A Farmer Explains why they are a "Ford Household"

We interview Wendy from Girl Farm about how her Ford pickup truck is in continuous use to transport livestock and other duties.

• Wendy owns a diesel-powered Ford F-350 that works great for heavy cargo.
• Four wheel drive can be engaged by a flick of a switch and she appreciated the long bed.
• The diesel-powered engine makes sure weight is not a huge worry.
• With chains, the truck has no problem getting through or out of snow.
• Few problematic encounters with her truck and a powerful engine keeps her committed to Ford in the future.

Q: Why did you choose this Ford truck for your Farm?

A: I've been farming for about 15 years. We constantly use our Ford truck. It's a one-ton and I would say that's probably our #1 vehicle around the farm. It is great for the big things that we have to do, whether it's hauling animals, picking up fencing, and whatever we do around the farm.

Shop Ford Trucks

Q: How do you use your farm truck?

A: One of the things that we're going to use the Ford for is to haul gravel in our little Branson tractor. I'm going to put it in the back of the truck and I'll be able to make one run from our gravel pit clear up to here without having to go back and forth multiple times.

I can tell you that all by myself we can fill it up with almost half a cord of wood, which makes it super nice if you heat your house with wood. That's one of the things that's really nice about the long bed.

Q: Is there anything about your truck you couldn't live without?

A: Our Ford has the four-wheel-drive off-and-on switch on the column. You can turn the four-wheel-drive on and off, without having to get out and get in and get out and get in. Those are really nice things about the Ford.

What I really, really like about it is I like that it's got a nice roomy backend. The long bed makes it really easy to gather stuff to bring back out to the farm or to move around the farm. It's never failed us. Aside from one time getting stuck with the hitch directly into a snowbank, we've never actually had any problems with the Ford. It takes us where we need to go.

Q: How does your truck handle snow?

A: If you were going to talk about how extreme our weather can be here, we have had a couple of times out at the farm where we have almost four feet of snow on the ground, and underneath that four feet of snow is about a half an inch of ice. We can put chains on the front of the Ford and get ourselves out to the main road pretty easily, even if it hasn't been plowed. The Ford can push through all of that.

Q: Do you use your Ford truck for anything other than working on your farm?

A: The Ford one-ton, it really is made for hauling. It's a long bed. We use it all the time, whether it's hauling materials to bring out to the farm or hauling materials around the farm. It's really heavy-duty, so it's not something we run around in if we don't have to because there is a 12-point turn you have to make with a Ford truck with a long bed. But other than that, it's done everything from haul apples from the orchard to hosting an occasional bear that gets on the inside.

Shop Ford Trucks

Q: It sounds like you really like your truck. Is there anything you would change about it if you could?

A: I think I'd love to have a new Ford truck. I'm pretty sure they're quieter. I'm sure that some of the upgrades would be really nice like hands-free when you're driving down the road would be super nice. Otherwise, I have to tell you it's a good truck. It's a good solid, sturdy truck, so I'm still sold on the Ford. It can be difficult to turn in a parking lot so sometimes it can be challenging to find a parking spot. They still make parking spots for little tiny vehicles or small trucks, not long beds, so that can make it challenging.

The other thing Ford could do a better job of is the latch on the back of the tailgate, we have had three replacement tailgates in the last 15 years or so. It's because the latch continues to break because they're little plastic pieces. If you're going to make a work truck, the internal part of the mechanism that you open and shut all the time should be a lot sturdier. If I had a magic wand to change our Ford, I would fix the tailgate permanently and I would make sure that it turned easily. Those are the two things that I would change immediately about our Ford. Otherwise, it's a great vehicle.

Q: Are you loyal to a particular brand of truck?

A: We're a Ford household. I really like the Ford not just because of the name, but because the engine is strong. We have had almost zero problems with it really except for a couple of front end issues, and that has to do with riding down a 3.7-mile dirt road on a regular basis can be pretty tough on that.

Q: What types of research did you do prior to purchasing your Ford truck?

A: First, we do online research.We talk to other people that we know. Some of it is our own personal experience. After having a farm for over 15 years and being at a certain place of maturity, you can talk to people about what their experiences are. I think personal recommendations are really important, because when you go to a dealer, oftentimes you feel pressured. If you can go with the information ahead of time then you don't have to worry about being forced into buying something that you don't want.

Q: What do you do to maintain your Ford truck?

A: We have a mechanic. He is scheduled to do regular oil changes and tire pressure checks. We don't buy new trucks because we're a farm. Honestly, that's something that's a luxury for most people. We just make sure that the truck will be reliable enough to go back and forth on a daily basis.

Q: What type of cab do you think is best for a farm truck?

A: We look at the interiors. It needs to hold up. It needs to be strong enough. A bear got into the cab number of times last year and the only thing that was damaged in the upholstery was a small rip from his claw. Considering the damage bears can do to a vehicle, our truck held up. The interior and the upholstery held up.

We also look for comfort. The seats are super important. I need to be sure they will get my small body close enough to the steering wheel and to the interior that I can feel comfortable braking and accelerating, and all of those kinds of things. Obviously, heated seats are really nice.