By Steve Laser
My first encounter with Tonka toys happened in Kindergarten. Our class was playing with Matchbox-size cars and trucks one day. I went to a cupboard to see what was inside and discovered a cache of much larger Tonka trucks. I pulled out a bright yellow dump truck and pushed it across the floor.
The other kids gazed at the truck in awe and yelled, “Where did you get that?” The commotion caused the teacher to come over and scold me in front of the class for taking the truck out of the cupboard without asking. This story has a happy ending since the teacher let all of us play with the full set of Tonka trucks that day.
Tugging at the heartstrings of kids of all ages, Ford pulled the wraps off its new F-750 Tonka truck at the NTEA Work Truck show in Indianapolis. Based on the all-new 2016 Ford F-650/F-750, the big dump truck is painted signature Tonka yellow with a custom blackout grille and functional dump body from Truck Tech Engineers.
Ford’s F-750 Tonka truck – which the truck maker plans to display at major work truck, commercial and vocational trade shows through the end of this year – is a collaboration between Ford and Funrise Toy Corporation, manufacturer of Tonka branded products under license from Hasbro®.
Offered in Regular Cab, SuperCab and Crew Cab styles and in straight-frame, dock-height and an all-new dedicated tractor model for heavy towing applications, the new F-650/F-750 features a bold look inside and out.
The mighty F-750 Tonka carries Ford’s most capable gross vehicle weight rating of 33,000 pounds on a 158-inch wheelbase. Its Truck Tech Engineers dump body can haul up to 17,000 pounds to support the construction needs of heavy duty assignments.
The F-750 Tonka is powered by the Ford-built 6.7-liter Power Stroke® V8 diesel paired with a commercial-grade 6-speed TorqShift®HD automatic transmission. The available power takeoff provision that runs the dump body can power other accessories including a crane or other vocational equipment.
Ford’s 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbo diesel features three output ratings: standard 270 horsepower with 675 lb.-ft. of torque, 300 horsepower, 700 lb.-ft., and 330 horsepower, 725 lb.-ft.
In addition to its Power Stroke diesels, Ford also offers a gas-powered engine. The 6.8-liter V10 with 320 horsepower and 460 lb.-ft. will be available for both F-650 and F-750 models with the TorqShift HD 6-speed automatic. The V10 can be factory-prepped for converting to compressed natural gas or liquid propane gas.
Ford says its 2016 F-650/F-750 medium-duty truck lineup will be available this summer and is planned to be built at the Ohio Assembly Plant.
Product features and specifications are subject to change without notice.
News source and photos courtesy of Ford Motor Company
Story (commentary) © 2015 CarNichiWa.com