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The Ford F-350: A Heavy Duty Vehicle

Ford has always been known to produce large Classic trucks. In fact, their F150 pickup truck is the best selling truck of all time. But the F150 is not the only great truck you can find in Ford’s lineup. The Ford F-350 is also one great heavy duty truck which has its own set of good attributes. There are numerous features and capabilities in the F-350 that has attracted truck drivers to come to love the vehicle.The first thing that will strike you about this Classic truck is its size. The truck is truly designed to take on the heaviest of load. It has a towing capacity of 15,000 pounds which makes gives it the capability to tow heavy trailers, campers, fishing boat, or even livestock. The truck also has amazing off-road driving capability which makes it one of the top choices for any truck driver in town.

The Ford F-350 is available with three different choices of engines - all of which are capable of providing adequate power, as capable as a Volvo vent visor in protecting a car’s interior from snow or rain. Consumers can choose from either a gasoline powered V8, a massive V10 gasoline engine, or a 32-valve 6-liter, PowerStroke turbo-diesel V8 engine with cast iron cylinder block and cylinder head. For the diesel engine, an EVRT system is standard.The electronic variable response turbocharger balances the thrust needed by the wheels.This capability increases the fuel efficiency of the diesel engine.For those who would want to buy an F-350, there are two gearboxes to choose from - a five-speed automatic transmission and a six-speed manual. To protect the car’s occupants or anything it is hauling, the Ford F-350 is equipped with TBC or the Trailer Brake Controller which balances the braking of the trailer. Disc brakes are also standard across the board; all wheels are fitted with high performance discs and equally high performance pads. The F-350 also has an anti-lock braking system which offers safe braking even on emergencies.

Whether you go for a gasoline or a diesel engine, your Ford F-350 will come with a huge 38-gallon fuel tank which holds enough fuel to feed the hungry horses inside the massive combustion chambers of the three engines. Gas mileage for the F-350 is not revealed though since EPA does not require vehicles such as this to state their gas mileage. This makes sense since most of these vehicles will be used commercially and not just for cruising around town.The suspension system of the truck which gives it great off-road driving capability is a mono-beam suspension in the front with massive coil springs and an equally massive stabilizer bar. This truck is really made for heavy duty purposes. The rear suspension system is a solid axle with huge leaf springs and another huge stabilizer bar. Both the front and the rear suspension system sports heavy-duty gas-pressured shock absorbers. The configuration of the suspension system gives the Ford F-350 a responsive steering and a good stability.

The ride though is quite another story. Just like other pickup trucks, the ride may be stiff if the truck bed is empty but once it is loaded the truck gives an exceptionally smooth ride. The interior of the truck also looks great and almost luxurious. This is because of the leather trimmings, its sun roof and other features one would commonly find in a luxury car. The black leather bucket seats are the most notable feature of the cabin of the truck which gives it an aura of luxury. The controls and the instrument panel are designed with convenience in mind. The truck may be designed for heavy duty jobs but the interior design also ensures comfort and sophistication.

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GMC Flaunts Classic Truck In Chicago

Chicago Auto Show has this Classic theme. And Detroit’s Big 3 wage war over other automakers is actually to prove that they are worthy of amassing praises concerning the production of environmentally friendly vehicles. But General Motors Corp. is putting more emphasis on the manufacture of Classic trucks.At the prestigious auto show, GMC will showcase two trucks and a crossover sport utility. However, the most captivating model, as anticipated, will be the Denali XT concept, a hybrid pickup truck. The low-slung muscular car-based concept which boasts of its green credentials will be displayed at the show this Wednesday.

GM’s GMC brand has been tailored with a sophisticated expert pedigree. But in flaunting the Denali XT concept, the Detroit automaker intends to prove that GMC truck parts are evolving with time. The venerable truck brand wants to prove that improvement never sleeps.Warrack Leach, the Denali XT’s lead designer, described it as a Classic pickup for guys that pine for “a truck with badness but don’t necessarily need a truck everyday.” In other words, there are more things that the truck intends to offer. Fuel efficiency, improved power, better handling, superb ergonomics, and enhanced truck capabilities are just few of the features of the pickup truck concept.

The Denali XT’s new 4.9-liter version of the automaker’s V8 features fuel injection and active fuel management, which when mated with the two-mode hybrid system and E85 ethanol capability, delivers a 50 percent raise in fuel economy over similar small pickup trucks. Another milestone about the truck concept is the coupling of the automaker’s two-mode hybrid system with an E85 ethanol-capable engine. The concept’s new small-block V-8 features fuel-injection and active fuel management.

The truck is derived from the automaker’s Zeta rear-wheel drive architecture that serves as the underbelly for the new Pontiac G8 sedan and the upcoming Chevy Camaro. It was designed and constructed by GM’s Holden unit in Australia, where the notion of a modern truck that blends fuel efficiency, sports car handling and function, picture a weekend camping and racing across the dunes of the Outback - is more commonly embraced, reported The Detroit News.

Shoppers shift to small and fuel-efficient cars continues. As such, automakers are worried about the sales of their gas-sipping huge vehicles. GM was also worried. This is why the largest American automaker decided to tweak its truck DNA a bit rather than lose a significant slice of the market.

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