pick up truck for "van" use.

hi guys i'm new here and this is my first post and i'm afraid it's gonna be a bit long winded but please bare with me.

i work for the family business in the solder manufacturing trade.we work in wembley but live in herts and beds.we have a works van that is not very reguarly used for deliveries as most of our jobs go out on TNT.recently the guy who was the driver (and keeper) of the van has retired and the van has been given to me,mainly for use to drive myself and a colleague to work but with the odd local delivery.the van is a vauxhall movano 3500 and has a payload of nearly 1700 kilos and is what i would consider to be a fairly big van.my boss/dad feels we need a van "just in case".i suggested trading the van in for a double cab pick up truck and a trailor because the van isn't really used as a van too much anymore.

having looked into pickups it seems they are pretty much like for like when it comes to payload and towing capabilities. what i would like to know is:

how easily do they carry 1000kgs?(as this would be the minimum requirement in my bosses eyes).
does anyone have experience of dealing with this type of weight on a regular basis? i.e pallet of bricks,tonne bags of sand etc.

the ford ranger is the pick up i'm thinking about at the mo but they've had mixed reviews.some say they're fantastic and others say don't go near them.what do you guys think????????

the L200 and navara seem too expensive.
the hilux sounds like a good workhorse but apperently the engine is sluggish
the isuzu d max is cheap and has the best payload capability but have heard they're not very reliable.

Hi Maideinengland, I've a Navara and that has just over 1k payload, i've had that in it and prob a little bit more if im honest and it really can take that load, the Navara is a powerful truck so its a breeze!
The Hilux is really powerful also in its 3L guise, so i cant see that being a problem!!
The Isuzu Rodeo as its called in the UK, if you buy the 3L it is a much more reliable motor than the 2.5L!
As for the Ford, there is a few members with them and they swear by them, i've heard some stories but none of our members have slagged them off, in fact quite the opposite!

PS i wouldn't go near a L200, just my opinion!

cheers for the response Rislar.

yeah to be honest the navara is my favourite and my father in law has just got a pathfinder and i have to say i love it.interesting about the L200 as that seems to win best pick up most years.but a mate who's a chippy's got one and he's not overly impressed.

not too sure of the actual budget to spend as like i say i'm only looking at this stage but our current van would be used as part ex and is on a 59 plate with 7500 miles on the clock.autotrader has them down at the mo around the £15K mark.the pick up we get would have to be similar age and similar mileage so that's why i was thinking of the ford ranger as it seems to be similar price.

I think the most impressive thing about the Nav is that its very car like especially the Aventura/Tenka with all the toys fitted as standard! the Ford/Toyota are great trucks but are very agricultural IMO!! (can you tell i like mine )
The best thing to do is get out and test drive a few and see what you like !

yeah i've seen the pics on rislars ride. looks pretty good mate

I see you've found the smilies then

Hi and welcome,

I too have a Navara and I carry around 700kg in the back all day every day.
I found that the suspension was a little soft to keep it standard so I added some spring helpers which have made a hue difference returning the ride back to standard.
Just the other day I was working out of town and because I'd flown need a rental and got given a Mazda BT50 (same as a Ford ranger) and although it was pretty basic on the inside I have to say I was very impressed with it.

i'll tell ya boys the more i look at it the more the ford ranger looks like the one to go for. i googled "best pick up truck" yesterday and came across another forum. this time for arborists (tree surgeons) and one of the guys on that said the ford ranger was one of the best in his opinion.

Good man, now for a test drive

I beleave the ranger was voted best pick-up/ute in New Zealand and Australia last couple of years.

Here's mine - it's a great truck. Comfy, leather, MP3/6 disc changer, air con, electrics etc.

Not as many toys as a Nav, or as powerful, but it's been a great workhorse. I got lucky and got it just short of 3 years old with 2.5k on the clock for £11k and added the ASX hardtop for another grand.

Looking great Dave

Cheers Ris, although you've seen it before aint you mate - just thought I'd add to this thread

Oh yes but i do like your little beasty