Five Days from Our Ford Super Duty Diary

CE managing editor Keith Gribbins records his trek to the Arizona desert to put the legendary work pickup through its paces:

Day One: Diesel Engine Dynamos

Automotive magnate and truck specialist Ford Motor Co. invited journalists from all over the country to test drive its new 2011 Super Duty trucks out in the Arizona desert. Writers flew into Prescott, Ariz., and traveled cross country a few 100 miles to Scottsdale, testing out the new capabilities of the 2011 Super Duty lineup (the F-250 through F-450 and chassis cabs F-350 through F-550).

Day Two: Truck Transmissions from the Desert

Out in the Bradshaw Mountains of central Arizona, at an altitude of about 5,400 ft, journalists from all over the country towed 10,000-lb trailers up narrow single lane highways, testing out the real capabilities of Ford’s upcoming 2011 Super Duty trucks at the company’s big media launch. After hauling all morning, lunch at the bottom of the mountain was in proper order, and a discussion popped up — what was the more important piece of the puzzle for Ford’s new power train — its new diesel engines or its new 6R140 heavy-duty TorqShift six-speed transmission?

Day 3: The Mobile Office Experience

The information age is constantly evolving, and integrated computers are on the forefront, creating new fads, tripling productivity and changing the way we work. Today we use our computers as naturally and easily as we now use our cars… or trucks. That gave Ford Motor Co. an idea. Why not integrate the ideal mobile office into the ultimate commercial work truck?

Day 4: Tow to Tow – These are Die-Hard Haul Trucks

The white-knuckled experience of hauling equipment affects both novices and veterans alike. Driving 60 mph down a steep grade in rush hour traffic hauling a skid steer loader safely is not necessarily a fun experience, so anything that can alleviate the stress of towing machinery is a welcome change to the owner/operator/equipment equation.

Day Five: The Luxuries in Cost of Ownership

High cost of ownership is not a luxury we can afford anymore. Ford Motor Co. realized this when they released their 2011 Super Duty Truck Series out in the Arizona desert to journalists from all of the country in early March. The company was focused on how much work these new trucks could do and how efficiently they could do it, noting of course that plenty of luxury options were available as well.