Tundra as work truck, what you got?

I had my 2012 TRD offroad Tundra for 6 years and used it mostly as work truck for landscape construction work. Other than the passenger side rear wheel bearing there was nothing mechanical fixed. I pulled every day either a 7000 lb dump trailer ( often more than that ) or equipment hauler. I went through 2 sets of breaks a year. The truck was a work horse. I just parted with it at 210000 miles. I had my share of experiences previously with other brands but i must say, for what the Tundra is, its reliable workhorse if you look after it. I switched to a 2018 SR5 and hope it will be as reliable as the 2012 was.
Here a pic of my old work horse. I learned a lot and am beefing up the suspension with roadmasters active suspension system and for heavier tows a weight distribution hitch for the 2018.

 

2001 & 2015 both RCLB

 

My workhorse got Dobinson's 5+2 HD leaf packs, Roadmaster active susp. HD kit, BDS traction bars to minimize axle wrap, yellow Sumo Springs, and Bilstein 5160's to easily handle heavy workouts. Nice solid Ranchhand bumpers, good HD custom seat covers, Westin HDX headache rack and custom HD bed rails, stainless full tailgate protector, OEM power fold tow mirrors, 5 285 75 18" Yoko GO15 E rated shoes, and much more. So, yeah some of us work these beasts! With your towing loads, I highly recommend the BDS recoil traction bars.
Edit: forgot the HD Auxillary trans. Cooler, scan guage 2, both of those are also rather important. Also lots of auxillary lighting.

 

Arent roadmaster active suspension HD doing some of the work traction bars would do too? My concern would be clearance and anything extra reducing the payload capacity.

 

You are correct, it certainly helps, but considering I pull and haul heavy with a slight lift, I don't care to be replacing u joints often.

 

Where is @Tileguy ?

 

Can't believe there aren't more guys using Tundras for work trucks. Gotta legit show some teeth. lol

 

They are out there, some on this site too. I know I remember a few mobil detail truck and trailer rigs, at least two pressure washing rigs, tile guy, and a few others.

 

Dug a bit in my old pics and found a few more
D

 

I was pulling with my Tundras had to pick up a 3500 SRW GMC Diesel back in 2019 , was hoping for a diesel Tundra but that never happened . As close to a diesel tundra I got was a Duramax put a Denso injection system in there diesels … LOL
My Crewmax was just to light of of a truck , especially with a un boxed frame , even with suspension up grades I had to go heavier .
I just took that GMC 3500 Denali I used for 3 years , I paid 66k for the truck back in late 2018 , just traded it and got a chase value of 76k for the truck , plus the tax credit , I took a 2022 TRD pro 4runner , MSRP and 600 was subtracted and I got a big check back .
The wanted me to take the 4Runner and a Tundra also and give them the check … I never buy the first year of anything , especially if it has a motor .
I’m keeping my 2016 Tundra I have as a DD but did pick up a older cummins 3500 to haul the loads , was way more cost effective for me .
I would never buy another GM product again , they build junk these days .

 

I bought a Hino dump truck that does the heavy hauling now. Still towing 7000 lb trailers and equipment float with the Tundra. You gotta use the appropriate tools. I think the Tundra gives still the bigger bang for the buck, although I'm 100% sure a diesel Tundra would be better than the gas one and many would buy one.

 

Tileguy is still hauling tile. My 2011 tundra is now a 469k. Purchased a used 2013 tundra for business use recently. It has 212k. Both trucks are running well.

 

Top one most recent, had to winch out 125ft of well pipe since the pump burnt out today after 50+ years. Middle one is winching fence post up right to stake in metal ones to hold up the fence. Last one is flat deck life brining in materials for a new fence at another place.

 

I was a school teacher when I bought my tundra in 04’. Just used it for hauling the Jon boat. I’ve been a self employed carpenter and now a farmer for the last 10 years. I just bought a 21’ tundra crewmax in the spring but still use the 04’ as my farm truck/ daily driver.

There are a couple times a year I push it. The crop production place is 3 miles. I’ll use it to pull a 1200 gallon tender of 32% or 28% fertilizer to put on with the corn planter. The tongue weight is high enough I need the big jack to take the trailer off by the time I get home. The mud flaps are getting close to the ground with that load. About 3 times a year I haul a dump trailer with scrap steel in. I try to get in that 3-4 ton range on it. The other tough one on the truck is two anhydrous tanks. These loads are pretty taxing on the old girl…around 14,000lbs. give or take. I don’t usually get much over 35mph pulling loads like that with it. I’ve had 36 bags of seed corn in the bed on a pallet…that’s around 2000lbs a little under…she was squatting with that in the back. Pull started the farmall m with it.

It’s been a great truck…I’m edging up to 300,000 miles. It’s such a handy truck…Just used it for a construction job today. I had this girlfriend before I got married…she found out I was a farmer and wanted to see my truck. She had been dating some cattle guys…Ford 350’s, ram’s with flatbeds. She laughed out Loud and said “you drive that?” I told her don’t be raggin’ on my truck! This thing makes me money! Those guys got payments…lol I’ve been married to someone else now for 7 years…still driving that same tundra! Still making me money…

 

Yes, it's heavy! Okay, very heavy!

 

I don’t tow heavy loads but carry 20-24ft pieces of steel and aluminum as well as 4x8 sheet steel.

 

Absolutely love this thread. Keep them coming please

 

There really aren't. That's why it's so damn hard to find a used double cab. 90% of the Tundras on the road are employed as family SUV's, with a little open trunk area for soccer balls and groceries.

The pickup truck in general has not been marketed to tradesmen in decades.

 

But DC Tundra is the most versatile suburban family vehicle for real! At least in my experience.

- seats all five of us
- and carries any amount of camping gear
- and a week long food&booze supply for two large families full of always hungry teens and always dry fathers
- is a portable enclosed shower room by the ocean (to avoid public showers)
- great offroad vehicle in boonies
- sleeps in two adults, in separate compartments
- can do any regular truck duties
- never breaks
- cosmetic damage (backed up in a concrete light pole) can be fixed quickly with a sledge hammer and crowbar
- as per wife, the only vehicle in the household the others don't want to drive into
- brush polished paint only makes it looking more brutal and respectful (doubles up as a theft deterrent)
- etc, etc, ...

 

Yeah, well ... Susie Soccermom overwhelmingly disagrees. And 80% of all automobile buying decisions are made by women. So ...


Shrink the bed, make the cab bigger and more luxurious, and build in every imaginable safety/self driving feature. That's the only way to succeed at selling trucks in today's world. Build them for women.

Screw the tradesman, he can't justify a $65,000 work truck anyway. Let him pick through the used ones.

 

I’ve had mine for over 2 years now, it’s served me well so far and will continue to for the years to come.

 

Where did get the rack with tool boxes on each side. I need this for my Tundra

 

Kinda looks like a Magnum branded headache rack in the photo. I bought Dee Zee boxes from Amazon that are both large and good quality with black textured coating.

 

Same trailer as my first post in this thread.