Truck of The Year
Over the years, The Ranger Station has featured some incredible Ford Rangers and Ranger-Based Vehicles built by members of our community.
From 1999 through 2014, we held monthly truck features and contests that recognized outstanding off-road and street trucks. Beginning in 2008, forum members were given the opportunity to vote for an annual Truck of the Year from the monthly winners.
After a long hiatus, the Truck of the Year contest returned in 2024 as part of The Ranger Station’s 25th Anniversary celebration.
2024 Truck of the Year
In 2024, The Ranger Station brought back the monthly Truck of the Month contest as part of our 25th Anniversary celebration. Forum members nominated and voted for their favorite trucks throughout the year, and the monthly winners advanced to compete for the title of 2024 Truck of the Year.
The final vote resulted in a tie between forum members Kirby N and BlackBII. The TRS Forum staff was asked to break the tie and selected Kirby N’s 1991 Ford Ranger STX as the 2024 Truck of the Year.
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2008-2014 Truck of the Year
The Ranger Station held an Off-Road Truck of the Month contest from 1999 through 2014 and a Street Truck of the Month contest from 2002 through 2014.
Beginning in 2008, forum members were able to vote for the Truck of the Year from the trucks that had won the monthly contests. Depending on the year, separate Off-Road and Street Truck of the Year winners were selected.
Below are the Truck of the Year winners from 2008 through 2014.
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2004 Trucks of the Year
Although we didn’t hold an annual Truck of the Year contest before 2008, we did recognize two Trucks of the Year in 2004.
Byron Smith’s 1987 Ford Ranger 2004 Off-Road Truck of the Year |
John Saxon’s 1986 Ford Ranger 2004 Street Truck of the Year |
The Very First Truck of the Year
When I created The Ranger Station in 1999, members and visitors would send me photos of their Ford Rangers. I featured many of those trucks in our Gallery section, showcasing the different ways people were building and enjoying their Rangers.
At the end of 1999, I selected Mike DeHosse’s 1986 Ford Ranger 4×4 as The Ranger Station’s very first Truck of the Year.
Mike DeHosse’s 1986 Ford Ranger 4×4
1999 Truck of the Year
About The Author
Jim Oaks is the founder of TheRangerStation.com, the longest-running Ford Ranger resource online since 1999. With over 25 years of hands-on experience building and modifying Ford Rangers — including magazine-featured builds like Project Transformer — Jim has become one of the most trusted authorities in the Ford Ranger off-road and enthusiast space.
Since launching TheRangerStation.com, Jim has documented thousands of real-world Ranger builds, technical repairs, drivetrain swaps, suspension modifications, and off-road adventures contributed by owners worldwide. TheRangerStation.com has been referenced in print, video and online by enthusiasts, mechanics, and off-road builders looking for practical, and experience-based information.