Thursday, June 30, 2011

Ford Sweeps Lucas Pro Truck Racing Pro-2


Stronghold Motorsports' Rob "Fig" Naughton and Jeremy McGrath and Rodrigo Ampudia drive Ford power to a sweep fo the Pro 2 Unlimited class finish at Miller Motorsports Park, Utah. Brian Deegan was fifth as Ford dominated the main event

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Brian Deegan on Lucas Oil Off Road Series qualifying at MMP


Brian Deegan brings the Metal Mulish Ford Ranger and F-150 Raptor to Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT for the seventh and eighth rounds of the 2011 Lucas Oil Off Road Series. Deegan is currently second in both the Pro 2 Unlimited and the Pro Lite Unlimeted championships heading into the weekend.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The Truth About Ford Power Stroke® Diesel Maintenance


Visit http://www.FordParts.com for more information about Ford Power Stroke diesel products or http://www.FordOwner.com for more information about diesel maintenance.

Following a regular maintenance schedule can help keep diesel engines healthy and running for hundreds of thousands of miles. Watch as several service and parts managers and technicians give their thoughts about maintaining diesel engines.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Ford Remanufacturing Process for Power Stroke® Diesel Products Video


Visit http://www.fordparts.com/Products/PowertrainProducts-FordPowerStrokeRemanufac... for more information.

The Ford Power Stroke diesel remanufacturing process features state-of-the-art technology, dyno testing under load and the use of original equipment- approved replacement parts. Watch how diesel engine components are cleaned, tested and inspected

Sunday, June 26, 2011

The Forklift Loadable Truck Rack by Rack-it


Gary Kank, Sales Manager for Rack-it Truck Racks shows us the differences in a forklift loadable truck. Many contractors prefer the forklift loadable rack so they can have forklifts load material directly on the rack rather than hand loading. Sure saves the back!

We love Rack-it Truck Racks made by a quality company just up the hill from our dealership. See more about Rack-it at http://www.rackittruckracks.com/

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Expedition Impossible Preview with Mark Burnett


Producer/Creator Mark Burnett gives us an introduction to his new ABC reality television series Expedition Impossible, and explains why the 2011 Ford Explorer was the perfect vehicle to handle the harsh Moroccan desert.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Brian Heffron Shows Us Ramsey's Industrial Winches


Brian Heffron talks with Ryan Stone of Commercial Truck Success at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, Indiana in March 2011. Brian shows us the selection of Ramsey Industrial Winches they had at the NTEA event.

See more about Ramsey products at www.ramsey.com

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

A Taxi Trend: Ford Transit Connect Compressed Natural Gas Taxis Heading to Los Angeles and Chicago


A Transit Connect Taxi powered by compressed natural gas is fueled up at one of Chicago's first CNG stations.
  • Two taxicab companies in Los Angeles area order nearly 120 Ford Transit Connect Taxis to operate on compressed natural gas (CNG)
  • Twelve CNG-powered Transit Connect Taxis hit the streets of Chicago today
  • New approvals giving taxicab company owners even more reason to consider the Ford Transit Connect Taxi
DEARBORN, Mich., June 16, 2011 – The next time you hail a taxi, you could be jumping in to one that runs on compressed natural gas (CNG). Chicago and Los Angeles are now the two latest cities to roll out Ford Transit Connect Taxis fueled by CNG.

In Chicago today, Taxi Medallion Management will put 12 Ford Transit Connect Taxis powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) into service as part of an event celebrating the increased presence of CNG in Chicago. A CNG Ford Transit Connect Taxi will participate in the opening of a new Clean Energy CNG filling station and natural gas advocate T. Boone Pickens will speak at the event after arriving in a CNG Transit Connect Taxi.

Ford also announced two Los Angeles-area cab companies have ordered nearly 120 Ford Transit Connect CNG Taxis, adding the nation’s second-largest city to the growing list of large urban areas quickly adopting the versatile vehicle.

“The Transit Connect Taxi was developed using market research we conducted with the taxi industry to better understand what customers wanted in a future vehicle,” said Gerald Koss, marketing manager, Ford Fleet Operations. “The more conversations we had, the more interest we saw in a taxi with the flexibility of offering a compressed natural gas version.”

Los Angeles and Chicago aren’t the only cities jumping on the CNG taxi bandwagon. In Connecticut, Metro Taxi of West Haven and Yellow Cab Company of Hartford have ordered a total of 70 Transit Connect Taxis that will be powered by CNG and in service by the end of summer. Other cities where CNG Transit Connect

Taxis have been ordered include Las Vegas and St. Louis.
Philadelphia is expected to join the list after city officials there recently approved it for use as well, said Koss.

California, here it comes
Yellow Cab of Anaheim and Cabco Yellow Inc. of Orange County have ordered a combined 119 CNG-powered Transit Connect Taxis. The first 50 will be delivered within the next two months. The rest are scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2011.

The Ford dealership, South Bay Ford in Los Angeles, will deliver the taxi units to the cab companies.
Larry Gach, sales manager, Ford Commercial Truck Sales and Marketing, said he expects orders in California to increase after the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved the use of Transit Connect Taxis modified by BAF Technologies to run on CNG. BAF Technologies has been certified by Ford as a Quality Vehicle Modifier to convert standard Transit Connect Taxis into CNG-powered cabs.

CARB is part of the California Environmental Protection Agency, an organization that reports to the governor’s office and is designed to promote and protect public health, welfare and ecological resources through reduction of air pollutants.

To receive CARB certification, a vehicle must demonstrate that its exhaust and evaporative emission control systems are durable and comply with the emission standards for the vehicle’s useful life.

Blowing into the Windy City
Taxi Medallion Management bought the 12 CNG Transit Connect Taxis it is putting into service today earlier this year.

The purchase is part of the company’s goal of reducing emissions by 25 percent, said Michael Levine, CEO of Taxi Medallion Management. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CNG is less expensive and burns cleaner than gasoline, resulting in 30 to 40 percent less greenhouse gas emissions.

“We are adding CNG-powered vehicles to our fleet in order to reduce the effective cost of fuel for our drivers, and to introduce cleaner vehicles for the environment,” said Levine.

Ford offers engine prep packages that allow conversions to CNG and liquefied propane gas (LPG). Both CNG and LPG lower taxi fleets’ operating costs and are better for the environment.

CNG Transit Connect Taxis in other regions
Orders of CNG Transit Connect Taxis are expected to come from other areas of the country as well, including Philadelphia, the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. City officials there approved the CNG Transit Connect Taxi for use on its streets. The city regulates the types of vehicles that can be used as taxis. To be approved, a vehicle must meet basic size requirements for headroom, legroom and cargo space.

“The Ford CNG Transit Connect Taxi has many great features of interest to the riding public,” said James Ney, director, Taxicab & Limousine Division, Philadelphia Parking Authority. “Its abbreviated footprint makes it perfect for use on our narrow, congested streets here in Philadelphia.”

The amount of space in the Transit Connect Taxi is winning over taxicab company owners such as Fred Sweets, of St. Louis American Cab. He recently ordered his first Transit Connect Taxi that will be modified to run on CNG.

Sweets said he was immediately intrigued by the shape and size of the Transit Connect when he first saw it being driven as a delivery van.

But before buying one, Sweets said he conducted his own research by asking users of the standard Transit Connect, such as flower delivery businesses, about their experiences with the small commercial van.

“I asked them how they liked it, what their mileage was and how it was holding up,” said Sweets. “I got nothing but praise for the vehicle. I knew then that I had to add it to our fleet.”

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Bill Ford: A future beyond traffic gridlock


Bill Ford is a car guy -- his great-grandfather was Henry Ford, and he grew up inside the massive Ford Motor Co. So when he worries about cars' impact on the environment, and about our growing global gridlock problem, it's worth a listen. His vision for the future of mobility includes "smart roads," even smarter public transport and going green like never before.

Monday, June 20, 2011

David Magnuson Talks About Sortimo Van Pkg in CNG Transit Connect Van


David Magnuson of Sortimo of North America, Inc, shows Ryan Stone of Commercial Truck Success how to make a Ford Transit Connect with CNG package into an efficient work van with great storage solutions. This video was shot at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, Indiana in March 2011.

See more about Sortimo at http://www.sortimo.com/.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

2012 ROUSH Stage 3 Mustang takes on Carolina Motorsports Park - 2011 One...


Watch Jack Roush Jr. and Billy Johnson tear up the Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC for the 2011 One Lap of America challenge. Both cars were stock optioned 2012 RS3 Mustangs that could be purchased identically optioned from any authorized ROUSH dealer.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

How Ford is Using Hollywood Technology


Ford uses a Hollywood technology with a digital avatar created using size and shape population data gathered from vehicle assembly plants across the globe. Ford researchers have created a manikin used in ergonomic assessments that employ motion-capture technology, the same type of technology that mesmerizes filmgoers in movies such as "Mars Needs Moms" or in games such as "Mortal Kombat." Motion capture is a technology that digitally captures movement, making nonhuman characters appear more lifelike.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Michael Gelsthorpe Shows Off Features of Auto Crane Body


Michael Gelsthorpe, Regional Manager with Ramsey Industries gives Ryan Stone of Commercial Truck Success and impromptu presentation of some of the features of the heavy duty Auto Crane Service Body.

See more about Auto Crane products at http://www.autocrane.com/

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Chris Johnson Shows Off Morgan Electric Van Body For Staples


Chris Johnson, Account Manager with Morgan Corporation gave an impromptu quick tour of some features of their electric roll-up doors on the display truck from Staples at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, Indiana in March 2011.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Michael Gelsthorpe Talks About The Auto Crane Articulating Cranes


Michael Gelsthorpe, Regional Manager of Ramsey Industries talks briefly with Ryan Stone of Commercial Truck Success about Auto Crane's Articulating Cranes and some of the benefits of this type of crane. This video was made at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, IN in March of 2011.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Ford's "Talking" Vehicles - Car-to-Car Communication Demo


Learn more about Ford's Intelligent Vehicles: http://media.ford.com/mini_sites/10031/IntelligentVehicles/ . Ford researchers are leading development of a more sustainable future transportation system based on intelligent vehicles that use Wi-Fi and GPS to wirelessly communicate to each other to help reduce crashes and congestion. On June 1, 2011 Ford brought their talking cars to San Francisco to provide a demonstration of this technology. Participants were invited into the vehicles and driven through common crash scenarios to experience the vehicle to vehicle communication in action. Ford is the first automaker to build dedicated intelligent vehicles to educate the public about this important new technology.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Taylor Steinberg Talks About Knapheide Gooseneck Body


Taylor Steinberg of Knapheide Manufacturing gives Ryan Stone of Commercial Truck Success a few pointers about the new Knapheide Gooseneck Body at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, Indiana in March of 2011.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Ford and Georgia Tech partner on “Green Eco School Bus” - Nation’s First Hydraulic Hybrid School Bus Conversion

The Ford Motor Company Fund and the Georgia Institute of Technology are partnering on the nation’s first conversion of a traditional school bus to a hydraulic hybrid vehicle that runs on recycled biofuel. Atlanta Public Schools (APS) donated the bus for the project.

Conducted by Georgia Tech, the project is financed by a $50,000 Ford College Community Challenge Grant, one of five given annually for a student-led project that matches university resources with an urgent community need related to sustainability. This project focuses on converting existing school buses into hydraulic hybrids, which could lower greenhouse emissions and reduce transportation costs for schools.
Michael Leamy, Georgia Tech assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and his students have designed and developed the hydraulic hybrid system for the 16-passenger school bus, and its installation is nearly complete.

Students at Mary Lin Elementary School are painting “the Green Eco School Bus” green and organizing a drive to collect used cooking oil for processing into biodiesel, a renewable energy source.

“Together with Georgia Tech and Atlanta Public Schools, we are taking innovation from the classroom to the community,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. “This is a noteworthy example of the types of programs we are bringing to Atlanta as part of our new Operation Goodwill partnership with local Ford and Lincoln dealers with the goal of expanding our engagement with this community.”

This project includes a cost-benefit analysis of a large-scale conversion of a school bus fleet to hydraulic hybrid powertrains designed to recover lost braking energy. Leamy said, “We expect our research will lead to cleaner, more efficient school buses that will help school districts like APS significantly reduce fuel costs and greenhouse gas emissions.”

Atlanta Public School officials are using the project to educate the next generation about green energy. ”Our students are eager to learn about new ways to care for the environment,” said Brian Mitchell, principal, Mary Lin Elementary. “The Green Eco School Bus turns a theoretical concept into a fun and exciting reality that stimulates their learning.”

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Watch Ford Racing's Ken Block and Tanner Foust in a Gymkhana battle in D...


Codemasters' DiRT 3 is coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on May 24, 2011 -- Get Ready! Drive a variety of Ford vehicles and compete against Ford motorsports superstars Ken Block and Tanner Foust in Rallycross, Head to Head races, and traditional Rally. Also, for the first time in a videogame, players can perform Gymkhana just like Ken. Pre-order the game now at GameStop: http://bit.ly/e5GmLj. For more DiRT 3 videos visit the official YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/dirt3game. And, for more on Ford Fiesta visit http://www.ford.com/fiesta

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Taylor Steinberg Talks About The Knapheide CNG Option For Their Service Body Lineup


Taylor Steinberg of Knapheide Manufacturing talks to Ryan Stone of Commercial Truck Success about the Knapheide CNG option for their service body line.

Recorded on March 9, 2011 at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis using a Flip Video camera.






Some information from the Knapheide website at http://www.knapheide.com/:

Compressed Natural Gas


Knapheide has invested in relationships with the two top CNG fuel system providers in the industry, BAF Technologies (Ford Chassis) and Baytech Corporation (GM Chassis). Because of these relationships, Knapheide has been able to develop work ready CNG fuel vehicles on both Ford and GM chassis. CNG has become a popular choice for large fleets due to the significantly lower operating costs compared to gas or diesel vehicles. CNG fueled vehicles emit 30% less greenhouse gas compared to gas or diesel vehicles. Over 98% of natural gas is produced in North America allowing the United States to rely less on foreign oil as a fuel source.

Direct benefits to fleets/end users that convert to compressed natural gas include:

  • CNG is eligible for the Federal Qualified Alternative Fuel Motor Vehicle credit
  • On-site CNG fueling stations offer additiional benefits to large fleets with dedicated work routes
  • CNG engines emit 80% less noise compared to diesel engines
  • CNG offers a lower fuel cost and longer vehicle life expectancy for fleet vehicles
  • CNG packages are available for many popular commercial vehicles and retrofits for existing vehicles

Monday, June 6, 2011

Ford WRC 2011 - Rally d'Italia Sardegna Review


Facebook page: http://goo.gl/Vbc8A - The Ford Abu Dhabi team knew they were in for a rough, tough event when they arrived in Sardinia for Rally d'Italia Sardegna, the latest round of the 2011 World Rally Championship. The tricky stages have a reputation for mayhem, catching out both cars and drivers. To find out how Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala fared, join Becs Williams...
Twitter: http://twitter.com/FordWRC

Sunday, June 5, 2011

The Forestry Chipper Body By Knapheide, Part Two


Mike Soich of Knapheide Manufacturing talks about the features of the Knapheide Forestry/Chipper Body at a Knapheide Event in Livermore, CA in October 2010. Part one of this walkaround focused on the unique tool box system that Knapheide has designed like a vault. It seems the rest of the body has had the same design care, and they've been doing that since 1848.

See more Knapheide products at www.knapheide.com

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Knapheide Forestry Chipper Body Storage Boxes, Part 1


Mike Soich of Knapheide Mfg demonstrates the maximum security of the Knapheide L-Box tool storage system designed for the chipper body.

This video was shot by Terry Minion of Commercial Truck Success at a Knapheide event in Livermore, CA in October, 2010. See more from Knapheide at www.knapheide.com.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Ford Police Interceptor Official Test Drive 6 -- Purpose Built


Two distinct Ford Police Interceptor models, on one common platform, are designed and engineered from the ground up to help officers do their jobs better.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Ford Research: Using the Google Prediction API to Optimize Energy Effici...


Ford Technical Expert, Ryan McGee and Ford System Architect, Johannes Kristinsson show how Ford is working with Google Predict API.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

When Grown Men Cry: More Free Rides with Doug, the Ford Spokespuppet, an...


Why is it that people don't give free rides to strangers on the side of the road anymore? Doug, the Orange Puppet, and John answer this question once again.

Additional Copy:
Like Doug? Follow him on Facebook and Twitter: facebook.com/focusdoug/ or @focusdoug
Like John? Follow him on Facebook and Twitter: facebook.com/focusjohn/ or @focusjohn
For more info on the all-new 2012 Ford Focus, go to ford.com/focus

More videos with Doug:
See Doug reveal his secret fear: http://youtu.be/7DV7WeLSl1E
Watch Doug give John the silent (text) treatment: http://youtu.be/pCq0MD6A22Q
Send a Happy Mother's Day greeting from Doug: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABj6ZqGrf3E