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New Truck Time - Testing and Sorting

My wife hates diesel too, however the little 3.0l Exo boost she couldn’t even tell it was a diesel. Those little diesels with DEF have come along way compared to their bigger brothers.
I initially thought the DEF deal was going to be a PITA but it's no biggie at all...and I can't smell the slightest hint of diesel fume in my '18 2500 GMC. One thing tho, it's heavy and will get you stuck deeper.
 
I enjoyed the video. Raptors are stupid expensive though... 78k for a new one?! 2 out of the 3 guys at the end of the video ended up choosing the Trail Boss. It's a sharp looking truck, and with a leveling kit and bigger tires, it will do as much as the Raptor without the electronics to have problems.
 
Big Fin,

Time to run a Subaru. We need to decide once and for all if it’s a hunting vehicle.

East Main Auto has a used Cayenne S with a for sale sign. I know Randy has seen it and I think that would be a monster hunting rig. Retire the Honda Pilot, cut the fenders, armor coat it, install oversized tires and just rip the FS roads to shreds.
 
I enjoyed the video. Raptors are stupid expensive though... 78k for a new one?! 2 out of the 3 guys at the end of the video ended up choosing the Trail Boss. It's a sharp looking truck, and with a leveling kit and bigger tires, it will do as much as the Raptor without the electronics to have problems.
I think we saw different parts of the end. They said the Raptor was in a class of it's own and the choice they made was between the Ram Rebel and the Trail Boss. Definitely expensive though!
 
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Here's a new twist for you...

Ford now offers a dealer-installed 'Ford Performance' suspension upgrade with lift. Full warranty and meets OEM specs.

Might be a good tweener of the Raptor and the FX4.

I put the Ford Performance suspension on my Ranger and it is impressive, well worth the money.
 
I love my power Wagon, it is a class above the rest. You will be amazed when you see what actual selectable lockers front and rear can do for you. Add in the factory winch, skid plates, and front sway bar disconnect, and its amazing offroad. Yes, its a little bigger, but man what a truck.
Yup. I drink coffee from it every morning. My wife laughs at that cup. Thanks for giving it to me.

I'm glad she liked it. You can fit 35's on a stock Power Wagon with no lift. I take mine where no other fullsize trucks dare to go. Like I told you at Sheep Show, my Jeep was featured at the Offroad Expo in that very building. It was also on the cover of JP magazine, I know a ton about four wheeling, its kinda my thing.
 
I think we saw different parts of the end. They said the Raptor was in a class of it's own and the choice they made was between the Ram Rebel and the Trail Boss. Definitely expensive though!
Yeah, between the Chevy and Dodge, 18k additional is a lot in after market parts you could get to make either dodge or chevy as good or better than a raptor. I can get a loaded diesel for that price!
 
In regards to active braking limited slips.
Ill give a few reasons that I actually had to put a deactivate switch that overrides the factory abls off switch by cutting all power to the system in my truck. Most abls "off" switches really only tone down the system not shut it off.
First my truck has mechanical lockers front and rear so I can compare the two directly.
The abls system does a pretty dang good job on loose steep hills and hard pack hills with a loose or gravel cover. Almost as good as mechanical lockers.
But...
In deep mud and snow it actually starts to take away your throttle and depower the truck because the tires are spinning.
Just the thing you want in the middle of a mud puddle or snow drifts.
Now the tire voids fill with mud and the truck slows to a stop without hardly spinning a tire. Even worse is you don't realize it until its too late so you have been leaning further and further into the throttle as the truck slows down. Then if you are not very quick to get off of the throttle when almost stopped the tire spin slows enough that the computer gives you all that throttle you have been asking for at the worst time right when you are about to stop in the middle of a puddle or drift. Now you are stuck!
This is made worse by the abs system
Normally when you are spinning your tires and about to loose forward momentum in a drift or puddle you slam on the brakes to stop the tires from digging holes that you can't back out of. Right!?
Well the abs and abls systems combined wont allow this and think you are skidding and sliding so your tires keep spinning as your brake pedal undulates from the abs system
Now you are really stuck!
 
I just got a new job which gives me a company truck. That being said I bought a brand new silver 2019 F150 Crew Cab STX with the FX4 off road package in Oct, and it has about 6,500 miles on it. I'll probably look to sell it for $30k. Let me know if anybody (BigFin) is interested lol.
 
Here's a new twist for you...

Ford now offers a dealer-installed 'Ford Performance' suspension upgrade with lift. Full warranty and meets OEM specs.

Might be a good tweener of the Raptor and the FX4.

I put the Ford Performance suspension on my Ranger and it is impressive, well worth the money.

Yeah I referenced that earlier. It's a bit pricey but I think it's a great option since Ford has designed it for their trucks and you get warranty coverage. Basically it's Ford's version of the trailboss, but better.

If u dont mind telling, what was the total price for adding it?
 
No locker.
How is it better?

Sorry, I was referring to the F150, not the ranger (although I think the ranger offers a rear locker as well). Anyway, fox shocks are generally preferred to Rancho. Sorry for the link size, I'm not super tech savvy.


 
Yeah I referenced that earlier. It's a bit pricey but I think it's a great option since Ford has designed it for their trucks and you get warranty coverage. Basically it's Ford's version of the trailboss, but better.

If u dont mind telling, what was the total price for adding it?
No locker.
How is it better?

Sorry, I was referring to the F150, not the ranger (although I think the ranger offers a rear locker as well).


Yes, both Ranger and F150 offer lockers. Also, don't underestimate the Trail Control option, it has a true rear locker and still will direct power to both front wheels. As to the price for the suspension upgrade from Ford, mine was like 1200 installed, I believe.
 
I know Im just saying that its no trail boss because the locker is what matters.
With that said I prefer the way ford is selling you the pieces you desire and not a kit.
Check the box on the locker. Shocks are cool but easily swapped.
 
I ordered a new power wagon in 2018. Absolutely love this truck and I’ve owned/drove a lot of rigs for work. Lockers are a game changer, also the coil rear and bilstein shocks ride very good on gravel and off road abuse. It gets 15 mpg on highway if your nice to it. Another big perk is it has tons of room for chains and they are easier to put on with lots of fender room. The interior is very comfortable also. Definitely one of my favorite trucks I’ve owned. My wife drives a 2015 F-150 with 2.7 eco boost, impressive little truck that gets 21mpg and we have used it for hunting since it was brand new and no issues yet with 70k on it. But... even leveled it sits low and very tight for chains. If we are going down rutted up muddy or snowy roads we take the ram. I think you would like a power wagon Randy. Add a ford tremor to your research list possibly also
 
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