Building A Rock Star Tundra – The Beginning
It started all the way back in April 2009, when Chris sent us an email asking if we had any info on 2010 Tundra pricing. As time went by, we got more emails from Chris, keeping us up-to-date on his search for the perfect truck, his plans for accessories, and some much-appreciated comments on the site.
Over the last year, Chris’s dream of building the ultimate truck – a “rock star” – has taken form. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be reviewing the build-out of Chris’s brand new 2010 Tundra. Today’s post talks about the purchase process and introduces the truck, and future posts will discuss options and accessories, show you pictures along the way, and hopefully entertain. Here we go: Read more…
Power Take-Off Units and Ford’s New Live Drive PTO
For anyone who has ever worked with mechanical equipment in the construction or agricultural industries, the term ‘power take-off’ or PTO is a familiar one. For the rest of us, a short primer is in order to help understand what this device is and how it can be useful to truck owners.
What’s A PTO?
In the simplest terms, a power take-off (PTO) is a device which is coupled to a vehicle’s transmission and which shifts the engine’s power output from turning the driveshaft into instead rotating an external splined shaft to which a wide range of equipment can be attached. Commonly found on farm tractors, a PTO can be used to power anything hydraulic – from a hay baler to a snow blower to a cement mixer to a roll-out. PTOs are extremely useful devices when it comes to powering equipment far off the beaten path, where it might not be possible to run electrical power or practical to store reserves of fuel.
Tow trucks use PTOs to power hydraulic lifts and roll-outs.
Commercial vehicles such as fire trucks, garbage trucks, dump trucks, and tow trucks are excellent examples of PTO units in action in our daily lives. Read more…
Ford’s New Twin-Turbo V6 F150 Raises Longevity and Reliability Questions
Last week PickupTrucks.com published some spy photos of Ford’s 2011 V6 EcoBoost F150. The rumor is that the new engine will be a 3.5L V6 with a twin-turbo setup. Estimates are that this new V6 will have 400+ hp and 400+ lb-ft of torque, but that it will also get an EPA rating of 23 mpg on the highway.
While this new EcoBoost engine isn’t going to be “free” – it’s a premium option at this point with a hefty sticker price – it’s definitely the next killer app in pickups, and an indicator that the entire auto industry may use small-displacement motors with turbochargers to replace larger naturally aspirated motors.
However, as the comments in the PickupTrucks.com post point out, What about longevity and reliability? Read more…
Toyota Plants Target Of Fake Letter Bombs
The Detroit Free Press is reporting that four Toyota assembly plants – San Antonio, TX (home of the Taco and Tundra), Princeton, IN (home of the Sienna and Highlander), Buffalo, WV (a 4cyl and 6cyl engine plant), and Toyota’s R&D facility in Erlanger, KY have all received fake letter bombs during the last few days.
Fake letter bombs being sent to Toyota facilities are made from a short section of cardboard tube and hand addressed. The return address is allegedly Nigeria.
The choice of facilities seems to make it clear that someone has visited the manufacturing page on Toyota’s website, which lists all of the major Toyota manufacturing facilities in the USA. Hopefully this does not mean that more fake letter bombs are due to arrive at the other facilities on that page.
The question is, why? Read more…
Sometimes OEM Parts Aren’t Better Than After-Market
In Monday’s post about dealership parts pricing secrets I wrote that “All things being equal, the manufacturer’s parts are better” than after-market parts. Correctly, a couple of comments pointed out that OEM parts are usually better, but not always. Here are some situations where after-market companies make an excellent quality part. Read more…
