I seen that Ford is going to try an aluminum truck somewhere also, Not sure where I saw it though. I cant see it taking hold though. I dont think it can take the punishment that a truck would put it through.
2015 F-150
Next year's model will still be steel which leaves lots of time to get one. I ordered my 2014 as soon as Ford started taking orders because I heard there would be no more steel trucks the following year. I also read somewhere the the 2015 would be 10% smaller. I don't know if it's true.
Just think of all the beer cans one of those will make!
Jack;
Be nice. LOL
Ford has been using aluminum hoods for some years now. KGB
It’s been sneaking up on us . . .
Ford pickups and pickup derived SUV’s have many aluminum parts now,
and have had for a few years. Try a magnet on your hood and you will see.
Thermo plastic body sections are common as well, and many owners have
never noticed it. Engine and driveline parts as well as wheels have been
using aluminum for years, but check out those sturdy cast aluminum front
and (some) rear suspension parts hiding underneath the newer F150’s etc.
I think the cab shell will be the last to change for safety reasons.
The chassis, cab, front fenders and doors, as well as the bumpers and only
the 'interior' of the box are metal on my 1997 F150 Stepside, but pretty much
everything else is aluminum or plastic. (Never thought to check the tailgate).
Regards
Art
I have an '09 F150 and the tailgate is made of steel. Just lift it.
Ford is just getting back to Henry's way: light and strong. Weight you don't carry is fuel you don't buy.
An extra pound of engine requires the structure, supension and down to the tires be heavier by about a 4:1 ratio.
My '09 Ford F150 weigh 5200 lb.
The only people this is a problem for is those who are unrealistically comparing it to trucks built 30+ years ago. See what happens to your new "ALL STEEL" truck when a shopping cart hits it in a parking lot.
The biggest problem Ford will have is with the finishes. Painting aluminum is requires that there be absolutely no surface contamination.
Sounds like it will be great for the folks who live in the suburbs and haul a potted plant home from Lowes once in a while. I hope they don't mess with the bigger trucks that people actually use as trucks!
If the aluminum in a 747 can get a million pounds into the air and around the world, it will do just fine in an old pickup.
Alan Mulally, CEO, brought weight conciousness from Boeing to Ford. Now it's time for the public to get up to speed.
"Build in Lightness" could as well have been Henry's motto for cars. It sure didn't follow through to the Model A, though.
Ralph, Don't forget the weigh savings of the one set of points in the Model A vs the 4 sets of points in the model T !
My concern is with stopping! I don't have a lot of confidence in most trailer brakes.
I was considering buying a new Ford truck. I think I will wait for the new 2015!
I have a couple of older Land Rovers and the aluminum panels have held up just fine.
My 2003 Stepside must have a cast iron tailgate. It's getting to be all I can do to lift and close it.
well by the time I can afford a 2015 F150,it will be 10 years old or more.
By that time new trucks will be made out of blow mold plastic like the little wheel barrows women push around for a season and push out the curb to toss that fall.
Most people dont work a truck anymore.It is a car that has a big v8 instead of a cracker box car with bells and whistles we dont need.The government and auto makers have fiqured this out and the crap is creeping into the trucks.
I guess the salt will eat out these beer cans on wheels in what 5 years?
No improvement in that over steel
I'm sure Ford keeps a short leash on the bean counters when it comes to the profitable F150 and they will put maximum effort into the 2015. Still, it's always the first year rollouts that have all the bugs and defects. You're safer with the 2014 which will be the most proven model of all.