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Truck and SUV Reviews |
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 Sterling
Bullet makes a great hauler truck. The 6-speed heavy
duty Aisin auto, grade shifted a couple of times, using the
built in exhaust brake, kept my foot off the brake coming down
Loveland pass towing a Cimarron LQ
horse trailer. The variable turbo sleeve controls
air flow to the engine and closes making the exhaust brake. A
unique efficient design. You can add a bed from 8' to 16' to the
different wheel bases available. 7000 lb. front axle, 13,500 lb.
rear axle on a 50,000 psi frame with 34" frame railing to
accommodate most aftermarket beds. The Sterling Bullet CONV55
size, max GVWR is
19,500 lbs.
More... |
 Ever
since I drove the Honda Ridgeline when it was introduced, I knew a
trend was coming. I remember fond memories of Ford Ranchero and
Chevy El Camino from high school days. With current fuel prices, 1/2
ton trucks will be changing more to a crossover with a bed, while
3/4 ton trucks will be trucks. But with a
good looking Pontiac G8 ST coming
in 09, I may get used to this new trend and see if my tool box, air
compressor, gooseneck hitch, fuel tank and bicycle will fit in the
bed.
Read about the G8 from..... |
  Ford
announces 2009 F150 with more towing features.
Trailer sway control can determine from
the yaw motion of the truck if the trailer is swaying
and....Integrated
Trailer Brake Controller is factory-installed
and allows direct
More...The
new 2009 Ford F-150 offers customers the most choice
with more configurations than any other full-size pickup
on the market. With three cab styles, four box options
and seven unique trim levels, the F-150 comes in 35
different configurations to....
More...2009 Ford F150 with new 6-speed, diesel and turbo gas engines coming in 2010. The striking F-150 Platinum features More... |
  2009
Dodge Ram, new coil spring rear suspension,
finally a normal crew cab called Ram Crew, bed storage
under the rail and cab floor storage, plus more.
More.... |
 Longer
2008 Nissan Titan.
Longer beds, more payloads, the Titan reaches for more
customers. Last
year I drove across the bridge that collapsed in Minnesota across the
mighty Mississippi twice, once going to the Minnesota Horse Expo and to
the 2008 Nissan Titan press preview traveling from Minnesota to
Wisconsin. Off-roading at Apple Valley Farms near Sand Creek, Wisconsin,
the new e-locker rear differential lock that you turn off and on. did
well in the muddy trail. More.... |
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 2008
Ford Super Duty, Round Two for 60 Years of the F-Series.
Last month I got to play on almost 4000
acres of the Fords Michigan Proving Grounds. Towing trailers (my
favorite sport) up and down Fords 7 and 15% grades. Ford provided a few
Dodge and GM diesels to try out beside the Fords at the renovated
proving grounds. Sand wash, mud, off-road course, mud, replica of the
famous Silver Creek torture track, all means FUN !
Read it
now... |
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Heavy Duty Pickup Trucks, New Race. The Year of Emissions.
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Old Guard 2007 GM trucks and Sundowner, New Kids on the Block Toyota Tundra and Lakota.
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  First
look at the 2007 Silverado and Sierra.
Still waiting to drive the new truck, but I am excited that the
seat belt is back in the ceiling, adjustable and the end of side
terminal batteries. The new GMT900 platform from which the 2007
GM SUV's...
Click.... |
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Cinch plus GM plus Monroe equals Cool Crew Cab 2007. The Cinch package from Monroe, has awesome leather seats, 15.3 inch overhead DVD, center console, backup cameras on both hitches and tow mirrors. When you use the blinker, the camera shows what that outside mirror sees in your GPS screen in the dash. You can get air ride cab, rear axle and seats. The Duramax 6.6L LMM diesel and the 8.1L gas engine both come with the 6-speed Allison Automatic. It's rated to tow 16.500 lbs. This is conservative and I expect it to go up. More... |
Dodge Expands Commercial Presence,
Charges into Class 4–5 Segment with
All–new 2008 Ram 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cabs All–new
chassis cabs showcase dominant commercial capability, durability
and dependability.
More on Dodge Ram.... |
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New Mid-Range Conventional Truck Features Powerful Cummins Engine Arriving at dealerships now. INDIANAPOLIS - Sterling Truck Corporation has a tough new vehicle in its lineup: the Sterling Bullet™. This highly anticipated chassis-cab product was introduced today at the NTEA Work Truck Show 2007 in Indianapolis. The Bullet is the latest addition to the company's full line of Class 3-8 work trucks and will be available at select Sterling dealerships now. More... |
 New
Active Fuel Management Cylinder Deactivation shows in the dash
when switching from V8 to V4, all seamless you wouldn't know it
if you didn't look at the indicator in the dash. This is part of
reason this new Tahoe gets 21 highway mpg EPA rating on the
4x4.. Even with a bolder bigger nose, the Tahoe has 8% less drag
as wind resistance. The dash has more digital info with a tire pressure read out
and tranny...More... |
  2007
Ford Expedition EL, longer, stronger and a 6-speed. I took
the new Expedition through the winding Washington hills as fast
the tires would hold me. It handled superbly, with no
resemblance of the old leaning SUV's we drove a few years back.
More.... |
  I
took the 07 Sport Trac off road near Camp Pendleton. With front
& rear traction control, it climbed like a rock crawler. Having
traction control instead of limited slip or locking
differential, allowed me to turn corners in 4WD, have traction
and no wheel hop. Roll Stability Control, standard on the Sport
Trac, great for a truck with an empty bed as well as stability
in bad road conditions. I think all trucks need it.
More... |
  SEMA
2006, MrTruck.TV will have it's first episode about this year's
SEMA. So much to see, so little time. We run each day of
SEMA finding top stories and new products for your truck & SUV.
More... |
 Finally
Dodge is back in the cab & chassis world. The new 2007 Dodge HD
3500 Cab and Chassis will offer the new 6.7L Cummins and an all
new 6-speed automatic. 52 gallon fuel tank, 50,000 psi flat
frame,
more...
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  Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum and B&W's new Tow & Stow receiver hitch towing a Hart Medallion. This is luxury, the 2005 Cadillac Escalade. Twin screens for the DVD, keeps both 2nd and 3rd row busy watching "The Incredible's" again. But for me there are heated & cooled cup holders. And they work, keeps my coffee at the right temperature until the last drop. How about hot and cold seats? More... |
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  Big
chief in the F250 Super Chief concept
truck at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show. My first time at the show.
No news of what the 2007 trucks will be like. Top secret because
of the new stricter emissions laws for January 2007. Most truck
models will be later that usual.
See pictures... |
 I’m reviewing a 2006 GMC Sierra SLT HD 2500 now with the Duramax with 360 horsepower and 650 torque right from the factory is addicting. I towed a new 6 horse Cimarron trailer through Eisenhower tunnel in January out the west side in a snow storm and had complete control with the manual switch on the new 6-Speed Allison that let me down shift by pushing a button making the torque converter lockup in each gear as.....More... |
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Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum and B&W's new Tow & Stow receiver hitch towing a Hart Medallion. This is luxury, the 2005 Cadillac Escalade. Twin screens for the DVD, keeps both 2nd and 3rd row busy watching "The Incredible's" again. But for me there are heated & cooled cup holders. And they work, keeps my coffee at the right temperature until the last drop. How about hot and cold seats? More... |
 Finally the cab that came late to the party.
With GM and Ford selling more crew cabs each year than Extended
and Super Cabs, Dodge for 2006 will give them some real
competition. “Packaged with
full-size Ram capability, the all-new 2006 Dodge Ram Mega Cab
offers the most interior passenger space, cargo capacity and
functionality of any pickup truck on the market,” More
of course. |
 Picture
at left is the open hood of the Ford F250 2008 as seen at SEMA. The
Texas State Fair is going to be the big truck news HQ. GM
will introduce the 2007 Silverado and
Sierra and Ford will intro the
2008 Super Duty with the 6.4L Power Stroke Diesel.
See the press release,
Click... |
| As announced here months ago, the 2006 Chevy and GMC HD 2500/3500 will have the 6-speed Allison with the Duramax and 8.1L gas engine, More.... and later in the year the Duramax 2006 or 2006.5 will have the new LBZ engine with 360 horsepower and 650 torque, the race is on more... |
 2006
Explorer, new 6-speed auto, 3-valve 4.6L V-8 and it's quieter and of
tows more. I flew to New York to drive it. 15 years of the #1 SUV,
read my review... also
SUV's and towing revisited.Ford lowers 2006 prices. Rebate weaning ahead, more... |
 All
new from the frame up, the 05 Frontier & Xterra are over
engineered, using the Titan 5-speed auto transmission, Dana 44
rear axle & frame rails. With the most horsepower in the midsize
class, the Frontier sits low with great off-road capability. I
like the folding passenger seat for my laptop. If you think
driving using cell phones are dangerous, wait till you see me
driving & reading email.
More |
 2005 Ford F350's
TowCommand trailer brake controller, Towing
Featherlite, and reviewing
TireStep.
Plus Elk Herding at Estes Park. The first manufacture to offer a "built
in" trailer brake controller, Ford introduced the TowCommand
last fall in the 05 SD. I tried it at the Ford proving grounds.
This is an update towing in the Rockies.
Read... |
 2004
Infinity QX56 SUV & Hart aluminum horse trailers
are both upper scale and make a good looking couple. The new
2004 QX56 is the first Infiniti model assembled in North
America. Hart Medallion aluminum horse trailer reminds me of the
beautiful sheet metal on Audi's and Porshe. Also in this review
are Tow-N-See extended mirrors
Much more.. |
 Quadrasteer
Tour Part 4 Reviewing Outfitter's Caribou popup
camper showing how far into the mountain forest I can get with
this truly versatile combination. We tow boats and horse
trailers, because we can. There is enough payload capacity left
for the tongue weight of a boat or 2-horse trailer. Also
Torklift's camper tie down review.
Read. |
 2006 Lincoln Mark LT Truck Towing a Hart
Thoroughbred. The luxury truck market is a fickle one. Maybe it's
the 4x4 option or the fact that it's great looking F150 or maybe
the hip hop stars haven't bought as many Lincolns as the
Cadillac Escalade. But it's a sharp looking truck! The waterfall
grill, chrome, chrome and more chrome does say Bling
More... |
2006 Honda
Ridgeline pickup truck is introduced at the North American
International Auto Show. Monday,
January 10, 2005, from The Detroit News. Honda builds a truck, or is it?
It is a body on frame, More. |
  Hummer
H2 proved to be a great trailer tower. Equalizer wdh made it a easy
pulling a 34' travel trailer from Nevada to Colorado in December threw
mountain passes and snow storms. Read the story from
Ultimate
Hummers Magazine. |
Quadrasteer Tour Part 3
Towing a Zeppelin travel trailer to Estes Park at the Spruce
Lake RV Park. The Denali is on the move again showing off it's
backing skills in the picturesque Rocky Mountains. It makes me want
to move to the hills near the Big Thompson River.
Read
more... |
 #17) I
drove the 05 Ford Escape Hybrid in Denver. With $2 gas, the Escape is
the first SUV to go Hybrid. And a true hybrid, developing it's own energy to
charge it's batteries from applying the brakes and run on an eclectic motor
alone. Something we did a lot of in downtown Denver.
More... |
 Quadrasteer
Adventure Tour Part 2. Cutting edge Denali QS truck tows the
cutting edge loader from Bobcat. My review of the Toolcat 5600
4-Wheel-Steer loader. And more opinions of towing with Quadrasteer by
first timer Read More... |
 #15) Yes
it's time for more 2005 truck reviews.
The new 2005 Super Duty, factory trailer brake controller,
finally higher tow rating, more payload capacity and of course, more power.
Click here. |
 #16) The Quadrasteer Adventure Tour Part 1, Towing a Horse Trailer at 14,000ft. Extreme Towing I. Read my first article in the series and see what your missing. Also Reviewing a Logan Contender Steel Horse Trailer. More.... |
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SUV's aren't my first choice as a tow vehicle, but I do understand the economics. Not everyone can afford a truck and a car. And the size, weight and height of a SUV gives you the feeling of safety in traffic. You want that same safety towing a horse trailer by making the right choice matching your trailer and SUV. More... |
 The
HUMVEE is the original HUMMER, the cornerstone of the brand. In 2003,
HUMMER introduced H2, reflecting an evolution of the brand and making
HUMMER more accessible to a wider audience. For 05, the HUMMER brand
continues to evolve, thanks to the
H2
SUT.... |
 14) 04 Titan XE King Cab off-roading with the Outfitter Popup Camper. Made for each other, the Titan stays level with the 1500# camper onboard. The tailgate had to come out, but that's simple. It's not hard to find a camper that will fit the Titan. Bed dimensions are very close to a Ford F150 97-03 models. Read the whole story. |
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SuperSprings Anti-Sway Safety Stabilizers do not replace the existing springs, but function together with the vehicle's existing suspension system, providing additional support only as required, when the vehicle enters a bend, turn, swerve or when carrying a heavy load. Discover More... SuperSprings: •Do not stiffen the ride when your vehicle is empty or on a straight road, as do overload springs. •Are inexpensive and easy-to-install. •Require no maintenance. •Reduce rear end sag and sway due to heavy loading. Today's light trucks and Vans are designed for smooth ride and comfort when empty or lightly loaded. When fully loaded, the softer suspension in these vehicles tends to let the rear end sag, compromising safety and comfort. Find out More... |
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 10)
2004 Nissan Pathfinder Armada |
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11) Hemi Durango review, along with Ice Driving School and Red Rocks. Read More... |
| 12) 2003 SS Silverado by Rick Vorce |
 13)
2nd look at the all new Ford F150 & sailboats that live in Colorado.
click to see the whole story... |
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MrTruck Test Drives, Ford, Dodge, GM, Toyota Hummer2 The Shoe Box trucks. Ford, GM, and Nissan go for the box look in future trucks. |
 Business
Class M2 100
when visibility
& maneuverability are top priorities. Available with 19.5-inch
wheels and hydraulic or air brakes.
Introduced last year, the M2 comes
in 3 models. Named for the cab-to-axle measurements, 100, 106 and
112. Class 5 -8 available in crew cabs and extended cab in the 106
and 112 models, but no 4x4.
Something to consider for those big trailers.
More..
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 Innovations
from outer space coming soon to a truck near you.
Camless diesel
engine since 1999,
Lane Departure Warning System
available now, and
Electronic Stability Control, directing Vehicle Dynamics could save
your life. More.. |
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 Ford may actually get
a 4.5L V-6 diesel after all. Just a few years ago, Ford had Navistar
build a plant to produce 4.5L V-6 diesels for the F150 &
Expeditions. Then when Nasser got canned from the top job at Ford,
so did his pet projects. When Ford told Navistar no thanks & backed
out of the V-6 diesel order, Navistar took loosing a couple hundred
million dollars personally. Ford, last summer gave Navistar a
settlement on their small diesel loss & now, for 2006, a new Ford
cab-forward truck has someone's Power Stroke 4.5L V-6,
read the story |
 The
Toyota Tundra grows up! This new larger double cab will be available
this fall. Under pressure from Nissan's Titan full size truck out late
fall, Toyota put a real rear seat in this truck and lengthened the frame
and over all dimensions. As I warned earlier, the Japanese auto makers
are taking advantage of some of the lapse in quality associated with
American trucks as they did with American cars in the seventies. It will
be a war of gas economy
also. As in the diesels, competition helps all of us. This truck was
introduced at the Chicago Auto Show, with a model wearing a cowboy hat,
what do you think that means? Stay tuned for more. |
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