F250 Feedback wanted please

Greetings Mick, I own a Patrol and have just returned from Northern Flinders Ranges towing my Bushtracker with my F250. The steering is more vague on the F250, though only noticeable to me at 60kph and below. Once towing on bitumen at higher speeds it did not bother me. On the rough unsealed roads of central SA, the apparent vagueness did not enter my head at all. I would not give up my F250 for love or money. Kindest Regards, Warwick.

Mick,

I have towed with more Fords than anyone else stuck in the BOG….(2) so far towing Bushtrackers 20' and over. I have also towed with more Landcruisers towing Bushtrackers than most (4)…. I have stood aside and not answered you on the BOG, to allow others to comment, so it does not look like I hog the answers all the time… I am going to start doing that more, to give others a weeks opportunity to answer, nobody likes a "Know it All." I wll in the future stand aside a bit more, unless some blatantly biased or misleading information is Posted... Other Boggers can do most of the answering from now on, heck they are probably sick of hearing from me anyway... Ha!

Vague steering? You are just not used to it. But you are talking about a truck vrs a car. The one major defect in the Ford is a terrible turning radius of something like 19 metres. You just learn to do three point turns… everywhere, back and fill. You just have to get used to it… I myself drive mine in downtown traffic, no worries, you get used to it in time... OR….

Now Vague real hunting a little? Maybe there is a problem with that one Ford you drove? It could also be a feely problem with that one Ford, loose steering tie rod ends(some had a defective loose tie rod end that wore our quickly and were replaced on Warranty.. Or it could be bagged down front springs, a number of things. But if no mechanical defects it is probably just something you have to get used to.

I can tell you this, that is absolute and without a doubt, the difference in wheelbase length, is massively more leverage and control on the van at high speed on the highway. In the right circumstances, the difference could save your life… Where the LC would be pushed to its absolute limit avoiding something at 100 kph, with a radical oversteer, the Ford would hardly know the van was on the back. That difference in wheelbase leverage and control can really save your life…

All the other arguments in favour of the Ford, better fuel economy, more storage, better power, better ride, less Driver fatigue, all the others things are a win as well, but the above issue is the most important one…. And it also means less Driver Fatigue, you arrive fresher, less stress as you have more power and control all day...

HOWEVER, YOU ARE IN A GREY AREA, AT ONLY 19’ ONE CAN HARDLY JUSTIFY GETTING A FORD. 19’ is well inside the comfortable range of a Landcruiser, and in the city or coming home, the Cruiser wins out. Over 20’ and you get another answer. But at 19’ one can hardly make a case for the Ford… Waaaaaay Overkill……

You can get a good second hand Ford right now for $60-70k, I think at last count there were 60 for sale Nationwide on www.carpoint.com. But mind you could get a second hand Landcruiser to pull a 19' for about $35k... I was only half joking when I said you could have mine, as there was the same year on carpoint with a large tray bed and hydraulic loader tailgate.. Would have been useful... Sold before I could make my mind up...

There is nothing wrong in buying good value second hand. I have for my whole life. If you are not a good mechanic, have some authority check it out for you.... You get things at about half value. New is great, but by the time you get all of your toys on it you have always spent far more than you counted on. Second hand, gets you the toys for free most of the time. My Mack 4x4 Crew Cab horse truck is the first and only new vehicle I have ever bought, as there was nothing like it second hand. But others do not follow my advice for many valid reasons: Some are uncomfortable buying second hand, have tax advantages to buying new, prestige issues, business issues, Novated Lease issues, all kinds of reasons for buying new, like the "new car smell" Ha! I understand this, but you can get some very good values second hand. My Ford came second hand with an extended 6 year, 160,000 km warranty, and $30,000 in toys already on it, and the right ones, with only 68,000 kms on it for $65,000???? It would have cost about $45,000 to replace it in brand new, that works out to a 68,000 kms for a savings of $45,000 ??? Oh, but I had to take blue, would have rather had silver... Ha! Anyways, new Fords are now very rare, almost nil, and overpriced... My point is you do not need a Ford, but if you are getting one for fun, there is not necessarily anything wrong with second hand.....

I repeat most of these ideas to you here on the BOG, not just for your benefit, but others that are coming down the same track.

Ranger....... Leaving signs on the track for those that come along later...