Ford Trucks For Sale

Okay, first, the bad news: It’s been reported by a variety of online sources over the weekend, and we can now confirm that Ford will indeed discontinue the Ranger next year. But wait, there’s more . . .

Now, the good news: Ford will re-launch a new midsize truck, to be known as the F-100, in late 2010 for the 2011 model year. The new pickup, to be based off a chopped and lightened F-150 platform, is said to be roughly 4/5ths the size of the current F-150 and will be available, a’la the Dakota, with a choice of V-6 or V-8 engines; the 250hp, 3.5L twin-turbo direct-injection V-6 will be offered as standard equipment with the 4.4L V-8 available on upscale trim packages. Among cab configurations to be offered will be a genuine five-seater crew-cab model. (Translation: Adios, Sport Trac.) We’d be perfectly happy with the base V-6, but we have one request: Can we get ours with a stick tranny and a rear locker? Please?

And now, the totally-awesome-bitchin’ news: To compete against the Jeep Wrangler and the upcoming Hummer H4, Ford will manufacture a midsize 4×4 SUV off the same chassis as the upcoming F-100. And yep, the vehicle will be called the Bronco, and according to sources, it will have solid axles at both ends, a removable top, and a fold-down windshield a’la the Wrangler. The new Bronc’ is slated to go on sale around the same time as the F-100. We’re happy to see that the success of the new Wrangler has convinced Ford execs that there’s still room for a trail-oriented 4×4 sport-ute in its small SUV line, and we can’t wait to get our hands on one.

 Finally, a brand-new Ranger based on a still-under-development Ford global mini-truck chassis will launch in late 2012. We’ll pass along more info about all these new trucks as soon as we hear more about them.

The Ford Ranger’s just about ready to kick the bucket, gas prices are higher than the dress neckline of a Texas polygamist cult and CAFE standards — well, let’s just say they don’t leave much room for error on the high side of the gas guzzle range. Sounds like high time Ford announced a new pickup truck, doesn’t it? Perhaps. But only if said pickup truck is the purported return of a badge not seen from Dearborn since 1983 — F-100. That’s right, we’re hearing rumors this morning of a mini-pickup based on the current F-150. Well, it’ll be based on the F-150 in look, feel and most importantly not in size. If it’s coming, we’re told to expect a Ford F-100 at 9/10ths the size of the 2009 Ford F-150 to hit dealer lots in the 2011 model year.

Our friends at PickupTrucks.com are also telling us this morning rumors aren’t as far-fetched as one would think. Ford desperately is looking for ways to hold on to their share of the ever-shrinking pickup truck market and if they need to offer a stripped down F-150 on Weight Watchers, they’ll do it. Heck, they’ve even got a pretty sketch of what a new boldly-moving-smaller pickup based on the current F-150 might look like. Expect the real version to look nothing like it. But have a look anyway

Thieves in northern Alberta have stolen 49 vehicles over the past eight days, Fort McMurray RCMP said yesterday, warning that Ford pickup trucks seem to be attractive targets.The bandits are smashing windows and punching out ignitions, prompting police to urge drivers to add locking devices to their steering wheels or brake pedals.

Mounties have arrested 10 people in connection with six missing vehicles.

Used Ford trucks for Sale at 1UsedTrucks.com

Australia’s transport ministers have agreed to a national registration and licensing system for the country’s truck drivers.

“This is a critical reform,” said federal transport minister Anthony Albanese.

“There are 375,000 heavy vehicles in the nation and they don’t respect state boundaries, and that’s why it is important we progress this reform.”

The announcement came after Friday’s Australian Transport Council (ATC) meeting in Melbourne, which was attended by federal, state and territory transport ministers.

Mr Albanese said the plan was the first step towards a fully integrated national transport system.

“We need to make sure we have a national system of licences, because trucks are all about mobility and they don’t recognise the state borders,” Mr Albanese said.

The new licensing and registration system will come into effect by July 1, 2009.

Mr Albanese said public transport was also on the agenda at Friday’s meeting, and the federal government was prepared to engage in urban policy, including public transport.

“You can’t have a strategy for moving freight, without a strategy for moving people,” he said.

“We need to develop an integrated transport system in which the national government works with the state, including urban public transport and urban congestion.”

The minister said the government’s newly announced major cities unit would address issues such as road and rail in Australian cities.

He also criticised the previous Howard Government, saying it had “ignored urban public transport”.

“It is important the commonwealth play a role in urban infrastructure,” Mr Albanese said.

The ATC plan - announced as a “new beginning” for transport - will also include a national approach to maritime legislation, and the establishment of a national road safety advisory council in a bid to cut the road toll.

A young, wide-eyed Lew Hayes often sat on the front passenger seat of his father’s dump truck as he delivered aggregate, sand and gravel to work sites throughout the Detroit area. “My father drove a 1938 Ford Model AA dump truck when he started this business,” Hayes said. “He had to crank it by hand to get the bed to dump.”Today, Lew’s late father might be amazed at the durability, payload capacity and driver comfort provided by the 13 Kenworth T800s operated by Hayes Trucking.

Based in Novi, Mich., Hayes Trucking serves the Detroit metropolitan area. Hayes Trucking’s viper red Kenworth T800s carry aggregate and dirt to and from commercial building and residential construction sites and major highway projects. Since Michigan is not a federal bridge formula state, the company hauls loads that gross up to 154,000 pounds on a truck and pup trailer combination.

“We started buying Kenworth T800s five years ago and found that they’ve been the best trucks for our company,” Hayes said. “Kenworth has done a very good job of spec’ing and building these trucks to handle the rigors of our operation. We’re particularly pleased with their reliability.”

The aggregate hauler worked with its local Kenworth dealer to develop specifications for the T800s, which include a 475-hp engine and 13-speed manual transmission. “The higher horsepower and torque enable our trucks to get up to speed even with the heavy weight they haul,” Hayes added. “With the electronics in the engines, we can control each truck’s top speeds and rpms to help maintain good fuel economy.”

In a moment, their lives changed forever.

Holly Thrailkill and her 4-year-old daughter Graceyn were on their way home after dropping off Graceyn’s two sisters at school.

About three miles from home, the Thrailkills’ Nissan Quest was hit head-on by a Ford F-350.

A month later, after multiple surgeries, Holly is on the mend. Graceyn is paralyzed and using a wheelchair. And the driver of the pickup has been arrested on DUI charges.

Tonya Gann, 39, of Raymond is being held on two counts of DUI mayhem in the Rankin County Jail.

A blood-alcohol test showed she was over the legal limit of 0.08 percent when she crossed the center line of two-lane Shiloh Road in a Ford F-350 utility truck and struck the Thrailkill’s SUV around 8 a.m. March 25, according to Rankin County Sheriff Ronnie Pennington.

Graceyn’s spinal cord was damaged, and doctors have told her family she may not walk again. She remained hospitalized until last week.

Holly Thrailkill spent 12 days in intensive care and underwent four surgeries at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She suffered compound fractures of both legs along with severe gall bladder and liver injuries.

Thrailkill’s husband, Lane, has had to go on leave from his job at Nissan to take care of the two, along with the couple’s 8- and 6-year-old daughters.

He said food and financial help from loved ones have eased the new burden placed on the family.

“Even if this falls under our insurance, insurance only pays for so much, and then we’re paying out of pocket,” Lane Thrailkill said. “We were living paycheck to paycheck before this. We have been blessed that our friends and people have been able to help us.”

A local car dealership loses some inventory when one of their cars catches fire.

A 2002 Ford Truck caught on fire at MB Auto Sales on Chester and 30th Street just after 4 pm Thursday afternoon.

The dealer say he saw smoke coming from the truck and when he went to check it out, it burst into flames.

He tried to move the truck next to it to protect it from getting damaged, but says the flames were too hot.

Total loss is estimated at about $30,000. Bakersfield Fire Fighters believe a faulty cruise control started the fire.

New seats designed by an in-house team at Ford Motor Co. are to debut this spring and summer in three important vehicles: the F-150 pickup, the Lincoln MKS and the Ford Flex.

Jerry Brown, Ford’s chief engineer for global seats and restraints engineering, said the new seats are part of an effort that began in 2004 at Ford to do more of its own interior design and engineering.

Ford expanded its seat engineering department from about 65 to 150 to develop seats across all Ford cars and trucks with a unique look and feel.

When the program began, Ford had 28 seat platforms. Today, the company has nine and it is aiming to reduce that to two. The F-150, Flex and Lincoln MKS feature the same seat, Brown said, but each has different cushioning, fabric and other modifications to fit the character of each vehicle.

“We had to continually pay for the engineering, the testing and then the tooling to constantly refurbish or replace these 28 different seat structures,” Brown said. “So we took a step back to try to figure out how we could get away from that.”

The first seats from the program debuted on the Ford Focus last fall. Warranty claims on those seats dropped 47% and the money spent to settle claims fell 70%, Brown said.

Ford has saved millions of dollars from the program beyond the warranty savings but Brown declined to be more specific. Now, Ford may use the program as a model for other product areas, such as instrument panels and center consoles.

“We just simply feel we need to be more involved in the system integration of our interiors to ensure they are distinctively Ford,” Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of global product development, said at the SAE 2008 World Congress last week.

Ford Motor Co. (F) will cut North America production by 101,000 vehicles during the second quarter in response to the weakening U.S. sales market.

The auto maker now plans to build 710,000 cars and trucks during the quarter, Chief Financial Officer Don Leclair said during a conference call Thursday. European production, however, is expected to increase by 53,000 vehicles to 565, 000.

The production cuts underscore how the softening U.S. economy, combined with rising gas prices, are impacting the sale of new cars and trucks. General Motors Corp. (GM) said Wednesday that U.S. industry sales may be worse in the second quarter than the first quarter.

Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally said during the call he will continue looking to trim hourly jobs after the company bought out 4,200 hourly workers during the first quarter. Mulally said he will now concentrate on reductions on a plant-by-plant and product-by-product basis. Buyouts will be used but the packages won’t be sweetened, Mulally said.

“We don’t have a company wide hiring freeze,” Mulally said. “The overall direction is to size production to demand.”

Ford shares recently rose 56 cents, or 7.5%, to $8.08.

The Work Truck Show, produced annually by the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) claims to be North America’s largest vocational truck event. Held in Atlanta, GA, the show included 538 exhibitors and covered more than 450,000 sq. ft. of display space.

This venue provided an ample opportunity to witness the latest developments in the industry. Following is a sample of some of the most relevant product introductions.

Innovative solutions from Ford
Ford Motor Co. has introduced technology to make F-Series Super Duty Trucks and E-Series Vans more productive on the jobsite. Ford Work Solutions delivers four innovative features: an in-dash computer that provides full high-speed Internet access and navigation; Tool Link, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) asset tracking system that enables customers to maintain a detailed real-time inventory of the tools or equipment stored in the pickup box; the Crew Chief fleet telematics and diagnostic system; and a Cable Lock security system to discourage tool theft.