Avon Lake Medium Duty

[Biker16]

I expect to see some RV built on the US Transit chassis at camper shows this winter.

I posted this picture because it is the first time I have seen an up-fitter remove/relocate the b-pillar on the transit cutaway. which demonstrates that the integral ladder frame is more roust than I originally thought.

 

I believe ford should Develop a higher GVWR Transit with out board DRW to supplement the Inboard DRW that are being sold today. it would aid in stability and allow for wider bodies to be fitted to the vehicle.

[zipnzap]

I have a question, arising from the V10 thread.

So one of the changes provided by the redesign is the option of the 6.8 in the F-750:

http://www.fleet.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/brochures/2016/2016_F650-750%20Spec%20Sheets-8.pdf

http://www.automotive-fleet.com/news/story/2014/03/ford-offers-all-new-f-650-f-750-trucks.aspx

https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2015/03/03/all-new-ford-f-650-f-750-medium-duty-trucks-are-tough-on-work--q.html

Is this the way to go?

There's questions on whether the 6.8 can actually support the GVWR (I actually thought this was the case).

 

http://www.trucktrend.com/news/1505-ford-transit-schoolbus-makes-the-short-bus-cool/

 

Seems there's also this:

 

http://mbcbus.com/product/ct-series/

 

Edited June 14, 2015 by zipnzap

[fuzzymoomoo]

There's a rental car company that has a couple of those by detroit metro airport. I was a little surprised since most were either Chevy van or sprinter based.

[jpd80]

This is the E 450 D stripped Chassis, i wonder how much work would be needed to adjust body work to make a SD Transit.

make the Boss 6.2 , 6.8 3V and 6.7 Diesel all fit..

 

Edited June 14, 2015 by jpd80

[Biker16]

This is the E 450 D stripped Chassis, i wonder how much work would be needed to adjust body work to make a SD Transit.

make the Boss 6.2 , 6.8 3V and 6.7 Diesel all fit..

 

As the t series erodes more and more ESeries volume you can make the case for a new 450+ stripped Chassis that can accommodate modern powerpacks, and use the T series form factor, and components for a sustainable and more competitive product. This would make a body on frame T450 and T550 possible with a longer snout to hold larger an more powerful engines.

 

If you see the limitation in engines is driven by the above the frame rail limitations of the E-series and its dog house.

 

http://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/strippedchassis/

Edited June 14, 2015 by Biker16

[zipnzap]

Not a bus, but there's also this:

 

http://www.utilimaster.com/Newsroom.aspx?id=1137

http://www.utilimaster.com/velocity/

Edited June 14, 2015 by zipnzap

[twintornados]

This is the E 450 D stripped Chassis, i wonder how much work would be needed to adjust body work to make a SD Transit.

make the Boss 6.2 , 6.8 3V and 6.7 Diesel all fit..

 

 

FYI...the picture is not E-Series stripped chassis....All E-Series stripped chassis (E350/E450/MAX E-Series) have a "hump" in the frame over the rear axle and they all have the twin-I-beam front suspension....this is likely a picture of the F53 or F59 stripped chassis.

[zipnzap]

Speaking of stripped chassis, would it be possible to do what Mercedes has done with the Sprinter for the Class A RV industry and produce a Transit 250 and Transit 350 stripped chassis?

http://winnebagoind.com/products/class-a-diesel/2015/via/exterior/chassis

http://winnebagoind.com/products/class-a-diesel/2015/reyo/exterior/chassis

[pffan1990]

As the t series erodes more and more ESeries volume you can make the case for a new 450+ stripped Chassis that can accommodate modern powerpacks, and use the T series form factor, and components for a sustainable and more competitive product. This would make a body on frame T450 and T550 possible with a longer snout to hold larger an more powerful engines.

 

If you see the limitation in engines is driven by the above the frame rail limitations of the E-series and its dog house.

 

http://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/strippedchassis/

Biker16, you are right on point with every thing you just said since this is exactly what I had figured Ford would do with the next generation Stripped Chassis as well as the Cutaway. At least what you said is what I think Ford should do, and I'm sure they're actually planning this. The Econoline and its E-Series name is going away as well as its cab and twin I-beam suspension setup. All that will be gone soon. The next generation Stripped Chassis would be designed to be updated to match today's customers and fleet needs for toughness and capability. The idea of having the E-Series go away and have Transit-based cab with longer snout (forward tilt hood maybe?) mounted on this frame and give it the T-450 and T-550 designation just makes sense and simplifies the product portfolio rather than have an old E-Series sit around. Hence it being absent in the Fleet brochure that someone else mentioned. Probably because Ford has plans on making it go away soon, and I mean soon. So what you said is what I had thought Ford should be doing and I do hope they are.

 

I'm curious on what engines would be offered for that Stripped Chassis though. Triton 6.8L V10 gas for sure as well as hopefully the 6.7L diesel if they can figure out how to fit it in this time. Or who knows, maybe Ford has some plan on V6 diesel or small V8 diesel for this, though doubtful. The BOSS 6.2L V8 is going away too I think so likely the EcoBoost 3.5 would likely be offered for light-duty GVWR of this frame. Speaking of GVWR, why is the current Transit maximum GVWR lower than the Sprinter which Ford knew all along? Are they planning on some surprise intro of some model, like a T-450 van/wagon? It is unibody as is the Sprinter so I'm not sure why they couldn't just figure out how to make it slightly higher for marketing purposes. But regardless, the Ford is selling loads and loads of Transits compared to Sprinter, so it don't really matter.

 

Now as for the original topic though, I'm looking forward to the Medium Duty trucks since they are now fully brought in-house. Earthroamer is a huge RV motorhome maker which uses the F-550 Chassis Cab as the basis. They had also previously been using the F-650 but only few volume for short time. They recently introduced some pictures and info of the next generation Earthroamer XV-HD based on the next F-650 which is huge and very nice to look at! So I'm excited about the new Medium Duty in general and the opportunities it will bring to different fleet businesses.

[RichardJensen]

I do not think Ford is going to make a long-snout Transit.

 

I think they're going to go with a custom medium duty cab that features a more upright windshield for visibility purposes.

 

Compare the Freightliner M2 to the Transit:

 

 

Different horses for different courses.

 

I don't think you well-serve the MD market with a Transit cab.

 

You do a MD custom cab with fiberglass front ends that vary between the E450 replacement and the F650/750. Fiberglass fabrication is comparatively cheap, and with (I would venture to guess) annual volumes in the 70-80k range total at a pretty decent transaction point (say $45k) and a very long product cycle time, I think you've got a solid case.

 

The end result is an available cab/chassis that is cargo box friendly from Class 4-7, as well as a cutaway package that is 6.7L diesel friendly for the ambulance/school bus market. Not to mention, you're not sacrificing visibility to your leading competitor by using a repurposed cab from another vehicle (right now: the SD, under that scenario: the Transit)

Edited June 15, 2015 by RichardJensen

[jpd80]

 

FYI...the picture is not E-Series stripped chassis....All E-Series stripped chassis (E350/E450/MAX E-Series) have a "hump" in the frame over the rear axle and they all have the twin-I-beam front suspension....this is likely a picture of the F53 or F59 stripped chassis.

Thnx for that, I realized my error after posting, I think that's an F59 walk in van stripped chassis

 

This is the one I meant to post..

[zipnzap]

 

Speaking of stripped chassis, would it be possible to do what Mercedes has done with the Sprinter for the Class A RV industry and produce a Transit 250 and Transit 350 stripped chassis?

http://winnebagoind.com/products/class-a-diesel/2015/via/exterior/chassis

http://winnebagoind.com/products/class-a-diesel/2015/reyo/exterior/chassis

 

 

BTW, photos of a finished product:

 

[pffan1990]

I do not think Ford is going to make a long-snout Transit.

 

I think they're going to go with a custom medium duty cab that features a more upright windshield for visibility purposes.

 

Compare the Freightliner M2 to the Transit:

 

 

Different horses for different courses.

 

I don't think you well-serve the MD market with a Transit cab.

 

You do a MD custom cab with fiberglass front ends that vary between the E450 replacement and the F650/750. Fiberglass fabrication is comparatively cheap, and with (I would venture to guess) annual volumes in the 70-80k range total at a pretty decent transaction point (say $45k) and a very long product cycle time, I think you've got a solid case.

 

The end result is an available cab/chassis that is cargo box friendly from Class 4-7, as well as a cutaway package that is 6.7L diesel friendly for the ambulance/school bus market. Not to mention, you're not sacrificing visibility to your leading competitor by using a repurposed cab from another vehicle (right now: the SD, under that scenario: the Transit)

Well you do bring up the good points about the windshield angle. I figured that if they were going to use Transit cab with longer nose that they would possibly use the forward tilt type of nose. But yeah your idea makes more sense since I forgot that Transit is a unibody van so the cab based on Transit would just add complexity to the production of the next generation heavy-duty cutaway. Whatever plans Ford has, I hope they are going to do it right and soon. Also I hope they will announce soon what those plans are because I am curious myself what is happening.

 

Also, someone else mentioned the 2016 Econoline cutaway info on the Ford commercial site. I always like to play around with the Build & Price function of all Ford cars because of how fun it is to basically see what it would look like to get a Ford of my own custom choosing. Well I do it a lot with the Econoline and Transit. Well here is something I was surprised to find: as of 2016, the Econoline cutaway's V10 engine is now offered with a 6-speed TorqShift auto!! I didn't know they upgraded it to the same auto of the PowerStroke? I know the 5.4L V8 is mated to the 5-speed auto while the Econoline van and wagon was still a 4-speed auto. But as of 2016, the V10 was upgraded to standard 6-speed auto, which surprised me because I didn't hear of any changes. If someone else has already mentioned that earlier, then forgive me. I also noticed that Vermillion Red has been dropped and replaced with Race Red. I like that choice better because Race Red is much brighter shade of red, which I like. I then looked at the Stripped Chassis and the info for the F53, F59, and Econoline Cutaway show V10 mated with 6-speed auto. Surprised again at this quiet upgrade. I'm sure the fleet is thrilled of this although I wonder what advantages this bring in terms of power and fuel economy?

[pffan1990]

Also zipnzap, I like that Mercedes Sprinter-based stripped chassis, especially with the motorhome body on it. Looks nice! I don't know if Ford does this with the Transit overseas but should be easy to make it here in America if so. Otherwise, I doubt Ford would invest in the design, engineering, manufacturing of this if not already offered elsewhere, just for the American market. Would be nice to have a light-duty Class A motorhome on Transit Stripped Chassis. Speaking of Transit and motorhome, I have not heard much at all about any major RV companies offering any kind of motorhome vehicle based on the Transit Cutaway at all. Only one I know of is the B Class which was made by Sportsmobile but is slowly coming out to market. The Sportsmobile site don't have much info on it in terms of pictures since each van is made to order. I guess because the Transit is still somewhat a new vehicle is causing the motorhome industry to take a while to adjust to it. But it sure was quick for Winnebago to make one for the RAM Promaster though.

[theoldwizard]

I do not think Ford is going to make a long-snout Transit.

What you don't realize, is that the US version of the Transit IS the "long snout" version, at least compared to the previous version. EU extended the snout several years ago to better accommodate larger engines in RWD version of the Transit. I don't know if they still make 2 versions over there, but because the US [i(currently[/i] does not make a FWD Transit, we have no "snub noses". Edited June 26, 2015 by theoldwizard

[Bob Rosadini]

So how about it guys at OAP.. 650/750 job 1 is a little more than two weeks away. Inventory on site? frames? hoods? production facilities in place?

[Biker16]

hey as anyone ever thought of this.

 

If ford moves in FWD Transit Custom production to KCAP ford could move Transit cab and cutaway production to Avon Lake? this wold soften the blow from the loss of E-series production.

 

just a thought.

[zipnzap]

Also, someone else mentioned the 2016 Econoline cutaway info on the Ford commercial site. I always like to play around with the Build & Price function of all Ford cars because of how fun it is to basically see what it would look like to get a Ford of my own custom choosing. Well I do it a lot with the Econoline and Transit. Well here is something I was surprised to find: as of 2016, the Econoline cutaway's V10 engine is now offered with a 6-speed TorqShift auto!! I didn't know they upgraded it to the same auto of the PowerStroke? I know the 5.4L V8 is mated to the 5-speed auto while the Econoline van and wagon was still a 4-speed auto. But as of 2016, the V10 was upgraded to standard 6-speed auto, which surprised me because I didn't hear of any changes. If someone else has already mentioned that earlier, then forgive me. I also noticed that Vermillion Red has been dropped and replaced with Race Red. I like that choice better because Race Red is much brighter shade of red, which I like. I then looked at the Stripped Chassis and the info for the F53, F59, and Econoline Cutaway show V10 mated with 6-speed auto. Surprised again at this quiet upgrade. I'm sure the fleet is thrilled of this although I wonder what advantages this bring in terms of power and fuel economy?

 

I checked and you're right. Nice catch.

 

http://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/eseries-cutaway/specifications/

 

 

It also seems like they're using the 6R140 (which is basically the 6-speed TorqShift).

 

http://www.fleet.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/Prelim_FL16RVTTgde_Mar25.pdf

Edited June 25, 2015 by zipnzap

[theoldwizard]

... as of 2016, the Econoline cutaway's V10 engine is now offered with a 6-speed TorqShift auto!! ... I then looked at the Stripped Chassis and the info for the F53, F59, and Econoline Cutaway show V10 mated with 6-speed auto. Surprised again at this quiet upgrade. I'm sure the fleet is thrilled of this although I wonder what advantages this bring in terms of power and fuel economy?

I sort of new this was coming from several years ago, but completely forgot !

 

There are actually 2 reasons for the change. The previous transmission is now out of production and there were changes mandated to the PCM hardware/software by the EPA required a completely different PCM and software (the previous one were actually quite old compared to the rest of the PCMs and software that Ford was using).

 

Actually, I am surprised to see the 5.4L is still an option. That was supposed to be discontinued by now.

 

4.56 axle on the E450 will really keep that engine spinning at highway speeds !

Edited June 26, 2015 by theoldwizard

[Biker16]

I sort of new this was coming from several years ago, but completely forgot !

 

There are actually 2 reasons for the change. The previous transmission is now out of production and there were changes mandated to the PCM hardware/software by the EPA required a completely different PCM and software (the previous one were actually quite old compared to the rest of the PCMs and software that Ford was using).

 

Actually, I am surprised to see the 5.4L is still an option. That was supposed to be discontinued by now.

 

4.56 axle on the E450 will really keep that engine spinning at highway speeds !

 

does the E-series even use a CANbus network?

 

the Specs online list the ECU as the EEC-V isn't this the same ECU used in the 90s?

[zipnzap]

There are actually 2 reasons for the change. The previous transmission is now out of production...

 

The 5R110 is still being used on the 5.4L.

[theoldwizard]

does the E-series even use a CANbus network?

 

the Specs online list the ECU as the EEC-V isn't this the same ECU used in the 90s?

I am pretty certain the EEC-V was phased out for 2016. And yes, it is from the late 90s-early 2000. Edited July 6, 2015 by theoldwizard

[Bob Rosadini]

So how about it guys at OAP.. 650/750 job 1 is a little more than two weeks away. Inventory on site? frames? hoods? production facilities in place?

Back to 650/750, how about it guys? What is happening? Just curious from a manufacturing viewpoint.

[zipnzap]

So GM is looking to form a Blue Diamond-style partnership with Navistar.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/billvisnic/2015/06/30/general-motors-believed-ready-to-announce-commercial-truck-venture-with-navistar/

http://www.ccjdigital.com/sources-indicate-gm-navistar-nearing-partnership/

[Biker16]

what is happening at the old Lorain assembly plant, a friend of mine told me they making some major investments there.