, the "I just don't have room for that" thing, and then there's the all too common Wife Objection to another set.... Even if for the most part the stuff is outa sight. Well at our parking lot, viewing from the front window I usually keep "the little car that could", behind the van, or behind the pickup - as viewed from the front window, which overlooks our vast parking expanse. If by some chance a tv appears on CL and It's a Sharp Linytron, or some other - otherwise non collectible set with a too good to pass up price tag. I can always keep the wife up late the night before, and run off real quick one morning in the prelude early, while the wife sleeps late, and be back before anyone knows what just happened.... Ahhh. And if she did happen to get up and walk past the front windows, all looks normal cause you can't see the prelude from the window anyway...... Just leave a radio on in a room she ain't going to venture into I use the garage.... Also good to keep a stable full of 20+ year old cars on hand, that way you can be out in the garage a lot, or at least pretend to be..... And with the humble prelude, you'll most likely never run into that temptation to pick up something either too heavy to lift by yourself, Saving your back, or too big to fit the car..... And thus save that valuable space at the cassa. I was able to get my 25" 1985 Sharp Linytrons with Simulated Wood Finish, ( Plastic cabinet portables you know...) and an RCA 9-T-240 into the passengers seat with no problems... Just food for thought on this good tv void night....... . |
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And the T-C fleet get the motor mounts changed around 90K, standard habit with us. The Focus Wagon left got us in that habit.
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I like my Suburban a lot... It is part way full with a Sylvania slide scanner/color TV console as I type. :D
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Excuse a quick off-topic, but are you planning to restore the slide scanner? Would love to see that.
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I recently acquired my parent's 1985 Peugeot 505 wagon (North American Spec) and have been working on getting it road worthy. The cargo area is roughly 7 1/2" by 3' with the rear seats folded down and you can throw over 1000lbs of crap in it (according to the owners manual), not to mention it is RWD with a live axle, semi trailing arm/coil spring rear suspension, and a limited slip diff. It also floats over bumps in the road unlike my W250:nono:
The drawback is being a passenger car based vehicle, there might not be the clearance needed for some console TVs |
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