If you asked what the top selling car in America was last year, you may be surprised to hear it wasn’t a car at all—it was a truck. The Ford F-150, in fact. The second and fifth spots for top sales were both trucks as well. Clearly, North America has a love affair with heavy duty vehicles. In Canada, sales of pickups were up 11.5 percent in 2014, and the Ford F-150 was twice as popular for buyers than the Honda Civic.
The popularity of these trucks may in part be due to today’s climate of lower gas prices, but there also may be something in the North American psyche that calls out to these heavy hauling beasts!
Trucking in North America
City dwellers may wonder: why on earth would the regular person today need a heavy duty truck—or even a pickup truck at all? For people who live in smaller towns with more road space and an emphasis on farming and building, a pickup truck is actually a very logical choice.
For the large hunting community in Canada, a pickup truck is also the perfect way to transport tools (and game). Another major selling point for trucks, as students in auto training school will know, is towing capability. Some vehicles like the Ford F-150 can tow up to 11,300 pounds – roughly the size of a large elephant!
In a wildlife-loving country like Canada, this makes a truck the perfect vehicle for towing trailers (including horse trailers) and RVs for camping and travelling. Some people even insist that a truck is the most efficient way to travel from town to town with bulky hockey gear.
“Light Duty” vs. “Heavy Duty”
Determining whether you should buy a light duty or heavy duty truck depends entirely on your lifestyle. Having a basic level of auto mechanic training can help buyers make their decision, as there are many individual components like torque, towing capacity, MPG (miles per gallon), wheel size and more which can factor into buying a truck. The main difference between light duty and heavy duty trucks is towing power. Light duty trucks such as the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Toyota Tundra and the Ford F-150 have an average maximum towing capacity of 10,000 pounds.
Heavy duty trucks, such as the Silverado 2500, Ford F-250 or the Ram 2500 have a towing capacity of closer to 20,000 pounds, and will commonly be used for construction and other commercial work. Most consumers opt for light-duty models, because heavy-duty trucks are known to be difficult to maneuver and are well-known gas-guzzlers.
2015 Ford F-150
Any student attending an auto mechanic college will know that the top selling vehicle in 2013, and for many years before, was the Ford F-150. While the standard “American” truck rarely evokes much change from year to year, except perhaps better handling or a slightly modernized style, the F-150 is pulling out a new trick in 2015. The new Ford F-150 will have an aluminum cab rather than the typical steel cab seen on every other truck.
This switch to aluminum will remove 700 pounds from the overall weight of the vehicle, leading to better towing capability. The new F-150 also promises up to 20% better fuel efficiency and an impressive 4-engine lineup. Check it out below!
