Which year is the best all around work truck?

[2badgn]

Did not know where to post this but I spend most of my time in this section. Moderator, please move to best place.

Which generation of trucks is the most Heavy Duty?
I am talking about a regular cab 2wd single rear wheel truck.
Also which year had the biggest bed? I know that the 62-72 had a 8.5 Foot bed but I m talking about overall cargo space.

Which truck would u use to haul things?- wood, lumber, concrete, etc.
Please explain.

[Restrorob]

I use my double axle 16ft trailer for haulin. Don't do that much, Just don't care to beat my trucks up....

Especially a classic !

[old Rusty C10]

well we are all prefjudiced here in 73-87 so im gonna send this to general discussion

[bumslie75]

I would say the 2000-2006 HD 2500 crew cab

[dammitmitchell]

the 73-87's are so widley avail that as a work truck youll never run out of parts o if you break something it's redicilously easy to replace

[bobbo]

Going to have to agree about the 73-87's. They are definitely plentiful and were good all around work horses. Still see tons of them in very rough condition but still hauling.

[wklink]

Me too. They are so cheap and available. The 67-72s are better looking (sorry to my fellow 73-85 owners) but finding one that is in really good shape is getting very difficult these days. I have the feeling that in five years these will be snapped up and the only ones left will be nothing but rusty junk.

The 88-98s are coming down nicely but I fear all of the electronic stuff as it starts to wear out. The 77 that I have is still a basic truck, engine, tranny, maybe some vaccuum stuff but very little that an average guy can't fix. The newer trucks have so much more that can go wrong. If you are just doing general purpose hauling that is fine but much of this stuff is so expensive to fix and many of these trucks aren't worth the money to replace.

[67ChevyRedneck]

I'm confused, I voted on what I thought was the most capable truck, not the most affordable?

Originally Posted by bumslie75

I would say the 2000-2006 HD 2500 crew cab

I know the OP said regular cab, but you can't beat hauling a truck on a trailer, have the bed full of parts, and 3 good friends on a road trip in a leather trimmed truck with the diesel purring down the road getting decent fuel economy...

[cayoterun]

We used a '78 454, 4sp, 1ton, as a service/towtruck, in our custom hay baling business for years. The truck weighed 11,000# alone, then towed a 12,000#, 16' self-propelled swather, on a 4,000# trailer in soft fields. Very little maintenance expense. Drop the clutch, and 1 of three things would happen. #1: It would move. #2: wheels would spin. #3: shuck the drive line. #3: never did happen. It's obvious, it was my favorite work truck ever. Burned propane in it, gas hog both on propane and gas. Beat up and ugly brown, but never let us down.
Wish I still had her around, even tho I'm retired.

Cayoterun

[oldblue1968chevy]

73-87 definitely whether it be 1/2 ton with a flatbed or a 1 ton + def. 73-87 you see more of those than anything around here.

[powerdriver 1958]

My old 76 was tougher than and old boot.I would still have it but the rust in the windshield frame and a couple of other places made me get rid of it.

It started out as a railroad gang truck .you could see every cross sill in the bed because the floor was bowed between them.It was that ugly orange inside and out.I have a 24 foot heavy gooseneck with 3 foot side racks that the boys and I would load just as high as possible with green fire wood and make a 56 mile trip 3 times a year.

It was the family car,work truck and even made it to the 3rd round at at KCIR in the run what ya brung class

[special-K]

67-72 C/20 will outwork and outlast`em all with rear leaf.The bodies hold up better.Not that there`sa big difference between the 67-72s and 73-87s,just a bit tougher and less prone to rust.Parts are just as available.

[1956cameo]

I have to vote 67-72 and 55-57 for best looking; but the when it comes to a tough no nonsense workhorse 73-87 has my vote all day long! My family has owned a couple of 73-87 trucks and it didn't matter how beat up or worn out they were, they ALWAYS got the job done.

[MacAttack]

Just so you know - any truck with a computer chip in it, sucks.

[Sheepdip]

Best work truck ever! Just the flatbed or towing, Otis gets er done!

[Getter-Done]

Great thread to bring to the top.

[yuccales]

Originally Posted by Getter-Done

Great thread to bring to the top.

Agreed!

[farmall]

I love my old 81 K30 C&C 9.5' flatbed dually. Its single rear wide, 454 400 205 strong. You have a work bench wherever you go.
https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...d.php?t=643974

[special-K]

Working out of GM trucks all my life I may have a different view than many here. There's more to it than the most heavy duty and they are all built heavy duty enough to do the job. And work truck is a general term. Different "work" presents different requirements. For instance, with a farm truck or occasional use non-commercial truck for when a one is needed running distance is a non-factor. A farm truck can have deep gearing and stacks of springs to haul anything that fits with no concern for hiway driving or stacking on the miles. A farm truck can be an antique and still do the job.

Bed size is a non-factor. They all can do the same jobs. They are all relatively the same size and any differences are nothing worth speaking about.

Most are saying 73-87s and those were great work trucks for me. More than any other, I ran 67-72s and those are basically the same truck but older. When you say work truck to me it means work everyday near and far small load/big load. It also means weighing more than a stock truck due to material and tool hauling even with an empty bed.

I voted for 88-98 because my perspective here is a truck that can do it all. One thing all trucks prior lacked that 88-98s gain is better hiway use. You need to get to the work so O/D is a major factor. Being heavy duty while remaining comfortable matters when you do it every day. I work between 20-60 miles from home.

Age is a factor. The 88-98s are getting older with all of them 25 or close years old. But they have proven to be trucks you can get crazy high miles out of that just didn't exist in prior trucks. Newer trucks you have to look at how complicated the mechanics have gotten to be and the high cost of repairs. 88-98s are the sweet spot for today. Relatively simple and no more expensive to fix than older trucks.

Cost is a factor. 73-87s have gotten to be high dollar trucks for anything decent. I can't make a living out of junk and that's all I see for cheap, one that is a project from day 1. The 88-98s are getting expensive, too, but the not as nice ones you can get for cheap can do the job.

I've worked out of 67-72, 73-87, and 88-98 over the last 50 years and that is what I am comparing. I'm in a '95 now that I bought 9 years ago and run all over full of tools and often pulling a trailer. I've done everything in that truck anyone who bought a new '15 the same day has done. But I spent $3,000 compared to whatever that '15 cost. I bought my '92 K3500 new (ordered) and was in that saddle for 22 years/335k miles. It always had weight on it. The last picture is from the year I retired it. I couldn't hurt that truck

[tutone]

1988-1998 hands down for me. I've had them in several configurations including the 2wd lwb. I like the seats in the earlier ones, and the engines in the later ones (96-98). There is less computer crap than the newer ones and more power and conveniences than earlier trucks.
Plus they hold up well for what they are.