As it plans to rollout the 2011 Super Duty, Ford Motor Co. asked selected commercial customers with severe-duty applications to test pre-production models of the all-new Super Duty for six months before the truck goes on sale.
Two of these companies -- Reynolds Asphalt & Construction and TexOp Construction -- are Texas-based and recently accepted delivery of pre-production customized units as part of Ford's new Fleet Testing Program. During the six-month testing period, Reynolds and TexOp will feed performance data back to Ford engineers for further analysis.
"The 2011 Ford Super Duty has been designed, engineered and manufactured by Ford to the highest standards," said Doug Scott, Ford Truck Group marketing manager. "We have complete confidence that this 'best tool in the box' will deliver beyond customer expectations. It's why we're willing to share pre-production units with companies that do the toughest jobs. We can't wait for everyone to see the new 2011 Ford Super Duty in action."
Reynolds Asphalt received a 2011 Super Duty F-550 4x2 dual rear wheel chassis cab upfitted with a mechanic's "bed" to use as a service truck for the company's heavy-duty equipment. The F-550 will carry welding equipment, compressors and a crane body to job sites for repairs on Reynolds' heavy equipment, including pavers, rollers and graders. The total weight of added equipment approaches the maximum payload limits of the class-leading 19,500-pound GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) F-550 truck, which maintains leadership in towing and payload, making the 2011 Super Duty the ideal choice.
The F-550 will be expected to perform in areas with rough roads or possibly off-road, potentially using the added crane to pull an engine out of or drop a transmission into heavy equipment.
"This F-550 chassis cab basically will always be on the road, heading out to the vehicles that need service at our various job sites," said Gary Reynolds, company president. "The F-550 will be an important component in keeping our jobs on time and on budget."
TexOp took delivery of a Super Duty F-350 4x4 Crew Cab XL outfitted with toolboxes to assist with maintenance. It also will tow Bobcats and other equipment on a double-axle tandem gooseneck trailer to job sites. The F-350 is expected to be used constantly in this role - the truck doing the job now has racked up 40,000 miles in just eight months.
"We're a business, not a laboratory. We don't have time for that," said Danny Simpson, managing partner of TexOp Construction LP. "Anything we use has to help us get the job done right for our customers. Based on everything we've seen, the new 2011 Ford Super Duty with the new 6.7-liter Power Stroke® diesel will do just that."
The 2011 Ford Super Duty goes on sale in spring 2010. Between now and then, visitors can log on to www.fordvehicles.com/2011superduty to see a series of Webisodes hosted by Mike Rowe of "Dirty Jobs" that detail development and testing of the new powertrain lineup. In the series, Rowe leads customers through laboratory and real-world durability testing of the all-new Ford-designed, Ford-engineered and Ford-built 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 turbo-diesel engine, the new 6.2-liter gasoline engine and the new 6R140 heavy-duty TorqShift six-speed automatic.
In the coming months, the site also will feature results from TexOp, Reynolds Asphalt and other companies participating in the Fleet Testing Program.
