For anyone who knows me, you know how hard this day is. I have decided to sell my beloved 1992 D250 First Gen Cummins Dodge after owning it for 18 years.
My 1992 D250 Dodge. It has the Cummins 5.9 liter, 12-valve diesel engine known as the “Million Mile” engine because it’s so tough.
Click on the video above for more Cummins Dodge pics
I’ve absolutely loved this truck, and the new owner is going to be as happy with it as I am sad to see it go. Ask my wife Julia. She just bought a newer truck and we don’t need two trucks, so I’d rather see a new owner enjoy it than mothball it in our barn.
Hauling our mules and horses to Leatherwood, in Ferguson, North Carolina
This has been my favorite truck. Ever. Here, hanging out in the barn waiting for its next mission.
How I Bought My Truck
In 2004, I saddled my mule Woody in Oriental, North Carolina, and rode him 13 months and 3,500 miles across America to San Diego, California. Along the way, I bought a pack pony, Maggie, and when my trip was over, I bought a pickup truck, camper and trailer and hauled them from California back to North Carolina. The truck I bought all those years ago is the 1992 First Gen Cummins Dodge I’m now listing for sale.
In all the years I’ve owned it, I’ve used this truck to:
trailer my mule Woody and pony Maggie from California home to North Carolina after I rode them across the United States
trailer mule Polly to eastern North Carolina to film the Emmy award-winning PBS North Carolina segment “The Mule Rider“
bring my mules Brick and Cracker home from Idaho after I rode them 2,200 miles from my wife Julia’s and my cabin to her brother Nick and his wife Carolyn’s house in Sun Valley, Idaho. This is the story behind my book “Two Mules to Triumph“
On the Road
2006: Driving my mule Woody and pony Maggie home from California after I rode them from the Atlantic Ocean to San Diego, California. This was a few weeks after I bought my truck. Here, I’m visiting Leonard Knight of Salvation Mountain / “Into the Wild” Fame (Salvation Mountain, California)2009: Hauling mule Polly to Canada to the start of the “Lost Sea Expedition”2010: Hauling mule Polly home from Fort Hancock, Texas, at the end of the “Lost Sea Expedition”. Stream the Lost Sea Expedition free on YouTube.2019: Getting ready to haul my mules from Idaho back to North Carolina after I rode my mules Brick and Cracker out to see my brother in law Nick and his wife Carolyn (Hailey, Idaho)
That’s a lot of hauling mules I really care about, which is why I’ve taken such good care of this truck and trust it so much. Nobody likes to break down while they’re hauling their horses or mules.
It’s also reliably hauled my mules and me to dozens of book signings, school programs, and library visits. I’ve also used it to haul hay, gravel, lumber, mulch and whatever needs hauling (and yes, it always gets washed out after mulch).
Aside from that, it lives under cover and gets used less than 5k miles per year.
The truck has been serviced by Appalachian Tire and Auto in Lenoir, North Carolina.
The Truck’s Story
I’m the truck’s third owner.
This truck was bought by its first owner in Kansas, used lightly, and sold to the second owner, who lived in Arizona. I bought it from the second owner in Yuma, Arizona in 2005 and have enjoyed it ever since here in western North Carolina.
It’s pretty much like it came from the factory aside from the usual wear marks you’d find on a carefully used truck of this vintage.
Hauling our horse Magneto and mule Cracker to Moses Cone Estate for a trail ride (Blowing Rock, North Carolina)
The First Gen Bullet List
Stored under cover
Southern truck No body rust Straight body Regularly serviced and maintained (Appalachian Tire / Lenoir, NC / service records available) Never wrecked Totally stock Never modified Non smoker vehicle Transmission rebuilt 30k miles ago and pulls strong. No smoke Starts every time 20+mpg highway Seats have been covered since I bought it from the second owner (2005) so they’re in great shape Dash, carpet and upholstery in very good condition
*Note: Odometer reads 139,930 but quit working a few years ago so would guess vehicle is at +-175k miles
Automatic Regular cab 2-wd Drop in Bedliner Replaced headliner
AC blows cold. No leaks. Tires: 80% tread
TOWING SET UP Rear air bag suspension B&W Turnover ball gooseneck hitch Tekonsha Prodigy P3 Electric Brake Controller B&W receiver hitch Bull Ring tie downs (6) 2″ ball hitch
NEW OR REBUILT (receipts available): Transmission Brake booster Front/rear seals Window seals Door seals Armrests Passenger side window motor
KNOWN ISSUES: Odometer not working (quit at 139,930, vehicle now at +- 175k) Chip in windshield Headlights work but switch could use replacing Paint is faded in areas Radio not working
Price: $13,500
Movin’ On
SOLD: Congrats to Jason and Jaimee of Franklin, NC on your new pickup!
This truck hauled mule Polly to Canada for the start of the Lost Sea Expedition and brought her home from Fort Hancock, Texas when it was over. Twenty years ago, Polly and I spent 14 months traveling 2,500 miles from Neptune, Saskatchewan to the Rio Grande — filmed entirely by me. No crew. No drones. No AI. Just two movie cameras, Polly, and our handmade wagon.
The Lost Sea Expedition premiered on Rocky Mountain PBS and won the WINNIE Award at the EQUUS International Film Festival. For the first time, the full, uncut, original feature-length version is free to watch on YouTube.
If you’re in the market for a much-loved, strong, reliable, stock, gently driven First Gen Cummins Dodge, you’ll have to wait a long time for another one this cared for to come on the market.
Bernie Harberts
Lenoir, North Carolina
Payment: Certified check
Terms: 3 days
Get a Copy of Two Mules to Triumph
Two Mules to Triumph is about my (Bernie Harberts’) 2,300-mile saddle voyage from North Carolina to Idaho with my mules Brick and Cracker. Yes, my beloved Dodge makes an appearance in Two Mules to Triumph. I drove it from North Carolina to Idaho and back to bring my mules Brick and Cracker home after their journey. (306 pages)
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I like the safety of the newer one for towing the horses but I sure will miss the character of that old truck. Back road drives to diner dates just won’t be as romantic without it. Bye bye old truck I hope you find a great new home! You’ve been awfully good to Bernie all these years.
I’d like to call you and am interested in your truck. I need your cell. Mine 513.910.8462. Mike
I like the safety of the newer one for towing the horses but I sure will miss the character of that old truck. Back road drives to diner dates just won’t be as romantic without it. Bye bye old truck I hope you find a great new home! You’ve been awfully good to Bernie all these years.