GTP Cool Wall: 1977 Ford F250 4X4
- Thread starter White & Nerdy
- 173 comments
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- 4,040
- UK
- ReTyger
The numbers I found whilst doing research for that post suggest otherwise. A Hilux is rated at 3000kg/6613lb, the Defender 3500kg/7716lb. The 6th generation F250s (depending on engine and gearing, as far as I can work out) will have a maximum towing capacity from somewhere between 2948kg/6500lb and ~5443kg/~12000lb. Unimogs, depending on engine, gearing and tow hitch, have a maximum towing capacity of anything up to 1,000,000kg/2,204,622lbs, but by that point you're very much comparing apples with oranges (and thus shouldn't be taken too seriously).
Not sure if you missed my point here, I was concurring, and without looking anything up knew the examples you cited had better towing ability, if not more so, which you have just proved with the numbers
Roo
Premium
- 7,435
- Hampshire, UK
- GTP_Roo
Not sure if you missed my point here, I was concurring, and without looking anything up knew the examples you cited had better towing ability, if not more so, which you have just proved with the numbers
I understand what you were saying, but it's not entirely correct.
The numbers I found suggest that a 1970s F250 can safely tow up to around 12,000lb, depending on what engine and gearing the truck in question has. That's about 65% more towing capacity than a current Defender, and almost double that of a Hilux. Yes, some of the lower-end F250s have an official towing capacity of around the same as a Hilux, but at the end of the day the F250 is a better bet for towing.
My point all along has been that in the UK a 1977 F250 (indeed, any F-series truck) is less practical overall than a pickup you can buy from a showroom here, due to the larger phyiscal size and the decreased fuel economy. Thus anyone who drives one here will be driving a truck that has been imported purely to be different, and that, in my opinion, is not cool.
Aaah, I see. With that, things become a lot clearer at my end.
I knew almost nothing about F-series trucks before I started researching them for the posts I've made in this thread. One of the things I did know was that they can tow a lot, certainly more than the standard offerings here, but I wasn't aware of the F-series hierarchy and how most people would buy an F250 specifically to tow stuff with. Now I do.
They're still uncool though
- 34,949
- Indian Falls, NY
- slashfan7964
- 2,037
- Colorado
Subzero. I don't care what anyone has against this generation of truck because when I owned mine I got more compliments on it in public than I ever did with my Mustang. Even one of my friends noted that he didn't like cruising with me because my truck got more compliments from the ladies than his WRX STi 
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- 5,198
- UK
- marunda/GTP_FordMKIVJ5
I voted uncool based on my experience of the UK, I'm sure in the US it's a different story.
As Roo said the truck is just too big unless you only ever drive on main roads, trying to take it around where I live would be a nightmare, you'd be forever bumping up on verges/into hedges just to let cars go past.
Plus, as has been said, the stereotype about it being a bit of a redneck truck (you'll get that with any American truck over here, not just this one) would be widely observed. And a car being 'cool' is all about how it is perceived by others, and not how much you like it.
As Roo said the truck is just too big unless you only ever drive on main roads, trying to take it around where I live would be a nightmare, you'd be forever bumping up on verges/into hedges just to let cars go past.
Plus, as has been said, the stereotype about it being a bit of a redneck truck (you'll get that with any American truck over here, not just this one) would be widely observed. And a car being 'cool' is all about how it is perceived by others, and not how much you like it.
- 5,198
- UK
- marunda/GTP_FordMKIVJ5
- 2,153
- Great White North
Cool
- 5,139
- SLO
- playnthru
You need a commercial license. 80,000 pounds/ 40 tons would require a class A license, that's the O.T.R weight limit on a big rig(excluding doubles/triples).
Commercial plates is just your local DMV saying hello.
It assumes you'll use the vehicle for commercial use(a business), so you pay extra taxes on it.
- 34,949
- Indian Falls, NY
- slashfan7964
Commercial plates is just your local DMV saying hello.
It's pretty much required here. I have a GVWR on my F-250 less than most modern F-150's (though I'd bet money I can haul more) and it had* commercial plates on it for as long as I can remember.
*Took it off the road in September IIRC.
- 5,139
- SLO
- playnthru
Yeah it's required here too. The DMV charges commercial vehicle fees on all trucks regardless of size. This explains NY state laws http://www.dmv.ny.gov/forms/mv114.pdf. If your truck is over 5500LBS, you don't have a choice.
- 23,800
- Philippines
Not a great example. The Elantra was on the light end of the scale when it was launched. And now that the Corolla and Civic have moved up a generation, the Elantra is either the lightest or second-lightest car in its market segment.
And while it's not fantastic to drive, it's better than the Corolla or Civic... probably in the upper-third of the class, though no patch on a Mazda or the Focus.
- 3,915
- California
- gdwest1
Also worth noting that an Unimog is really, really expensive.
Maybe these are cool in Alabama, but here? Heck no. Tacoma's rule here in Northern California- reliable, good for off-roading, great aftermarket, big enough to help someone move.
If you're going to tow, you get a newer pickup. But are families who RV in cool contests anyway? Men with horses?
Sure towing your dirtbikes is cool, but those are the bikes that are cool, not the truck.
Maybe these are cool in Alabama, but here? Heck no. Tacoma's rule here in Northern California- reliable, good for off-roading, great aftermarket, big enough to help someone move.
If you're going to tow, you get a newer pickup. But are families who RV in cool contests anyway? Men with horses?
Sure towing your dirtbikes is cool, but those are the bikes that are cool, not the truck.
- 34,949
- Indian Falls, NY
- slashfan7964
You can pick up a one of these as a decent runner for as low as $500 if the idiot selling it doesn't know what he has. You can get a show quality truck for about $4k for the same thing, though the resale on this particular model I've seen in the $15k range high end.
Anyways....if I had one it'd look like this, except red like the bottom one, preferably all red:
....Ironically enough, I'd bet a new one still sits higher than all of those. One of those with about 550 horsepower makes me quiver.
Not around here. A lot of people would rather dump $1,500 on a truck that has similar capabilities to a newer one than dump $30k on a new one.
- 3,915
- California
- gdwest1
To tow what? If it's a trailer for taking stuff to the dump then it isn't that heavy, and anything would do it. If it's a fishing boat you could yoke up a 1999 F150 and not rattle your ears to death. If it's any bigger than that (Large horse trailer, RV) then I'm guessing 15k for a good 2006 truck wouldn't be too much of a stretch if you already have one of those items.
- 9,884
- Carthage, TN
- race_emhard
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