Aluminum Trucks?

[Desert185]

I've flown aluminum airplanes with over 60,000 hours. It's not necessarily the material, it's the design that affects longevity and structural capability. Weight, whether human or vehicle, is not always a good thing.

[TallEddie]

I do believe that truck wt vs trailer wt is one factor in the stability of the setup, but that doesn't mean the truck should weigh MORE than the trailer. For some that is possible, but when you get into the bigger 5th wheels its just not possible.

If you had a 16K 5th wheel, would you go get a truck that weighed more than 16K to tow it?

[dcg9381]

Originally Posted by TallEddie

If you had a 16K 5th wheel, would you go get a truck that weighed more than 16K to tow it?

Absolutely.. OK, well, it's 13k, not 16k, but absolutely..

[zuley]

dcg,
How's that work out for ya... a quick trip into town from the campsite for a loaf of bread?? Messing with you. Nice truck!

[dcg9381]

Not my truck! Maybe when I'm old, wealthy, and retired... And need to haul something *really* heavy.

It'd certainly be easier to haul groceries in than the 30+ ft Class-C / Class-A's that I've owned, but you're right, not exactly an economy car!

[Nagrompj]

I have a 2005 F150 with a aluminum hood. It has 4 hail dents on the steel roof and 0 dents on the hood. The hoods paint still looks good and no signs of corrosion. My neighbor has a 2010 1500 Ram and the front edge of the hood has already rusted from the inside out.
If Ford has done their homework and the new aluminum body stands up to the twisting and shifting it will be exposed to, I'm in 100%.

[Larry1013]

The aluminum on the 2017 Ford Super Duty only saves approx 350 pounds verses the 700 pounds saved on the F150 trucks. This allows Ford to go to a fully boxed STEEL frame to eliminate the frame flex many owners have complained about over the recent years.

Also, it allows Ford to bring together the design and building of the F series trucks. In the past, the F150 was a totally different body in looks and size than the Super Duty trucks. In the future, they will be able to share parts and design saving Ford some costs but maybe no savings to the buyers at this time.

Also, with many wanting an F250 verses the F350, the 350 pounds of additional carrying capacity will alleviate some of the inherent concerns of overload and insurance costs not to mention convincing the SO to buy a larger truck.

My understanding is Ford will open up dealers for special orders around the first week in April and end any 2016 special orders around the end of March. Initial delivery around mid to end of May.

[SADLY]

Originally Posted by sourdough

...Now, drive your pickup up to a tractor front to front.....it's what, 3' wider? ...

Aprox 22" front track width difference
Approx 6" rear track width difference

Originally Posted by sourdough

... The tractor has TEN wheels (and very large at that) to stabilize the tractor and trailer. ...

Some have 10; some have 6

[TallEddie]

Originally Posted by dcg9381

Absolutely.. OK, well, it's 13k, not 16k, but absolutely..

HAha, ok, had a feeling that was coming. In theory I would love to travel the country with that as my TV, but in reality I would hate to have to squeeze into campsites with it.