Pickup truck

A pickup truck or pick-up, often simply referred to as a pickup, is a light motor vehicle with an open-top, rear cargo area (bed).

 

In North America, the term pickup is used only for light trucks,[citation needed] while in other parts of the world it includes coupé utility vehicles, based on car chassis. Some countries have their own terms equivalent to pickup, such as ute – an abbreviation of utility vehicle – in Australia and New Zealand, or bakkie in South Africa.

 

Full-size pickups

A full-size pickup is a large pickup truck suitable for hauling heavy loads and performing other functions. Most full-size trucks can carry at least 1,000 lb (450 kg) in the rear bed, with some capable of over six times that much. The bed is usually constructed so as to accommodate a 4 ft (1.2 m) wide object, such as sheets of plywood, drywall, or other flat materials produced in that size as standard, with a bed able to carry 8 ft (2.4 m) long material available (although in some cases this size is available only in combination with shorter cab options). Most are front-engine and rear-wheel drive with four-wheel drive optional, and most use a live axle with leaf springs in the rear. They are commonly found with a V6 or V8 engine. In addition, a diesel engine is often an option.

 

Definition

Several North American vehicles, the Chevrolet El Camino, Ford Ranchero, Dodge Rampage, Honda Ridgeline and Subaru Baja have beds, but they are not usually referred to as pickups in North America, because their design and construction does not conform to normal expectations of "trucks".[citation needed] Although the El Camino and the Ranchero were built with body-on-frame architectures, they were based on existing station wagon platforms, while the Ridgeline uses a spot welded sheet steel monocoque (unibody) chassis in the same style as modern passenger cars. Trucks typically have either a tubular or channel rail chassis with a fully floating cab and separate cargo section to allow for chassis flex and prevent warping of the sheetmetal. The sheet steel in both of these sections is not a stressed member.

 

A combination of the two styles, monocoque cab and engine bay welded to a 'C' section chassis rear is commonly used for trucks (such as the Mercedes-Benz Sprinterchassis cab), but has not been common in North America. For instance, when offered in Australia it is known as the 'one tonner' because it is rated to carry some 250 kg (551 lb) more than the all monocoque style.

 

In Australia and New Zealand vehicles like the Holden Ute and Falcon Utility are colloquially called utes (shortened for utility vehicle, see: "Coupe utility").

 

In Romania they're known as a "slipper", in Egypt a "half truck" and in Israel a tender.

 

Panel vans, popular in Australia during the 1970s were based on a ute chassis; known in Egypt as a "box".Coupé utilities and panel vans usually have an integral cargo bed behind the cabin with unibody or monocoque construction like automobiles.

 

The design details of such vehicles vary significantly, and different nationalities seem to specialize in different styles and sizes of vehicles.