The new 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty is fitting in so well on the job that it’s being asked to stick around longer. Based on customer requests, Ford Motor Company is extending its unprecedented Ford F-Series Super Duty fieldwork evaluation program through the end of 2010 to select extreme-duty commercial customers. That means these preproduction Super Duty models will have earned their keep for a full year in some of the toughest work environments around.
The overwhelmingly positive feedback from these severe-duty users – and their desire to extend the program – confirms the thoroughness of the rigorous testing procedures developed for the 2011 Super Duty as it evolved from raw data to computer images to actual vehicle.
“We tested the 2011 Super Duty in every situation imaginable throughout the development process, but nothing can replace these real-world scenarios,” said Chris Brewer, chief engineer of the 2011 Super Duty.
In Texas, for example, two businesses are working their 2011 Super Duty trucks to the extreme during the busy road-construction season. Both Reynolds Asphalt & Construction Co. of Euless and TexOp Construction of Roanoke have evaluation trucks equipped with the new 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 turbocharged diesel engine and the 6R140 heavy-duty TorqShift™ six-speed automatic transmission.
The vehicles used by Florida Power & Light Company are driven all around the Sunshine State, on-road and off-road, often traveling up to 600 miles a day. They also power through swampy terrain in the Florida Everglades or bull across inaccessible roads to get power back online and respond to other customer needs.
Outstanding fuel economy while standing up to harsh conditions
Reynolds Asphalt has a 2011 Super Duty F-550 4×2 dual rear-wheel chassis cab upfitted with a mechanic’s bed to use as a service truck for the company’s heavy-duty equipment. Essentially a garage on wheels, it services rollers, pavers and other support equipment. The F-550 chassis cab, with class-exclusive Live Drive PTO (power takeoff), carries welding equipment, compressors and a crane body to expedite repairs.
The Live Drive PTO output gear is linked through the torque converter to the engine crankshaft. The power is available any time the engine is running, with the vehicle moving as well as stationary.
“The 2011 Super Duty is a big key to boosting productivity because we can use it to get to locations not easily accessible and get equipment repaired,” said George White, equipment manager of Reynolds Asphalt.
The total weight of added equipment approaches the maximum payload limits of the class-leading 19,500-pound GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) of the F-550 truck.
“We definitely have it loaded down, but the fuel mileage has been excellent – about a 20 to 25 percent improvement in highway situations over the truck it replaced,” said White.
The work will get even tougher in the coming months, as Texas already has seen 100-degree temperatures.
