Colton Wilinski from Spencer, Iowa, isn’t the type of person content with a 9 to 5 job making $12.50 an hour. The idea of working for someone else and not being his own boss has never sat quite right with him. So when he graduated from Spencer High School in 2020, he went on to college at Iowa Central in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and received his carpenter’s degree in 2021. Since then, he has started his own landscaping and carpentry business, doing the same type of work he could do for someone else, but making a lot more money doing it on his own.

As an example of how dedicated Colton is to the principles that make self-employment work involves his early love of baseball. Colton grew up playing baseball practically from the time he could walk. When he played high school ball, he got a couple of offers to play college ball, but decided to give up that dream. Why? Because he decided he’d rather pursue the American Dream—running his own business, living off the sweat of his own brow, and having some “toys”–if that’s what you call a 7,000-pound 2013 Laramie Longhorn 3500 Mega Cab.

While he loves running his own business, what Colton really enjoys is spending free time in the shop, working on other pickups as well as his own truck.

Where The Passion Began

When he was 18, Colton got his first diesel—a 1998.5 second generation Dodge RAM that was white just like his current Mega Cab.

“After that, I fell in love with diesels and haven’t looked back since,” Colton says.

But no one showed him the ropes. He discovered his love for diesel trucks all on his own. His curiosity started because of how much he saw them on Instagram and other social media platforms, and eventually he decided a diesel truck was something he wanted for himself. When he was finally old enough and had his business going, he bought the Dodge RAM and hasn’t doubted the choice even for a second. And at the end of the day, simply having a truck wasn’t enough. No. It unconditionally had to be a diesel!

“They simply sound better. The power and torque ratio compared to a gasser is unreal!” Colton explained.

But for Colton, it wasn’t just an aesthetic or performance choice. He looked at diesels from a business perspective, understanding that a diesel is cheaper to maintain, lasts longer than a gasoline-powered truck, and can outwork and out-tow a gas pickup every day of the week. He also saw the 20 percent greater thermal efficiency of diesel over gasoline to be a major plus. So from his entrepreneurial standpoint, there actually wasn’t any reason to get a gas truck, leaving diesel as the obvious choice.

His Mega Cab used to be a welder’s rig, so she’s been flat-bedded before, and has always been a workhorse from a welder’s rig to a carpenter’s rig, so there wasn’t really much of a decision process for Colton in choosing the truck he has today.

Ole Betsy, All Grown Up

Colton’s buddy Tristan Shelton owned the truck before he did. And after seeing it, Colton simply had to have it. Well, it was only six months later when he traded his second gen truck and some cash for it, and voila, he had his dream truck which was named Ole Betsy by the previous owner for the work rig name; the name simply stuck.

“She needed some love… had a blown turbo actuator, some rock chips, bald tires, and just a few wiring and sensors that needed to be replaced,” Colton said.

Well, he’s done more than that to good Ole Betsy. Considering the aforementioned maintenance items Colton tended to, the truck has gone through a whole new evolution! Colton’s souped her up with a FASS 250 fuel pump with a sump kit, given her an Industrial Injection turbo actuator, swapped in an MBRP 5-inch turbo back exhaust, slapped on some American Force 24×14 super singles 10-bolt semi conversion with 24×8.5 rears and AMP 37×13.5R24’s terrain attack tires, added some Kelderman links, lifted her with a Zone Offroad 6.5-inch lift kit and FOX 2.0 shocks, supported her with a BDS dual stabilizer in the front, added a B&W fifth wheel, swapped in a fifth gen OEM grille and tailgate, run in a new Smeding Diesel coolant hose, installed a new Bully Dog monitor, brightened up the interior with RECON smoked cab lights, given her a Synergy MFG drag link and tie rod ends, and finally dialed her in with some EFILive tuning.

But he’s not done! In the future, Colton plans to get an Industrial Injection 62 Silver Bullet PhatShaft turbo with a BorgWarner S475 and a set of 600 to 100 over injectors, Outlaw Fab traction bars, and face plates for the Kelderman 4 links. He’s also looking into a custom exhaust tip and custom grille from Northspec Built out of Canada. Then after some WC piping and coolant tubing, and some Far From Stock engine dress up parts, Colton thinks she’ll be done.

“That’ll wrap her up!” were his exact words about Ole Betsy’s future planned mods.

Life with Ole Betsy

Colton enjoys attending shows with his truck, from small local shows to medium shows in the larger towns of Iowa, and traveling to a few in other states as well. He says people have tried buying Ole Betsy from him at every meet he’s been to. Colton says he’s even had YouTuber Gabe Farrell try to buy and trade for it on three different occasions! But he always loves the chuckles from small town old timers checking out his truck and saying, “I’ve never seen wheels this big,” or asking, “How do you get in this thing?”

Something worth mentioning from his time attending shows is that he won the award for the best Dodge this past July in Trimont, Minn. Colton says his favorite memories from shows would have to be seeing people’s faces as he drives by, as well as taking a few buddies or meeting up with them at the shows just to kick back and relax.

But at the end of the day, Ole Betsy is a work truck.

“I believe in good first impressions for work. If someone sees you pull up in something clean and shiny, you’re more likely to attract business. And I’m honored to own the Mega Cab and keep it in the family. It’s also a showcase of hard work and all the sacrifices that came in order for the Mega to be how it is,” Colton said, explaining exactly what Ole Betsy means to him.