How often do you drive. . . .
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Senior User
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How often do you drive. . . .
Okay, everybody, how frequently do you drive your trucks? I am asking, due to knowing that it is as bad on a vehicle to NOT drive it fairly regularly as it is to never take care of it or do preventive maintenance. I'd just like to see what the general "norm" is out there. <!-- / message --><!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: ad_showthread_firstpost_sig --><!-- END TEMPLATE: ad_showthread_firstpost_sig -->
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2005
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I guess my main concern is how often you should drive your trucks in order to ensure that seals, gaskets, etc. do not dry out, go bad and fail. Not just in the motor, but in and on the entire vehicle overall. Every few days, once a week, every two weeks.....which typically is best?
Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 32
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From: Motherwell Scotland
use mine every day untill i got rear ended been off road two years now but will be finnished for end of march and will be daily drive once more 
oil additive in most places will prevent failure of seals if used properly but good point . just hope i dont look like a fool and take my truck out for the first time in two years and leave an oil slick behind me .haha 
oil additive in most places will prevent failure of seals if used properly but good point . just hope i dont look like a fool and take my truck out for the first time in two years and leave an oil slick behind me .haha
This space for rent...
Joined: Apr 2009
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From: In the garage
I'm not sure there really is a good answer to that question. I've known vehicles that have sat for a year and a half and never had a problem when used again. I've know vehicles that have sat for a few months and have had seals blow out of them when used again.
My main truck gets driven almost everyday... of course it's sitting right now after blowing a head gasket. My F-350 gets driven only when plowing. Prior to purchasing it, it had sat for 2 years. When I limped it home it leaked like a sieve out of the rear main. I changed the oil and dumped Lucas in it and it hasn't dropped drop one of oil in the past three months. However, it doesn't like to start after sitting for weeks at a time, so I let it idle in my driveway every couple of days. My Bronco gets driven a few times a month and it's pretty happy with that situation. My Talon sat for a month and was angry as hell when I went to use it. My Pulsar doesn't like to start after sitting for a couple of days. Generally vehicles just don't like to sit... which gets hard when you own a lot of them. Long story short, your guess is as good as mine.
My main truck gets driven almost everyday... of course it's sitting right now after blowing a head gasket. My F-350 gets driven only when plowing. Prior to purchasing it, it had sat for 2 years. When I limped it home it leaked like a sieve out of the rear main. I changed the oil and dumped Lucas in it and it hasn't dropped drop one of oil in the past three months. However, it doesn't like to start after sitting for weeks at a time, so I let it idle in my driveway every couple of days. My Bronco gets driven a few times a month and it's pretty happy with that situation. My Talon sat for a month and was angry as hell when I went to use it. My Pulsar doesn't like to start after sitting for a couple of days. Generally vehicles just don't like to sit... which gets hard when you own a lot of them. Long story short, your guess is as good as mine.
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2009
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From: Pacific NW (Washington)
I drive it (basically) every day. Between home, work, and school, there's not many days I don't have somewhere to go ...
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From: Ava,MO
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2009
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From: Lafayette, La.
I drive my 1981 f150 302,w/9" rear every day that I am not sick. Twice a week I drive 300 miles round trip to pick up supplies in Texas. It has 331,795 miles on the org. motor and burns about 3/4 of a quart of oil every 5,000 miles. When I got it had set in a field for 4 yrs. Slapped a battery and some gas in it and drove it home 550 miles from Mo. to La. When they say Ford tough, they aren't lying.
Junior User
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 54
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From: Sioux Falls, SD
I had an 86' F150 for 12 years and about half that it was a daily driver, the other half it sat in storage during the summer months and got used only after it snowed here. After 12 years and 170K the rear main started to leak, the brake line started to rust out, the body was a total rust bucket. I would be more concerned with anything steel rusting out depending on the environment your living in.
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 498
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I had neglected my 85 and had a 95 bronco that broke a trans at 200k. I was in need of a good truck to tow my car to the track so I settled on my 08 FX2, which is a awesome truck. I was driving my FX2 and a convertible mustang to work, but was starting to tear them up. I decided to put a little money into my 85 to commute to work. So I drive about 100 miles a day in my 85 beater.
Junior User
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 78
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From: Salt Lake City, UT
My '86 F250 gets driven on the weekends, and 1-2 days a week to work and back (3.4 miles round trip). I try and drive my '01 Taurus for the short little trips around town during the week, but once the weekend hits it gets parked untill Monday morning. I would drive the truck every day if the city mileage wasn't around 10 mpg (Taurus gets 25-30 in town).
Tuned
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 363
Likes: 3
From: Graham WA
86 F250 460 4x4
I have owned my rig for 11 years and put only 30,000 miles on it. Not a lot of driving. It sometimes goes weeks without driving. It always started and ran good. Just recently it has started running rough. I don't think that has anything to do with not driving enough though. No way to be sure of that.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,429
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From: patricia ab canada
i drive my 81 daily ,and my 86 gets used on weekends for dump runs and any heavy work.i use sea foam in my yard equipment that sits over the winter.it prevents varnish and the fuel from going stale,i never have a problem with my equipment.
