Here is what happens when you put an old 1965 Ford F-100 “High Boy” to work at the ranch against a new 2021 Ford Super Duty F-250 Tremor truck. On this episode of #TFLoffroad we are back with David Morrow at the “Happy Yak Ranch” in Northern Colorado. We decided to put both of these trucks to the test using three challenges: Hay Watch, Slug of War, and Yak Mountain Climb.
Hay Watch
The first challenge is a test of the truck’s slow speed 4×4 crawl capability. Don’t try this at home. We took many precautions to put together this test in a controlled environment. We laid out three hay bales in a row, spaced by about fifty feet. We put the trucks into low-range gearing, let them idle along, while David and I get out and attempt to load the hay into a moving truck.
First up is David in the 1965 Ford F-100. It has a low-range transfer case, which is actually a divorced transfer case. The transfer case is separated from the transmission to allow for about equal length driveshafts going to the front and rear axles. It’s the same principle as on later “High Boy” Ford trucks. David’s truck moves at a decent pace, so he has to work quickly and even throw the bales over the side of the bed.
The new F-250 Tremor has a good crawl ratio of 53-to-1. This a combination of 1st gear of the heavy-duty 10-speed automatic transmission, the low gearing of the 4LO transfer case, and the 4.30 rear axle ratio. The unknown is – will the software in this new truck automatically stop the truck when it detects when the driver leaves the driver’s seat? Several trucks such as the new 2021 Ford F-150 automatically shift into ‘Park’ when the driver opens the driver’s side door. This Super Duty allows me to exit (in this controlled environment that we set up). The Tremor crawls a bit slower than the old truck, so it’s easier to load hay. However, Tommy steps in and accelerates in the Tremor…
Slug of War
This is a standard tug of war. This is generally when the heavier truck wins. This gas-V8-powered Tremor truck weighs about 7,300 lbs. It’s big, tall, and massive. We weighed the old F-100 at 5,100 lbs. This old truck is a combination of F-100 body components and an F-250 frame and axles. In the end, we are calling it a “slug of war” because the result of this pull is basically a draw.
Yak Mountain Climb
This is about towing each other up a steep mountain trail. The “Yak Mountain” is where the yaks graze. The Tremor pulls the F-100 first and completes the task after I engage the rear locker. However, the old F-100 struggles and cannot make it all the way up while towing the Tremor behind it.
Bonus: Tree Pull
The 2021 Super Duty Tremor is the second truck from the factory that offers an integrated winch. The other truck being the Ram Power Wagon. The Tremor uses a 12,000 lbs Warn winch that is integrated into the front bumper. It offers a wired controller or remote control. We use the winch to move a large dead tree that has been blocking this mountain trail for some time.
Check it out in the video below.
