When the going gets slippery, the driver of this 2020 F-350 Tremor with the new Power Stroke diesel gets determined to make it to the top.
Ford Super Duty trucks are made to work. But that doesn’t always mean carrying a crew to a job site or hauling sheetrock or pulling a massive landscaping trailer. Sometimes the only job a Super Duty has to get done is reaching the end of a difficult trail or the peak of a slippery uphill climb.
The 2020 Super Duty Tremor can do it all, especially off-roading. Ford offers the Tremor package on the XLT through Platinum grades of both the F-250 and F-350, with either the all-new 7.3-liter gas V8 or the third-generation 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel. Both truck models are equipped with a limited-slip front differential, a locking rear differential, suspension hardware tuned to handle rugged terrain, and 35-inch tires. They also have software designed to help them combat the elements, such as a Rock Crawl drive mode and Trail Control off-road cruise control.
Instagram user Jeremy Brumley (aka j.brums) recently got an F-350 Tremor and took it out into the sand-covered wilderness of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Judging by the footage, it looks as if it was a fun outing with fellow wheeling enthusiasts. That doesn’t change the fact that Brumley’s truck had a job to do, though.
Brumley positions his Tremor near the base of a steep hill. The path up is an uneven sandy trail full of pits and ruts. Given the slippery conditions ahead, Brumley needs to keep his momentum going. He makes the wise decision to take a running start.
Once his truck goes diagonal, he keeps his right foot down and his Tremor’s Power Stroke diesel cranking. Maintaining a certain speed is necessary, but that combined with the ground surface causes the Tremor to buck and bounce as it continues to climb.
Brumley quickly powers through the jolts and shakes to smoother ground and sails to the top. It’s a victory against Mother Nature for Brumley and a job well done by the Tremor.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
