cancel
Showing results forย 
Search instead forย 
Did you mean:ย 

2015 Ford F-150 Aluminum Bed

Community Alumni
Not applicable
Here's a video from Ford displaying the strength of their new aluminum bed when compared to the steel bed. They got a few athletes to throw and shoot a few things at it and compared the damage from each. It's not a practical test, but interesting nevertheless. The action starts at the 1:30 mark.

The 2015 Ford F-150 takes on Top Athletes
58 REPLIES 58

PAThwacker
Explorer
Explorer


40 year old aluminum jon boat. Spent entire life outdoors.
2015 Keystone Springdale Summerland 257rl
Tow vehicle: 2003 GMC K1500 ext lb
Previous: 14 years of 3 popups and a hybrid tt

Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
Explorer
womps wrote:
Let me guess. Ford has taken their best selling vehicle, wait, best selling vehicle period and redesigned it using aluminum. Do we actually think they would have taken this huge gamble without doing their research? They make from $5,000. to $8,000. profit on every F150 sold. You can bet your bippy tons of research went into this vehicle and it's use of aluminum before it was given the green light for production.


I guess you can say that with the best selling diesel pickup 10 years ago also.

You wouldn't think they would take a motor as great as the 7.3 was and gamble on a junk engine do ya? For sure they did their research on this new 6.0 diesel don't you think? You can bet your bippy tons of research went into this new 6.0 diesel engine before it was given the green light for production. After all, it was the best selling diesel pickup on the market with a great diesel engine in it.

Oops!!! :B
~ Too many freaks & not enough circuses ~


"Life is not tried ~ it is merely survived ~ if you're standing
outside the fire"

"The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly."- Abraham Lincoln

spoon059
Explorer II
Explorer II
mich800 wrote:
You say that now but wait until your beer price doubles because of the increased can costs. ๐Ÿ™‚

And good luck finding tinfoil. All the body shops will be buying it up to do repairs.

Typical fear mongering...:B Beer is better out of a bottle anyways, and you can still buy it on tap.
2015 Ram CTD
2015 Jayco 29QBS

hone_eagle
Explorer
Explorer
DirtyOil wrote:
Thank you Ford!! No, really thank you! I'm gonna make out like a bandit especially if GM and Fiat/Dodge/Ram switches to Aluminum. My stock portfolio is looking pretty good, Bauxite mining companies in Quebec and British Columbia. And with the way people drive, it looks like I'll be rolling in the dough...come on GM and Ram start ordering those rolls of Aluminum!!! Now if only I could buy shares in Quebec Hydro and BC Hydro!!! As Aluminum production is energy intensive and with the cost of electricity...dang... that's a lot of money to be made!


GM stated quite some time ago the next generation of their pickups will be aluminum,however they will weld not rivet.
2005 Volvo 670 singled freedomline 12 speed
Newmar 34rsks 2008
Hensley trailersaver TSLB2H
directlink brake controller

-when overkill is cheaper-

mich800
Explorer
Explorer
DirtyOil wrote:
Thank you Ford!! No, really thank you! I'm gonna make out like a bandit especially if GM and Fiat/Dodge/Ram switches to Aluminum. My stock portfolio is looking pretty good, Bauxite mining companies in Quebec and British Columbia. And with the way people drive, it looks like I'll be rolling in the dough...come on GM and Ram start ordering those rolls of Aluminum!!! Now if only I could buy shares in Quebec Hydro and BC Hydro!!! As Aluminum production is energy intensive and with the cost of electricity...dang... that's a lot of money to be made!


You say that now but wait until your beer price doubles because of the increased can costs. ๐Ÿ™‚

And good luck finding tinfoil. All the body shops will be buying it up to do repairs.

DirtyOil
Explorer
Explorer
Thank you Ford!! No, really thank you! I'm gonna make out like a bandit especially if GM and Fiat/Dodge/Ram switches to Aluminum. My stock portfolio is looking pretty good, Bauxite mining companies in Quebec and British Columbia. And with the way people drive, it looks like I'll be rolling in the dough...come on GM and Ram start ordering those rolls of Aluminum!!! Now if only I could buy shares in Quebec Hydro and BC Hydro!!! As Aluminum production is energy intensive and with the cost of electricity...dang... that's a lot of money to be made!
2013 RAM 3500 CTD Crew 4x4 Laramie
2014 Sprinter Copper Canyon 269FWRLS

GUTS GLORY RAM

FishOnOne
Nomad
Nomad
Here's Ford's latest commercial campaign...

Move It

What's Next

Forward March
'12 Ford Super Duty FX4 ELD CC 6.7 PSD 400HP 800ft/lbs "270k Miles"
'16 Sprinter 319MKS "Wide Body"

BenK
Explorer
Explorer
The applications of a hood vs body vs pickup bed are very different and
out of context to compare them

It can be done...but at a cost and that is then dependent on their bean counter
managers allowance to 'do it right'

Galvanic action is huge and am constantly surprised at how highly educated engineers
design things that have no clue on galvanic action

Take GMT400's rear AC. Galvanic action welds the mating parts together and the
only recourse is to cut them out and replace. Either make up new with the correct
metals in contact, or go OEM to have it repeat the cycle

Al does NOT have the flexing and work hardening 'resistance' that steel does. Or
have they found a new alloy that I don't know about? Key will be how they managed
the natural harmonic vs the actual harmonics it will experience (the
frequencies must be far apart)

If I owned one...the first thing I'd do is to have a liner. A VERY THICK liner.
Either a sprayed on, or vacuum molded...or both. I do for the Silverado's steel
bed (molded)
-Ben Picture of my rig
1996 GMC SLT Suburban 3/4 ton K3500/7.4L/4:1/+150Kmiles orig owner...
1980 Chevy Silverado C10/long bed/"BUILT" 5.7L/3:73/1 ton helper springs/+329Kmiles, bought it from dad...
1998 Mazda B2500 (1/2 ton) pickup, 2nd owner...
Praise Dyno Brake equiped and all have "nose bleed" braking!
Previous trucks/offroaders: 40's Jeep restored in mid 60's / 69 DuneBuggy (approx +1K lb: VW pan/200hpCorvair: eng, cam, dual carb'w velocity stacks'n 18" runners, 4spd transaxle) made myself from ground up / 1970 Toyota FJ40 / 1973 K5 Blazer (2dr Tahoe, 1 ton axles front/rear, +255K miles when sold it)...
Sold the boat (looking for another): Trophy with twin 150's...
51 cylinders in household, what's yours?...

Fordlover
Explorer
Explorer
jevanb wrote:
MARKW8 wrote:
otrfun wrote:
MARKW8 wrote:
I want to see one after 5+ years in the rust belt. See how it holds up against corrosion.

Mark
Don't need to wait. Look around the salt-infested parking lot of any boat ramp on the east and west coast. The difference in corrosion between steel and aluminum trailers is pretty hard to miss--especially on the boat trailers that use a combination of steel and aluminum components.


I would expect Ford to make more effort than most any trailer mfg to deter corrosion.

Mark
Acft manufactures know the best when it comes to corrosion prevention, and in my field (maint manager for a airline) we deal with this issue all the time, I don't see a aluminum body truck lasting 5 plus years in MI, if the base metal is exposed it will corrode, so unless they can keep it covered and the rocks or what ever gets thrown at it from chipping the paint/primer, it might be ok. Time will tell..


Man there sure is a lot of arm chair quarterbacking going on in here.

Keep in mind that the hoods on F-150's have been aluminum since 1997. I understand it's just one panel, but over 18 years of experience with aluminum, Ford should have picked up a few tricks. Anyone with a 97+ F-150 experience a complete loss of their hood due to corrosion?

I believe GM and Ram have both used Aluminum hoods in the past on their vehicles.
2016 Skyline Layton Javelin 285BH
2018 F-250 Lariat Crew 6.2 Gas 4x4 FX4 4.30 Gear
2007 Infiniti G35 Sport 6 speed daily driver
Retired 2002 Ford Explorer 4.6 V8 4x4
Sold 2007 Crossroads Sunset Trail ST19CK

BenK
Explorer
Explorer
Time will tell and know the potential pitfalls and benefits well

Not a good comparison between a monocoque/unibody vs monocoque/unibody
on ladder frame. They handle the forces/stresses differently. Therefore
designed differently.

Aluminum fatigues just like steel and depending on which Al alloy vs
Fe Alloy one will have a higher resistance to fatigue fractures

Boils down to the designers or what the designers were allowed to do
by management. That then boils down to money that the bean counter
management, manage to

On that marketing video...I'd love to see how an Al vs Fe bed would
do with a 100lb box of whatever smack the front of the bad when stopping
HARD...many times. The key is 'many times'... Because Al work hardens
way faster than Fe

That is where the frame flex comes into play. Flexing a Al bed vs a FE
bed would have the Al bed develop stress fractures sooner. jevanb's
comment is something I learned (or relearned) taking flying lessons.
Gotta check for stress fractures and then on some drill a tiny hole to
stop it from cracking further

It can be done...as when Al bicycles came out...that was the cry of
them cracking to impale the rider....and the first ones extremely stiff
and hard on the rider. They learned to go larger dia tubes and thin
out only certain parts of the tubing. My 18 year old Trek 8000 has many
thousands of miles and can not find any cracks, yet. Even the bottom
bracket crank has cracked and finally broke off...while the rest of
the MTB is okay (many, many scratches and dings)






Trek 8000 bottom bracket crank


The key to my Trek 8000 is that it is NOT welded but epoxied together
with solid lugs. That provides some 'give' and think that has allowed
it to survive, while buddies with welded frames have had cracks develop

Ask if anyone knows or have seen the ladder frame to body doughnuts?

Same number and location as the older Fe bed/body?
-Ben Picture of my rig
1996 GMC SLT Suburban 3/4 ton K3500/7.4L/4:1/+150Kmiles orig owner...
1980 Chevy Silverado C10/long bed/"BUILT" 5.7L/3:73/1 ton helper springs/+329Kmiles, bought it from dad...
1998 Mazda B2500 (1/2 ton) pickup, 2nd owner...
Praise Dyno Brake equiped and all have "nose bleed" braking!
Previous trucks/offroaders: 40's Jeep restored in mid 60's / 69 DuneBuggy (approx +1K lb: VW pan/200hpCorvair: eng, cam, dual carb'w velocity stacks'n 18" runners, 4spd transaxle) made myself from ground up / 1970 Toyota FJ40 / 1973 K5 Blazer (2dr Tahoe, 1 ton axles front/rear, +255K miles when sold it)...
Sold the boat (looking for another): Trophy with twin 150's...
51 cylinders in household, what's yours?...

otrfun
Explorer II
Explorer II
MARKW8 wrote:
otrfun wrote:
MARKW8 wrote:
otrfun wrote:
MARKW8 wrote:
I want to see one after 5+ years in the rust belt. See how it holds up against corrosion.

Mark
Don't need to wait. Look around the salt-infested parking lot of any boat ramp on the east and west coast. The difference in corrosion between steel and aluminum trailers is pretty hard to miss--especially on the boat trailers that use a combination of steel and aluminum components.
I would expect Ford to make more effort than most any trailer mfg to deter corrosion.

Mark
Aluminum deters corrosion all by itself without any help from Ford ๐Ÿ™‚
But the truck isn't likely assembled with only aluminum or stainless fasteners. And we'll have to see how well they isolate the aluminum parts from the steel frame. I expect they won't get it all right the first time.

Mark
Point taken. I'm sure there will be some growing pains.

However, I think what matters more than all this technical what-if, is what the general buying public "feels" or perceives about the aluminum F150 when they walk into a typical showroom. Most consumers know that aluminum is light, corrodes much more gracefully than steel, and it bends easily. Lightweight is good, "graceful" corrosion a plus, but bending easily (or strength) could be a possible issue. However, I believe there are two things that will make this a non-issue very quickly. First, this latest Ford video showing the 200 mph golf balls smacking the aluminum F150 beds while suffering less damage than the standard steel beds is massively effective and will surely erase concerns for the vast majority of consumers. Second, when a consumer walks into the showroom the first thing they're going to do is tap or push on some of the aluminum body panels. I did this myself a few days ago. I was very impressed. When you tap on the F150's aluminum body panels they respond with a much lower pitch (like a thud) vs. the standard steel body panels. It also has much less "give" when pushed. Overall, the 2015 F150 aluminum panels give the impression they're more substantial and thicker than the steel 2014 F150's body panels . . . IMO this hands-on experience, in itself, is gonna sell a lot of trucks.

Sure, there's gonna be some growing pains, especially in terms of technical expertise to effect repairs. But, again, the average consumer is just gonna be impressed with this truck on the showroom floor. If there are going to be growing pains in terms of accident repairs, they won't surface for quite a few months. Enough time for Ford to get a lot of marketing momentum going--enough time for all the good things about the aluminum to far outweigh any bad that may surface.

Bottom line, I'm not a big Ford fan, but in my mind, Ford has a real winner on their hands.

ib516
Explorer II
Explorer II
The expedition tailgate isn't aluminum. Both of ours rusted and bubbled the paint around the liftgate handle very early in their lives in the fleet.
Prev: 2010 Cougar 322QBS (junk)
02 Dodge 2500 4x4 5.9L CTD 3.55
07 Dodge 3500 4x4 SRW Mega 5.9L CTD 3.73
14 Ram 2500 4x4 Crew 6.4L Hemi 4.10
06 Chevy 1500 4x4 E-Cab 3.73 5.3L
07 Dodge 1500 5.7L Hemi 3.55 / 2010 Jayco 17z
All above are sold, no longer own an RV

Jerry9n
Explorer
Explorer
Not sure what the issue is. Ford and others have been using aluminum body panels for years. The 2006 Expedition (and other years) had aluminum hoods and tailgates. They did not rot off the hinges or really had other issues. Some earlier ones had some corrosion issues due to poor factory prep prior to paint, but those issues seemed to have been solved.

Also aluminum structural components have been used without corrosion issues for years.

Agreed on the 150 time will tell, but the technology has been out there for over 10 years.
Jerry9n
2009 23' Cikira Escape EXP
2006 Ford Expedition
Reese Pro Series SC
Tekonsha Primus IQ
HTT Mods

spoon059
Explorer II
Explorer II
N-Trouble wrote:
gmcsmoke wrote:
Toyota should feel proud ford copied a tundra and called it a 2015 F-150


Huh???

The only thing I can think is that he is making a comment about how the F150 is now the most American made truck... just barely edging out the Toyota Tundra :B

That is a pretty good commercial by Ford. A lot of people were talking bad because the "aluminum would crumble like foil". This shows that the aluminum appears to be at least as strong as steel.

Good for Ford, reducing weight will increase fuel economy and payload. Ford and Ram have really been trying t push innovation in the past couple of years. Ecoboost, Ecodiesel, coil suspension/air ride suspension, aluminum bodies... Whether or not you like the trucks or the features, they are making new trucks better, faster, stronger, more efficient... and more expensive.
2015 Ram CTD
2015 Jayco 29QBS

hone_eagle
Explorer
Explorer
womps wrote:
Let me guess. Ford has taken their best selling vehicle, wait, best selling vehicle period and redesigned it using aluminum. Do we actually think they would have taken this huge gamble without doing their research? They make from $5,000. to $8,000. profit on every F150 sold. You can bet your bippy tons of research went into this vehicle and it's use of aluminum before it was given the green light for production.


naw , all the internet 'engineers' are just peeoh ed that they weren't consulted, because after all a multi billion dollar company is staffed by nothing but morons
2005 Volvo 670 singled freedomline 12 speed
Newmar 34rsks 2008
Hensley trailersaver TSLB2H
directlink brake controller

-when overkill is cheaper-