In my opinion, Ford is missing the boat by not offering a four door, shortbox half ton truck with a heavy duty half ton rating.

I'm a Ford guy, but I keep waiting for them to match what Chevy has in the 1500HD (Four full doors, 6.75ft box, and a payload in the mid to high 2k range).

It looks like I'll need to continue to wait or go with a SuperDuty, but I would prefer the half ton interior and ride.

Anyone else share this opinion?

 

I don't fully agree. A larger bed would be nice for the Screw, but I would not consider the Chevy 1500HD a light duty truck with light duty ride. It is a heavy (well, medium) duty truck with appropriate capabilities and ride.

 

Ford does offer this truck, its called F-250 Super Duty, same thing as a 1500 HD except 10 ply tires instead of GM's 8 ply. But didn't GM quit calling it 1500 HD for 2004? I thought it became a 2500 series truck.

Remember the whole 1/2 ton name is just a "nickname", GM sells 3/4 tons that have less capability than their 1500HD. The way to compare is by GVWR, if you do this you'll see that the government quits rating for fuel economy over 8500 GVWR (what most people consider 3/4 ton) and that's where the 1500HD falls. The advantage of this for the manufacturers is that these vehicles don't count in the CAFE ratings as they're considered commercial vehicles.

 

Comparing the 1500HD and SuperDuty is a bit of a stretch.

Forget the half ton reference then. With the interior, ride, and size of the truck, the 1500HD is definitely a beefed up version of a light duty truck, I like you medium duty reference.

Ford does not have something that compares until they have Crew Cab, 6.5ft box, and 8200-8500 or so GVWR and more of the comforts and size of a 1/2 ton.

I think your right about the Chevy, I saw a 2500 Crew Cab and had to take a peek a the sticker. It had a GVWR of 8600lbs so it must be a replacement for the 1500HD.

 

Towing GVW and Payload of 1500HD vs Super Duty F250

2003 Silverado 1500HD Crew Cab 4WD LS 2003 Ford Truck F-250 SD Crew Cab 4x4 156-in. WB XLT Styleside
(Chevy Left, Ford Right)
Standard Payload (lbs) 2956 2434

Maximum Payload (lbs) 2956 2473

Standard Towing (lbs) 7900 8400

Maximum Towing (lbs) 9900 13200

Maximum GVWR 8600 8800




Now lets compare to 2003 SuperCrew
(Chevy left Ford Right)
Standard Payload (lbs) 2956 1460

Maximum Payload (lbs) 2956 1605

Standard Towing (lbs) 7900 6200

Maximum Towing (lbs) 9900 7700

Maximum GVWR 8600 6750


As you can see its much closer to the Super Duty than the F-150, as its just a HD 3/4 with 8 ply tires and limited to just the 6.0L engine otherwise its about like the HD series trucks. Most Chevy dealers were selling them to 3/4 ton buyers. I lost many deals on Super Duty's the the HD 1500 due to price, but I don't think any of my SuperCrew buyers looked at the Chevy. It's my understanding that mid year (I heard December) Chevy will be offering a SuperCrew type 1/2 ton.

 

In your opinion, Ford does not have a gap here, that's fine if you feel this way.

Here's the facts.

Chevy doesn't have something to fit the SuperCrew prospect and is doing something about it for the crowd that wants a truck/suv all in one.

Ford doesn't have something that closely matches the 1500HD, we'll see how fast they can offer the new F150 with four door and a real box and payload.