The New F150

BigDave · Sep 13, 2003

( I guarantee your Boomer is more Asian than American )

Can I get that in writing? I just can't find it anywhere on my tractor. Maybe you have some facts. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

( I am simply stating fact. )

Most of us are stating facts. Some people are quoting crash worthiness, frame construction, acceleration, personal experiences, as well as resale; these are all facts. I discovered a new fact today while reading Consumer Reports - the 97-03 F-150 outperformed the Tundra in the head-on collision test. So the Toyota is better at an offset, & the Ford is better head-on, does that mean I as a Ford owner need to turn into a crash, where as a Toyota should turn away from a crash? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Anyway, Toyota's supercharger option looks very attractive to me, and the facts I need to find out are: what is does to the gas mileage and how noisy is it. Anyone know? The 2004 F-150 0-60 doesn't look all that good, and it is more truck than I need to cart my tandem around. Maybe a Toyota from Indiana with a supercharger would be a wolf in sheep's clothing, and suprise a Ford Lightning at a stop light. Of course there's still the Nissan. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Docsknotinn · Sep 14, 2003

Daryl, What makes you think my truck is stock ?? Just because I dont blow my own horn ? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I am curious how you wound up with a cummings in a F-350. I was always under the impression that was only an option on the F-600. Even then you really need the Cummings re-flash to get the ponies you alledge. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Or is it that you are applying cummings specs on the Ford ?? Back to my Truck, Nerf Bars, Painted Tonneau cover, chrome plated ball hitch and all those other things that actually work for me. If I were A Yuppie I think it might be me laughing at you as I could just buy a Bigger Badder truck so I could feel warm and fuzzy and SHOUT out how great I am /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Dave

5030 · Sep 14, 2003

Dave:

I don't have a ***'apart in my Ford. It's an IH. I was referring to the Cummins developed SAE standard for horsepower loss in driveline components. The rule of thumb is about 20% frictional loss between the flywheel and the rear tires.

To be a little more in depth, horsepower ratings can be very misleading. Most manufacturers, especially Japanese and American rate horsepower at the flywheel using the SAE bench test method. Real world horsepower is measured at the drive tires. So in general, if GM says you have 320 ponies in your Moraine bulit motor, you have to multiply that by 20% and subtract that to get real world power.

I have no problem with the Duramax other than I don't much candle to aluminum heads on an iron block. The Japanese seem to be enamored with that concept. It works on a gasoline engine, but with a gasoline engine, the inherent combustion pressure and heat is substantially less than a diesel. The coefficient of thermal expansion and contraction is quite a bit more with aluminum than iron. That equates to movement between the heads and the block which has to be taken up by the head gasket. I am not saying that the motor is not well designed, I am just saying that in a real world enviroment, over the long haul (years), I would be aprehensive about the reliability.

As far as modifications to my 350, they were all done in my own shop. That includes the complete suspension modifications and roller bearings in all suspension pivots. The suspension mods were complete fabbed here including all machining and welding. No commercially available parts for that.

I don't take my truck to the local Pep Boys for anything. I do it myself. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

If you are a Yuppie (which I suspect), I would assume that your truck is stock with maybe the exception of a chrome tailpipe extension. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

At least you drive American, even though the engine is "multinational".

If I wanted to exchange motors from the IH to say a Cummins or Detroit or Caterpillar, I would do it here. The reason that a Cummins is not available in a F Series Ford until you get to the 450 series, is that as Ford owns a markestshare in Cummins and Cummins has a contract with Diamler, it would be infringement to have a Cummins in a F Series.

My personal take is that a Cummins is a boat anchor anyway. I'm not talking about the little ones, I mean the 855's. If I were to put in another engine, my choice would be a IH DT 455 inline 6, or a Detroit Series 50. It would take extensive mods however. The engine height as well as the weight would require a complete rework of the front end. Transmission wise, I'd go with a 6 speed Allison (not the duramax one) with the retarding feature built in.

Docsknotinn · Sep 14, 2003

Daryl, It seems we agree on many points but your assesments are way off. I'm neither young nor am I a professional. But If I were I'd be every bit as proud of every dollar I earned just as you are of yourself. But Your probably correct in your asssssumption that I make a few more bones than some and less than others. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif Dave

5030 · Sep 14, 2003

Dave:

I've checked your bio and you don't list an occupation, but I see your e-mail address is the same as your net name here. I can't resist guessing your occupation and even though you state you are not a professional , that can be a misnomer. I'd guess you are a mortician . That would explain the statement about "bones". I'd consider a mortician to be quite an honorable profession. After all, you get them in the "end". /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I always considered "professional" as a level at which you become very profecient at whatever you do. Even a panhandler can be "professional" if they are good at it.

Besides, you drive a truck that the BIG billboard atop the Rouge Bridge states is "professional grade" whatever that means??

Dave: You are great to poke at. Being as we are both Michiganders, though I am transplanted by marriage, we are supposed to be thick skinned. That thickness maybe has something to do with the cold winters. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Docsknotinn · Sep 14, 2003

I think I saw you there by yellow freight, I waved as I passed or didnt you see me ? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Dave

TresCrows · Sep 15, 2003

Not a reply directly to you Dave.
The National Air Tour stopped by and so I went down and took a look. Well, the rain we have not gotten in the last 5 years all showed up at once /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif. Anyway, it was cold and rainy but we struggled through the muck to see every machine. This one is owned by Grand Canyon Airlines, one of the nations oldest airlines. She has quite a history and YEP---THIS ONE IS FORD TOUGH. I think it is a little more than a half tonner /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif.
I did not get a pic but the FBO there has a Kubota for a tug. So, she was pulled out of the mud Sunday morning with the Kubota /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif. The other FBO had two new New Holland tractors also set up for aircraft tugging. Actually, I doubt she needed any help getting unstuck.
Sunday dawned bright and clear and no wind and the next stop of the tour was in Tulsa and that is another story. The ground is certainly wet when seen from up high /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif since all the rain.
These machines were built in an era that has been totally lost. How a nation of people who once happily climbed aboard such machines for long distance travel in a wicker chair have turned into a bunch of overweight couch potatoes beats me.. Yes, people who went west in wagons went back east to visit in their old age in Ford Tri Motors /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.
Well, all the rain washed out my drive since the water breached the culvert--it all washed away. Got the county to agree to fix it but there will be plenty of work for the Kubota /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. Only a few of my neghbors actually have trucks since our roads stays in good shape. I noticed they did not mind me and my Tundra and my Kubota fixing their drives temporay so they could get in and out till the county can get to them. Not a single one of them thought I was stupid for having a import domestic truck. Nope, they was just happy I was there. There were over 1,000 drives washed out and several roads damaged, might be a while /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif. No, I did not charge anything /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. J

PitbullMidwest · Sep 15, 2003

TresCrow,
That's a nice tri-motor! I've never had the pleasure of seeing one in person but hope to some day. My family went to the National Stearman Fly-In in Galesburg, IL a couple week ago and had a very nice day. There were about 250 Stearmans on display, about 1/2 the normal number due to weather on the East coast.

The highlight of the day was an aerobatic display by one of the pilots. We were fortunate to have a Stearman pilot sitting with us and he was explaining to my wife (the pilot /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif) how the manuevers were done using stored energy rather than horsepower since the Stearman only has a 225HP engine. Very impressive.

You're right about how we as a nation have changed, I thought the same thing when one of the pilots said that he had a 8 day flight back to California, having to refuel every 3 hours.

BTW, the FBO at Galesburg uses a Cub Cadet as a tug /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

TresCrows · Sep 16, 2003

Pittbull, the Ford Tri Motor is actually a fairly large airplane, even by todays standards. Wake turbulence is a hazard to pilots, the wings when creating lift cause horozontal tornados that trail behind and below the aircraft, slow, large, dirty, heavy aircraft create the worst hazard. When departing/approaching aiports with heavies it is wise to stay back and higher than the aircraft ahead and land further down the runway when possible and take off sooner.
True story, while on approach to the Oshkosh flyin in my Kitfox I was told by traffic control " blue and white tail dragger, get in behind the Tri Motor", well things were very compressed, so much was happening, hundreds of aircraft everywhere and so I did as told, I cut my pattern short and headed for the Tri Motor. Well the Tri Motor had cut power and was dropping toward the runway but had been told to land at the mid point. I was told, "blue and white tail dragger, land on the numbers", so I pushed the nose over into a full pedal forward slip with some power so as not to slow up following faster traffic. I was at about 150 feet when I crossed through the wake of the Tri Motor, the Kitfox rolled violently to the right and the nose pitched up. I was probably 90 degrees through an uncommanded roll, wings vertical, to the right in the blink of an eye, I slammed counter aileron hard over--clang-- as the stick hit the stop and kicked in rudder to help and fortunately thought to shove forward stick to unload the wings. I could see faces looking up at me from the crowds below. The Fox was still rolling despite full counter aileron and rudder. I shoved in the throttle and was just about to feed in aileron pro roll and just go with it and try to catch it when I came back around when reluctantly the Fox started to over power the vortex and roll out. This all happened in seconds, I made a rather bouncy landing--boing--boing--boing and then kinda bounced off into the grass where I was being waved by a greeter. People were applauding all around me, not sure if it was the landing or the aerobatics on short final that got their attention. In any case, I learned that the Ford was not only tough and big but leaves quite a wake in trail. J

5030 · Sep 17, 2003

Dave:

Does that mean by some chance that you drive for "Yellow Brick Road"? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif