Frenchy:

Two lines removed due to some who may be overly sensitive.

All I know is that Ford trucks have been outselling other brands for years and there has to be a reason besides my liking them. <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Here in Wisconsin, most independent contractors run Ford pickups and vans while fleet sales tend to go to other brands primarily because you can't get deep discounts on Fords. <img src="images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

My current van is a 1989 E150 with over 200,000 miles on the original cast iron 300 cu. in straight 6 cylinder. The body is finally starting to rust, but the frame and drive train are still kick-butt tough. <img src="images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Bountyhunter <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Sorry if it sounded like flame-baiting, but after going through all the possible technicalities of tree stump removal and then getting a tractor curve ball thrown in there, I felt a little levity was in order.

The part about the root mass was true; I had hoped the rest could be understood as a joke, but I may have been wrong.

Bountyhunter

I didn't mean to doubt your ability to be honest, about trucks or anything.
I just tried to make a joke. Sorry, if I failed....

As a matter of fact, I'm totally ignorant about anything mechanic (or at least, almost ...).

When I was flying ULM (Ultra Light Motorized glider), the only thing I didn't like was the noise of the motor (in fact, I had a change of opinion about that, the day I no longer heard it, while flying .... I made a fast landing that day .... <img src="images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> )

As for cars, I have found a garage owner (more of a friend now) whom I totally trust (experiences ....) and I buy the cars he sells. For some years now, he is an Opel reseller, so I drive Opels !
I'm now living near Paris, and I drive about 350km (each way) to have my car serviced in his garage. Anyway, he is much cheaper than other garages in Paris. And I visit family in the area as well...

I enjoyed the joke. I drive neither Fords nor Chevys, so I wasn't offended either way! <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

hehehe - naw, it was funny to me, too...

...especially since all 4 of these have pulled many stumps for me and all are real workhorses:

77 F250 HD V8 (now belongs to son #2)
79 F250 V8 (now belongs to son #1)
97 E350 V10 (wife's; she says son #3 can't have it, and yes, it's pulled a few big stumps)
01 F250 SD V10 (mine)

one of these years I suppose we might wear one out...

... FWIW, leaving a 3-4 foot high stump and hitching up high on it makes the pulling a lot less exciting - leverage.

Tom

bountyhunter,
You sure you don't have that reversed? In NJ Ford offers major fleet discounts. When we bought our commercial trucks the discount they gave us was much more then GM or Dodge. That is one of the reasons why we bought so many Fords, you can't beat their price for trucks that arn't half bad. It came out that for every 5 trucks we got one basically for free. The only better deal we ever got on trucks was when I bought the Dodge dump, no one wanted it because it was gas.

Paul810:

I am going strictly on hearsay about the discounts, but when I was active in the HVAC-R contracting work, most of my fellow independents ran Ford Vans.

Bountyhunter

Frenchy:

The editing was not because of anything you said but rather Minime's concern that I might be flame-baiting. Hereabouts in Wisconsin we run down each others choice of liquor, guns, clothes, houses, girl friends, lawns, sports ability, and practically anything and everything except religion, family (including wives), and national heritage and we all understand it is in fun. Minime seemed to be concerned that I might start a flaming war with overly sensitive types or maybe he thought I just wanted a flaming war, so I edited 2 lines for the politically correct bunch.

Bountyhunter