Ford’s F-Series trucks have been on the market since 1948 in a variety of sizes and payload capacities. They have ranged from the basic F-100 half-ton up to the commercial-grade F-750. As a heavy-duty model, the F-250 is the one you want when you plan to haul a lot of stuff and frequently. Based on the seller’s limited description, this ’78 F-250 was transformed into a full-scale dump truck with the colors and markings of the famous Tonka Toys. Restored in 2020 and used for shows, this Ford was listed in Dallas, Texas (but the seller also says it’s in Virginia) and is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $35,000. Thanks for the tip on this one, Rocco B.!
Ironically, Tonka has been a manufacturer of toy trucks since 1948, too, targeting boys at 12 years and younger. About any variety of commercial trucks has been emulated, although a Ford F-250 dump truck may not be one of them. But if they did, it would probably look like the seller’s truck, which is said to be one-of-a-kind. We’re told this Ford is a working dump with one-ton axles, a 5-speed transmission, and a 4X4 platform.
We did a little homework and found an article about a similar truck, which may be the same truck. This one started as a stock 1978 Ford F-250 4X4 and had a custom dump bed fabricated for it. It’s said to be quite functional and would serve as the workhorse it looks like if it came to that. The suspension was beefed up and features 2.5-ton Rockwell military axles and the working hydraulics to support the hefty bed. Quite an interesting find and just the truck for someone who has everything. What would you do with it?
Complete awesomeness. Nuff said.
Very cool….. as best we can tell.
But I still don’t get the Facebook Marketplace selling mindset. Three pictures and minimal description??. I guess the approach is to assume this is enough to catch someone’s interest and they will pursue from there. And/or, the basic info is spread about (like to Barn Finds readers). Puts even more of the onus on the buyer, it seems. For me, the more info (descriptions, pictures) the better. Off my soapbox now.
I agree, Bob, it’s disheartening and depressing to see how little most people care about showing photos of a vehicle that they’re trying to sell online where it’s all about showing photos.
Russ hits it out of the park again on this one, nice work, Russ!
As a newer counterpoint, I ran across this one yesterday:
https://cnj.craigslist.org/ctd/d/toms-river-1994-gmc-top-kick/7442066273.html
Thanks Scotty. As a marketing person by nature, I, too, do not understand the logic of few words and fewer pictures to sell something like this. There’s a story here that would help sell the truck if it could only see the light of day.
This was featured on Bangshift over the weekend so it’s getting a good deal of exposure even with the limited # of pics.
THIS is “Bring a Trailer” kind of stuff…
Seems too cheap for a beautiful working truck.
Cute
I have a 1985 F150 4X4 that I converted to a dump bed using a Pierce-Arrow (yes that is the name of the company) universal kit. So that I can haul dirt and junk and not have to reload (as in unload) the stuff twice. (they no longer make the “official” kit for this truck because of the age) I also upped the carrying capacity with additional springs and upgraded tires. However, I DID NOT paint Tonka on the side. This one is too pretty to use. Just a show and parade truck.
Very cool!
Yes very cool, this has been for sale a long time.
Super cool no matter how old you are – I would love to show up on a busy construction site with this – you could probably sell a ton of hotdogs!