Despite GM having exited the medium duty market, Ford isn’t resting on its laurels. It’s F-650 and F-750 chassis cabs, which are primarily used for towing and commercial grade hauling work are receiving a few updates. One of the most significant is the adoption of the 6.8-liter V-10 found in the lighter Super Duty trucks (F-250-F-550) for the 2012 model year. According to Len Deluca, Director of Ford’s Commercial Truck Sales and Marketing, the addition of the V-10 will be “welcome news to many business and municipalities,” while providing a wider range of powertrain options and solutions than Ram, Navistar, Isuzu and Hino (to name a few) currently offer in the Class 6 and 7 truck market.
For use in the medium duty Ford trucks, the V10 will be rated at 362 horsepower at 4750 rpm and 457 ft-lbs of torque at 3250. This enables gross vehicle weight ratings on these trucks to range from 20,000 up to a substantial 30,000 lbs, making them highly suitable for a range of different uses, from flatbed recovery vehicles to Fire Department use and short haul delivery runs. Teamed with the V10 is a version of Ford’s six-speed automatic TorqShift transmission, which features a powdered metal carrier in the planetary gearset for extra strength and increased torque capacity (some 735 ft-lbs), plus dual overdrive gears to aid fuel economy and a Live Drive Power Take Off (PTO) than can power such features as snow plows, salt spreaders and dump bodies directly off the crankshaft while the engine is running, no matter what speed the vehicle is traveling.
Alongside the V10/six-speed combo, Ford announced that it will be also offering an alternative fuels prep package for the 2012 Medium Duty trucks, following on from the smaller Super Duty rigs. This version of the V10 will incorporate hardened valves and seats for better wear resistance from gaseous fuels like Compressed Natural and Liquified Petroleum Gas. Ford has announced that the 2012 Class 6 and 7 chassis cabs will go on sale during the fourth quarter of 2011.
[Source: Ford Motor Company]
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