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Comment by rootusrootus | Hacker News Reader

Don't forget the small penis accusation.

I have an F250, which I drive about 2000 miles a year, almost 100% of the time it has a >30ft trailer behind it. But that one time that the stars align and I need it for a grocery trip, a bunch of people are thinking "see, that guy doesn't need a truck" and it reinforces whatever internal monologue they have going.

Meanwhile, approximately everyone here routinely drives alone in a vehicle capable of carrying 5-7 people. (and right about now, someone is about to reply with 'ride a bike, cars suck!')

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I dunno, sounds like your beef is with the folks who buy the same truck as you for no reason other than the look, not the folks who are seeing and mocking that trend.

The latter seem to exist in far greater quantity, however. I live in a suburban neighborhood with plenty of trucks, and I see them doing truck things all the time. Towing boats, travel trailers, fifth wheels, or hauling stuff. I can't think of a single example within a quarter of me where someone owns a truck for looks. These are all just garden variety F150s and similar, rarely the higher trim models, and not a one of them is a bro-dozer.

I won't deny the silly bro-dozers exist, they definitely do. But at least in my area they are just a fraction of the total trucks on the road.

They are statistically not doing pickup truck things. Pickup truck owners haul stuff once per year on average. That's the difference that you're not seeing.

You think that the problem is those "bro-dozers", and everyone else just needs a truck. The reality is that most people don't need a truck, and by driving one everyone else's life gets worse.

Yes, the problem is the "imma gonna haul whatever thing to my house" instead of, you know, have it delivered by someone. They'd win time but lose the (small) psychological satisfaction

> Don't forget the small penis accusation.

Except it is about having a tiny penis (or more accurately, a big ego):

https://theweek.com/articles/929196/case-against-american-tr...

"Furthermore, the specific design trend of the massive hood sticking way out in front of the driver, with a cliff-face front grille obstructing the view several feet out in front of the wheels, is entirely a marketing gimmick. The explicit point is to create an angry, aggressive face that will intimidate others, especially pedestrians. Don't take it from me, take it from the guy who designed the latest GM Sierra HD: "The front end was always the focal point... we spent a lot of time making sure that when you stand in front of this thing it looks like it's going to come get you. It's got that pissed-off feel," he told Muscle Cars & Trucks. "The face of these trucks is where the action is," marketing expert Mark Schirmer told the Wall Street Journal's Dan Neil, "a Ford has to say Ford from head on, a Chevy must shout Chevy. Every pickup has become a rolling brand billboard and the billboards are big." And as Neil discovered when he was nearly run down in a Costco parking lot, that massive grille creates a massive blind spot."

> Meanwhile, approximately everyone here routinely drives alone in a vehicle capable of carrying 5-7 people. (and right about now, someone is about to reply with 'ride a bike, cars suck!')

I mean, yeah. Ride a bike, cars suck.

> and right about now, someone is about to reply with 'ride a bike, cars suck!'

Naah, I wouldn’t do a thing that. I’ve lived in low-bike suburbs — hated it, but I know the score. :)

I'm sorry that people are occasionally, silently, but unfairly judging your choice of vehicle, presumably.

I don't think that counters the fact that many do people drive gigantic vehicles they will never need, though.

> Meanwhile, approximately everyone here routinely drives alone in a vehicle capable of carrying 5-7 people. (and right about now, someone is about to reply with 'ride a bike, cars suck!')

You've managed to lump everyone who disagrees with you into either the "hypocrite" or "fanatic" boxes.

I drive a Mini Cooper, not that that's worth bragging about. How will you dismiss my opinion?

> You've managed to lump everyone who disagrees with you into either the "hypocrite" or "fanatic" boxes.

Not intentionally. Just the ones who loudly proclaim that most people driving a pickup don't actually need it. To everyone else who is just driving the car they feel best suits their needs, more power to them. This also includes the vast majority of pickup owners.

Just curious, what so you do for a living? Or what's your hobby?

Isn't the F250 a huge vehicle and that trailer seems huge, is it a boat?

Software, just like so many others on HN. The trailer is an RV we take out every couple weeks during the nice weather season. It takes over 1300 pounds of payload capacity just for the trailer itself, which doesn't leave much for anything else (hitch, cargo, humans, canine). That's how I ended up trading the F150 we had for an F250. And yes, the F250 is pretty big. It's actually not a lot bigger dimensionally than an F150 (same cab, even), but it's usually taller, and it has a very stiff suspension and a live axle in the front, so it feels a lot bigger. Thus why mine rarely goes anywhere it doesn't need to go. My Model 3 is far more comfortable as a daily.

So your F250 is an accessory for your recreational vehicle.

I'm confused - are you missing a zero?

The F150's towing capacity appears to be 5,000 to 14,000 pounds (random source: https://veteransfordtampa.com/ford-f-150-towing-capacity). You could tow a 1,300 pounds trailer with a regular car, e.g. the 2023 Ioniq 5 has 2,300 pounds of towing capacity.

1300 lbs tongue weight.

Which is a big fucking trailer at 10% tongue weight.

No, he's not towing 1,300 pounds, he's towing something that reduces carried cargo capacity by 1,300 pounds. (The impact is, IIRC, typically a bit over 10% of loaded trailer weight.)

I'm slightly confused.

In Europe Volkswagen Passat, which is a regular sedan, can tow up to 2000kg braked (I think that's 4400 pounds) and 750 kg unbraked (1600 pounds):

https://www.carsguide.com.au/volkswagen/passat/towing-capaci...

Unless these sites use different measurement systems for towing (could be, I have no idea about these things), wouldn't a much smaller but more powerful car do?

In Europe people regularly tow RV trailers with Volvo V60 wagons...

Having looked into RV trailers in both the US and EU, I can say that the US trailers are by and large MUCH bigger than in the EU. A quick Google search showed a trailer[0] on sale in the UK, weighing in at 3289 lb. This is a typical size that I would see being towed around where I live in southern Germany. In the US, a typical trailer[1] size could come in at ~4500 lbs. Mind you, this weight is what we call dry, not counting the weight of a filled fresh water tank, important living items (i.e. food, dishes, clothing, etc), and any other items you might want to take camping.

Although this is (slightly) on the more extreme side, "fifth-wheels"[2] are also common to see on the road. These certainly require larger vehicles to pull.

[0]https://autoline24.uk/-/auction/caravan-trailers/Bailey/Pega... [1]https://rv.campingworld.com/rvdetails/used-travel-trailer-rv... [2]https://rv.campingworld.com/rvdetails/used-fifth-wheel-rvs/2...

> Having looked into RV trailers in both the US and EU, I can say that the US trailers are by and large MUCH bigger than in the EU.

Hmmm... interesting.

It does make sense, though. Everything is bigger in the US: cars, roads, parking lots, nature reserves, people :-p

> https://rv.campingworld.com/rvdetails/used-fifth-wheel-rvs/2...

This is basically a house on wheels at this point :-)

Thanks for confirming

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