Bison is here, the Ranger Raptor is too late.

[Ranger850]

Chevy don't seem to want to wait to see IF the Ranger is getting the Raptor treatment.

 

[Dirtman]

Nice, now not only do you have a truck that will leave you stranded on the side of the road, this one can leave you stranded on the side of a mountain!

 

[rusty ol ranger]

What i think of when i hear chevy bison...

These new breed of "off roaders" do nothing for me. Ford, chevy, whatever.

Keep your terrain management, cheesy body/bumper effects and whatever else.

Gimmie 2 solid leaf sprung axles, a set of BFG A/Ts and a 4 speed and ill put a hurtin on any of them.

Except maybe in the dunes.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

That truck has some nice features from the factory.

Integrated tow points on the rear bumper, rock rails covering the tail end of the bed/bumper, an integrated rear axle pinion/driveshaft guard, factory rock sliders guarding the rockers, what looks like shocks on all four corners with built-in bypass, aluminum driveshaft (which is questionable for offroad really), and a very comprehensive set of skid plates. Nothing hangs very low on that truck. Well done Chevrolet...

Ford should take note.



GB

 

[Jim Oaks]

I don't know that the Ranger Raptor is the answer. I think Ford needs to build a Ranger that's inspired more by the Dodge Power Wagon. We don't need a Ford Raptor mini-me. We need a serious trail truck.

Clear you're mind, and think outside of the box.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

If it wasn't for our ridiculous government regulations, and more of them coming out every single year, Ford could build us any type of trail rig they/we want. Ford building us anything with a solid front axle (in North America) is a pipe dream (unless it weighs enough to keep it planted like the F350, etc) especially after what Ford learned on the BII rollover problems early on. I never understood how Jeep got away with it, but Ford backed off/away from short wheelbase 4x4's.

I guess ridiculous and frivolous lawsuits make companies learn lessons the expensive way, and the rest of us pay for it by not getting what we want.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

If it wasn't for our ridiculous government regulations, and more of them coming out every single year, Ford could build us any type of trail rig they/we want. Ford building us anything with a solid front axle (in North America) is a pipe dream (unless it weighs enough to keep it planted like the F350, etc) especially after what Ford learned on the BII rollover problems early on. I never understood how Jeep got away with it, but Ford backed off/away from short wheelbase 4x4's.

The Explorer Sport ran until like 2004 and was basically a modernized BII, especially the first generation.

I don't know that the Ranger really needs a solid axle to be a good trail truck. Real tires, good suspension travel, lockers (as in plural), sway bar disconnects, factory winch, sliders, real skidplates... like Jim said look at the Power Wagon for inspiration.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

The Explorer Sport ran until like 2004 and was basically a modernized BII, especially the first generation.

I don't know that the Ranger really needs a solid axle to be a good trail truck. Real tires, good suspension travel, lockers (as in plural), sway bar disconnects, factory winch, sliders, real skidplates... like Jim said look at the Power Wagon for inspiration.

Power wagon has two solid axles.

 

[Dirtman]

What I think of when I hear Power Wagon...

 

[rusty ol ranger]

What I think of when I hear Power Wagon...

View attachment 25654

You ever drive one of those?

Other then being pretty underpowered they were unstoppable.

 

[Dirtman]

Yes, our firehouse has one decked out with brush gear. Never restored, just maintained for 70 years. I got to drive it in a parade about 5 years ago. The beautiful thing was the crawl ratio was so low it kept perfect pace with the people walking without using the clutch or throttle. Top speed was about 45 and it took some muscle and praying to steer and stop but it definitely was a beast.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

Ford can't seem to get any suspension travel with any of their independent front suspension system. At least none that travel easily, or work very well offroad. Staying away from torsion bars would be a good start for sure. None will ever match the reliability and general toughness of a solid front axle rig, or match the offroad ability. No factory system that is.

The Exploder never handled anything like the BII in my opinion.. Not even close. Again, due to safety concerns and government regs.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Power wagon has two solid axles.

Inspiration, not to copy.

Ford can't seem to get any suspension travel with any of their independent front suspension system. At least none that travel easily, or work very well offroad. Staying away from torsion bars would be a good start for sure. None will ever match the reliability and general toughness of a solid front axle rig, or match the offroad ability. No factory system that is.

The Exploder never handled anything like the BII in my opinion.. Not even close. Again, due to safety concerns and government regs.

Never said anything about handling but that is a small 4x4 that isn't much bigger than a BII that was in production for quite awhile.

Agreed on the t-bars not helping, the new Ranger is coilover which should help a lot.

 

[Jim Oaks]

I guess I need to be more clear.

The Ford Raptor is a great truck for the desert. Going fast, etc. It's a bit wide and bulky for an off-road truck.

The Ford Ranger is the perfect size for an offroad / adventure vehicle. I like how the Power Wagon has the built in winch, and ram boxes in the bed side for storage. I'd like to see a Ranger package that gets a 2-inch factory lift (they've done it before), an all-terrain tire, but with a mud terrain option (I'm tired of having to buy good offroad tires after I just purchased a new truck), and an integrated winch. Oh, and UPFITTER SWITCHES. Damn I'm tired of saying that!!

 

[Bird76Mojo]

Those bed boxes have always been a brilliant way to make handy use of otherwise wasted space. I've always loved those, especially in the classic Ford trucks.

It seems like Dodge has their stuff figured out. They make what people really want. From the Power Wagon to the Demon and Hellcat. They're not afraid of doing what they want as far as performance. Ford just seems sheepish in everything except their Mustang line-up.