8/22/18- The Fleet

8/22/18- The Fleet

The day-to-day tasks on the farm would never get done without the help of a small fleet of pickup trucks. We use these trucks for mostly hauling vegetables and crates around the 23-acre farm. The trucks are such an integral part of Red Dog Farm that it’s hard to imagine the place without them.

The first truck ever used at Red Dog Farm is a purple 1997 Nissan that we all refer to as “Denise.” Denise started out as Karyn’s daily driver back in 2006. Denise was used occasionally on the farm, but as the farm began to grow more so did the need for Denise. There would be times when truck would be needed in two places at once and it was apparent that Red Dog Farm needed a dedicated truck for the farm.

Karyn received our next truck, Rambo, as a gift to fill this need. With a puff of smoke, a roar from the choked carburetor, and rhythmic pulses from the exhaust, this white 1967 Ford Custom Cab pickup is the iconic old American truck that I picture when I think of what an old farm truck is. Rambo is the oldest and most used truck on the farm. It has a tired big block V8 in it, but it has plenty enough power for moving all the things we need. The charm of this old beast is the tricks needed to drive it—such as using a manual ignition switch to crank the starter and making sure the transmission doesn’t slip out of park into reverse. Rambo has just been given a new set of shocks and springs in the front suspension. Red Dog Farm will continue to get many great years out of this truck.

As time went on and the farm continued to grow, so did the need for more trucks. Karyn then purchased a 1994 Ford F-250 with 4-wheel drive capabilities. This truck we refer to as Romeo. This red truck we use around the farm as well as off-farm uses. It also sports two fuel tanks for extra long excursions as well as a nice paint job.

This comes to our last pickup truck used on the farm, Ranger. This truck is a blue 1975 Ford pickup, another carbureted truck with a V8 engine. Karyn acquired Ranger through a CSA trade. This truck is the only one that does not have a canopy over the bed, but it does have a shade net to help keep the suns rays off the freshly picked vegetables. Just like Romeo, this truck has two fuel tanks for those extra long hauls. Less time at the gas station means for more time hauling vegetables.

Along with the four pickup trucks used daily on the farm, we come to the last truck that is used off farm and less frequently. This is our delivery truck, a 1992 Ford E350 with a 16’ box on the back. This truck gets driven all over the area making various deliveries to vendors who sell Red Dog Farm crops and to bring goods to the Farmers’ Markets.

Without these trucks we wouldn’t be able to get as many Red Dog Farm vegetables to you as we do. Thanks for reading!

– David