'04 F350, V10. Tell me about it.

[sambo.]

Well you should learn a little about the local driving conditions and the truck.

First off, the truck itself is very heavy. Takes quite a bit of power just to get rolling, even when not loaded. Also the '04 year model has 'only' 310hp; the engine was upgraded in '05 to 360hp. For comparison my Honda has 240 hp and weighs less than half as much.

Also these trucks rev very low, are often geared low, and have a strong torque rating. A 300hp truck is nothing like a 300hp car...

Second, the roads. Speed limit here is 75mph, most traffic travels at 78-ish (120 kilometers per hour). The local elevations range from 6,000' to over 10,000' (3000 meters), which sucks away horsepower at the rate of 3% per 1000', resulting in a 20-30% total power loss. The incline on the small local pass is 3%-6%, and continues for ten miles on either side of the apex (other mountain roads in the region are much steeper, longer, and higher).

So a 6% grade lasting ten miles, vehicles expected to maintain 75mph, and factoring in a 20+% horsepower loss... not for weak truck engines.

Vehicle availability is also a major factor. Yep, I likely could have gotten by with the V-8 and a 3/4 ton truck, but they simply weren't available. 90% of the 250/350 models are diesel, and most of the remaining 10% are V10 gasoline. Not sure the V-8 would have gotten much better mileage anyway; my '94 V-8 F150 got the same 13mpg highway.

we don't have those kinds of elevation issues (our highest peak is only 2,200m anyways)

Try to fit a 4x8 sheet of drywall or plywood in the back of that.
Blueboard comes in 4'x12' sheets. How far would that hang out the back of a HiLux bed?
Fifty-pound bags of plaster? Livestock feed? Load of firewood? Lumber? Hay bales?
Not that I haul of those things all of the time, but I haul some of those things some of the time. And need to do it while maintaining a reasonable speed given the previously listed driving conditions...

i've managed to haul quite a fair bit of large, bulky gear in the tray of a standard aussie Ute in the past.

in my case, i'm prepared to trade a little load capacity for the extra three seats.

I was told by a fellow there that buying a new Ford truck in Australia would cost close to $100,000 after paying the purchase price, import fees, and cost of customizing the truck for wrong-side driving.

hehe, and in most Australian states, the bigger your engine, the more you pay in annual registration fees.

Ah, you guys can afford it. I've been to Australia and seen the prices of things there, and know how much money guys there make. Guys I talk to can't believe how little Americans earn:

The average full-time male wage (excluding overtime) in Australia is A$69,233 per annum
​

Median per capita income in Raton, New Mexico is $18,000/year.

The average price of a home in Sydney is $800,000. If you can afford that, you can afford a lousy $95 for gas.

while i too cannot believe how little the average American earns and your atrocious working conditions (two weeks paid lave per year? get stuffed. i refuse to accept less than six in my pay negotiations), there's also the Cost Of Living to factor in.

what you pay US$1 for in the USA, you'll commonly pay AUD$2 or more in Australia. Even though the exchange rate is at around US$0.90 to the AUD$1.

take petrol as an example. My local service station is selling regular ULP for $1.50'ish/litre.

edit: and AUD$800,000 is WAY too much for a house in Sydney. fewer and fewer people can afford it. those who got into the Sydney property market 30 years ago are in clover. those of us without such accrued wealth are screwed.

p.s. In case anyone is unfamiliar with Australian 'trucks': Rented a large van (known in America as a MiniVan) to haul some lightweight equipment. The turd could barely make it up the low hills outside of Sydney, despite the agonizingly low speed limits and near-sea-level elevation. Thought we were going to have to get out and push...

which exact model are we talking about.

there are a LOT of small-engined "vans" sold in Australia for small, local delivery work.

Things like the 1.8l HiAce van would behave in the manner you describe.

There are very few 'real' trucks in Australia, mostly "Utes", which are Ford Focus type cars with miniature truck beds on the back and roo guards on the front. Think Chevy El Camino. A few of the Utes have flatbeds, and some have sportscar performance engines.

err, your "standard" aussie ute is generally based on the same chassis as a large family sedan.

the "performance" utes, like the Holden Maloo for example, have what amounts to a Pontiac GTHO chassis, engine and transmission (what we in Australia call a Monaro) with a Ute body on it.

they go like stink. the british Top Gear program put one around their test track and it did better than a lot of pure Sports cars.

but no, as a nation, Australia never really got into huge, massive vehicles like F250s, Chevy Suburbans and the like.

such vehicles are called Yank Tanks where i live.

A few small trucks and SUVs in the working towns, many done up for back country travel, equipped with off-road tires, snorkel kits, etc. Neat recreational vehicles, but not much cargo space.

the Toyota Landcruiser with a tray-back and a V8 diesel engine is pretty much the standard vehicle in outback Australia.

to properly get to the Outback, you'd need to be a good 300-400kms further west than those mountains west of Sydney.

 

[Bob W]

Try this with your HiLux:

 

[sambo.]

i'd try that with a HiLux. but i wouldn't want to be doing huge distances.

if i needed to do that kind of cartage on a regular basis, i'd get a five tonne flatbed.

edit: besides, i don't have a HiLux at the moment.

edit 2: now i think about it, i've seen three of those sized bales on the back of a 'Cruiser. i rekon i could get at least one into a HiLux dual cab tray.

 

[Bob W]

while i too cannot believe how little the average American earns and your atrocious working conditions (two weeks paid lave per year? get stuffed.

A bit OT, but many Americans don't get ANY paid time off. No work = no pay. :grumpy:

edit: and AUD$800,000 is WAY too much for a house in Sydney.

Sydney is a very expensive place to live or visit. So are most large American cities.

which exact model are we talking about.

I don't recall. Mitsubishi maybe? It's not something available in the US.

err, your "standard" aussie ute is generally based on the same chassis as a large family sedan.

Most I recall seeing are small to midsize, much smaller than a full-size sedan like an Avalon or TownCar. Ford Focus or maybe Taurus (called a Falcon in Australia) seemed to be a popular base model.

Sedan? Most Utes are only two-door, unless I'm mistaken.

they go like stink. the british Top Gear program put one around their test track and it did better than a lot of pure Sports cars.

Absolutely! Saw some there advertised with 300+ horsepower.

but no, as a nation, Australia never really got into huge, massive vehicles like F250s, Chevy Suburbans and the like.

such vehicles are called Yank Tanks where i live.

Full-size trucks are less common in urban/suburban areas, where most folks drive SUVs, crossovers / station wagons, or sedans. In rural areas and working-class towns the majority of families have a truck of some sort. At a mine or feedlot, for examples, practically every worker's personal vehicle would be a pickup.

Suburbans and similar vehicles, although common both in rural areas and suburbs, most are family wagons and not used for work.

to properly get to the Outback, you'd need to be a good 300-400kms further west than those mountains west of Sydney.

Haven't made it there - yet. :thumbup:

 

[sambo.]

A bit OT, but many Americans don't get ANY paid time off. No work = no pay. :grumpy:

i'll never, ever understand why American workers tolerate that kind of treatment.

Sydney is a very expensive place to live or visit. So are most large American cities.

hehe, no kidding. i grew up in Sydney and can no longer afford to live there.

no way i'll move back unless i own a house there.

Most I recall seeing are small to midsize, much smaller than a full-size sedan like an Avalon or TownCar. Ford Focus or maybe Taurus (called a Falcon in Australia) seemed to be a popular base model.

yah, the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore are the standard "large family car" in Australia.
most Utes are just re-bodied sedans.

Sedan? Most Utes are only two-door, unless I'm mistaken.

yuh, most are two door, like the Maloo

but there is also the Dual Cab configuration available on a lot of models nowadays. trade tray space for extra seats.

Absolutely! Saw some there advertised with 300+ horsepower!

hehe, NO-ONE takes the Ute as seriously as us Aussies do.

we even race them

Full-size trucks are less common in urban/suburban areas, where most folks drive SUVs, crossovers / station wagons, or sedans. In rural areas and working-class towns the majority of families have a truck of some sort. At a mine or feedlot, for examples, practically every worker's personal vehicle would be a pickup

whereas the standard aussie workers car would be a Falcon or a Commodore or similar in a sedan or soe kind of work ute like a hilux or even a Maloo.

Haven't made it there - yet. :thumbup:

well, stop driving a 20l/100km vehicle, save some pennies and get yer arse down here mate!

i'll take yah feral pig hunting. dogs and knives style pig hunting with a compound bow for backup.

 

[Bob W]

Here are the most popular vehicles in the US, if you're interested:
Two of the top 3 are full-size trucks, and the rest are a mix of small SUVs and generic sedans.

http://carinsurancecop.com/most-popular-cars-in-america-2010.php

 

[Bob W]

i can't help asking: how badly do you need an engine that big?

but no, as a nation, Australia never really got into huge, massive vehicles like F250s, Chevy Suburbans and the like.

such vehicles are called Yank Tanks where i live.

Hate to be stereotyped as a land-barge driving American, so...

This is my other car. Doesn't get much smaller than this.

I've seen very few convertibles Down Under either, surprising considering how nice the weather is. Guess if it's not a Ute, Australians don't want it.

 

[SPXTrader]

Hate to be stereotyped as a land-barge driving American, so...

This is my other car. Doesn't get much smaller than this.

I've seen very few convertibles Down Under either, surprising considering how nice the weather is. Guess if it's not a Ute, Australians don't want it.

Nice car. I had an S2000 in 2001. White. Very quick car. And very small for someone 6'6" and 235.

Unfortunately, there were world-wide problems with the #4 cylinder scorching. Honda tracked the problem to the crank oil jets (they spray oil from underneath up into the cylinder). Said they were too small and #4 wasn't getting enough cooling. So they recalled all of them, which was a very expensive proposition. Except the (identically) built US models (seems more were made for the US market than Asia and Europe combined). Said US drivers weren't as hard on their cars as Asian and European drivers. Yeah, riiight. Give me a 9000 red-line pocket rocket and tell me I'm not going to be hard on the car? After Honda's flip off of the US I sold mine. Gone but not forgotten, and not really missed. That whole deal soured me on Honda.

 

[Bob W]

My Honda is an '02. Apparently neither I nor the previous owner drove it very much; the odometer only has 24,000 miles.

 

[SPXTrader]

They are weekend cars. I had mine 3 years and sold it with 7k on the clock.

Isn't that a '04 or '05 pictured? I thought the front grille and wheels were the same from 01 to 03 or 04.

 

[Bob W]

I'll try harder to find an accurate photo. Looks the same to me... and mine is blue.

Here's an '02 like mine, blue with blue leather interior: