Preproduction trucks
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Elder User
Joined: Feb 2003
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Preproduction trucks
What happens to these trucks once full production ratchets up? Are they sold or scrapped? I read that 250 of these trucks are currently being driven by Ford exec's for evaluation purposes.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 998
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From: Tennessee
I think the trucks your are speaking are not pre production but could be waiting on delivery for a lot reasons. There appears to be way more than 250 of them. Ford won't scrap these if they maybe could only be waiting on part.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 998
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From: Tennessee
Good question but we always called the parts prototype parts when before I retired from FMC. I can assure you none of these parts were sold to the public but were used to build vehicles to get the assembly line up and running. Ford would not take the liability risk to let these parts and vehicles get to the public. As far as I know they are destroyed. These trucks in question will not be scrapped.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 1,597
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From: N. Texas
Prototype and pre-production are two completely different animals. Prototype is a concept/idea to see if it's possible and/or to get input on the thought/idea. Pre-production is just what it sounds like. The concept (prototype) has been approved and is now ready for production. The pre-production runs, as Tennesse points out, are to work out any bugs/issues along the assembly line. I can pretty much guarantee the trucks in question will eventually find homes.
Ford supposedly is spending some time and $$ up front to try to combat warranty expenses. At least that's what I've read in several places.
Ford supposedly is spending some time and $$ up front to try to combat warranty expenses. At least that's what I've read in several places.
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Frmr Ford Trans Engr
Joined: Aug 1999
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From: SE Florida
Ford's policy is that all prototypes are scrapped when they are no longer needed. Some are loaned to mechanic schools, but after a certain time, they are brought back to Ford and scrapped. Also, any test vehicle with major modifications is scrapped. I was there for 19 years and most of the time I had 3-4 vehicles assigned to me. All of the ones that I had were in the scrapped category.
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Cross-Country
Joined: Dec 2019
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Some of you are mixing up pre-production and early production. Early production is what Ford is doing QA checks on now. In this case, Ford must have made some incremental changes (or had a parts shortage, or both) during initial production and held those early trucks back. These trucks were produced on the same assembly line as all the 150s in normal production, they were just some of the first produced.
Pre-production vehicles follow the prototypes but come before actual assembly line production for the public. While it is theoretically possible for a late pre-production vehicle to make it to the public, it’s very unlikely. Pre-production can be created in a variety of ways, often on an assembly line alongside the current model. They often contain prototype or non-final parts or calibrations, and are used for testing, press vehicles, etc.
For clarity, a prototype is a third, separate, vehicle. In order, you have a concept, prototype, pre-production, and then production vehicles. A sub category of production could be to say early or late production. Ie, if you bought one of the first trucks in 2015, you have an early production truck.
Pre-production vehicles follow the prototypes but come before actual assembly line production for the public. While it is theoretically possible for a late pre-production vehicle to make it to the public, it’s very unlikely. Pre-production can be created in a variety of ways, often on an assembly line alongside the current model. They often contain prototype or non-final parts or calibrations, and are used for testing, press vehicles, etc.
For clarity, a prototype is a third, separate, vehicle. In order, you have a concept, prototype, pre-production, and then production vehicles. A sub category of production could be to say early or late production. Ie, if you bought one of the first trucks in 2015, you have an early production truck.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,490
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From: Arizona/Texas
Most prototype vehicles do not have a VIN. Can not be registered. Required to be destroyed after testing. Pre production vehicles are used for long term durability testing, and are usually destroyed. Production vehicles that are pulled from the assembly line, are auctioned off after testing.
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