Innovations For The Medium-Duty Market
Ford recently invited a select group of eight reporting journalists to preview its 2004 models. The opportunity would include presentations from the engineers and then a day of driving and testing at the Ford Proving Grounds in Romeo, MI. This is every motor head's dream! When we entered the 4000-acre facility I couldn't wait to put the trucks to the test. There is every imaginable road condition that you can think of here. The facility was picked by Ford because of its' size and location. Placed in Lower Michigan it has the highest elevation in the state. There are turns, hills, bumps, water conditions, and 7% grade and a racetrack. All 8 trucks waiting to be tested were loaded with the appropriate load for its application. The dump truck had a load of gravel. The F550 tow truck had an Intruder wheel lift with a Ford Focus loaded. The F650 Carrier had a Century bed with a car on it also. I ran for the carrier first. I drove the truck through the course and climbed the incline and came down a steep winding hill. I really enjoyed not only the conditions but also how the truck handled. Next I went for the F550 with the International 6.0 litre motor. I have to say that this was my highlight of the trip. Once started, it was difficult to believe that it was a diesel by how quiet it was and you couldn't feel it through the steering wheel. I went right for the 7% incline. I approached the hill slowly and once on it I accelerated slowly, but steadily and it wanted more. It just kept climbing and shifting with the power band coming in early and the automatic shifting I was flying at the top of the hill. It never once felt like I had something behind me. This is a winning combination. The F550 in my opinion is Ford's ticket to retaking the medium market in the towing industry. Ford had their thumb on the medium-duty truck market for nearly 50 years up until 1990 and fell from the number one and number two positions. "It is now time to take it back," says Kevin Koswick, Director of Commercial Truck Marketing and Sales. Ford has sat back and analyzed what the market needs and the end user is asking for. For starters, the new Fords have an improved power band. This stood out in my test drives.
There have been other improvements as well. The cab is 6 inches lower than one of the leading, low profile, ergonomic cabs. Ford claims best of category for ground clearance, and multiple air tank packaging. Ford is still offering 3 different cab styles, the crew cab, the super cab and the regular cab. They have a 245% increase in available wheelbases. Now the 33,000 GVW chassis is available with hydraulic brakes for the applications that require it. There are three power plants available. The Power Stroke with 200 to 230 horsepower or the Caterpillar 210 to 300 horsepower and starting in March the Cummins 185 to 260 horsepower engine. The new 6.0 litre diesel has a cast iron block and cylinder heads with 32 valves. It boasts 8% improvement on fuel economy with 325 hp and 560 ft lbs of torque. It also has 20 - 38% reduced noise levels. For the transmissions there are the Allison automatics and the 9 or 10-speed Eaton. John Borowski a tower for thirty years, nineteen of which he owned his own tow business, John has also served as President for Statewide Towing Association of Massachusetts and is currently an officer for the association. A two-time recipient of the American Towman Medal (for heroism), John is AT's Operations & Equipment Editor and the NTA's VP of Commercial Development. |
|||
