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<\/p>\nBuying a truck involves finding out what you want, your preferences and ensuring the truck specifically meets your needs for loading and trailer towing. Ford trucks will satisfy a wide range of needs as there are a wide range of choices. However, this flexibility can make it challenging to choose the right truck from a vast array of models, packages, powertrain combinations and individual options. <\/p>\n
There are factory government ratings for trucks that dictate maximum amounts of weight\u00a0the truck can carry and tow. You’ll want to chose the truck that makes it possible to\u00a0carry and or tow what you want, without exceeding those ratings.\u00a0Trucks are best described in terms of three things most customers need a truck to do\u00a0for them:<\/p>\n
1. HOLD passengers and cargo.<\/p>\n
2. SUPPORT what you want to carry (including cargo, options and passengers).<\/p>\n
3. MOVE the load with the appropriate engine, transmission and rear axle combination.
\nOne thing to consider in order to determine the type of truck you need is what the\u00a0vehicle will hold.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
HOLD is the space required for what your truck needs to carry. You\u00a0need to know\u00a0how many people will be transported and what your cargo needs are in terms\u00a0of dimension size. In other words, does the truck have enough space to hold what you\u00a0want to carry?<\/p>\n
Other concerns to consider include the security of the cargo, whether\u00a0it has to be tied down to keep it from moving and\/or whether it must be covered to\u00a0protect it from the weather.<\/p>\n
1. Type of cargo?
\n2. Cargo size and volume?
\n3. Maximum number of people?
\n4. Protection of cargo from the weather?
\n5. Security of cargo from theft or damage?<\/p>\n
The next important thing to consider is the weight of what the truck will carry and its\u00a0capacity to support that weight. You’ll need to know how much weight the truck needs to\u00a0carry and choose a truck to handle that weight. There are 5 basic terms to know so you’ll be comfortable making a truck selection.<\/p>\n
1. Base Curb Weight: The weight of the empty vehicle with fluids (oil, lubricants and a\u00a0full tank of fuel) and standard equipment. It does not include the weight of the\u00a0driver, passengers, cargo or any optional or aftermarket equipment.<\/p>\n
2. Payload: The combined weight of the cargo, options and people the truck will carry.\u00a0Note, people weight is defined as the number of safety-belted seating positions\u00a0(including the driver) that the vehicle can carry multiplied by 150lbs. per person.<\/p>\n
3. GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight): The actual weight of the vehicle when loaded. It is the\u00a0sum of Payload and Gross Curb Weight of the truck.<\/p>\n
4. GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating): The maximum allowable loaded weight of the fully\u00a0loaded vehicle (including passengers and cargo) as specified by the manufacturer.<\/p>\n
When determining your SUPPORT needs, you must ensure that the actual payload weight\u00a0does not exceed the Maximum Payload Rating of the vehicle and that the Gross Vehicle\u00a0Weight does not exceed the truck’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.<\/p>\n
If the actual weight you want to carry is less than the truck’s weight rating, it will\u00a0satisfy your SUPPORT needs. If the actual weight exceeds the weight rating, it is not\u00a0the right truck for you. An overloaded truck could result in difficult steering, poor\u00a0braking, poor acceleration, poor fuel efficiency, excessive wear and tear, compromised\u00a0safety and loss of warranty coverage. It’s important to remember to have even weight\u00a0distribution of cargo to prevent overloading the front or rear axles.<\/p>\n
Lastly, when considering a truck’s ability to MOVE a load, you will look at the\u00a0powertrain. Ask yourself what your preferences are for performance and fuel efficiency\u00a0that meet your needs and wants. The more performance you need, the lower the fuel\u00a0efficiency you can expect. The more fuel efficiency you want, the lower your\u00a0performance is likely to be. Besides engine selection, factors such as rear axle ratio\u00a0and wheel and tire sizes can also affect the balance of performance vs. fuel\u00a0efficiency. Your salesperson will help you to select a powertrain that balances both to\u00a0meet your needs.<\/p>\n
1. What type of load are you moving?
\n2. Is it loaded constantly or is it a diminishing load?
\n3. What are the traffic conditions you’ll be driving in?
\n4. What type of terrain will you drive in?
\n5. What are the driving conditions?<\/p>\n
Most Ford trucks offer different engines, transmissions and rear axles, and you can mix\u00a0and match them based on their availability to get the best combination for different\u00a0applications.<\/p>\n
When making an engine selection, you’ll have your preference for or against diesel\u00a0versus gas engines. Consider too that your needs may change over time before making a\u00a0final choice. Horsepower and Torque are two different measures of performance and must\u00a0also be balanced in relation to your load-moving needs. Fuel efficiency is also a\u00a0factor to be balanced against the overall need for performance.
\nLet’s take a closer look at Horsepower and Torque. Think of horsepower as passing\u00a0power, or the ability to move a load faster if it’s already moving. Think of torque as\u00a0pulling power, or the ability to get a load moving if it has been standing still. In\u00a0the real world, there may be more than one engine choice that meets your needs. Price\u00a0and preference may be determining factors.<\/p>\n
Next, rear axle ratio is a measure of\u00a0drive-shaft rotation versus rear axle rotation. For example, on a 3.73 rear axle, the\u00a0drive-shaft rotates 3.73 times to every single rotation of the rear wheels. This\u00a0multiples the torque to the rear wheels. The key to remember is that the higher the\u00a0axle ratio, the greater the torque and the lower the fuel efficiency. The lower the\u00a0axle ratio, the lower the torque and the better the fuel efficiency.<\/p>\n
So now with all this in mind, we’re ready to learn about trailer towing. There are\u00a0many reasons Ford is a leader in trailer towing. We have outstanding selection, trucks\u00a0that can pull the heaviest trailers in their class, innovative towing technologies such as Trailer Sway Control and our integrated Trailer Brake Controller, all backed by 50\u00a0years of the undisputed champion with towing experience!<\/p>\n
1. Type and weight of trailer?
\n2. Type and weight of cargo on trailer?
\n3. Type and weight of trailer hitch?<\/p>\n
When a truck is towing a trailer, the trailer can be considered a special type of\u00a0payload that the truck has to SUPPORT and MOVE. Besides confirming that the payload is\u00a0below the Maximum Payload Rating and the Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) is below the Gross\u00a0Vehicle Weight Rating(GVWR), you must complete an extra step: To safely tow a trailer,\u00a0you need to determine if the Gross Combination Weight (GCW) of your loaded truck and\u00a0loaded trailer is less than the Ford maximum Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) for\u00a0that truck and trailer.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Tongue Weight is the weight of the loaded trailer that is pressing down on the\u00a0loaded truck. It is a type of payload that the truck must support and therefore adds\u00a0to the Gross Vehicle Weight of the truck. Tongue Weight is best calculated as 15% of\u00a0the total weight of the trailer and all of its contents for conventional towing\u00a0applications. For fifth-wheel applications, tongue weight is calculated at 25% of the\u00a0total weight of the trailer and its contents<\/p>\n Gross Combined Weight Ratings are found readily available on the internet or by\u00a0consulting with a Sherwood Ford representative. We strongly recommend you find the GCWR\u00a0for your engine\/transmission\/rear axle combination and compare it to the calculated\u00a0Gross Combined Weight to make sure the truck can safely handle both your cargo-carrying\u00a0and trailer towing needs.<\/p>\n In summary, first calculate the weight of the loaded trailer and the tongue weight.\u00a0Second, calculate the payload weight, including hitch weight and tongue weight, and\u00a0compare it to the Maximum Payload Rating of your selected truck. Third, calculate the\u00a0trucks’s Gross Vehicle Weight and compare it to the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating to make\u00a0sure the truck is under the maximum weight rating. Lastly, calculate the Gross\u00a0Combined Weight of your truck and trailer and make sure the truck\/trailer combination\u00a0is under the vehicles Gross Combined Weight Rating.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Buying a truck involves finding out what you want, your preferences and ensuring the truck specifically meets your needs for loading and trailer towing. Ford trucks will satisfy a wide range of needs as there are a wide range of choices. However, this flexibility can make it challenging to choose the right truck from a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":11992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[313,28,41,58],"tags":[98,145,171,191,192,240,276,294,295,296,297],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n