WhistlinDiesel on YouTube installed 240-inch (20 foot) wooden wheels on their first-gen GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab
Lifestyle pickup trucks are arguably the most utilitarian option one can buy without having to compromise on (relatively) easy driveability and family-oriented use. India is still at an infant stage when it comes to privately-owned pickup trucks. At the moment, Isuzu Motors’ D-Max V-Cross is the best choice on the market as Tata Motors could not find many takers for its Xenon lifestyle range.
Global Pickup Truck Trends
Over the years, pickup trucks have acquired multiple sizes while remaining mostly identical in shape. The basic focus of transporting cargo has not changed but the approach has taken different routes in recent times. For instance, Ford Motor Company has the F-150 Raptor which, to an extent, is like a sportscar among pickup trucks. Electric powertrains are also entering the pickup truck scenario. Excellent choices include the Rivian R1T and Bollinger B2.
Ever since the pickup truck segment debuted in the early 20th century, coachbuilders and other customisation platforms have created one-offs or better formats of existing products. The pickup truck modification scene is going strong to this date and as a result, we have come across several extreme cases in a sea of extra-functional examples. Here is one such overboard mod:
Pickup truck enthusiasts’ YouTube channel WhistlinDiesel has installed 20-foot (240 inches!) wheels on their first-gen GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab. It has apparently broken the previous record set by ‘Big Foot’, a monster truck (based on the Ford F-250) with 10-foot wheels.
The Project In Brief
Of course, the modification was done just for the fun of it in case the wooden skinny wheels do not resonate the same. In fact, the wheels are not even round but a decagon (10 sides). The video starts by explaining the math behind the project and how to go about it. After fabricating the wooden wheel — with angle irons for extra stiffness — the team had to dig a couple of 8-foot (~2.43m) trenches (separated by the pickup’s width) to align and install the enormous wheels.
Since the soil was loose and moist, WhistlinDiesel had to speed up the work as chances of the vehicle going down under its own weight were high. The team finally completes the project and achieved a ground clearance of roughly 10 feet (~3m). It is worth mentioning that the donor vehicle sat 221mm (8.7 inches) above the ground when new. Finally, it was time to drive the vehicle and announce its success.
After some initial jolts, the driveshaft broke. Hence, the team decided to pull the Sierra using a bigger pickup truck. The vehicle moved for about 10 seconds before plummeting to the ground, rather unsurprisingly. WhistlinDiesel is not new to absurd and pointless pickup truck projects and experiments. The channel has over a million subscribers as the content is generally fun to watch.
