Pickup Truck Accessories
A few additions will make that truck a workhorse fit for any operation.
July/August 2008
Oscar H. Will III
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Getty Images/Don Johnston
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With
the right accessories, you can turn your pickup into a virtual Swiss Army Knife
on wheels that’ll work harder, last longer and might earn you a few bucks to
boot. I know you spent plenty on the truck already, but even a few low-cost
add-ons can increase an outfit’s value as a workhorse and offer a bit of
self-reliance in the process. For example, the money we saved pulling our
daughters’ car from a snow-filled road ditch completely covered the cost of
installing tow hooks on the pickup, and we didn’t have to wait for the wrecker
to show up from town. The hooks came in handy again after I put the truck into
the same ditch. Our eldest daughter came to the rescue that time with a tractor
– I was thrilled to be able to hook the tow-strap to the truck without having
to swim in the mud.
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To use your truck for other
more specialized work, you’ll need accessories to match the job – like the 350-gallon plastic tank
we bought to haul water for cattle in a remote pasture. The tank’s cost was
small compared with the expense of running plumbing to that outpost. Thanks to
our trusty little gasoline-engine-powered transfer pump, filling the mobile
reservoir with creek water took less than five minutes, which made the chore
simple enough that I never ran the waterlines. Tow hooks and water tanks are
just the tip of the accessory iceberg though. No matter what you need to pull,
push, haul, build or fix, add-ons can turn your truck into a working partner.
Cable
winch
Electric or PTO powered
(with gear reduction) rotating spools wound with steel cable – experienced DIY
or professional install.
Winches are most often used to pull disabled machines and stretch long
runs of fence wire before fastening it to posts. However, with care, and
sufficient rigging, a winch can be used to drag logs from the woods, direct a
soon-to-be-felled tree’s fall, right an overturned tractor, slide a large
haystack and much more. For the best value, choose a heavy-duty electric model
with at least enough capacity to pull your pickup’s weight. If you also need an
air compressor, consider an integrated winch-
compressor attachment.
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