I am a car nut as you know! I have been working from a pickup truck or van for the past 20 years. There are lots of truck and vans out there but none seem to be built for a person who works from them. Most are recreational or driven by people who want something tough. Me I want practical. What is wrong with pickup trucks for the service guy or working man? 1. Lets start with gas consumption.. Trucks are unnecessarily heavy for most service work. They have the wrong rear end ratios and overpowered engines that get terrible gas milage. I would suggest a high milage 4 cyllinder engine like the eco -boost and a hybred option. Maybe the front could be powered by gas and the rear by electric. Both could be engaged at the same time if traction is an issue. Just a thought. 2. Weight is a problem because of economy I would suggest an aluminum frame and body. Car manufactures could take some pointers from airstream. 3. Color is part of the cost. One color for a truck to be used in service would be enough. White would work. Or clearcoated aluminum would be ok. 4. Height is an issue. If you have a rack on top of a pickup then it needs to be low enough so that a 5 ft 4 inch man or woman could reach the items on the rack. The rack should be designed with racheting straps to hold thing on the rack. A rack should be built in. The floor of the bed does not need to be to high to reach over. The tailgate should open on the sides and in the back. A step should be provided all around. 5. Repairs should be considered in the design. Example an opening in the bed should be provided to service the fuel pump and in the floor to service the starter. Fuses should be placed on the dash where they can be seen and replaced without being a contortionist. Body panels could be designed to be replaced by anyone with standard aluminum coil stock. 7. Built in light should be in the storage compartments and built into the rack for the bed. 7. security should be a consideration. Alarm systems should be standard and all storage should lock when the doors are locked by remote. Remote start should be standard. 8. GPS should be standard equipment. 9. A 110 outlet run from a quiet generator should be part of the package so one could plug in power tools in remote locations. These are just some ideas I have been kicking around in my head. Do any of you have anything to add to my ideas. I would welcome your contribution. I am thinking about sending the list to Ford for the new Ranger/Function that I hope they will come out with in the future. Thanks for reading my mind! Have a great day!
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 17:24:01 +0000
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