100 series as a farm truck/side x side? (1 Viewer)

[Joshuak172]

Hey folks, I have a 2006 LC with appx 170k miles. It has been great for family duties but is getting to the point where there are a fair amount of rattles and vibrations that you notice when driving it more than just a few minutes. Also, we have a need for a farm vehicle, something I can tow a dump trailer full of logs, haul around hay, and do general work on the farm. Normally I would just think of buying a side by side and a farm truck for these duties but I’m thinking I could accomplish both of these with the LC. The dump trailer weighs about 3k empty and who knows what it gets to when loaded? Mind you, I will only be towing this off road while on the farm but I’m thinking if I put on some sumo springs and possibly swap to a higher set of gears the LC would do this just fine. Towing would only be while in 4L. Thoughts? I don’t particularly want to destroy this truck but I’m pretty sure it can handle it. Otherwise the mods would just be things like sliders and skid plates as our farm is very rocky and steep in places.

 

[RND1]

That looks way too nice to turn into a farm rig. If you've already replaced it with another family hauler, then I would sell it and pick up a farm truck and a Kubota RTV.

My 77 yr old Dad has a Goat Farm and has a Kubota Diesel RTV, Kioti 55HP Tractor and a 2006 GMC 3/4 ton work truck for the farm. As much as he tries to take care of them, they get beat to crap and are covered in mud, hay, and goat feces year round.

 

[JunkCrzr89]

It’ll do what you want.

 

[tip]

The 100 will do it, but why? If you had 300K+ on it I'd would be one thing

But 170K?

Sell the 100 and buy a sub $5K beater 3/4 ton pickup. Pocket the rest

 

[MountaineerLC]

I agree with tip. Don't trash a good 100. With the year and mileage you can sell the LC, buy a 3/4 ton pickup and make a profit. A pickup would be better suited for the job anyway.

 

[AlpineAccess]

Sell the 100 and buy a cheap, beat work truck that isn't street legal anymore.

 

[planomateo]

Normally I would just think of buying a side by side and a farm truck

I picked up a Honda ACTY earlier this year, it'll do 60mph and has 4wd - have 2 sets of tires - street and offroad. Works great around the property. Much better vehicle than a side by side imho.

Neither of these is pulling a dump trailer with logs though

 

[tetelestia]

I disagree with most of the people here.

It's not some rare unicorn. It was built to do work. It's robust, easy to fix and you already have it.

It's done 20 years as a family hauler or whatever, and could do another 20 as a beater farm truck now. What more could you want?

 

[Tripledave]

IMHO, it is a compete waste to relegate this rig to farm/beater duty. True, while not rare it is uniquely suited to passenger duty whether that be on road or on trails. Perform some real maintenance on this truck (bushings/ball joints/shocks/springs/fluids) and it'll last another 250-300k miles.

 

[hoser]

What more could you want?

Maybe a flat bed?

 

[Joshuak172]

I

IMHO, it is a compete waste to relegate this rig to farm/beater duty. True, while not rare it is uniquely suited to passenger duty whether that be on road or on trails. Perform some real maintenance on this truck (bushings/ball joints/shocks/springs/fluids) and it'll last another 250-300k miles.

don’t know if there is any reason why i couldn’t keep it on the road as well? I may have to take the sumo springs off while on road but otherwise I don’t see why it couldnt still be driven regularly? I guess the only additional tasks I’m looking to accomplish is the towing of the dump trailer regularly on some pretty gnarly terrain. other than that it’s performed well doing everything I have asked of it so far.

 

[krice118]

Add some air bags.

 

[harpersferry100]

What's the condition? I'm in nova/wv panhandle and have an 00 LX if you really want a LC for a farm truck.

My LX's body has way more dings and dents than yours - from the looks of it at least and would be a way better candidate for a farm truck. How's your rust situation? Consider a trade? I already have an ASFIR front skid on it.

Otherwise, I'm with the group above, sell it and get something rougher for a farm truck.

 

[2020 Rocks]

I'd want something with a bed for farm use, but each unto their own.

 

[ktmracer01]

It took me several attempts to reply to this thread politely, so I'm just going to say, it's your vehicle...do whatever you want with it.

I just have to ask, why did you feel the need to ask the group what to do with a LC with 170k on the odometer...?

 

[harpersferry100]

I'd want something with a bed for farm use, but each unto their own.

Yeah, a carpeted SUV is going to very quickly get mold from hauling anything wet. OP will have to rip all that out, drill some new drain holes, try to bedline the metal and prevent it from rusting out too fast, mold growing, wiring shorting, etc., . SUV for a truck's job requires some work to deal with to make it functional/reliable. This is why the modern 70 series don't have carpet.

Even a farm truck you still want the wiring to semi-work / not short-out, avoid parasitic drains so you don't always have a dead battery, etc. You'll have pull carpet, pull fuses, remove a lot. Otherwise it'll be an unreliable farm truck pretty quickly.

 

[AlpineAccess]

At the end of the day its your vehicle and your money. Any farm truck I've ever used cost $500-1000 and was an old F150/K1500 that I could get any part I needed for at a local shop and that every joe schmo shade tree mechanic could revive with enough starter fluid and basic tools.

I'd rather the $10k in my pocket and bounce around in a beater domestic truck with a bed for around the farm and gravel road duty.

Transmission goes? Scrap it for a few hundred bucks and buy another one. We never carried insurance or registration on them because they never left the property. If you needed to drag a trailer beyond where gravel meets pavement we would hitch it to a registered vehicle.

 

[JunkCrzr89]

why did you feel the need to ask the group what to do with a LC with 170k on the odometer...?

A better question is why does nearly everyone who commented in this thread feel the need to give their unsolicited opinion about what they think OP *should or should not do* with his 100 instead of answering his question about whether the 100 will do *what he wants to do* with it. It’s his truck, and last I checked, he’s not a minor and nobody here is his dad…

 

[krice118]

I wouldnt regear unless you decied after using it that it was necessary. Add Stiffer springs and airbags, and any pressing maintenance (diff oil, CV Axles)

Caution: When reversing with the heavy trailer be easy that is a recipe to break the front diff. the 2006 front diff is very strong though.

 

[NE Snowman]

Way to nice for farm rig imo, but it’ll do what you want. You’d be able to sell the LC buy a farm truck or even a smaller dump truck. Everyone’s ‘farm’ is different, if you live somewhere mud/moisture frequent I’d swap for a beater truck because you’ll be pulling the floors out.