• Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!

Ford to produce the F series truck in Australia

Mike L

Mike L

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2010
Messages
1,922
Location
Texas
Occupation
Self employed field mechanic
$100,000 for the ugliest truck on the planet? Not only that, I would think those boys would want something reliable to take into the outback. There barklee I helped get the pot stirred.
 
0

02Dmax

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2007
Messages
687
Location
MO
I just assumed they were available as I've seen GM Duramax pickups on various shows filmed down there. They're a nice truck. At 300 a year I doubt their target market is to take over the outback. Lol
 
W

wilko

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2005
Messages
362
Location
Oregon
Charging that kind of money to convert a truck to right hand drive makes me think it would be cheaper to just switch the roads over to left hand drive.
 
D

d9gdon

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2010
Messages
1,517
Location
central texas
Why don't they just start driving on the correct side of the road and shave about $40,000 off that price? Crikey mate...and get rid of that damn metric system too.
 
Huntoon

Huntoon

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2012
Messages
265
Location
California
Occupation
Sales Engineer. I design OEM tracked undercarriage
it would be cool if we could get the international version of the Ford Ranger in the USA.
 
B

biggav

Active Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2013
Messages
30
Location
Bathurst, Australia
Occupation
Mechanic
Bugger you got my hopes up that we were going to get a factory supported F truck. Oh well I will just have to wait a bit longer. The mob that are doing the conversions are also converting dodges and chevrolets but a starting price of $100,000 it's a bit steep for the ordinary bloke to be able to afford one. When for the last couple of years the Australian dollar and American dollar were on parity the people Importing would of been making a killing.

What the Aussie car suppliers don't seem to realise is that there is a big market out the for a full size pick. We need a vehicle that can carry 3 ton and tow 5 ton while still maintaining highway speed and with a comfortable seating position for taller drivers.
 
H

hmearth

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 10, 2014
Messages
238
Location
Australia.
Ford hasn't made a good f series for years and as far as taking one into the outback ha.
And where not the ones on the wrong side of the road were just trying to correct a mistake:D
 
R

RayF

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2011
Messages
640
Location
Perth Western australia
Occupation
lineborer/welder
I've had 4 F series. The last, 3 F350's,2 of them local conversions. Good strong trucks and have been reliable. My current one is am 2010 6.4 Lariat crewcab. Performax starting to do conversions is just a bit more competition for the company in Melbourne who have been doing them since 96.:)
 
9

95zIV

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2006
Messages
795
Location
Cincinnati, OH
Occupation
RR Contractor Super.
biggav said:
What the Aussie car suppliers don't seem to realise is that there is a big market out the for a full size pick. We need a vehicle that can carry 3 ton and tow 5 ton while still maintaining highway speed and with a comfortable seating position for taller drivers.
Click to expand...

That's funny you should say that, Scrub seems to be of the mind that our "American" style trucks are a horrific waste of time, money and fuel. Didn't realize there's people in the great Down Under that actually want to get things done today and not have to fight to get it there.
 
S

Scrub Puller

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2009
Messages
3,481
Location
Gladstone Queensland Australia
Yair . . . 95zIV .

Scrub seems to be of the mind that our "American" style trucks are a horrific waste of time, money and fuel.
Click to expand...

Not really, all I have said is you don't need a 7.3 to haul your toolbox, ass and lunch pail. (big grin)

I have also questioned the American adoption of "pickup" style bodies for a work truck rather than a flat deck drop side which, to my mind is more generally useful.

With a different culture, licencing/registration regulations and, more importantly, fuel costs it seems it has been viable in the US to select a vehicle suitable for heavy duty recreational or business towing and then use it for a daily driver . . . biggav's desire for a vehicle to carry three and tow five is typical of what I mean.

It seems however the US manufacturers are seeing a shift in the market as I note a post up thread from CM1995 re a revamped Ranger and I just caught this about GM's new offering . . . with the 2.8 Duramax no less.

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2014/02/five-minutes-with-gms-anita-burke.html


Cheers.
 
Last edited:
H

hmearth

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 10, 2014
Messages
238
Location
Australia.
I got one of those ranger wildtrak fantastic except for the tub so I'm macking a tray for it at the moment.
Scrubpuller I agree I'd prefer to put fuel where i need it and it'sonly me my chaf bag and tools and fuel relay do I have someone in with me if I need to move some thing I use the the mack and tag.
 
R

RayF

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2011
Messages
640
Location
Perth Western australia
Occupation
lineborer/welder
Some of us haul more than a lunch bag and tool box though:) Last 26 years my utes would normally have a tonne of steel brackets in the back and a trailer full of line boring gear and welders. If I got a call from a mine in say Newman or Laverton they wanted you there today. In a smaller ute I would have been for one,illegal and secondly too slow. We can cruise in comfort at the speed limit or a bit better;) . And in the past you would normally drive all day,work all night and then drive home again,maybe 11 to 15 hours. Not all that much fun in a little jap buzz box. As far as fuel goes I use less than a loaded diesel Landcruiser. :)
 
CM1995

CM1995

Administrator
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Messages
13,346
Location
Alabama
Occupation
Running what I brung and taking what I win
What we haul and what we need to haul is as diverse of a discussion as what pickup is best?;)

Currently my F350 crew cab, 4x4, 6.7 carries this on a daily basis in which I use on a daily basis -

90 gal fuel tank
Big WG toolbox, full of tools from impact sockets to a masonry trowel
5 gal pails of hyd. and motor oil
lube skid with grease keg, air comp., air and grease hose reals
Chains, binders, straps
Shovels, sledge hammer, pry bar, bolt cutters
3 chain lifting sling, bucket hook
and other odds and ends

Today I needed to pull a T250 with bucket, trencher and silt fence supplies to a new job in order to install the fence before other trades start on Monday.

Now I can't carry and do what I did today with a Ranger, Hilux or other small pickup.:cool2

My truck is the office, service truck and lowboy for the small equipment. I am in it so much I want a truck to be comfortable and have the power to do what I need to do.

Tomorrow I am taking a personal day and taking a 2 hour one way road trip and yes I am using my F350 to do it, only hauling my better 1/2 and the dog. Now in a perfect world I would have a little pickup or small SUV for these types of trips as it would make more sense for that particular trip. However I do not want the financial burden of owning another vehicle - purchase price, maintenance, taxes, insurance, etc. It's not worth it and doesn't make monetary sense in my situation.

I am sure I will pass by someone who will think - "He doesn't need that big truck", not having a clue of what I do on a regular basis.

Scrub, I don't think it's any shift in the market that Ford is re-introducing the Ranger to the US market but rather trying to gain piece of the small truck market pie and keep up with their rival Chevy.
 
B

barklee

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2009
Messages
903
Location
ohio
I knew this would draw some healthy conversation!!
Truly, i have no idea what the ultimate compromise is..... I have tried the beater truck, the super nice crew cab dually, the crew cab utility and a nice half ton truck, the crew cab utility and toyota tacoma..... on and on with the same outcome. There is no perfect situation at least for me..... If i drive the utility truck, its hard to do anything family oriented with it. If i drive the half ton, i can do the family thing and check on jobs/ haul the occasional equipment but nothing big. Point is, Americans are looking for the do it all swiss army knife. For many of us its the really nice loaded f-350 that can do some real world hauling and take the family out to the lake. But yes, that does mean that some weeks/ months its only used to haul one ass and a lunch pail. However, when the time comes to do some real work, its already there with no additional insurance, plates, maintenance bla bla bla. I just wish that Ford/ Chevy or whoever would build an integrated utility bed truck from the factory the perfectly matched the truck like the pickup bed does. Then they would really have something, at least for me......
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top