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rmc523.........I hope you're right, but don't forget:  Ford had just retooled the L-series in 1996/1997 after being stagnant for about 25 years, and Freightliner came along and STOLE it for a mere $300 million!  They knew they had to buy them out or lose market share big time!  If Ford goes into class 8, the rest are all done.  Oh it will take some time.  I'd bet money that VW in joint venture talks with Ford, has asked them to stay out of class 8 because of their (VW's) interest in Navistar. Wanna bet?!  If Ford wants to talk "proud,"  then go into class 8 full tilt!  Let's see the blue oval on tri-axle dumps and class 8 fire pumpers/tankers!  Not just some Mickey Mouse landscaping dumps!!

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From HDT

Test Drive: Hino's XL 8 Class 8 Straight Truck

Jim Park, Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT)  /  September 9, 2019

We waited nearly a year and a half for a ride in one of Hino’s new XL Series trucks. This Class 8 straight truck, configured with a 24-foot reefer box, is pretty typical of the applications this truck will see when customers get their hands on them. After all that time, I have to say it was worth the wait.

According to Glenn Ellis, Hino’s senior vice president for customer experience, Hino had been toying with the idea of getting into the heavy Class 7 and Baby 8 markets for 10 years, and finally got down to serious work on the project in 2015. Three years later, in March 2018, Hino launched the XL at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis. We hadn’t heard much about the XL Series since then, but Hino offered us a test drive a day before the official grand opening of its new 1-million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Mineral Wells, West Virginia.

“The truck will be offered in a 4x2 straight truck and tractor configuration as well as 6x2 straight truck and tractor,” Ellis said during its premiere at the Work Truck Show. “We are targeting the 33,000- to 60,000-pound gross vehicle weight and the 66,000-pound gross combination weight segments, which have historically been voids in our product lineup.”

Ellis sees the XL in segments such as construction, utility, beverage, reefer box, roll-off, and towing and recovery. “The XL represents an opportunity for Hino to expand our presence into a much larger customer base than we have had in the past, especially in the food and retail delivery in urban environments.”

All XL series trucks are powered by the A09 turbo-diesel engine. It’s new to North America, but more than 50,000 of them are already working in other markets around the world. It has been in production since 2007 so makes its North American debut with 15 billion real-life miles behind it. The 8.9L inline-6 engine produces 300-360 hp and 900-1,150 lb-ft of torque. The A09 features common-rail fuel injection, a variable geometry turbocharger and Jacobs engine brake. Hino claims a B10 life rating of 1 million miles. (B10 is the expected engine life in miles of operation before 10% of that model of engines in operation will require a major repair, overhaul or replacement.)

In the cab

The tall, squarish cab is a trademark of sorts with Hino’s conventional models, but the XL interior is a fresh design. It has an automotive style to it, and the driver command center is grouped with the priority instruments and controls front and center. The less-used bits are pushed off to the right but still well within reach. The speedometer and tachometer surround an LED driver display that offers a selection of menus, from current and historical fuel economy to various engine parameters. I found the display a bit dim, but it was extremely bright outside, so it might have just been a question of contrast.

The controls for the display menus are on the left side of the steering wheel for easy manipulation with your thumb. The cruise control switches are on the right side of the steering wheel. The steering wheel has some fore-and-aft and up-and-down adjustment, but it's fairly limited. Sitting high up in the seat as I do, I found the top of the tach and speedo were obscured by the wheel. Not a big deal, really. 

And curiously, the primary and secondary air reservoir gauges are calibrated in 10-pound/square-inch increments, so when the tanks are at full pressure, the gauges read 12, rather than 120.

On the sides of the dash A-panel are two large heat/air conditioning vent openings, which provided terrific cooling airflow around the driver. Just to the right of the A-panel is a card slot that serves no purpose here in North America, but I suspect is a requirement in Europe and other markets where they use driver smart-cards with electronic tachographs.

The near-side of the B-panel holds the radio and directly beneath that, the HVAC controls. Further out to the right is a space that could be fitted with any of several devices; our test truck had the controls for the reefer unit in that spot. It’s a more convenient location for those controls than outside on the front of the cargo box.

The test truck had a National air-ride driver’s seat with a right-hand arm rest. The passenger seat was a two-person bench seat. The cab upholstery is decent, and it did a good job of keeping engine and road noise out of the cab. I found it compared favorably to other city trucks I’ve driven recently, but it’s not as quiet as some of the newer on-highway trucks I've driven, which are now approaching passenger-car noise levels.

The two features I liked the most were the abundance of glass and the amazing door arm-rest and grab bar for pulling the door closed. The windshield is massive at 2,385 square inches, and the side windows are cut low at the front for astonishing visibility close-in around the truck. It was really the first thing I noticed when I climbed in: I sat up nice and high in the seat and I could see everything around the truck – definitely something you want in a truck that's working in the close confines of an urban environment.

The slope of the hood helped here, too. There was really nowhere for stray pedestrians to hide.

The doors boast an 80-degree opening, making it very easy to climb into. The steps and grab bars on the A- and B-pillars are well-placed. The steps are nicely engineered, especially the top step – it’s more like a landing platform. It’s big and square and flat, which is huge safety feature for drivers who will be entering and exiting the cab dozens of times a day.

Getting the hood open for the trip inspection is light work and the hood latches are big and easy to manipulate. Under the hood is the pretty tightly packed A09 engine. Fluid levels such as coolant and power steering fluid are easy to check, but the transmission fluid dipstick is a bit of a reach. The oil dipstick is tucked down low and nestled in amongst a bunch of pipes and hoses. It might be a bit hard to grab for a driver wearing big gloves, but it was easy enough to reach bare-handed. All these inspection points are on the left side of the engine compartment, while the windshield washer reservoir is on the right. (No big deal, since you have to walk around and inspect that side anyway.)  

A couple of other points worth mentioning are the three-piece front bumper and the jump-start posts, which are located under the driver’s door beside a lockable battery lockout switch. Bumpers obviously can take a beating in the city, so Hino is helping to minimize repair costs with the three-piece design.

Driving the XL

A few features of the XL are immediately obvious as you climb aboard and strap in. First, the trip up into the cab is probably one of the best I have encountered. The steps are evenly placed, and they are big and grippy. The door opens wide enough for even the largest driver, and there’s a lot of belly room behind the wheel – way more than I needed. I didn’t measure anything, but I had the impression the XL is one of the tallest cabs (and driver positions) around.

The mirrors are well-placed and hardly compromise lateral visibility at all. They are mounted slightly forward, so you still have a clear view of traffic approaching from the right. The mirrors are door-mounted and jiggle a bit when you go over a good bump, but they do not vibrate at all when idling.

The 6-speed Allison 3000 RDS transmission was wired with Fuelsense 2.0, and that makes for much more comfortable, lower-rpm shifts, with a smoother launch and a quieter ride up through the gears.

Our test truck was equipped with a 24-foot box, tandem drive axles and a 14.6K front end, but it was surprisingly smooth and maneuverable for its size. The truck had a 50-degree wheel cut, making it possible to complete a right-hand turn from the right lane without crossing over into the next lane, except on some of the narrower streets on our route. Standard-width lanes posed no problems, right or left. The steering was firm, but not stiff, and just right on the highway.

We crossed over a really narrow bridge driving through Parkersburg, West Virginia, one that makes drivers watch both mirrors to make sure there’s a little space on the right and the left. The confident steering and the generally well-engineered feel of the truck let me cross the bridge without once feeling unnerved by the tight lanes.

I drove around Parkersburg for about an hour, negotiating the city streets, traffic lights, bridges and railroad tracks, and never felt the truck fighting back. We had about 10,000 pounds in the box, hardly a match for the A09, but it was enough to keep the drive wheels on the ground going over bumps. Even with that bit of weight, the beefy front suspension felt smooth and sturdy, not bone-jarring. And for a rubber-block drive axle suspension, the 40,000-pound Hendrickson Haulmaax was surprisingly unobtrusive.

I covered about 10 miles on Interstate 77 and about the same distance on some winding West Virginia back roads between Parkersburg and Mineral Wells. I give the XL top marks for handling in both these environments, with the added bonus of getting up to speed in the interstate pretty quickly. The Dana rear axles had a drive ratio of 5.29:1, so we were running at 1,700 rpm or so at 60 mph. That's a little fast for optimum fuel efficiency, but a ratio like that gives it the gradeability and startability you need in the city.

Hino trucks are often seen as pricier than some of the competitive models, but they come with an impressive list of standard features and warranty coverage that you pay extra for with other brands. For example, all conventional models, including the XL Series, come standard with 5-year/250,000-mile extended warranty coverage, including key components such as fuel injectors, the fuel injection supply pump, and the turbocharger. On top of that, Hino Class 6-8 trucks now come standard with a 5-year, unlimited-mileage transmission warranty on all Allison transmissions.

Hino will build all the XL Series trucks at the new Mineral Wells plant. Production began earlier this year, and the company say it plans to build 2,500 XL7 and XL8 trucks in the plant before year’s end.

Spec Sheet: 2020 Hino XL8 6x4

24-ft Kidron refrigerated body, Thermo King T-880R TRU

Engine: Hino "A09" 8.9L 300 hp/1,150 lb. ft.

Trans: Allison 3000 RDS 6-speed

Driveline: Dana Spicer SPL 170

Front End

Dana Spicer E-Series E-1462RW 14.6K

14.6 K tapered leaf springs

ZF TRW TAS 85 power steering

Bridgestone M870 315/80R22.5

Rear End

Dana Spicer DSH40 40K axles; 5.29:1 ratio

Hendrickson Haulmaax 40K

Bridgestone M760 11R22.5

Standard equipment:

Drum brakes, LED headlamps, cab air suspension, air-ride driver's seat, cruise control, air conditioning, Wabco On-Lane lane departure warning w. suspend switch, Wabco On-Guard collision mitigation, Hino Insight telematics (one year free), Hino Insight remote diagnostics and case management (five years free)

Wheelbase: 261 in.

Vehicle weight rating: 54,600 lb.

.

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More from HDT<

 

Ford's New 7.3L Engine & Standard PTO

 

Lauren Fletcher, Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT)  /  September 5, 2019

Ford has released some of the vital performance numbers for its all-new 7.3L gas engine that it introduced earlier this year as the latest powertrain option for its 2020 Super Duty lineup. 

 

The big-block engine cranks out best-in-class gas V-8 output of 430 hp at 5,500 rpm and best-in-class torque of 475 lb.ft. at 4,000 rpm in Super Duty pickups, according to the company.

 

A dyno-certified version of the 7.3L V-8, producing 350 hp at 3,900 rpm and 468 lb.-ft. of torque at 3,900 rpm, is standard on the F-450 chassis cab; the F-550; the new F-600, F-650, and F-750 Medium Duty trucks; and F-53 and F-59 stripped chassis models. 

 

Also new on the 2020 Super Duty Chassis Cab, a power take-off (PTO) provision will be included as standard with the third-generation 6.7L Power Stroke turbo diesel engine for auxiliary power needs on commercial vehicles.

 

“Adding PTO as standard on Super Duty Chassis cab vehicles with the diesel engine protects both the customer and dealer as it is often an overlooked option,” said Kevin Koester, Ford Commercial Truck Brand Manager. “It’s a critical component to deliver power on the move and operate equipment while the engine is running.” 

 

The New 7.3L Engine 

 

The 7.3L V-8 features an overhead valve architecture that helps get heavier loads moving sooner due to power low in rev range, according to Ford. It also features a variable-displacement oil pump, extra-large main bearings, forged steel crankshaft, and piston cooling jets to help manage temperatures under heavy load. 

 

It will be available first in Super Duty F-250 and F-350 pickup models. It joins the 6.2L V-8 gas engine in Super Duty’s lineup and the upgraded third-generation 6.7L Power Stroke diesel V-8. 

 

The 7.3L engine is paired with the all-new Ford-designed and Ford-built 10-speed heavy-duty TorqShift automatic transmission on all models except F-650 and F-750, which retain the heavy-duty 6-speed.

 

“The 7.3L is designed for maximum durability in the harshest environments given that our customers live and work in these conditions every day,” said Joel Beltramo, Ford manager for gas V-8 engines. “This engine has the largest displacement in its class and is designed to provide benefits in key areas like power, durability, ease of maintenance, and total operating costs.”

 

Updated PTO Offerings

 

Fleets that depend on work trucks often need to power additional equipment, either stationary or while moving. Ford’s Live-Drive PTO allows commercial customers to power industrial equipment and accessories, including generators, snowplows, and hydraulic units while the truck is in motion. 

 

Combined, the 6.7L Power Stroke and all-new TorqShift 10-speed heavy-duty automatic transmission with the PTO provision delivers best-in-class stationary torque of up to 300 lb.-ft. for commercial vehicle bodies that require direct-to-component or hydraulic body motor power, according to the company.

 

“For a lot of our commercial and heavy-duty retail customers, PTO power is the only way they can get a job done,” Koester said. “More standard PTO torque gives upfitters and customers the knowledge and comfort that they’ve got a chassis capable of the heaviest workloads.” 

 

A PTO allows fleets to mount accessory equipment to the transmission for auxiliary power from the engine to increase application functionality when direct or hydraulic power is required, such as generators, cranes, wreckers, pumper trucks, and boom lifts. 

 

The PTO provision will remain optional on 2020 Super Duty Pickup models and 7.3L gas V-8 Chassis Cab models.  

 

 
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And then this.....


 

Quote

 

http://fordauthority.com/2019/07/ford-otosan-gears-up-for-transmission-production-in-turkey/

Ford is pulling back in many parts of Europe as it closes factories and lets workers go in areas where sales and demand are low. While some European plants like Ford’s French transmission factory have closed, Ford Otosan is gearing up to build transmissions domestically in Turkey for the first time. Engineers at Ford Otosan have commissioned the first heavy commercial transmission test rooms in Turkey.

 

 

Quote

This is said to be a significant step towards the mass production of the first transmissions inside the country. Ford Otosan is a joint venture between Ford and an automotive manufacturing firm called Koç Holding that was established in 1977 in its current form. Ford Otosan engineers have been working on the transmission for about two years now, and about $55.18 million has been invested in the project.

 

 

Yenigün noted that the first domestic heavy commercial transmission production began at the beginning of last year. He said that the transmissions undergo thousands of hours of testing to ensure they can compete globally and prove they are durable, high-quality, and technologically sound.

 

 

Quote

 

https://www.dailysabah.com/automotive/2018/02/20/ford-otosan-to-produce-first-local-transmission

"We have developed our domestic transmission after the rear axle and 13-liter E6 Ecotorq engine. This first ‘domestic' heavy commercial transmission, which started on plain white paper, is suitable to work up to 2,600 newton meters (Nm) and its patent right belongs to us. With this transmission, we will increase the locality ratio in transmission and truck production to 90 percent from 89 percent in parts and to 75 percent from 67 percent in turnover," Yenigün said.

 

Both the development and the production of transmission, which is fully compatible with the Ecotorq engine family developed by Ford Otosan for nearly two years, will be completed by 2019. Its manual and automotive versions will start to be used in trucks by 2020.

 

 

Edited by jpd80
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  • 2 weeks later...

This was at the ATCA show in Worcester MA yesterday.. Owner drove this pulling a tandem tag that was loaded with an old chevy truck and a farmall.  650, 6.7.  Nothing but good comments about the truck. Routinely pulls a 22,000 lb excavator at 70 mph and "no sweat".  (He also had a Pete and a F'liner at show-both tandem dumps so guy is not a rookie)

 

(Well I tried upload picture-3 times-get message.."there was a problem uploading file"-truck is a beauty- black, aluminum wheels, aluminum dump body)

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1 minute ago, Bob Rosadini said:

This was at the ATCA show in Worcester MA yesterday.. Owner drove this pulling a tandem tag that was loaded with an old chevy truck and a farmall.  650, 6.7.  Nothing but good comments about the truck. Routinely pulls a 22,000 lb excavator at 70 mph and "no sweat".  (He also had a Pete and a F'liner at show-both tandem dumps so guy is not a rookie)

 

(Well I tried upload picture-3 times-get message.."there was a problem uploading file"-truck is a beauty- black, aluminum wheels, aluminum dump body)

 

Dang....love seeing your pics....

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allison-axe-electricaxle-__-720x405-a.jp

The Allison AXE integrates one or two high-speed electric motors and a multi-speed transmission,

eliminating the need for additional driveshafts and support structures.

 

 

The AXE Series electric powertrain will be integrated in Peterbilt’s Model 579EV electric Class 8 truck for evaluation and testing. As a result, the truck features 1,475 hp (1,100 kilowatts).

The AXE Series is available in single and dual motor options to package the entire electric powertrain inside a standard frame that exists in almost every global commercial truck, including refuse trucks, school buses, and drayage and delivery trucks. This allows the e-axle to be a bolt-in solution by design, for efficiency in the installation process.

Allison also unveiled a compact electric propulsion solution for low-floor bus applications. It said the ABE Series is the first e-axle advanced ultra-low floor electric bus powertrain system in the market.

Edited by jpd80
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1 hour ago, jpd80 said:

 

allison-axe-electricaxle-__-720x405-a.jp

The Allison AXE integrates one or two high-speed electric motors and a multi-speed transmission,

eliminating the need for additional driveshafts and support structures.

 

 

The AXE Series electric powertrain will be integrated in Peterbilt’s Model 579EV electric Class 8 truck for evaluation and testing. As a result, the truck features 1,475 hp (1,100 kilowatts).

The AXE Series is available in single and dual motor options to package the entire electric powertrain inside a standard frame that exists in almost every global commercial truck, including refuse trucks, school buses, and drayage and delivery trucks. This allows the e-axle to be a bolt-in solution by design, for efficiency in the installation process.

Allison also unveiled a compact electric propulsion solution for low-floor bus applications. It said the ABE Series is the first e-axle advanced ultra-low floor electric bus powertrain system in the market.

WOW....Hard to believe all that can be accomplished in such a small package.  Also looks like the disc brakes might be wedge activated.  Wedge brakes- one of the less than ideal "better ideas" from many years ago.

Now what might be another good use for this is as a driving front axle assist..  Think of the savings there- no transfer case or driveshaft.

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20 minutes ago, Bob Rosadini said:

WOW....Hard to believe all that can be accomplished in such a small package.  Also looks like the disc brakes might be wedge activated.  Wedge brakes- one of the less than ideal "better ideas" from many years ago.

Now what might be another good use for this is as a driving front axle assist..  Think of the savings there- no transfer case or driveshaft.

Good idea as an assist package that could be retrofitted

I'm also thinking of a system like a modern diesel electric locomotive where the engine drives a big  alternator,

that charges a battery pack, the DC goes through an inverter to make constant frequency A/C to drive all truck

and trailer's axles that in turn,can regen brake to near zero and charge battery.

 

I think energy conservation will be the key to selling hybrid and BEV trucks, things like  reduced maintenance and

fuel economy combined with  better reliability  higher availability. Hoping they look at future technology from MIT,

liquid metal batteries for lower cost superior performance that will make today's Lithium Ion  look like NiCads.

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I had been researching how BEV trucks would perform.  Towing for instance.  The Tesla Model X can tow but needs recharging much more frequently. It doesn’t have a transmission but the motor’s are geared differently each with it’s own speed band. I think I understand that correctly.  Anyway this helps with low and high speed performance. It seems a transmission would be needed for towing. I searched BEV transmission and found that article.  

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19 hours ago, jpd80 said:

And that’s why I wonder if modern diesel electric locomotives point

the way for hybrid tech and greater fuel and braking efficiency for trucks.

Well on that thought, remember in the late 1940 R. G. LeTourneau  brought out a line of off road construction equipment that was  just that-diesel driving generator that ran traction motors  in drive axles.  I think they were gone  by late 50's when business was sold to Westinghouse.  Here we are 60 years later and now  Cat  has a diesel electric dozer.   excerpt I think the driver here is not "electrification" but rather minimizing drive line costs by eliminating transmissions, drive shafts, differentials etc.  Much like LeTourneau did  60 years ago.

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3 minutes ago, Bob Rosadini said:

Well on that thought, remember in the late 1940 R. G. LeTourneau  brought out a line of off road construction equipment that was  just that-diesel driving generator that ran traction motors  in drive axles.  I think they were gone  by late 50's when business was sold to Westinghouse.  Here we are 60 years later and now  Cat  has a diesel electric dozer.   excerpt I think the driver here is not "electrification" but rather minimizing drive line costs by eliminating transmissions, drive shafts, differentials etc.  Much like LeTourneau did  60 years ago.

And that's it Bob, there might be a whole raft of good reasons for a sea change away from mechanical drive and braking,

energy conservation being part of the package but perhaps electrification becomes just a better way to do the lot..

Fleets and owners will need proof of the benefits of casting off years of best practice and going from the safe well worn path into the unknown..well, that's putting companies and livelihoods at risk until people see the payoff.

Edited by jpd80
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On 9/5/2019 at 5:48 PM, Joe771476 said:

rmc523.........I hope you're right, but don't forget:  Ford had just retooled the L-series in 1996/1997 after being stagnant for about 25 years, and Freightliner came along and STOLE it for a mere $300 million! 

 

The decision to sell off the "Heavy Truck" division lands squarely on the shoulders of then-CEO Jac "the knife" nASSer...at the time, the division was turning a small ROI but it was still "in the black" for the operation, Jac claimed at the time that Ford could earn more just by putting that operations $$$ in a bank. From what I have read, Ford held 9% of the "heavy truck" market and Frieghtliner held over 29%. It made perfect sense for Frieghtliner.....

Here we are, all these years later...and Ford's Cargo line does well all over the globe but is strangely absent in the North American market.

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3 hours ago, twintornados said:

 

The decision to sell off the "Heavy Truck" division lands squarely on the shoulders of then-CEO Jac "the knife" nASSer...at the time, the division was turning a small ROI but it was still "in the black" for the operation, Jac claimed at the time that Ford could earn more just by putting that operations $$$ in a bank. From what I have read, Ford held 9% of the "heavy truck" market and Frieghtliner held over 29%. It made perfect sense for Frieghtliner.....

Here we are, all these years later...and Ford's Cargo line does well all over the globe but is strangely absent in the North American market.

IMO, the heavy truck could have run at break even and still been a good deal. It was a brand builder and had a spin off effect, making the smaller F Series more legitimate as trucks.

 

The same would be true if it never went away. To know that your F550 tow truck had the same DNA as a class 8 tractor would go further than any claims Ram could make.

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Ford's heavy truck operation might have been operating at a small profit, but remember that KTP was turned over to the exclusive production of the Super Duty line after heavy trucks were discontinued.  I think without KTP the Super Duty would not have been as successful.  And no question per unit a Super Duty pickup was far more profitable than an HN80.  Then consider how many Super Duty's KTP could produce a day compared to HN80's. 

 

Have to say this was one of Nassar's (few) good ideas.  What was stupid was the whole HN80 program.  Ford should have just left the old Louisville Line in production until 1998 then discontinued it and changed over to the Super Duty.  The Louisville was still selling and I don't think Ford ever recouped the expenses of the HN80 program when they sold it to Freightliner.  Hindsight is 20/20........   

 

Freightliner wanted the Ford's heavy truck operation for its share of the vocational market (Freightliner was weak there at the time) and the dealer network.  Freightliner got a good deal, but ultimately they designed better vocational trucks than the HN80 even after putting substantial money into the HN80 (Sterling) after they set up production in Canada.  HN80 was dropped in 2008, a little over 10 years after introduction.  I wonder to this day if Freightliner ever made any money on the deal.........

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Just remember, Ford is still a major player in the Chinese market class 8 tractor biz....whereas in other parts of the world, they get the F-MAX CoE tractor, in China, the F-MAX is known as the JMC Weilong HV5...I just do not understand the abandonment of Class 8 in North America.

image.png.d69f06847aa12f8f4405995adf5afd0d.png

Edited by twintornados
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1 hour ago, 7Mary3 said:

It is very easy to understand.  Ford found they could make a lot more money putting their resources into the Super Duty line than they could in heavy trucks.   

And yet no one can explain  how one had to be cancelled for the other to exist. There was excess capacity all over North America at the time.

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3 hours ago, twintornados said:

Just remember, Ford is still a major player in the Chinese market class 8 tractor biz....whereas in other parts of the world, they get the F-MAX CoE tractor, in China, the F-MAX is known as the JMC Weilong HV5...I just do not understand the abandonment of Class 8 in North America.

image.png.d69f06847aa12f8f4405995adf5afd0d.png

JMC also has a rebadge of the Cargo.

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As they promised, Ford is returning to many European markets.

 

Poland: https://intercars.prowly.com/61132-ford-trucks-enters-poland

 

Hungary: https://www.fordtrucks.hu

 

Romania: https://www.ford-trucks.ro

 

Bulgaria: https://www.fordtrucks.bg

 

Greece: https://www.ergotrak.gr/index.php/el/proionta/kainourgia/varea-fortiga/ford

 

Czech Republic: https://ftrucks.cz/cs

 

 

Among others as well.

 

Edited by ausrutherford
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2 hours ago, J-150 said:

And yet no one can explain  how one had to be cancelled for the other to exist. There was excess capacity all over North America at the time.

 

My understanding was that the excess capacity was not at a large plant suitable for building Super Duty's.  Ford was able to not only consolidate all Super Duty production at KTP, but also free up other truck plants for exclusive F-150 production.  Remember 1999 was when the large pickups became a different platform than the F-150. 

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Twintornados:  Gee I was keeping track of heavy truck sales back in the 80's/90's and I'm quite sure Ford was at various times either A leader or THE leader in class 6, 7 AND 8.  Bob, you have any input?  Also saw the cover of butane/propane magazine showing  dozens -- maybe a hundred -- of Blue Bird Vision (Roush/Ford) school buses being refueled in Boston.

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