death of regular cab pickups

[Farmer495]

I'd have to do some research, which I will not do, but I think cabs of today are wider inside than cabs of 40 years ago. Just guessing here.

I know for a fact 4 men could squeeze onto a vinyl bench in a 80s era 4 speed F150 and close the doors. Not comfy but it worked.

Couldn't do that on the newer Sierras with bench or 60/40.

 

[Farmer495]

Must be a Ford thing. Haven’t seen them on Dodges, Chevys, or Jeeps in a lot of years.

It's a Ford Super Duty thing. I had a 2K power stroke as well with stick on the floor and manual hubs. It was still available in the teen model years last I looked.

 

[Farmer495]

My old U.S. Forest Service Dodge is kind of an end of an era.
I think the USFS fire trucks are still green. All other vehicles have been white for some time.
Do pickups still have a 4spd. option or manual shift into 2 or 4wd/hi-low range? Not to mention locking hubs on front axles?
Most folks don’t want a 35 yr old truck that rides like a truck, (very spartan & uncomfortable) and I agree with them.
But I‘ve kinda gotten used to the old girl.

Manual trans is dead in full size pickups as of 2018 model year (Cummins Ram only as option)

Last year for Ford Super Duty was 2010 with 6.4 powerstoke / 5.4 V8 and 6.8 V10

GMC/Chevrolet was 2006 if I remember right, 6.6 Duramax, 8.1 Vortec and 6.0 Vortec.

I had to go to an automatic on my current truck since I didn't want to pay big bucks for a Cummins ram and anything else manual was old and salt rotted to junk.

 

[ovrszd]

I know for a fact 4 men could squeeze onto a vinyl bench in a 80s era 4 speed F150 and close the doors. Not comfy but it worked.

Couldn't do that on the newer Sierras with bench or 60/40.

Not surecwhat a Sierra is? My Son has 2019 or 20 F150. Doesn't have a bench. But the cab is huge.

I can seat 4 in my 60/40 20 yr old F250. Newer F150s use a cab just as big or maybe a pinch bigger.

Not sure where to find that data.

 

[Hay Dude]

It’s too bad you can’t get a manual trans anymore. I had a Spicer 7 speed (6+1) easy shift transmission in an International and it would have been great in the Ram behind the Cummins. 7th was OD.
Extremely easy to teach to shift. I could shift it clutch-less by just blipping the fuel pedal.

 

[Farmer495]

Not surecwhat a Sierra is? My Son has 2019 or 20 F150. Doesn't have a bench. But the cab is huge.

I can seat 4 in my 60/40 20 yr old F250. Newer F150s use a cab just as big or maybe a pinch bigger.

Not sure where to find that data.

GMC Sierra, C1500 to be exact, in this case a 1/2 ton reg cab with 8 foot box. 20 year old 250 would be a Super Duty. The early 90s and older 250 used the same cab as the 150.

 

[Farmer495]

It’s too bad you can’t get a manual trans anymore. I had a Spicer 7 speed (6+1) easy shift transmission in an International and it would have been great in the Ram behind the Cummins. 7th was OD.
Extremely easy to teach to shift. I could shift it clutch-less by just blipping the fuel pedal.

Wish I could still get a stick too.

I studied the ratios out in the G56 6-speed in the last models of Cummins Ram so equipped, they seemed spaced good, 1st is granny low and 6th over drive.

I had a ZF6 in a 7.3 Super Duty and 1st was granny, 6th overdrive, it was spaced good other than I wished it had a gear between 5th and 6th for running 70 MPH. With 3.73 axle 6th was 2000 RPM, 5th was 3000 RPM.

 

[ovrszd]

Wish I could still get a stick too.

I studied the ratios out in the G56 6-speed in the last models of Cummins Ram so equipped, they seemed spaced good, 1st is granny low and 6th over drive.

I had a ZF6 in a 7.3 Super Duty and 1st was granny, 6th overdrive, it was spaced good other than I wished it had a gear between 5th and 6th for running 70 MPH. With 3.73 axle 6th was 2000 RPM, 5th was 3000 RPM.

That ratio thing is the problem with my 7.3L SD AT.

OD off, 50mph, 2K rpm.

OD on, 70mph, 2K rpm

 

[Cougsfan]

In general, pick-ups aren't designed anymore with it being a work vehicle as the primary design consideration. They are luxury vehicles designed to be more of a status statement. Unfortunately that is what most pick-up buyers apparently want. Their are probably a large number of pickups on the road that have never carried a load in the bed. I can't imagine buying a $60,000+ rig and using it and 'abusing' it in the way I need to use a pick-up. That's why I will stick with the '96 Dodge 1 ton I bought used a couple decades ago.

 

[Farmer495]

That ratio thing is the problem with my 7.3L SD AT.

OD off, 50mph, 2K rpm.

OD on, 70mph, 2K rpm

The 4R100 and ZF6 had the same ratios in the top gears so exactly the same problem. Both needed a gear in between, both were geared perfect for 55 MPH driving though.

3rd gear auto and 5th gear manual were 1:1
4th gear auto and 6th gear manual were 0.72:1

The newer automatics with double overdrive solved that gap issue.