Thats good info but I have yet to see a 6.2 in XLT Trim. You usually have to buy a Lariat or above. Who the heck is gonna use a Lariat as a plow truck? LOL

 

They're rare but available. 2013 Ford F-150 XLT For Sale | near Portsmouth, NH

To the OP, sorry for getting off-topic

 

The article is not written well. I expect they mean that the heavier frame will only be with max tow packages and of course the longer wheelbases.
Some are not aware but the frame on the 157" wheelbase is thicker than the standard frame on current production trucks.

I am sure that a fully boxed frame, one gauge lighter is still plenty strong. Now if they do as I have read and only box the frame in certain locations then a lighter gauge might bother me.

Yes, a lighter truck has advantages of more payload- that is if the truck's new frame can handle it. The disadvantage for us heavier towers is that the extra mass of the truck helps to handle the sway of the loads that we pull.
Here is a prime example: Pull a load of cows moving around in the trailer with a F150 and then do it in a F250- big difference due to the extra weight of the F250. Reduce that weight in the new F150 and stability decreases. Ford's anti-sway doesn't work either. I have had cows make my trailer sway from side to side and it never activates (on my 2011 or my new 2013). I also was hauling a load of pipe on a 24' gooseneck and had to swerve to avoid scrap metal in the road. The trailer swayed several feet from side to side and the trailer sway never activated.

 

Wow, that's cool. I didn't know it was possible either. If you saw one on the road, what is the give away that it is a 6.2? Do they have the Flex Fuel badge on the tailgate, like 5.0 trucks do?

 

I don't really see that as a bad thing. The half tons have gotten too big and are expected to do too much.

 

I wonder how much weight savings reducing the frame by one guage actually saves? I have no idea?

 

It's been that way for awhile Tim. I know that at least as far back as 2004 the following stipulation has been present:

You've always needed a tow package to pull more than 5,000 lbs. At least for the last ten years.

 

I don't see that this is a problem if they do start down-sizing the F150. My '13 FX4 Eco SCrew has a 9,400 lb tow rating. Compare that to my '95 F250, 460 big block with heavy duty tow package, and its 10,000 lb tow rating.

Granted, the Super Duty tow ratings are a lot higher now as well, but it would make sense to me to differentiate the F250 and F350 more than they have been (at least during the 90's the front axle was different; not even that much is different now). De-rate the F150 as needed while fuel economy continues to increase and bring the price point and tow ratings down slightly for the F250 to fill as an intermediary step between the F150 and F350.

(As an aside: I also wish that the current full-size lineup was setup like the 80-90s where the Bronco, F150, F250, F350, and F-Superduty all shared a relatively common base to make customization easier.)

 

What's the fun in that?

And thank goodness, too! Now we can all drive something comfortable.

 

Frankly I don't get the joke. I'm assuming you mean who wouldn't.

 

Boys, boys, hey, if we live long enough, all of us are going to get '15 and newer trucks. What's wrong with y'all young'uns? Y'all boys are more afraid of change than this old geezer here! I love that aluminum body, and Ford ain't gonna mess up their frame.

Me? I tell ye if I have the lucres by about this time next year, hey, I'd definitely be in one of them new fangled F150s, that lil 2.7 Ecoboost should do the truck for me. Aw, just give me two of'em!

 

I'm ready for a new one. And I really hate to say this but I think I'm buying the 2500 series Dodge with the Cummins turbodiesel . Another thing we had the body off my 2012 F150 for some repairs I can't believe how much flex is in this frame, it's not solid at all. they're only going to get worse. Mark my words "Dodge is going to use this opportunity to steal real truck enthusiast from Ford". GM is already doing a good job of it.

 

There's flex in a Peterbilt frame too. Ram oz gaining the most marketshare right now but they lost the if you remember correctly. I wonder why a car builder would lose so much, quality issues perhaps.

 

Based on this report I would say GM is not stealing sales from Ford.

Best-Selling Pickup Trucks: December 2013 - PickupTrucks.com News

 

Hard to say, Maybe im just venting, but it seems ford is going down a bad path. We have no seen enough long term data on the Eco-Boost lineup but i predict major reliability issues. I dont think that sales correlate with value or quality.

I have been a ford fanboy for a long time, Im just expressing that change. I feel others are going to follow. The truck wars are going to heat up, especially with the profit margins on "LIGHT DUTY TRUCKS" its almost like the f150 is replacing the ranger.

I stand corrected on the sales numbers