Bob Rosadini

So claims a full page Ford ad in today's Wall Street Journal. It goes on to say..."Its the highway being paved, the hospital being built, and the power line being restored after a storm." And...It's the work that requires grit, commitment, and the right tools." It also proclaims unlike the competition, 100% of F series trucks are assembled in America. On a side note, I continue to see a New England Ford Dealer TV commercial featuring Ford trucks including a 650/750 towing a tag trailer carrying a loader/backhoe . While Mr. Farley continues to mention the importance of Ford Pro in all of his releases, perhaps this ad is indicative that he has finally recognized that he has a big void in Ford Pro's product offerings.

Not to be negative, but an interesting stat might be claims made versus claims resulting in corrective action or claims resolved. Thx TT...I know I'm a broken record but even if they just did air brakes on the gas jobs. I'm convinced they don't understand what that medium duty market is all about.

I think another benefit of the Kanban concept was you minimized inventory costs..from the carrying cost of maintaining a large inventory, to in the long term, the cost of the additional warehouse space.

AK Thanks for prompt response. I will give it a shot at dealer as truck driven daily and this condition -no dash or interior lights on door opening has been an on/off thing for probably 2 months...only in last 2 opr 3 weeks has it been continual. And ordered the Solar on Ebay..61 bucks due Monday!

Guys, Thank you all for your time in responding. I have a Schumacher SC 1308 charger that also allows you to test battery voltage as well as alternator out put. I had it on charge last night for about 7 hrs. Battery was disconnected from truck. Hooked it back up this AM and the minute I hooked ground, lights came on. went through the drill-flash headlights 5 times, pump brakes 3 times and everything was good. Open door and dash and interior lights come on as they should. Drove about 5 miles this AM and then just tested battery voltage as well as alternator performance..first time I ever used those features. Battery voltage came out as 12.3 and that reading falls in 12.2-12.7 and manual says that falls in "Needs Charging". As for the run test for alternator, came out at 14.3 which according to charger any reading between 13.4 and 14.6 confirms "proper operation" So while I still have warranty protection -60% coverage - I'm going to take it back to dealer to replace battery. Also to take advantage of your collective knowledge, when I start truck-regardless if engine is hot or cold, it fast idles at about 1250., then after 2or 3 minutes it will drop to 750 and then eventually it idles at 500. This does not seem right to me-can see a cold start, but not a warm start. Any thoughts. Thx again for your prior comments.

Took a drive today through the yard of what I believe is the largest truck equipment up fitter in New England. If I had to guess I would say at least 250 pick ups, class 4-5 , 6-7 and class 8s. Large number of 150's in Mass DOT Yellow. Probably 30 Mass DOT Fl 114's single axle and tandems , then my guess would be an equal mix of Macks, Western Stars, and Internationals. Surprisingly only a couple of Paccars. Highest percentage of the class 8's were obviously plow trucks judging by extended front frames for head gear. F-750's ...2! Both same order judging by red color, V-8s and extended front frame extensions without bumpers. I would say the majority of 1-5 were Fords followed by GMs, very few Rams.

Yes..I think the Japanese term for it is "Kanban"?

Same as me? Did you get the "System off to save battery" message when you shut it off?

AK, Thx for response. Vehicle in service 9/23 and currently just turned 18,000m. And as an 82 year old widower, I don't plan my meals for the week 😎...so I'm constantly taking short trips with an occasional 200 mile RT to Cape Cod. You are probably correct as when I got the Coyote, I hardly ever drove my MKZ and that led to a battery failure at around 60,000-and that was a bitch to change as the negative is tucked under the cowl on drivers side. So I managed to get that changed but like a dummy, I again did not drive it much and it failed to start about two weeks ago. So put the charger on it and got a good ground on the shock tower sparing me the ordeal of dragging the battery out. And very recently a friend of mine has a 22 150 Coyote and he told me his battery suddenly failed at around 21,000. What ever happened to the days when your battery would warn you with slow starting for a few days before total failure. I'll put the charger on it tomorrow. So much for all the relays that are used today??

I just did a post on F-150 thread same title. Not sure how often people read that so if anyone has Ideas please check it out. ( I do miss the old "Today's Post" feature😎

When I open my door, I do not get interior lights or instrument lights. When I start vehicle everything comes on. when I shut vehicle off, I get a message that says...." System off to save battery". Vehicle in service date 9/23. I have brought up 786pg (!!!) owners manual and there is nothing in manual that I can find that mentions this issue. Thoughts?

And again, political pressure on the Donald will be great. I'm surprised the lady in the Statehouse hasn't been making a lot of noise😎

For sure. And I imagine the tariff issue will be a factor but I would have to believe Trump will have to respond to that.

Finally caught up with your post, and while I'm sure your reference to people who have "esoteric likes", was intended to be a "shot", that is in fact the problem I would say Ford Pro has. While on the one hand Farley speaks of the dominance Ford has in class 1-7 he and his management team could learn a lot about what the market for class 6 and 7 trucks is. But it seems to me they have a narrow understanding of the class 6/7 market is..or if they do, they "go along to get along"-that is survive! I don't remember who, but a retired Ford long termer on BON said an assignment to commercial trucks was considered a dead end assignment. I would say Ford must now recognize that most businesses focus on class 1-7 trucks as a required component to support their core business. I have long ago recognized that the class 8 ship has sailed-sorry Joe 76- but we are not talking about that now. As Tbone has said, OAP functions. No significant plant expenditures are needed to keep class 6 and 7 in the mix. Is that line at full utilization? Probably not. And what have the class 8 builders done in recent years? They have moved DOWN into class 6 and 7 and while their trucks I'm sure appeal to some buyers who are willing to pay a premium for their trucks, some do so for image/ego or as a driver retention tool. But for most, a class 6 or 7 truck is a needed component and a 650 or 750 Ford can be speced to do the same job. Probably the biggest obstacle?....Fords failure to offer a Cummins or an Allison transmission. And guess what, before OAP took on MD, the 650/750 starting in 2000 when Fords Escobedo plant was including those options up to and including the Blue Diamond venture. Time that some "esoteric" types who have a good understanding of what the market for class 6 and 7 trucks is. Just as you Mr. Sherminator might be considered an "esoteric" in your world of "business analytical 101 skills"😎

10-4 on the "thanks for effort"

Second attempt to respond to "From the Road" post..I had backed out to open another message and when I did my original post was gone. Guess you can't do that anymore? In any case, thanks for "From the Road" link. I checked it out and went to Ford Pro, and shocker, while the narrative refers to Ford's leadership in class 1 to 7 commercial trucks, the Ford Pro site features Transits and Super Duty with no mention/reference to 650/750. This takes me back to a post I made on 8/21.."Jim Farley's Priorities" and his apparent definition of "commercial trucks". This prompted many posts justifying Ford's lack of interest in..."semi trucks"..."large big rig style trucks" etc, as well as the need for concentration on "best ROI". These all miss the point as to what market in which Ford has an opportunity to compete. As I've said previously, trucks of any class can be the reason a business exists, such as for hire trucking, be it dry or liquid freight or dump trucking or a class 8 chassis is needed as a crane carrier, redi-mix concrete etc. But in most cases, the lower classes- in particular class 6 or 7, the truck is a vehicle in support of the primary business. It is NOT a matter of ROI for these customers, it is a matter of need to support the smooth operation of the business. I don't think Ford (Brian Rathsburg commercial marketing mgr) understands this. This past weekend I went by the yard of a large contractor that does highway and marine projects..the full range of civil work. The low boy trailers were loaded for dispatch Monday morning and one had a 650/750 water tanker that by its very clean appearance was relatively new. A good example of a limited use truck that is needed for the application of water in a paving project or for providing water as needed for soil compaction. A chassis used to carry attenuator equipment is another good example- the truck sits to maintain a safe work zone. If a contractor is cost conscious, you wont see a Pete or KW in this application. The 650/750 is a good product for such duty. Likewise many other businesses need a truck as a matter of convenience to have on sight as needed. Building contractors are a good example. If they have a class 6 or 7 truck(s), they often sit ideal..until the lumber yard failed to deliver a full order or the job requires a quick load of mason or bedding sand etc. Utility contractors are another good example. I would imagine 7m3 gets my point at least as around here, National Grid employs class 7 dump trucks-some of which are Fords, and what do they do, they often sit parked to contain material being excavated and then used to provide clean fill. In any case it would not take much IMO to keep 650/750 a very good low cost alternative to satisfy a large percentage of the the class 6/7 market

SLS For sure! The CLT is a beauty but the T-850 is a gem given its age-I'm guessing a 63 to 65 judging by badge and it is a "low roof". I think '66 is when they boosted head room with the raised roof. The old F-2 or F-3 in background is pretty cool too😎

Seems too obvious doesn't it? No flames please, but as I've said many times, think of the incremental sales lost because they offer BS excuses why they can't offer air brakes on 650/750 gas models. A lot of class 6 and 7 operators run a business where their trucks are used in support of their primary business. Without them they would be forced to hire someone for that support and or suffer the disruption to their business while waiting for that outside support. And a key point, they are more likely to buy that truck when the up front price is some $12,000 less then a diesel. Oh side note...Hino was supposedly going to offer class 8 trucks then every thing was apparently derailed when they had their compliance issues. While I have not seen any news that says they are back on schedule with that, apparently they are as one of the "ad rags" I get shows one of those "class 6/7" Hinos for sale with about a 15 yd dump body and 46,000 lb. rears!

Correct....I've got three on my visor and I've often thought these negate the purpose of padded visors🤔

Well my bad, seems like I failed to make my point, as I was not talking about the distinguishing appearance of one model from another-like grills, I was talking about the choice of badging Ford uses. And judging by the responses I received to my post I guess not many think a decal is a poor choice to accentuate the model you are looking at. And I recognize some use of decals is appropriate ..like the bed decals that may indicate an option such as the FX option. I just think a decal conjures up the word "cheap" to designate level of a vehicle in the product line up. And by the way, why did I buy an XL-STX versus an XLT? I wanted power seats, not offered in an XL! But I chose the clean -IMO- uncluttered look of the XL-STX versus the look of the XLT grill. (And I got a kit with what I would call bushings that allow you to raise the seat height of a manual seat😎)

Your opinion..it is the little things that catch someones eye..am I wrong?..a $60,000 vehicle and it merits a decal? I call it attention to detail..sometimes it is the little things that create an impression. And it is not a "complaint", it is an observation.

Well "plaster" in any case is the right word. Not exactly a thought central to this thread but I have been meaning to say something about how GM designates a vehicle with a distinctive 3d chrome badge-like "Z-71" and Ford "plasters" a decal instead. My son has his second "new" Bronco-first was a manual, another story 🤔- and this new one had a sticker over 60g....same sticker- "proudly" displayed.

I'm posting this on this thread as it might apply to more Fords with towing packages. Couple of weeks ago I was hooking up my '23 F-150 to my skid steer trailer. Never had a problem with it before but was getting a "trailer not connected" message and a "Trailer brake module fault message". No lights, no brakes. I was pulling my JD 4720 cab tractor with bucket on it and a set of HD forks. Tractor has loaded R-4 tires and a concrete weight block that is between 400 and 500 pounds. Did not want to chance pulling if at least brakes worked it as I have a steep downward grade on my route and did not want trailer steering the truck. Since then same trailer has been pulled by a Ram and an f-350 and lights and brakes work fine. Last week take truck to dealer-and by the way, tested my 7 pin connector and it is fine. Dealer has been screwing around and says..we need the trailer to test it. I say, "no way-look at fault code"! So to prove my point beyond two other trucks towing same trailer with no issues I tested trailer one more time with my son's '24 150 and everything works fine. Any opinions.? Must be some tech assistance dealer can access i hope. By the way truck has a 7050 GVWR, 3.73 locking rear, "Trailer Tow Package Integrated Trailer Brake Cont."

Back to today's medium duty, just saw lousy August numbers-thx Antus-all various..but on my way to my Ford dealer (post relative to that to follow🤯) I saw like 4 750/650's in a short drive. One was a new by its clean appearance National Grid the others were flatbeds with various loads all corporate id's. Odd..4 on a short drive and on my many 100+ mile trips on 495 I'm lucky to see 1 or 2..usually UPS.