Saturday, October 25th, 2008
According to the Ohio Department of Safety, there are more than 200 deaths each year in the U.S. associated with riding in the cargo area of pickup trucks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that pickup truck occupants are three times more likely to be involved in rollover crashes than in other types of vehicles. The largest number of vehicle fatalities and injuries are caused by rollover crashes.
Are pickups simply not as safe as cars and SUVs? It turns out that the fatality rates have little to do with a pickup’s design. They have more to do with the use of safety belts. While safety belt laws have consistently become more stringent in all 50 states over the past ten years, according to the NCSA, only 69% of occupants in pickups were wearing safety belts by June 2003, compared to 81% of passenger car occupants and 83% of SUV and van occupants. The Ohio Department of Public Safety reports that your chance of surviving a crash in a motor vehicle is 25 times higher if seatbelts are used.
Theories abound about the reason pickup truck occupants are less likely to practice seatbelt use, thus increasing their own risk. For many who are using their pickup trucks for work (hauling and farming), the drivers tend to drive short distances and get in and out of the vehicle often. Throughout the course of the day, putting the seatbelt on and taking it off could be considered cumbersome. Another theory is that some families, particularly living in rural areas, use their older model pickups as the vehicle used for family outings. Because many of these pickups do not have adequate room for all the passengers inside the cab, some of the passengers travel in the cargo area. While this is illegal in many states and restricted to speed conditions and age of the passengers in other states, it still happens.
Fortunately, newer model pickup trucks have been designed with passenger safety and convenience in mind. For example, the popular Isuzu truck offers a 3-passenger 60/40 split-bench front seat with integrated outboard head restraints and the Isuzu i-370 Crew Cab offers rear 3-point seatbelts and 3-point middle seatbelt for passenger protection. Also ford truck is an good example.
If you’re driving an older model pickup truck, you are urged to consider after-market upgrades to make your vehicle more safe for passengers, or to consider purchasing or leasing a newer model pickup.
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Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
General Motors is the world’s biggest truck manufacturer and this reputation shows in their lineup of passenger vehicles. They have a lineup of large and tough pickup trucks for sale making them one of the top choices for buyers who wants a vehicle that can conquer not only natural terrain but also has good off-road driving capabilities. Their trucks are known not only for their high performance rating but more so for their size. The size of a truck after all plays a big role especially for those consumers who need a lot of space for their luggage. The size and the strength of the truck are also essential when towing is called for especially when driving on off-road terrain.
One such truck from the ranks of General Motors is the Sierra Crew Cab. This pickup truck defines large in its 20-foot long frame; it can come with an 8-foot bed if consumer opts for the Sierra Extended Cab Version. This vehicle has cargo space at the back of the pickup truck is good for those who need to carry around a lot of stuff. With the Crew Cab Version the space is down to 6.6 feet, but still offers adequate room for normal cargo loads. The shorter bed of this version is still longer and offers more space than some of its competitors.
Size of the truck is evident in its adequate legroom and headspace for passengers and the driver alike. The Crew Cab can sit up to six, thanks to the large space that is common to GMC produced trucks. Next to the driver’s seat up front, a bench is present with a fold-down armrest that can be converted to seat two passengers in the front except the driver of course. The second row of seating also has the same feature meaning three passengers maximum can occupy that space or the armrest can be folded to give more space if only two passengers are present at the back.
The enormous dimension of the truck means that it needs a hardworking powerplant that can give out high power output whenever it is needed. GMC has given this lengthy pickup truck with a massive 6.0-liter V8 engine that can churn out 345 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque which can power the truck through some of the toughest terrain. This much power is what EBC Redstuff brake components are made for. The powerful engine gives the tuck close to a ton of payload capacity. That is where its size and toughness plays a major part. And if the Extended Cab Version is the way a consumer wants to go, the payload capacity goes up to over one ton.
In spite of the trucks power hungry engine, its fuel economy is relatively better than similarly sized trucks with equipped with a V8 engine. It has a fuel economy rating of 14.8 miles per gallon on mixed driving, meaning both on the open highway and for shorter trips or city driving. The truck’s powerplant, though it is huge and noisy at times especially on slower speeds is much quieter than a diesel engine that consumers can also go for with the Sierra. The vibration of the engine and the noise it made though does not affect the performance of the truck and the comfort of the engine. This fact is due to the design of the body and frame of the vehicle. To add to the comfort of the trucks occupants especially on extended trips, the Sierra comes with an optional ride control suspension that makes the ride quite car-like.
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Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008
Pickup trucks come with a variety of features, designs and luxury options. They are heavy duty trucks with enough space for a big family and enough power to complete heavy tasks. The most famous among them are made by Ford truck, Chevy truck and GMC truck . Choose your next pickup truck by following these guidelines.
Step1
Determine your budget and look for a pickup truck for sale that falls within your affordability range. Also decide the size of the vehicle that you need depending upon the number of passengers or load size. Choose from standard pickup trucks, no second rows or trucks that offer extended row seating options.
Step2
Make a list of all the makes you are interested in. Read online reviews and ratings or talk to the owners of these pickup trucks to narrow down your choice.
Step3
Choose a pickup truck with a four, six or eight engine gasoline or diesel cylinder depending upon your engine preference. For heavy work related purposes, the bigger the engine the better.
Step4
Pick a truck which is either a two wheel (2WD) or a four wheel drive (4WD). Apart from that, look for a truck that has various traction control options with manual or automatic transmission choices.
Step5
Select a pickup truck with a five to eight foot long bed if you want to use it to haul heavy material or supplies of different lengths. If you need a truck for a towing business, get a towing extender attached to the end of the vehicle.
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Thursday, October 16th, 2008
Recent media attention on the number of highway fatalities caused by semi-trucks has many people asking whether our roads are indeed ’safe.’ A fully loaded truck for sale, like the one that slammed into the back of another truck on California’s I-5 last month can do an intense amount of damage. In that particular accident, three people were killed and at least ten more injured when the truck entering the 550-foot underpass crashed into the truck in front, causing a massive pile-up and ultimately, an explosion.
This isn’t the first time the safety of sharing our roads with oversized semi-trailer trucks has been questioned. Trucking industry practices are continuously being reformed to address the number of fatalities these vehicles cause, including reducing the amount of time a truck driver is allowed to drive without a break, instituting new methods of driver payment that do not include “paid-by-the-mile” incentives, and adding more highway patrol officers designated to specifically crack down on truck drivers that don’t keep proper log books or break traffic laws. But is it enough?
So what can you do to protect yourself and your families?
The trucking industry isn’t going anywhere any time soon, and while we can hope that some of these measures begin to drastically reduce the number of highway deaths, now is the time to make sure you’re driving the safest vehicles you possibly can.
Even the safest vehicles may not be able to stand up to a collision with a semi, but there are certain vehicles that tend to fare better than others. First, SUVs and pickup trucks for sale generally keep their occupants safer than passenger cars when in collisions. While other factors obviously dictate how well passengers will be protected in a crash, such as the type of crash, the rate of speed the vehicles were moving, and the passive safety features installed on the vehicles, SUVs and pickups tend to be heavier and therefore sustain less damage.
Other key factors to examine are the active and passive safety features of your vehicle. For example, while most SUVS offer dual stage airbags (the type that protect occupants from rear-end and head-on collisions by preventing contact with the dash and steering column), the Isuzu Ascender 5-Passenger also sports head-curtain side-impact airbags that protect the body from injuries caused by rolling or side-impacts. Taking the time to compare the safety features of your vehicle to the available safety features in models that are known for safety (like Isuzu and Volvo) will give an indication of deficits in your vehicles safety system.
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Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
Add Custom Bass to your Ford F-150 or Super Duty Pickup Truck:-
Lets face it, your ford F-150 comes with a stock CD player receiver but even their premium sound system leaves a bit to be desired. It doesn’t matter if you drive a regular cab, super cab extended model or the crew cab, your truck has wasted space that is just ‘crying out’ to be used.
Custom Bass Sound:-
Sorry, but any stock radio might provide the basic AM/FM plus a CD Player but there is little to be said about the sound quality. Even the so called “premium” sound systems lack real sound quality. The fastest and easiest way to add quality sound to any Ford Pickup Truck is to add BASS or a subwoofer to your system. Of course when you start considering the size of the 8″, 10″ or 12″ subwoofer and the necessary enclosure, plus an amplifier to power that speaker, you start really getting concerned about that space.
Ford F-150, F-250 and Super Duty Truck owners:-
This is very common problem faced by Ford F-150, F-250 and Pickup Truck owners. They want Great Sound but estroying the interior of your new truck is out of the question. Plus no one wants a huge box sitting on their back seat. After all, you purchased the truck to enable use of the back seat. Well, there are a few ways to handle this, all depending on your budget and your specific model Ford pickup. Custom Bass Subwoofer Enclosures
These new custom subwoofer boxes are available in a variety of colors to match the interior of your particular vehicle and so you don’t have to compromise its cosmetic integrity. This is especially nice for those who lease their vehicles and want to enjoy additional bass without the added hassle of messy installations. The material used in these custom enclosures is a high density polyethylene resin, which is resilient enough to transform into various shapes, yet rigid enough to avoid flexing. It also has enough density to dampen any resonance. Some models even come with amplifiers installed within the unit. Many owners consider the amplified versions to be the best deal. After all, you have everything hidden within the enclosure and installation is fast and easy.
Use that Wasted Space in your Ford Truck:-
So you solve several problems at once. You keep your amp and subwoofer out of sight of nosey people since the installed enclosure looks like it is part of the original vehicle. These new style enclosures look like OEM equipment. They provide a completely professional appearance for your Ford Truck. Plus you manage to use all that wasted dead space.
MTX and Q Logic are probably the two best known manufacturers of these products. Of course various model years have different applications. You’ll find them available for Ford F-150 regular cab, extended super cabs and crew cab pickup trucks. They are also available for Ford F-250 and F-350 Superduty models.
Increase the Resale Value of your Ford Truck:-
These custom enclosures will definitely increase the trade in or resale value of your Ford F-150 or Super Duty Pickup Truck. So the owner wins all around. Great sound while he owns the vehicle and a fast resale when he is ready to move on. Of course the other benefit is if your Ford truck is leased, you simply remove the custom box and the truck is in perfect condition for return to the dealer. So if you desire high quality sound in your new Ford Truck, check out the new custom subwoofer enclosures for the best possible solution.
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Monday, October 6th, 2008
Even with a limited number of things to move, your car can be too small and it will take many trips to get all things to another place. The pickup trucks of manufacturing companies such as Volvo, Renault, Mercedes Benz, DAF, Nissan and ford, are easy to rent and available in the market. The pickup truck for sale is a sturdy vehicle with bed-space to carry goods, and walls of strong metal sheets on its two sides. Most pickups are designed for comfort for everyday driving.
Not everyone are allowed to drive a truck. You got to have the right license to drive the bigger trucks. Of course hauling liquid is tricky in any case and drivers would need to be specially trained. Training could be crash course made possible for all truck drivers and therefore already in place, always ready to rock-this is possible. First time drivers can be especially tough on a truck as they learn how to manage their vehicles. Requirements include having a CDL Class A drivers license for 3 months, verifiable first seat experience in the last year, or 12 months experience in the last 3 years.
Make enquiries about truck rental companies and you will learn that finding a good rental company may be difficult, as there are so many these days. Rental services offer rental moving trucks that will help make your relocation as stress-free and efficient as possible.
If you need a truck rental service, it is important to check out their fleet of rental moving trucks. It does not matter whether you are relocating across the town or across the country. You can always find a truck rental company that will provide you with the service you need. A few of the most common companies include one-way truck rental services and leasing rental trucks.
Rental trucking companies are very proactive in their safety innovations as well, especially due to the insurance costs. With the high costs of these trucks, operators and owners of these trucks need to protect their investment through insurance, which are now available from a number of insurance companies. Therefore it can save you some money to ask a friend with license and experience to do the driving for you.
Moving is not as simple as walking out of an old home and into another; it entails lots and lots of planning and deciding. The moving companies have trucks that have extremely high horsepower engines and a large container-kind of chamber in the rear to hold a household of furniture and valuables. These companies are great if you want to hand it all over. Renting a truck and do the work yourself saves money and cost energy and work.
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Friday, October 3rd, 2008
Several pickup trucks, however, already have a leg up on the competition. Specifically, Isuzu truck its two high-performance pickups: the i-290 and i-370. Both models offer a wide variety of safety features you might only expect to find on a Sport Utility.
The first and perhaps most important, is the Electronic Traction Control option which also includes Automatic Locking Rear Differential. The feature helps provide more controlled acceleration on slippery surfaces and in severe weather conditions by reducing engine power to reduce wheel spin. Another features is the pickup’s push-system that allows the driver to shift from 2-wheel-drive to 4-wheel drive on-the-fly. Anti-Lock Braking Systems are a must when it comes to safety and Isuzu’s pickups offer 4-wheel anti-lock brakes to reduce wheel lockup on slippery surfaces when the need to brake hard arises. Daytime running lights and a tire pressure monitoring system also make Isuzu pickup truck safer than many competitors. The pickups also sport Head-Curtain Side Impact Airbags and an automatic Airbag Suppression System in the event that an accident should occur.
By comparison, here’s a list of the pickup trucks that made the list of the Top 20 Most Dangerous: the Ford Ranger truck and Mazda B-Series truck which doesn’t offer stability control, side airbags or curtain airbags; the Nissan Frontier (Extended Cab) ; and the Dodge Dakota 4-door pickup . A few SUVs also made the list like the Nissan Xterra, and the remainder was populated by very small economy cars such as the Saturn ION and Mazda3.
While the trend is typically to make vehicles safer by adding both passive and active safety features, the reality is that certain cars tend to fare better in accidents than others. Small, lightweight cars are no match in a collision with an SUV for sale even if they possess enhanced safety features. While pickup trucks tend to fare better than cars in SUV collisions, it’s evident from the aforementioned study that many pickup truck manufacturers simply aren’t adding valuable safety features to their pickup lines in the way they are on SUVs.
Pickup truck enthusiasts shouldn’t have to compromise safety to drive the vehicles they love. Demanding SUV safety features be added either as standard or optional to pickups is the first step. Purchasing pickup trucks for sale that have these features – like the Isuzu i-370 or i-290 – will entice others in the automotive industry to follow suit and soon, pickups will be as safe as SUVs.
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Thursday, October 2nd, 2008
The monster vehicle that used to be available only to the United States Army is now obtainable for civilians through General Motor’s Hummer division. Hummers became the rave of the whole country after the highly popular Desert Storm in Iraq where its military counterpart, the HumVee, was featured endlessly. This popularity triggered worldwide demand and thus, the Hummer edition was created. Nowadays, military and civilians alike can avail themselves of these superb vehicles.
Hummers are available in three types of model: the H1, H2 and H3. H1 Hummers are generally the largest of the three. H3 models are those designed very much like other sports utility vehicles to suit a civilian consumer’s need for aesthetics. The H2 balances rider’s comfort and rough driving to the hilt. There are many more other sub models available under each type but none stands out more than the H2 SUT model.
The H2 SUT model incorporates a trucks and SUV type, thus earning the name SUT. This innovative way of maximizing the benefits of a sports utility vehicle and a pickup truck gained much popularity from Hummer enthusiasts. General Motors have equipped this model with various features that would surely increase the demand for such a vehicle in the years to come.
This baby is powered by a Vortec 6000 V8 engine with 325hp and 4-speed automatic transmission. A variable throttle control with 2 different progressions allows for a precise control over rugged and off-road terrain. The H2 SUT also features a power glass window at the back of the cabin which can be folded down along with the second row seats to allow for a larger cargo area. This virtually means that you can load almost anything on the pickup truck. This model also offers a 4 channel anti lock braking system that helps the driver bring the vehicle to a controlled stop. Its flawless design allows the driver to sit comfortably behind the steering wheel without worrying about the SUT from nosing downward while braking hard.
To top it all off, the interiors of this type of model surely puts any vehicle to shame. Full leather interior with electrically adjustable seats make for a comfortable and enjoyable ride over any type of terrain. Bose speakers with separate audio sources for the second row passengers add to the beauty of this model. The H2 SUT is truly the king of all Hummers on the road today but General Motors has announced that a Pickup truck model may soon be on the market so keep an eye for what may be the best Hummer yet.
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Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008
There was some news about plant closings and cut-backs in production which made poeple think that everyone is backing out of the trucks market. This segment as a result, has definitely been hit, but think twice before forming an opinion that anyone is giving up on trucks, because they still make up a large percentage of 4×4 pickup trucks sold and remain an important part of everybody’s lineup. But, fewer pickup truck buyers mean actual competition is as fierce as it’s ever been, and that’s good news for anyone who are looking for a new or a used 4×4 pickup truck.
There are two of them - the Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and the GMC Sierra hybrids. These pickup trucks won’t be in the dealer showrooms until 2009 and although they both look real promising, who knows how available they’ll be at first or what they’ll cost. If you need something sooner, or you’re not interested in a hybrid, put GM’s new XFE trucks on your short list. The 2009 Chevrolet Silverado XFE and GMC Sierra XFE have promised fuel economy ratings of 15/21 mpg city/highway, versus 21/22 mpg city/highway for GM’s 2009 two-mode hybrids and 14/20 mpg city/highway for comparable non-XFE half-ton pickups. That’s really an improvement of roughly 5 to 7 percent over the non-XFE trucks.
GM has lowered the XFE’s aerodynamic drag to a claimed best-in-class .412, narrowly beating the all-new 2009 Dodge Ram’s .419 coefficient of drag. Helping the XFE achieve that slippery wind rating are a soft tonneau cover, an extended front chin spoiler and a 10-mm-lowered suspension and ride height. Low-rolling-resistance tires and lightweight 17-inch aluminum wheels help reduce friction between road surfaces and the truck. The XFE also uses an unusually tall 3.08 rear axle to hit its claimed higher fuel economy figures. To understand its importance, it helps to understand how rear axles are rated. Rear axles are assigned numbers that describe how many rotations the driveshaft must make to turn the rear axle (and rear wheels) once. A 3.08 rear axle turns the wheels once for every 3.08 driveshaft rotations.
To build the XFEs, General Motors started with Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks equipped with 5.3L aluminum block V8s. They also added a six-speed automatic transmission, a 3.08:1 rear axle ratio, aluminum wheels and low rolling resistance tires. A soft tonneau, extended lower front airdam and a lowered ride height gave the trucks better aerodynamics. The combination of changes improved fuel mileage, upping it by 1mpg for city and highway driving. That might not sound like much, but it all adds up. The XFEs are 2WD trucks (for now) and GM has already started building the Crew Cabs.
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Thursday, September 11th, 2008
Because gas prices are climbing at a steady and steep rate, a lot of people who require the use of pickup trucks for their personal or professional lives find themselves suffering. Generally, those people who use trucks on a daily basis, especially for their jobs, need such a big vehicle because they are carrying heavy loads. In such cases, a lot of them prefer a 4×4 pickup truck diesel rather than a gas powered truck, because these pickup truck diesels are specifically designed to tow or carry extremely heavy loads without showing ill effects. For the most part, the same Big Three names which make the more popular gas driven pickups also make up the most favored diesel engines: Dodge, GMC, and Ford pickup trucks. Harley Davidson, Cadillac, Nissan, Toyota, and even Mitsubishi all have at least one brand pickup truck diesel as well.
The capabilities of the exterior of a pickup truck diesel engine have an effect on their interiors, which are generally designed to be roomy and comfortable for the passengers, even when the truck is engaging in rough activities. For that reason, some sort of sound cushioning or even sound proofing is often incorporated. The windows are thick, the chassis is built solidly and sturdy, and there are usually double layers located within the doors. Most pickup truck diesel engines also have intake resonators and exhaust systems with low restriction, which further blocks out the effects of road noise and rough terrain.
Most pickup truck diesel engines come fitted with multiple valves which is designed to offer the maximum amount of power, which in turn allows diesel trucks to pull and carry heavier loads, thanks to high amounts of horsepower and torque - generally 300 horsepower or better, and 365 feet per pounds of torque or better. The majority of them also have electronic throttle control systems. These make for high quality transmissions which can handle all different types of altitudes equally well. Their steering systems are also advanced, because handling heavy loads safely and confidently is important.
It may be beneficial to look into purchasing a used pickup truck diesel driven. Research shows that their outdoor capabilities can actually save money in terms of gas and maintenance, especially during a long run of time. That being said, they might be for everyone, but those who rely on their pickup trucks may want to consider them; they provide excellent standard safety features as wellFind Article, which is just as important if your job requires you to frequently haul heavy loads or drive through rough terrain.
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