Can anyone tell me what this part does? It is located between the front of the bed and the back of the cab. It is made of solid steel and is very heavy.

http://www.thebetterdesign.com/images/what.jpg

 

got me never seen that before. just wondering but what does the front of the box look like. i know in the trucks we used to have in construction company were beat till they rubbed back of cab. maybe this was added to prevent this. i really dont know.

 

It’s a Vibration Damper.
The only part number I can come up with for it looks like D4TZ-10110A14-A.
I have one on my 95.

 

Rusty -I can only surmise the same as you have. It is a bump-stop for the bed and cab under heavy abuse.

 

I was under the impression it is a zink plate that is supposed to combat rust. If it is.. mine isn't working anymore 'cause the truck is rusting.

 

Does anyone know what it dampens the vibration of?

 

The Cabs back wall.

some info:

 

why damper the back wall though?

 

Because it's a big, flat, thin surface prone to resonance, just like a drumhead. Adding mass to it changes the frequency at which it resonates, and if you tweak it enough, it becomes a non-issue.

 

subford, is there anything you do not have a picture of?

you always amaze me, and entertain me also.

 

Okay, I like the idea the Ford has ideas. But someone answer me this question:

How much money does is cost to haul around a 20 lb iron plate from odometer mile 1 to odometer mile 200,000 if gas costs $3.00/gallon?

I have a partially eaten corndog for the first person who can get this question right.

 

Ford has added something like this on a lot of cars and trucks over the years. My 71 ford with an FMX has one hanging on the back of the transmission, my 88 Ford Van has a large one bolted to the rear end.

I would say it would not cost as much as large wheels would.

 

Ford says that on the 2006 Ranger for every 400 lbs being towed over stock weight, fuel efficiency is reduced by 1 mile per gallon. I'm sure this would be different in stop and go traffic. But based on what ford says I've made the following calculation:

A 25 pound steel plate in the bed of your truck will reduce fuel efficiency by 1/16 of a mile per gallon. If your vehicle averages 15 miles per gallon normally, the increased cost you would incur over 200,000 miles of driving would be

200,000 miles / 15 mpg = 13,333 gallons of fuel consumed. Then,

13,333 gallons * .0625 mpg = 833 miles

833 miles / (15 mpg - .0625 mpg) =55.8 gallons of gasoline you have wasted hauling 25 pounds of vibration dampening weight.

And finally, 55.8 gallons * $3.00 per gallon = $167 bucks

You're right, that isn't much to pay.

But, what about that 85 lb rear bumper and mounting brackets, the 25 lb dampner, the 40 lb spare tire, and the 12 lb jack, and the 80 lb tail gate, and 15 pound second fuel tank and pump, and 2 lbs of gas tank mounting hardware? Ahh, now you're looking at $2000 of fuel.

This same scenario if you're truck gets 10 mpg would put you're extra cost at $4,500 over 200,000 miles.

Start hacking that extra weight off. You will get more gains if fuel efficiency than almost any powertrain modification you will ever invest in.

 

but gas was not always $3.00 a gallon, and most of these trucks loose a few pounds of metal to rust during that time period.

trucks are usually used to make money that is why you usually have commercial plates on them.

zenford, you could just drive yourself crazy thinking about this or at the very least it will put you in a less zen place.

 

A little bit of brain use never hurt anyone. Quicklook2, the reason I am pursuing this idea on this board is for a very good reason. When I arrive at www.ford-trucks.com, I am presented with an advertisement that pushes from homeland drilling. We have destroyed overseas countries by misusing a natural source of energy, and now we want to continue our wasteful ways and misuse our own supply of oil energy. I want to ask questions about fuel efficiency because FUEL EFFICIENCY IS A HOT TOPIC. Every gallon of fuel saved by changing our habits is a gallon of fuel in the right direction.

You can walk into any Ford dealership right now and drive out with a brand new truck for zero down and zero percent interest even if you have horrible credit. I wonder why? Maybe it is because Ford's get the worst fuel economy of any truck on the market. Awareness to fuel economy is something that each of us are slowly waking up to, so forgive me if I am intrigiued by the knowledge that I don't need to be a wasteful American glut anymore. Even Ford agrees : http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/10/ford_kills_19-f.php

Wake up and smell the roses man, the way of the future is innovation not ignorance. Did you know that hybrid technology obtains it's fuel economy in weight reduction more than in it's hybrid technology? It's already been proven that you can travel 3,145 miles on just one gallon given the right vehicle weight and wind resistance. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/06/supermileage2006.php