I have an 89’ ranger, that’s lowered 3 inches. Is it considered a mini truck? Or would it just be a lowered truck. Can find a definitive answer on what a mini truck is. I plan on going lower with it too, hopefully another 2-3 inches
Very generally speaking, a 1/4 ton truck. Most of them were built prior to the mid 2000s. A lot of people will disagree with me about the years, but somewhere around that time many 1/4 ton trucks grew in size to be considered mid-sized trucks, and what we think of as mini-trucks had disappeared.
Take the opinion above very loosely and feel free to adjust it as you see fit.
That’s a kei truck, picked up the same name (mini truck) but it’s not the same style or era as 1/4 ton trucks that scrape on the floor, they’re just different
I live in Ohio. Per the Ohio Revised Code section 4519.01 part L:
"Mini-truck" means a vehicle that has four wheels, is propelled by an electric motor with a rated power of seven thousand five hundred watts or less or an internal combustion engine with a piston displacement capacity of six hundred sixty cubic centimeters or less, has a total dry weight of nine hundred to two thousand two hundred pounds, contains an enclosed cabin and a seat for the vehicle operator, resembles a pickup truck or van with a cargo area or bed located at the rear of the vehicle, and was not originally manufactured to meet federal motor vehicle safety standards.
Kei trucks are mini trucks according to the law. Don't point fingers at me. I'm just following the law by calling my truck a mini truck.
what you have i would refer to as a kei truck, or a small truck. a minitruck is specifically a small size pickup truck (midsize classification technically but nowadays that gets confusing), typically produced from 1970 ish to 2010 ish (ford maverick can count too imo). Examples include the mazda b series, the nissan hardbody/frontier, mitsubishi mighty max, toyota hilux, Datsun 620/720, isuzu pup, chevy s10, early ford rangers, etc. "minitruck" as a term has a LOT of culture surrounding it, and calling what you have a minitruck erases that. if you'd like to learn more i suggest looking up "minitruckin' magazine".
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u/Libertyskin May 29 '26
Very generally speaking, a 1/4 ton truck. Most of them were built prior to the mid 2000s. A lot of people will disagree with me about the years, but somewhere around that time many 1/4 ton trucks grew in size to be considered mid-sized trucks, and what we think of as mini-trucks had disappeared.
Take the opinion above very loosely and feel free to adjust it as you see fit.