Rick Perry is all wet: You can put hay in a Prius

News Type: Opinion — Seeded on Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:21 AM EDT

Article Source: The Austin American-Statesman

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Seeded by Scott (Scoop) Butki

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Groups: Howto, Mel and Brenda's Group
Regions: Austin-TX

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4.6

{"commentId":2299519,"authorDomain":"sbutki"}

Scott (Scoop) Butki

Gov. Rick Perry made the point that Texans will continue to drive their pickups no matter what gas costs by saying: "You can't put a bale of hay in the back of a Prius. It don't work."

That sounded like a dare to me. A double-dog dare, as a matter of fact. Why couldn't you pack hay into a Prius? Heck, I'll bet you could get a small pig on the back seat of a Prius with a ramp and an electric prod.

So on Friday, I borrowed a Prius hatchback and took it out to Callahan's General Store in Southeast Austin to see just how much hay you can jam into one of these weenie hybrids.

{"commentId":2299519,"threadId":"321100","contentId":"1701211","authorDomain":"sbutki"}

1 vote

#1 - Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:23 AM EDT

{"commentId":2299738,"authorDomain":"tigerblade"}

tigerblade

Well, fortunately hay probably tastes better than crow, so he's in luck.

{"commentId":2299738,"threadId":"321100","contentId":"1701211","authorDomain":"tigerblade"}

1 vote

#1.1 - Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:49 AM EDT

{"commentId":2299853,"authorDomain":"amazingsdj"}

AmazingSDJ

I hate to defend Rick Perry, but as the daughter of country folks I have to say that there are some jobs that just require a pickup.

There are things that get hauled in pickups that are alot messier than hay. I wouldn't want goats in my Prius (if I actually had a Prius).

I doubt a Prius wouldn be able to drive over the terraces at my parents' farm, particularly after a good rain. It would take a tractor to pull it out of the mud. And if you think a truck gets bad gas mileage, try driving a tractor.

And as far as a bale of hay goes...they used the little bitty bales in their demonstration. A REAL bay of hay looks more like this, and stands 5-6 feet tall.

{"commentId":2299853,"threadId":"321100","contentId":"1701211","authorDomain":"amazingsdj"}

2 votes

#2 - Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:02 AM EDT

{"commentId":2300049,"authorDomain":"tigerblade"}

tigerblade

While you're right that there are definitely some things that can't/shouldn't ever be hauled in a Prius or similarly sized vehicle, the point was more that a big pickup truck is not required for everything. Unless you really are hauling goats or other large-scale/messy items, a Prius would be much better to work with in terms of fuel efficiency.

The point being that there's no need to always be driving around a giant gas guzzler if there are better alternatives available.

Besides, can you really fit a bale of hay into a regular pickup truck if you're talking one the size of what you linked to? I don't know if most pickup beds can handle something that size.

{"commentId":2300049,"threadId":"321100","contentId":"1701211","authorDomain":"tigerblade"}

2 votes

#2.1 - Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:21 AM EDT

{"commentId":2300251,"authorDomain":"amazingsdj"}

AmazingSDJ

My folks have a regular car for running non-messy errands and a truck for farm stuff. My dad's truck is a regular 4-door Chevy and will carry one of those big bales, but then the dog has to stay home. :)

{"commentId":2300251,"threadId":"321100","contentId":"1701211","authorDomain":"amazingsdj"}

2 votes

#2.2 - Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:41 AM EDT

{"commentId":2301257,"authorDomain":"sbutki"}

Scott (Scoop) Butki

Just out of curiousity how much does a Prius cost? I really want my next car to be a hybrid but I'm not exactly making a lot of money.

{"commentId":2301257,"threadId":"321100","contentId":"1701211","authorDomain":"sbutki"}

#2.3 - Mon Jul 28, 2008 1:25 PM EDT

{"commentId":2301339,"authorDomain":"tigerblade"}

tigerblade

According to Toyota, the regular Prius starts at $21,500 MSRP.

{"commentId":2301339,"threadId":"321100","contentId":"1701211","authorDomain":"tigerblade"}

#2.4 - Mon Jul 28, 2008 1:34 PM EDT

{"commentId":2316211,"authorDomain":"sbutki"}

Scott (Scoop) Butki

Hm I can afford that. BTW has there been any thought given to a newsvine for people wanting to buy and sell things (i.e. computers, hybrid cars)

{"commentId":2316211,"threadId":"321100","contentId":"1701211","authorDomain":"sbutki"}

#2.5 - Tue Jul 29, 2008 10:43 PM EDT

{"canLink":false,"threadId":"321100","isPrivate":false}

SCOTT (SCOOP) BUTKI

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Rick Perry is all wet: You can put hay in a Prius

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