It appears that the boys down under are going to be getting the beloved American pickup truck! Yes, I am stirring the pot...... Let's see what everyone has to say, cause we know the aussies love their standard pickup beds! . http://www.caradvice.com.au/290446/ford-f-series-to-be-built-in-australia/
$100,000 for the ugliest truck on the planet? Not only that, I would think those boys would want something reliable to take into the outback. There barklee I helped get the pot stirred.
I just assumed they were available as I've seen GM Duramax pickups on various shows filmed down there. They're a nice truck. At 300 a year I doubt their target market is to take over the outback. Lol
Charging that kind of money to convert a truck to right hand drive makes me think it would be cheaper to just switch the roads over to left hand drive.
Why don't they just start driving on the correct side of the road and shave about $40,000 off that price? Crikey mate...and get rid of that damn metric system too.
it would be cool if we could get the international version of the Ford Ranger in the USA.
Or the diesel Hilux. On edit - looks like there will be a 2015 Ranger in the US - http://carsrelease2014-2015.com/2015-ford-ranger/
Bugger you got my hopes up that we were going to get a factory supported F truck. Oh well I will just have to wait a bit longer. The mob that are doing the conversions are also converting dodges and chevrolets but a starting price of $100,000 it's a bit steep for the ordinary bloke to be able to afford one. When for the last couple of years the Australian dollar and American dollar were on parity the people Importing would of been making a killing. What the Aussie car suppliers don't seem to realise is that there is a big market out the for a full size pick. We need a vehicle that can carry 3 ton and tow 5 ton while still maintaining highway speed and with a comfortable seating position for taller drivers.
Ford hasn't made a good f series for years and as far as taking one into the outback ha. And where not the ones on the wrong side of the road were just trying to correct a mistake
I've had 4 F series. The last, 3 F350's,2 of them local conversions. Good strong trucks and have been reliable. My current one is am 2010 6.4 Lariat crewcab. Performax starting to do conversions is just a bit more competition for the company in Melbourne who have been doing them since 96.
There's also a crowd in corowa nsw, (vic border) that imports and does the conversion
That's funny you should say that, Scrub seems to be of the mind that our "American" style trucks are a horrific waste of time, money and fuel. Didn't realize there's people in the great Down Under that actually want to get things done today and not have to fight to get it there.
Yair . . . 95zIV . Not really, all I have said is you don't need a 7.3 to haul your toolbox, ass and lunch pail. (big grin) I have also questioned the American adoption of "pickup" style bodies for a work truck rather than a flat deck drop side which, to my mind is more generally useful. With a different culture, licencing/registration regulations and, more importantly, fuel costs it seems it has been viable in the US to select a vehicle suitable for heavy duty recreational or business towing and then use it for a daily driver . . . biggav's desire for a vehicle to carry three and tow five is typical of what I mean. It seems however the US manufacturers are seeing a shift in the market as I note a post up thread from CM1995 re a revamped Ranger and I just caught this about GM's new offering . . . with the 2.8 Duramax no less. http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2014/02/five-minutes-with-gms-anita-burke.html Cheers.
I got one of those ranger wildtrak fantastic except for the tub so I'm macking a tray for it at the moment. Scrubpuller I agree I'd prefer to put fuel where i need it and it'sonly me my chaf bag and tools and fuel relay do I have someone in with me if I need to move some thing I use the the mack and tag.
Some of us haul more than a lunch bag and tool box though Last 26 years my utes would normally have a tonne of steel brackets in the back and a trailer full of line boring gear and welders. If I got a call from a mine in say Newman or Laverton they wanted you there today. In a smaller ute I would have been for one,illegal and secondly too slow. We can cruise in comfort at the speed limit or a bit better . And in the past you would normally drive all day,work all night and then drive home again,maybe 11 to 15 hours. Not all that much fun in a little jap buzz box. As far as fuel goes I use less than a loaded diesel Landcruiser.
What we haul and what we need to haul is as diverse of a discussion as what pickup is best? Currently my F350 crew cab, 4x4, 6.7 carries this on a daily basis in which I use on a daily basis - 90 gal fuel tank Big WG toolbox, full of tools from impact sockets to a masonry trowel 5 gal pails of hyd. and motor oil lube skid with grease keg, air comp., air and grease hose reals Chains, binders, straps Shovels, sledge hammer, pry bar, bolt cutters 3 chain lifting sling, bucket hook and other odds and ends Today I needed to pull a T250 with bucket, trencher and silt fence supplies to a new job in order to install the fence before other trades start on Monday. Now I can't carry and do what I did today with a Ranger, Hilux or other small pickup.:cool2 My truck is the office, service truck and lowboy for the small equipment. I am in it so much I want a truck to be comfortable and have the power to do what I need to do. Tomorrow I am taking a personal day and taking a 2 hour one way road trip and yes I am using my F350 to do it, only hauling my better 1/2 and the dog. Now in a perfect world I would have a little pickup or small SUV for these types of trips as it would make more sense for that particular trip. However I do not want the financial burden of owning another vehicle - purchase price, maintenance, taxes, insurance, etc. It's not worth it and doesn't make monetary sense in my situation. I am sure I will pass by someone who will think - "He doesn't need that big truck", not having a clue of what I do on a regular basis. Scrub, I don't think it's any shift in the market that Ford is re-introducing the Ranger to the US market but rather trying to gain piece of the small truck market pie and keep up with their rival Chevy.
I knew this would draw some healthy conversation!! Truly, i have no idea what the ultimate compromise is..... I have tried the beater truck, the super nice crew cab dually, the crew cab utility and a nice half ton truck, the crew cab utility and toyota tacoma..... on and on with the same outcome. There is no perfect situation at least for me..... If i drive the utility truck, its hard to do anything family oriented with it. If i drive the half ton, i can do the family thing and check on jobs/ haul the occasional equipment but nothing big. Point is, Americans are looking for the do it all swiss army knife. For many of us its the really nice loaded f-350 that can do some real world hauling and take the family out to the lake. But yes, that does mean that some weeks/ months its only used to haul one ass and a lunch pail. However, when the time comes to do some real work, its already there with no additional insurance, plates, maintenance bla bla bla. I just wish that Ford/ Chevy or whoever would build an integrated utility bed truck from the factory the perfectly matched the truck like the pickup bed does. Then they would really have something, at least for me......
Yair . . . RayF
Yair . . . Sorry about that RayF . I had put together a post and the phone rang and somehow I lost it . . . the first bit was all that came up, I'll redo it tomorrow. Cheers.
Take it easy ,it will wait
Just to stir the pot some more. :stirthepot In 05 fleet manager bought four Toyota Tacoma’s for us. In a month, all had broken seat backs. Every driver of these happened to be over 6’ tall (2meters?) and they could not fit in the trucks. What really irritated the fleet manager; the break in the seat back was due to a sawzall slicing the support so the seats could tilt back to allow for the height of the driver. Lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth over that. Being higher up the food chain, I had an F250 carrying 60 gallons of fuel, 50 gallons of hydraulic oil, torch set, several chainsaws along with fuel and oil, along with God knows what people would dump in for me to haul to another site. I never wanted to run across a scale for fear I might be scared enough to leave some of the “necessary” stuff behind. I have always been a Ford customer and will stay one. You just cannot teach an old dog new tricks. I drove a Dodge (Ram) a couple of weeks ago and got totally confused by lack of gearshift that had been replaced by a knob. I am just too old…..
Yeah I'm not talking about having one as a shopping trolley. I want one for a work vehicle. I am a mobile mechanic and for one company I worked for I was supplied a Nissan patrol. I had that thing weighing in at nearly 4 ton with only hand tools, no welder or compressor and only a little 3 litre motor pushing it around that thing was working its **** off just to get anywhere. It was comfortable to sit it but didn't have much pulling power. When I started working for myself I bought a Isuzu NPR400 7.5 ton gvm it was noisey, rough and slow but I could carry what I wanted it had a crane and room for a compressor and welder. But the fuel economy was pretty bad, 20l/100km was the best it could do. I have now up sized to a 10.5 gvm Hino. It has better comfort(air seat) more power then the Isuzu and plenty of room but the downside is I now have to pull in to weigh bridges and get checked by the rta. If we could get a F350 size vehicle or equivalent (I am not brand specific) that was factory right hand drive and factory supported it would mean people like me that travel a fair distance and carry a lot of weight would have a decent option when it comes to work vehicles. At the moment it's a choice of do I want to get somewhere quick in a little bit of comfort then I buy a Toyota Landcruiser or Nissan Patrol but probably be overloaded. Or do I want to be able to carry everything I want and need then I go for a small truck with all the extra hassles that go with that. Not to mention a lot of vehicles these days are not designed for people over 6 foot tall.
I'm not sold on the F truck as a service vehicle. An F 350 tares at 2750 Kg roughly and grosses 5100, so it requires an LR licence with all the relevant conditions, but can only carry 2350Kg and tow 3500 Kg. I reckon a late model Isuzu, Hino or Mitsubishi truck absolutely kills the F truck for capacity and is cheaper into the bargain. The Hino can match the F truck's HP and Torque near as damn it too. I don't know about your neck of the woods, but down here in Tassie, an F truck or Dodge Ram is not a smart business move. People know how much they cost and will shy away from your business as they are suspicious that they are financing your overpriced toy. Having said that, I would consider an F 250 6Sp manual as a personal vehicle.
I am reading into what you are saying a little but i think you are comparing apples and softballs here. Yes, of course a medium duty truck will out pull/ tow a 1 ton pickup truck..... No argument there. Problem is that monster dont fit in the garage at home or the church parking lot on Sunday! I could buy a used Kenworth T-800 semi tractor and a 53' van trailer and do just about anything on earth for less money than a new F350 but its not too practical for the day to day. There has to be a compromise somewhere along the line.... and for me i dont want to drive a cab over Isuzu to take my family out on Friday night......
Yair . . . as mentioned by others this has turned into an interesting civilised discussion. RayF What I had posted was that it's horses for courses and you probably have the ideal application for the big Ford. I do drive a F250 4x4 occasionally and where it excels is long distance cruising on the blacktop or gravel . . . parking lots in town and off road not so much. I suspect the Australian environment is much of the problem . . . US parking bays are probably a little bigger and it is obvious there will be a problem in such a vehicle running bush tracks created and inhabited by 'Cruisers, Hiluxes and the like. You can "get used to" anything I guess but if you need to go off road in a largish vehicle an American style 4x4 with "pickup" body just doesn't cut it. There is too much sheet metal behind the driver. I find a Mitsubishi Canter trayback 4x4 infinitely better for poking around on bush tracks. I am only a little bloke but I completely understand the problem for drivers with length and width issues . . . a common work ute here is the overpriced Landcruiser and it's a tight fit in the cab for a mate of mine with a little bit of length and gut. He reckons his next one will be one of the recently released dual cabs just to get a bit more room. I am surprised at biggav's discontent with the Isuzu as they seem to be a very well regarded truck. I was also surprised at Karl Robbers summation that a F350 will only tow 3500 Kg . . . I would have thought the rating would be higher. Very relevant comments by Karl Robbers concerning the image thing. The big American utes are seen as overpriced, fragile "toys" and not proper work trucks . . . I know I would find it off putting if a tradie turned up to fix the plumbing or wire up the shed in a F truck or a Ram. Cheers.
Scrub,you are correct about the off road suitability. Tracks are made by narrow jap utes and the effy often won't fit. Although mine is very capable in deep sand which surprised me. Karls comments about weights and towing are incorrect for the new models anyway. I think the F250's are good for 4500 kg and the 350 certainly is. When I was looking for a strong towing vehicle I soon realised that there is nothing available locally that suited my purpose. I needed a strong ute that was comfortable for my crook back. Could tow heavy loads at the speed limit or plus and could double as a private vehicle that would tow my caravan with ease. Also not cost an arm and a leg to run. My last 2 have done that,a 7.3 F350 dually and a 2010 6.4. I've not had any trouble with clients thinking about my expensive vehicles. Up till recently I was often in a different work shop every day and the ute was often a talking point which was always positive and I know some used us because of our good gear and presentation. And theres nothing like being able to stretch out with room to spare in a comfortable seat,around 7 1/2 to 8 ton all up sitting on the limit with the tacho sitting on about 1650 rpm. You know you are on a hill when you see the boost gauge going up. I can drive from Melbourne to Perth with the van and drop out of overdrive in the Adelaide Hills and the Madura Pass.
I was surprised at the tow rating too. I got my information from looking at a variety of late Model F Trucks listed on Australian car sales web sites. I assumed that perhaps they had been down rated by Australian ADR's and therefore did not use the American spec sheets. I believe that in America, you can spec up a Dodge Ram that is rated to tow near 15 tonne. I reckon the aforementioned Isuzu/Mitsy/Hino truck would actually be more compact, given their cab over design and possibly more manouverable too. Unfortunately, the Hino does not appear to be available in 4WD until you step up to the heavier 500 series model. Interesting to note the different attitude to the F Truck in WA as regards customer perception of a fitter/tradie turning up in one. I definitely agree that the Patrol has dropped out of contention due to its hand grenade 3.0L motor and Landruisers are overpriced and cramped in the cab. The V8 does not seem to be as tough as the 6 cylinders were either. Certainly higher maintenance costs where we run then side by side. A friend of mine was bringing in Dodge Rams in LHD format for a miner in WA, for less than a landcruiser would cost. Obviously not road registerable, but it makes me wonder where the massive costs are incurred that bump these vehicles up to the $100K mark. Interesting topic overall.
Pretty much the opposite here. I always liked the Gen 1 Chev S10 pickups, but when I'd show up to look at a job it seemed people would be visibly unimpressed. For a little better first impression I finally bumped up to an F150. Most guys run the F250/350. A full size truck shows you're serious.
Karl,without a trailer I'm allowed from memory 5450 KG and with a trailer its 9660. We are limited to 4.5 towing here as anything over that has to have air brakes. I think a few things make up the cost cost. There has been up to now only one company certified to do bulk conversions of the F series. They have always had more orders than they can supply. This second player in the field, presuming that they can do the same top class job will be a good thing, The other factor is the enormous cost of putting through every detail of the conversion through ADR. And they aren't easy people to deal with. Having said that a F350 will cost you 120 to 150 K. Compare that to a decent 200 series. Not much in the cost and you get more of everything with the Ford.
Scrub the Isuzu was a reliable truck considering the way I drove it and some of the places I took it. It was just lacking in power and and comfort. If I sat in it for longer then 2 hours I would hobbling around like and old man for half and hour until I got my hips and back warmed up again. Those Mitsubishi canters you mentioned are a pretty good off-road vehicle. I have been with a mate down some four wheel drive tracks following people with land cruisers and patrols with full locking diffs and the canter made it everywhere they went. I don't like the chassis on them they have a big step down just after the gearbox and the new ones only have a 3 litre engine. Thats not enough engine for a truck that can gross 6.5 ton.