Got my new tow rig

[JoshC]

Well, it's actually my company vehicle, but it will be my tow rig. Got a 2003 Chevy 2500 HD 4x4. This sucker is a work truck. It has the new 6.0 V8, tow package, skid plates, tow hooks, bucket seats, and long wheel base. It's just a plane jane truck cause i'm in the mud all the time for work, but i really like it. We always have extended cabs for work cause there are times we have to sleep in these things, but this is just a regular cab. I'm going today to get a diamond plated tool box, some of those diamond plated bed rails so it doesn't beat up the paint, and a tail gate protector. For some weird reason they didn't put a hitch on it, but they did put a trailer wiring harness, so i might pick up a hitch too. Oh, it also has 4.10 gears, so it's going to be a gas hog!! I had a 99 F150 with a 4.6 and it was a great truck, but it has 155K miles on it. My choice wasn't a chevy, but i'll drive what they give me.

Last night i wired up some fog lights on top of the bumper and mounted my switch "professionally", instead of just hanging it somewhere. I've got a CD player for it, just have to get all the mounting hardware. The truck has NO ground clearance. Man, i'm going to have to talk to my boss and get me some bigger tires and i might crank the torsion bars just a little for a small amount of clearance. But i'm happy, just glad to have a new truck!

Happy trails!!

 

[Alec]

You you can mod it even though it's a work truck? Guess it's yours but they just gave it to you. That's cool. It'll be interesting to see how you like it over the long haul and if it has any problems.

Good luck with it!

 

[JoshC]

Well, i can mod it to a certain extent. I couldn't put a lift on it and 35s. But my job requires me to have a tool box and some kind of ground clearance. I'm off road just about everytime i leave the shop. Cd players and that kind of stuff is nothing. I mean i drive about 3,000 miles a month, i gotta be comforatable!

Happy trails!!

 

[donkey boy]

Originally posted by JoshC
Well, i can mod it to a certain extent. I couldn't put a lift on it and 35s. But my job requires me to have a tool box and some kind of ground clearance. I'm off road just about everytime i leave the shop. Cd players and that kind of stuff is nothing. I mean i drive about 3,000 miles a month, i gotta be comforatable!

Happy trails!!

Well, I can put a moderate lift on mine My Jeep is also a company vehicle and I can mod it, as long as ...

- It looks good (in the eyes of my boss)
- The mods do not affect every-day drivability
- The mods do not decrease the value of the vehicle
- I pay for the mods out of my own pocket

I also make close to 3'000 miles a month therefore a good vehicle was more important than a nice office or good office chair.

Josh: Sorry my ignorance, but is the 6.0 V8 gas or diesel? BTW. Congrats to your new vehicle; the job is just double as fun with a new truck

 

[JoshC]

It's a gas Micheal. I took it out today for work, off road that is, and it sucks! Well, if it had any kind of ground clearance it would be great. It only has 245-75/R15s on it. And for a 3/4 ton truck, that is tiny! I'm going to talk to my boss tomorrow about getting some taller tires. It wouldn't be as bad if it were a 1/2 ton cause this frame is huge, and the rear diff is huge too and hangs down so far.

I got 11.2 mpg on my first tank!

Happy trails!!

 

[jasonb]

Originally posted by donkey boy
- It looks good (in the eyes of my boss)

i thought you had your own company? or are you just like the guy running the north american side?
or wait.. your talking about your wife aren't you! hah

btw josh.. nice truck. sounds like a winner.

 

[donkey boy]

Originally posted by jasonb
... or wait.. your talking about your wife aren't you! hah

I have not thought about that boss, lol My wife is actually very good, I think also because we have that agreement that whatever amount I spend in mods she gets to spend in her stuff (but not vis-versa )

I consider it as "my" company because I'm running the US operations, so I'm the boss here. But "my" company is actually the subsidiary of a Swiss company, which is not mine Anyhow, I just see my boss (work, not wife) about twice a year so it's not bad at all.

 

[JoshC]

Well, looks like its a no go for the bigger tires. My boss is a tight wod! He was thinking about it, then just walked off.

I turned my expense account info in today and come to find out they won't pay for the hitch, oh well, i'll put it to good use!

Now he is talking about putting a headache rack on it, for hauling pipe and stuff. I'm going to look at one today to see if it will fit.

My boss, wife, just doesn't understand the fun in 4 wheeling and what all it takes to have the right stuff! But she is getting better.

Happy trails!!

 

[donkey boy]

Originally posted by JoshC
Well, looks like its a no go for the bigger tires. My boss is a tight wod! He was thinking about it, then just walked off.
...
Now he is talking about putting a headache rack on it, for hauling pipe and stuff. I'm going to look at one today to see if it will fit.

Didn't your boss know that larger tires are required for being able to mount a headache rack

 

[jimbo74]

tell him it gets stuck with the small tires..... and if it had bigger more aggressive tires, it would save money on trying to get an offroad recovery service out there when it does get stuck....

 

[RFR2212]

Sounds like a good truck, cept the gas motor... If it were me, and I was payin for gas, I'd probly leave it stock, cause w/ the bigger tires, the milage is gonna go down, and at 11mpg already, yer definately not leading the pack for milage

Either way, yer better off than me, as i don't have a tow rig!

Pete

 

[JoshC]

Well, i don't pay for the gas, i have a gas card! Another luxury for a company vehicle.

I wish i could tell him about the recovery part, but normally there is dozer on the job site that pulls me out when i get stuck.

He almost got me new tires today. Today was the first time he has seen it, he came on in the shop where i had it parked and looked at and said, "those are some small tires. Well, maybe we should just wait (walked around the back of the truck to the other side), but they aren't good for what we need it for." Then he just walks away. Never said anything about it for the rest of the day. Oh well, if it tears up, he has to pay for the repairs. I did go look at that headache rack and it is about a 1/4" to wide i think, we might get it anyway and cut it to size and reweld it. I think it would look pretty mean with some good tires on it and a headache rack with the diamond plate tool box.

Happy trails!!

 

[RattleSnake96]

Hey man that is cool that you get a conpany truck. Mt mom has a 2001 Audi A4 2.8Q Avant. Anyway, you should post some pics.
PeAcE oUt

 

[JoshC]

It's funny you asked about pictures. I have to go out for a job tomorrow and it's going to be MUDDY. So i'll take my camera and snap a few shots.

I got my headache rack cut down to size and installed. It looks good, but it looks like a delivery truck, oh well, it's drives i guess!

Happy trails!!

 

[JoshC]

Well, i forgot my camera yesterday on my job, so i wasn't able to get any muddy pictures, but it was muddy. One thing i don't like about Chevy's 4wds is that the front doesn't turn unless the back slips when you have it 4wd. Makes it kind of dangerous when you're hanging off the side of a hill in the mud and the front tires aren't helping any! But it did okay i guess. I washed it today in the shop and then i went to pick up my new tires for my explorer. 35's baby woooohoooo!

The tires in the back acutally helped the ride of this mule.

And the front view. I'm already getting tire of people getting mad at me because the headlights are so freaking high. If you are in a car in front of me, you'd think i had my high beams on, but nope, just the low.

Happy trails!!

 

[Digger196]

why is there 8 tires in the back?

 

[JoshC]

Actually there are 9 I got some new 35's for my explorer and they other 4 are my 31" BFG ATs.

Happy trails!!