well, i gotta say i never thought of the rail car. a down side i can see for pickup trucks would be that, the coil spring puts the load all in one place on the frame where as the leaf spring spreads it out over a larger portion of the truck. i can imagine this not being an issue for a rail car since it is made of very thick steel. However, a 1500 series pickup frame is not all that thick and for prolonged, heavy loading, espically if being driven over rough terrain, it would seem better to have the load spread out more.
__________________
1994 f150 4x2 reg cab I-6, 5spd
ain't no such thing as too much overkill.
well, i gotta say i never thought of the rail car. a down side i can see for pickup trucks would be that, the coil spring puts the load all in one place on the frame where as the leaf spring spreads it out over a larger portion of the truck. i can imagine this not being an issue for a rail car since it is made of very thick steel. However, a 1500 series pickup frame is not all that thick and for prolonged, heavy loading, espically if being driven over rough terrain, it would seem better to have the load spread out more.
yep, that would help in spreading the load out along the frame. However, the end of the spring holder will most likley be a couple feet from the end of the frame. This could lead to the frame cracking over time due to large loads being put over the rear end behind the axle, with out supporting the frame. I know that people plow all the time with 700 lb. plows hanging off the front of their truck. But im talkin about putting 1500 lbs or more behind the rear axle on a constant basis. i would be conserned about the frame cracking if this was done frequently and there was nothing for 2 or 3 feet to support the frame.
__________________
1994 f150 4x2 reg cab I-6, 5spd
ain't no such thing as too much overkill.
Call me old fashioned...but I'll stick to my leaf springs. Much easier (and cheaper) to lift. Don't have to worry about complicated 3/4-link setups, limiting straps, or spring rates. And they can still flex with the best of the coils...
"i would be conserned about the frame cracking if this was done frequently and there was nothing for 2 or 3 feet to support the frame."
Your grasping at straws to try to validate your point
Any halfwit engineer cold come up with a member to support a MERE couple tons over the course of 4 feet. 18 wheelers on airbags have no problem with their "spring" perches
In a land where you are innocent until proven guilty, everyone assumes they that a new design is junk until proven....even if it would happen to be marginally better...it would still be junk because it isn't what we are use to.
You guys can't think nor look outside the box....that is the same problem ford has designed into its vehicles. It fails to realize the problem and proactively fix it. I don't understand. JMO
I hope I am traditional in all things traditional, and untraditional in everything else.
GEE, the Expeditions have been coil springs in the rear for awhile now. I don't see them bottomed out or leaning to one side, even pulling large boats and such.
this is why only ford are good for towing. Dodge suckks huge, 8750 is a Hemi Joke tow rating, my V6 could pull that.
__________________
1999 Ford F-150 Reg Cab, Green, 8 ft Box, HD Suspension, 300,000 kms+ tough life Built Ford Tough!
1998 Ford F-150 Ex Cab XL 4.2L 3.55 460,948+kms
(Fergus Truck Show 08)
1994 F-150 XL 300 I6 S/Cab 303,184kms 5 Speed
Video of my truck also a Gallery. Fordman06777, got vids of my truck pulling, and flipping cars youtube
Every buddy is comparing Apples to oranges. People want a Half ton truck that is capable of towing a good amount. They want a good ride. Your trying to compare Military trucks to trains to 1/2 ton trucks.
Military trucks while they can handle alot of weight (both towing and load) they are very uncofortble (I know this first hand).
Trains do use coil springs but its not for a comfortble ride its just enough suspension to keep the train car from falling apart.
1/2 ton trucks are used as good all around truck. They can tow well but if towing alot of weight all the time your going to get a bigger truck. If all your doing is picking kids up from soccer practice your going to buy a van. 1/2 ton trucks are good at alot but not the best at any thing.
I thinks its a good idea for dodge to try. I don't think its a wise Idea to do it to all of the trucks in a segment. I think they should do it as a package or a limited edition to see if A) well recived by the market there selling too. B)How long It lasts in different driving conditions. C) wether its as capable as other trucks of similar size and use.
I think Dodge is betting the farm on a system that they don't know if it's a feesable for its uses. If it fails it could set them back 15 years in truck sales. If it works great then it could bring dodge to the top of the sales list with all the other's playing catchup.
big mistake for Dodge, the only truck 11,000 pounds if safe behinf (1/2 Ton) is ford end of story, rams rated for 8750 thats sad, my class 3 Hitch on my 4.2 is rated for just that. new rams going down for sure, real trucks work dont race, ford got it on lockdown new trucks so ahead, ford should have patent alot of there ****...etc oh well im sick of this cat wait to see a flock of F-150s going down te road, liek I always do but I mean 09's
__________________
1999 Ford F-150 Reg Cab, Green, 8 ft Box, HD Suspension, 300,000 kms+ tough life Built Ford Tough!
1998 Ford F-150 Ex Cab XL 4.2L 3.55 460,948+kms
(Fergus Truck Show 08)
1994 F-150 XL 300 I6 S/Cab 303,184kms 5 Speed
Video of my truck also a Gallery. Fordman06777, got vids of my truck pulling, and flipping cars youtube
I think this is a great move for Dodge. They are not getting caught up in this numbers game of towing capacity and payload. If someone is gonna be pulling 9000+ lbs i would hope they would have the brains to bypass ANY manufacturers half tons for a 3/4 or 1 ton.
Also 11000 lbs is not safe behind a f150. My brother felt so unsafe with his 05 f150 pulling a 6200 lb travel trailer ( probably closer to 7000 lbs after loaded up ) on a trip from Arizona to Nebraska that he immediately went to get a different truck. Long story short, he ended up with a 07 Nissan Titan Le crew cab 4x4 and with the help of some airbags in the back he says it is night and day difference!!! He can now pull hills with the cruise on that his f150 would be pedal to the metal and lose 15mph. To be fair, he did want to get a 3/4 ton diesel but it was out his price range for the options (leather etc) that he wanted.
Only someone with a death wish or a mental handicap would be dumb enough to to 11,000LBS behind a 1/2 ton truck.
Factory tow ratings have NO basis in reality whatsoever, It's not like there is a standardized system for calculating a vehicles towing capacity. So what do manufacturers in the absence of such a system ?.... They just make up a number and go with that.
I think some of y'all forget what configuration is actually rated for the 11K. It isn't 4wd, a SuperCrew or a shortbed. It doesn't have 3.73's nor does it have the small engine.
A Regular cab, long bed, 2WD, 4.10 rear & 5.4L is the only F-150 rated to pull 11K. A rare bird indeed.
``````````````
Nobody of yet has posted why a coil spring is inferior to a leaf spring. Post #41 totally missed the point...
Join Our Site - Its free, quick and easy!
