Red Horse

My first thought was it just had a deflector mounted on top. then after your post I took another look-agree-looks like the entire blade is thick plastic of some sort. Be interesting to see what is in back of it where it is attached to the cutting edge. And I agree with your comments on cutting edges. I've had three Deere compact loaders and cheap skate that I am have always used "junkyard" plows to replace my bucket. I just replaced a Meyers that had a poly cutting edge with a Fisher with a nice steel edge. What a difference

I disagree about his head in the clouds. I think it is in a much darker place. The guy's rep is he is a "cerebral thinker". I'm sure there is some truth to what he says but I think he is playing strictly within his comfort zone. Remember that is what Bill Ford hired him for-he was heading up Ford's autonomous vehicle group or whatever they called it. Then apparently he convinced Bill he could do it all. For the sake of the Company and my stock I hope he can-but I think he is a bullshitter who is out of his element and he just goes along with whatever the Sillicon Valley crowd is spewing. Then again if you read what KSC posted about VW's position, sounds like Hackett is not alone. Or the VW guy is drinking the same Sillicon Valley Kool Aid.

I'm with you- stockholder and Ranger owner-04 super cab FX4 Off Road that my youngest son bought new and when they had there first kid decided it was not the best 2nd vehicle-so I bought it from him-at an inflated price of course-. It has been inside and well taken care of. Sticker was over 27g and doing Kelly Blue Book I come up with 8-9 g. Not bad for a 14 yr old truck I think the new Ranger will be a hit. Stopped at a dealer last week that had two-an XLT that looked like it just came off truck and a Lariat in showroom-that was sold and they were about to move it out Forget about the oil filter rumor-bullshit that was later officially dismissed. There is a separate flap on inner fender flap-remove three Phillips heads and flap is off. I checked out the truck that was in showroom-front wheel was slightly turned and it looked like it would be a piece of cake-easier than snaking the filter out of my 4.0 L. Michigan assembly plant going on an OT schedule. From what I've read, partially due to demand plus sounds like they are running at a slow build rate to insure there are no issues with the first trucks-which is good news-get it right!

Huh? You must be reading Motor Trend. You Tube is full of Ranger reviews and I don't think I have read one that you could call critical. One that comes to mind felt the dash on the XLT package had too much "hard plastic. That is about it. By and large I would say the consensus is THIS is the pick of the liter when it comes to small pick ups. You are correct that it is an "interim" vehicle with a new one coming in?? 2022??

Nice Kevin-I'm assuming that is last years race as tractors are not new F-Max??

Agree-and your point on getting that to the ground- think every component in those trucks is up to handling those HP/torque numbers? I imagine costs on down the road with these things will be high-unless the electronics make the power available on a very controlled basis.

Any clue what that box like structure is hanging off front end? Impressive shop in that first picture.

Agree-IMO front axle rating is key. Other factor though would be just how do you mount the head gear on a cabover? it is one thing to have lift up access panels on a fiberglass hood-quite another to accommodate a heavy system that can handle say a 10+ ft reversible plow and still be able to tilt the cab.

OK Kevin thx- I was thinking of the 3133-but I see clearly a different animal. In any case, I think many of those Brazilian Cargos would do well here to compete with the Chevy-badged Isuzus.

No they can get that same model I believe from Brazil. And as for the money? No problem-Maduro will put it on his Cuba-Visa card-if he isn't living in Cuba before long!

Kevin- I should have qualified- I don't know what brand they were-but this is not third hand info -got it direct- old school Mack fleet. 50 year old paving contractor

As for Chinese 24's-no specifcs but I know of a local fleet that bought a bunch-only problem is they were not round😎

Correct I have 11R-24 Bridgestones in my B-61X

Wow- forgot about those A-cars. remember the ads but don't think I ever saw one on the road.

No and he didn't talk about trucks-surprised this guy isn't working for Ford! He would fit right in with their "commercial truck" staff.

Well Rich-How did it hold up over weekend?.-you probably got a lot of rain and Ice-Up here we got only about 7" of snow and sleet.

Well if you want get specific in terms of "accomplishments" for most of them ..."In 100 words or less should do it. Do NOT list trips outside of US at Taxpayer's Expense"😎

Impressive IMO. Just have to wonder -with more wiring then ever, connected through stalks with all kinds of plastic switch controls, with all kinds of duplicated points, what will these trucks be like 3 yrs down the road? And it doesn't matter the brand-they all have it.

And how about this -NO campaigning for their NEXT gig no sooner than-pick a number- 3 mos, 6 mos? from election in question. I think of it this way-what if I said to my boss-" Chief-I'm on the road for 3 days next week seeing if I can find a better job-If any bombs go off, please handle"!! My guess is I would have been told.."sure-but make it a full time search because you are done here" Absolute bullshit. We are paying them big bucks with life time benefits and what do we get? Inattention to the issues they were elected to address -TODAY!

Got it! The "distortion" you referred to was in the glowing sales numbers Akerson was giving. In any case, read another story in today's Boston Globe on the China scene...."China's Slowdown Looms Just as the World Looks for Growth"...cites..three huge ford plants slowed to a fraction of their earlier pace...and "hundreds" of closed chemical "factories"-whatever a "chemical factory" is.

Kevin, Well it's a world economy and we have to recognize that fact-no doubt. And also most companies-be they in the US or the EU-wherever-have been trying to get a piece of the.."biggest growth market in the world". I think the thing that struck me the most was I got the feeling that Akerson was reading a script that he really didn't like-but it was his job to give the party line. And it is a scary scenario. Do we honestly think that the Chinese can be trusted with our technology? And as for the "bailout", I think that everyone recognized that had GM gone under, the bankruptcy would have hurt the entire auto industry-not just GM. And probably the economy as a whole-or so the "experts" lead us all to believe. But as always I value your view on issues that go beyond our shores. Other than the fact that everyone has tried to get a piece of the Chinese market, what was the distortion in Akerson's speech? And by the way, never heard of this guy Vince Wade-but did google him and it is safe to say he is a a guy that has spent his career digging up dirt. Of course, here we are, many years after that Akerson speech was given and we are reading about all of the trouble the Chinese are now facing internally. I remember a story that was on Dateline or 60 Minutes that covered the Chinese economy and they showed scenes of an entire city complex that the Chinese had built and it was vacant!. And of course anyone seeing that would say.."how do they make such a colossal expenditure with no obvious economic payout"? I guess perhaps the pigeons are coming home to roost??

Check this out

Jim, Nice old picture. The H model belonged to Kenny Stonemetz at the time, he then sold it to someone I believe in Ohio and it now resides in NJ. Kenny now has an LJ open fire truck. The B is still owned by Frank Hale

Got it tied down Rich? Could be a wild weekend!

Nah- as Neville Chamberlain thought-"these are honorable foxes" And the dieselgate fiasco? Those at the very top who knew what was going on have learned a good lesson and we can rest easy that there is a new culture at VW....😴