Harold Flynn knows a thing or two about trucks. The 39-year old Florida resident makes his living hauling a wide variety of boats all over the country. Everything from offshore racing catamarans to yachts have been hooked up to his 2001 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Crew Cab 2WD pickup, to be hauled from sea-to-shining sea and everywhere in between. These enormous boats can be as long as 35 feet and weigh as much as 16,000 lbs., but that doesn’t stop his Cummins Turbo Diesel from pulling the load without breaking a sweat.
What’s even more amazing is that Harold’s Ram has logged over one million miles – and he’s the second owner. When he purchased the truck a few years back, it already had over 400k showing on the odometer. Harold had never owned a Ram before, but after witnessing firsthand the truck’s incredible towing capacity, he was convinced that it was the truck he needed for his line of work. As it turns out, the previous owner was also in the boat hauling business too, where he showed the Ram and its stout powertrain no mercy.
“This was my first Ram but after I hauled my first boat, I fell in love with [it]”, said Harold. “When you travel up and down the interstate, all you see are Ram Cummins [Turbo] Diesels hauling the big payloads. I meet a lot of people in my business and when I tell them how many miles [I have] on my Ram; they’re amazed. I truly believe this influences their purchasing decisions.”
When we asked Harold what type of maintenance he performs on his truck to keep it in tip-top shape for the long hauls, he told us that all he does is change the oil and filter every 8,000 to 10,000 miles. He makes money when his truck is on the road, so rock solid reliability is paramount. He reports that last month he was only home for three hours before getting a call to pick up another boat. Though Harold himself loves to get on the ocean whenever possible, the opportunities are few and far between these days; his services are always in high demand by boat owners and brokers alike.
Harold’s truck also draws a lot of uneasy stares amongst folks at the numerous marinas he frequents. Many of the pleasure crafts that he’s been hired to transport dwarf his truck. “A lot of boat owners get freaked out when they see my Ram 2500 pull in and hook up to their trailer. They’re expecting a big semi, but after I tell them about the awesome power of the 5.9L Cummins [Turbo] Diesel and how it’s much cheaper to operate than bigger trucks, they see my point. I recently covered 17,000 miles transporting a yacht from Maine to Newport Beach, California and ran 65 mph all the way with no problems. Even the elevation changes going through the mountains didn’t faze my Ram.”
Business has been picking up for Harold and he recently added a 2005 Ram 2500 to the corporate stable. When asked if he has plans on trading in or selling the 2001 “million-miler”, he chuckles and tells us that he’d like to see if he can double that number. Knowing Harold, we’d say that it’s a distinct possibility!
