We Talk 2017 Super Duty with Real Customers in Houston
Yesterday, we reported that Ford is working with some real customers to give them exclusive access to the new Ford Super Duty to gain valuable feedback and help make the new Super Duty the best ever. One of those individuals is Nate Berges, and we took a few minutes to chat with him yesterday at the Houston Auto Show about his exposure to the new truck.
As it turns out, Nate is a fan like we all are. In fact, before he started working with Ford on this project he was scouring Ford Truck Enthusiasts (Hi, Nate!) just like you and I looking for the latest news and spy shots. Of course now, he knows more than we all do!
Nate’s company, Berges Trenton Awning Company, is a construction company in New Jersey. According to Nate, his entire fleet consists of chassis cab Super Dutys, with his own personal truck a pickup Super Duty that he uses for both work and hauling his family around.
With the switchover to an aluminum body for 2017, I wondered if he had any concerns about the new material, and what Ford has done to help alleviate his concerns. He’s toured the Kentucky truck plant and has seen how changes made, like a new paint booth, help ensure quality with aluminum. Also, working in construction he already knows aluminum is durable.
His biggest concern was the additional steel for the frame. Living near the ocean, salt in the air is a serious concern and corrosion and rust are always present. For the new Super Duty, Ford has applied extra protection to the fully-boxed frame to help prevent that from happening.
Nate also likes that with the chassis cab, the C-Channels are both stronger but also have more space for running wires and accessories for the upfits.
This isn’t the first time that Ford has worked with real customers to help with the development of their trucks. If you remember correctly, Ford even ran a covert-style operation with a mining company to test the aluminum bed for the 2015 F-150. When you’re the leader of truck sales in the country, and own the workplace, your customers are your most important resource. We commend Ford for including them along the journey.
Dealership orders will start relatively soon for the 2017 Ford Super Duty, with deliveries taking place later this year. We still don’t know horsepower, torque, and towing ratings of the new trucks, but we should also be seeing that information here in the coming months.
If pricing is anything like the F-150, don’t expect a significant increase over the current generation.
Stay tuned as we get closer to launch because we’ll get you all the details about Ford’s new heavy hitter. Are you getting excited for this thing? We sure are! Let us know over in the forums!
