Besides its own extreme tests, Ford has also let other people test the all-new F-150 pickup truck too. Since 2011, six prototypes have been shipped to job sites including a Nevada gold mine and a Pennsylvania dam, as well as in servicing power lines in Appalachia. It was the first time Ford had given customers advanced prototype vehicles so far ahead of production.
The trucks were handed over to longtime Ford fleet customers who unknowingly helped prove durability of the aluminum alloy and determine the final design of the cargo box. Unaware of Ford’s experiment, three longstanding Ford fleet customers took delivery of prototype F-150s with current steel bodies and all-new, high-strength, aluminum-alloy cargo boxes in 2011.
“We did not want these customers to know what was different. So, when we gave them the prototype vehicles, we told them to use the trucks like their other hard-working Ford trucks, and we would be back to follow their progress,” said Larry Queener, program manager for the new F-150.
The customer sites were visited every three months by Denis Kansier, F-150 prototype lead engineer, who checked on the integrity of the vehicles and identified possible adjustments to the design of the new Ford F-150. For instance, the secret testing revealed that the cargo box floor needed to be thicker to improve strength. Engineers have also made modifications to the tailgate based on lessons learned through customer usage.
The six prototype vehicles accumulated more than 350,000 miles (563,270 km) in just more than two years of testing. Ford only told the customers about the aluminum alloy cargo box in early 2014, when the 2015 Ford F-150 was revealed. All six prototypes are still in use with the three companies.
By Dan Mihalascu
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