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Monster Truck Prices – Are They Really That Expensive?

by Kelvin Yates

Are you a monster Monster Jam fan and do you want to learn the monster truck prices? If that is the case then you are at the right place because we are going to learn everything when it comes to monster trucks.

Being a motorsport fan these days ain’t easy since there are a ton of things to watch on TV over the weekend. Personally, I’m a big fan of F1 and I never miss a race, I try to learn everything possible when it comes to it and how an F1 car works. There is nothing better than watching these works of art going more than 200+ mph in the straights.

But I also enjoy watching Monster Jam and other monster truck events that are out there. So, I felt that this topic is rarely discussed and there isn’t too much focus on these beautiful machines. And trust me, the level of engineering that goes into these trucks is immense in comparison to other motorsports. That’s why it deserves a decent and thorough elaboration.

That’s why this article is all about monster trucks. We will learn from the basics, what’s a monster truck and the history of these trucks. Then we will learn the main characteristics and also the monster truck prices. We will also discuss the cost to build one. So, let’s get into it.

What Is A Monster Truck?

A monster truck as its name implies is a truck. More precisely a pickup truck that is beefed up to the maximum, gaining the nickname Monster Truck. Some monster trucks are also built on an SUV platform since this platform is shared interchangeably between the full-size pickup trucks and SUVs.

These trucks are participating in events that are located in an arena. There are tens of thousands of spectators at each of these monster truck events. And the biggest show when it comes to monster trucks as we mentioned is Monster Jam, where the hottest trucks come to do the impossible maneuvers and jumps.

In the events that are under Monster Jam, there are three types of competition. The first is racing where trucks and drivers are competing between them. Then are the two-wheel skills and also the freestyle is saved for last in order for the drivers to show what they can do with their monster truck.

As we said, these events are extremely popular and are held in numerous stadiums around the US. And then there is the Monster Jam World Final which is the best and hottest race on the calendar. This race is basically the last final event of the winter season. Similarly to the Super Bowl in football. Many people call this event to be the Super Bowl of monster truck races.

Overall, these events are held on dirt where these trucks perform the best and they often climb over big dirt obstacles and scrap cars to show their superiority. But they often also could break under these heavy loads. And here come the monster truck prices. But more on that in a bit. Let’s discuss the history of these trucks.

Monster Truck History

Monster trucks are not that old as you are probably thinking. The first monster trucks were developed in the ’70s. In the beginning, these trucks were developed to compete in sports like truck pulling and also mud bogging.

These sports were hugely demanding and the regular trucks couldn’t deliver the performance that was required by them. So, owners had to modify their trucks and lift them in the air in order to make a good result. There were a couple of lifted trucks at the time and they caught all of the attention.

We all know that in our country everything revolves around trucks. So, people loved this and wanted something similar. Soon after, a lot of people have started to modify their trucks and created off-roading beasts.

In the beginning, there were big truck competitions only where people choose the biggest truck. But soon after, there were events that were made specifically for these trucks. The early events came in 1981 where the first truck ran over junk cars. And this is reported as the first such event. Soon after a lot of other events popped out and created the car crusher image to the monster truck.

In the beginning, these trucks were running smaller diameter wheels. More precisely 48 inches, which is tiny in comparison to the ones that were run later. These wheels were 66 inches in diameter. Which is insane.

Then these trucks were starting to pop out quite often on different motoring events that were held. These trucks were used to entertain the audience when there were breaks between races. People were entertained and really enjoyed it. Soon after other events followed, specifically dedicated specifically for these trucks. But what about monster truck prices? More on that in a bit.

Monster Truck Main Characteristics

The original monster trucks that were used in the ’70s and ’80s were using the original chassis of the truck that it came from the factory with. But strongly reinforced and equipped with a beefier suspension that was able to withstand the impacts when the vehicle was falling to the ground.

This design though was soon outdated because these trucks did not last for a lot of races and were extremely expensive to repair and also too heavy since they incorporated a big steel frame with two long beams.

That’s why something else had to be done to make the monster truck more reliable and to reduce the monster truck prices down. The solution for this problem was the use of a tubular chassis. This new chassis allowed the trucks to have more than four feet of ground clearance which is quite good for jumping these trucks over the steep obstacles.

In addition to this, these trucks started to use a four-link suspension. This suspension outperformed everything that was used before when it came to monster trucks. The new monster truck also uses a fiberglass body which is easily swappable and also quite lighter than the old metal panels that are found on a regular truck. Overall, the new design was a generation leap when it comes to monster truck design.

Also, these monster trucks are packing more power under the hood as well. And that is a lot of power, trust me. More than 1,500hp to be more precise. All this is possible by the big supercharger that is installed on top of the engine. And also this engine is not your regular pickup engine but a heavy-duty one that was reinforced to handle all this power.

Can You Purchase One For Yourself?

Anything is for sale for a good price. You can purchase one but you need to learn first the monster truck prices that we are going to cover later in the article. But what is important here is that if you can purchase one.

This can be a tricky task since a lot of these trucks are dear to their owners. There is little possibility that you would get your hands around one of these trucks for cheap or not at all.

To get one of these trucks, you will also have to have a proven record when it comes to driving these machines. At least you should be a monster truck or dirt track racer at one point in your life. You need to understand these trucks to get one for yourself.

And by understanding, we mean maintenance. The truck will not roll on its own power all the time. It is not a street truck but a race truck. This means that it uses race fuel and other goodies that race machines are using.

And you will not be able even to pour fuel in it since it is so tall. If you go to a gas station. There is a high chance that you will not even be able to come close to it since the truck is so tall.

Also, when it comes to doing repairs and other work on this truck. This isn’t cheap. So, if you want to learn the monster truck prices and you want to own a truck like this, you will need to have a team of technicians at your disposal at any given moment.

Monster Truck Prices

We have covered if you can buy one and the answer is yes. Everything is available for a good price. But what are the monster truck prices? In this chapter, we are going to find out precisely that and we will learn how the ownership is going to affect you. Since owning a truck like this requires quite a lot when it comes to keeping it race-worthy.

So what are the monster truck prices? The lowest that you can get a monster truck for is $300,000 and that is only for trucks that are more than 20 years old. If you want something newer and better you will have to open up your pocket a bit more and pay up to $600,000 for a monster truck in good condition that is race-worthy.

Not to mention that if you want to purchase one at all, you will need to have a lot of connections and people that will be likely to sell this monster truck to you. Because if you don’t have connections. Nobody would like to sell it to you. People who want to get rid of these trucks want their trucks to go to a good place where they will be maintained properly and also exhibited at car shows and other venues. Because for these purposes these things are made for.

Even if you are able to get your hands around one of these trucks, you will have to pay people to haul it around the country and also pay people to maintain it. These cannot be any people but certified mechanics that know their work and know-how to fix these trucks. This will also cost you maybe $200,000 per year. Even more in some instances.

How To Build A Monster Truck

We have learned that the monster truck prices are rather expensive. But what about building one? This is also one of the options that are on the table. Since building one can be a more affordable option if you want to go for something in a smaller form factor that was built from a regular Ford F-250 let’s say.

Not to mention that this truck will be also a better option for maintenance and other expenditures. So, what are the monster truck prices, how expensive it is to build one? Let’s find out.

Things You Will Need For This Conversion And Their Cost

Now let’s imagine that you want to build a monster truck from the ground up and you want this to be done in a budget. The truck alone is going to cost you between $20,000 to $50,000 depending on the make and model that you want to purchase.

For this specific build, you cannot go for your regular full-size truck like the F-150 or the RAM 1500. For this, you are going to need something beefier that has an extra-strong frame. Preferably an F-250 or F-350. Similar trucks in this class as well will do the trick. For example RAM 2500 or 3500. You get my point. Big truck for big results.

Another thing that you will need is an aftermarket 4 link suspension. Without this type of suspension, you can simply forget it. Unfortunately, this suspension is rather expensive and it’s going to cost you a good penny if you want to get a custom suspension for your truck. On average this type of suspension cost around $2,500 each. So, you will need 4 of them and they are going to cost you $10,000+ depending on where you get this suspension.

Another thing that you will need is a roll cage. A roll cage that needs to be fabricated specifically for your truck. This roll cage will also cost you between $5,000 to $10,000 depending on the welder and its wage demands. Also, you need to get a good welder that focuses on this stuff. You cannot afford an inexperienced guy to fabricate a cage for you, cause it can cost your life.

And the last thing is the engine and transmission. You need a beefy supercharged or turbocharged engine to get the required performance. Overall, that’s it.

How The Monster Truck Conversion Is Done?

Putting together a monster truck is a tedious process that costs a lot of money. Because there will be people working on your truck for months to bring it to the desired spec and make it roadworthy.

This team has to have experience in fabrication. Remember that every monster truck is unique and you will never find two monster trucks based on the same specs. You will have to learn the portfolio of the team and understand their experience of what they have built and what they are promising you for your budget.

After agreeing on the costs to get this work done. They will then start to dismantle the truck and prepare it for the new components. Everything has to be reengineered and fabricated from the ground up. The stock suspension is junk and the stock axles will be upgraded with beefier axles that will be able to withstand this load.

Then they will install the 4 link suspension components and finish up the suspension. There will be some cutting involved as well. The bed of the truck has to be cut down to pieces to accommodate the big wheels. Also the front fenders as well.

Then it comes to the inside renovation. All the components were removed and a roll cage was installed for your safety along with the racing seat with full racing equipment. And the last important bit is the engine and transmission that have to be specifically engineered for this application. A supercharged engine with over 1,500 horsepower preferably and a big heavy-duty transmission that will not break.

And a few other bits and pieces and you have for yourself a full-blown monster truck. And what is left is the monster truck prices to be paid.

Monster Truck Prices To Build One

Now let’s talk monster truck prices, how much it will presumably cost you to build a monster truck for yourself? This is crucial to know if you have the budget to pull this thing through and build one of these trucks for yourself.

The first important thing is the truck. Truck prices vary, but let’s say that you will get a used F-250 truck for $50,000. Then there comes the 4 link suspension that is going to cost you probably $10,000 to $20,000. In addition to this, you will need new beefier front and rear axles. These will also cost you $10,000 to $15,000.

Molnster Truck Prices

In addition to this is the roll cage that will cost you $5,000 to $8,000. Not to forget the important bit and that is the engine and transmission that have to be specifically built for this truck alone. They are going to cost you $25,000 to $30,000. And other small bits and pieces that will cost you around $20,000. So, overall, you will need $150,000+ to pull this off. And that is only for the parts.

For the labor, you will need a whole team of people that are going to work on this project. And they will not work for free. You can expect to pay them the same amount that you paid for the parts and that is $150,000.

So, overall, you can expect to pay the total to be $300,000 for a fully built monster truck. Not to forget the maintenance and repairs that can also cost about $150,000 per year. So, you get my point. Monster truck prices are crazy expensive. So, the best would be to get an RC monster truck for $500 and enjoy it to the fullest.

Is A Monster Truck Street Legal?

No, it isn’t. And it can’t be, because it goes above the proportions of what is legal and allowed in the states. This means that you cannot register this type of vehicle and driving it on the street will result in fines from the police.

And you also don’t have a road that is that wide to drive it. Some of the roads will not even fit a monster truck at all, not to mention that it basically takes almost two separate lanes. So, if you want to drive it you will only be allowed to drive it at some venues that are designed for these trucks.

Events like demolition rallies or dirt races. But even there this beast will not fit. It is so unpractical when it comes to driving it on the roads. That’s why I think it doesn’t worth the investment of purchasing one since the monster truck prices are as well extremely high.

But they are great fun to watch, to be honest. Watching them jump around on the track and go over junk cars always impressed me. Since I was a kid I always enjoyed watching these races and now as an adult, I still enjoy watching them. But as far as me, the only monster truck I will have is an RC monster truck. Since cannot afford the pleasure of owning one.

Facts: Becoming a Monster Truck Driver

  • Monster truck competitions are a competitive circuit that can be turned into a full-time career.
  • The cost of a new or used monster truck is not fixed and can vary widely.
  • The average cost to get a monster truck ready for competition is about $150,000, with the engine alone costing about $40,000.
  • Drivers can save money by building their own custom trucks, but this can be time-consuming.
  • Maintenance and repair costs can be almost as high as the initial purchase price due to the trucks being hard on vehicles.
  • The average annual salary of monster truck drivers is only $29,000, despite many performances per year.
  • Sponsorships cover the cost of keeping the truck operational and other expenses, but little money goes to the driver’s salary.
  • Connections are important in the industry, and many drivers start young or work their way up from volunteering at events.
  • Drivers must be prepared to make significant financial and personal sacrifices to pursue this career.
  • Becoming a professional monster truck driver requires a lot of research, preparation, and commitment.

Conclusion

In this article, we have covered a lot when it comes to monster truck prices. We have covered a lot when it comes to monster trucks awe well. We learned the basics of what are monster trucks and what are the main characteristics that classify them as such.

As we can remember the whole concept dates back from the ’70s where these trucks were first introduced. In the beginning, they were intended only for show but there was a crowd who liked them and there are many events right now that involve monster trucks.

Then we have covered the monster truck prices. We learned the cost to purchase a monster truck as well as the cost of building one for yourself. And as we concluded, it is not cheap and people who can afford it are really rare. A monster truck build will easily cost you more than $300k. That’s why let’s stick to the shows on TV or go to some of these events where we can see them live.

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