Truck maker unveils a monster pickup(14,500 lbs., 9' tall, 7 miles/gallon)

[RedEarth]

This one could make the Hummer look like a girlie car.


International Truck and Engine Corp. is producing what it calls the world's biggest production pickup, a 14,500-pound monster capable of towing 20 tons.

"It's a super head-turner," said Ken Wallace, an International dealer in Fort Myers, Fla., who has been driving one for about two weeks. "Other motorists hang out of their cars to take pictures of it."

But does anybody really need a vehicle that is nine feet tall, eight feet wide, 21 1/2 feet long and gets about seven miles on a gallon of diesel?

Rob Swim, International's marketing director, said the 5-passenger CXT will appeal to image-conscious contractors, roofers, landscapers and other small-business owners who can use the towing power but also want to draw attention to themselves.

"This truck is for businesses that want to make a bold statement," Swim said. "It's for business people that want to promote as much as perform."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6026041/

[KoKo]

1. We didn't hire a contractor because he drove up in a Hummer. He came

to give us an estimate on repairing a big crack in our driveway, and he showed up in a Hummer. We decided to give the job to the guy who drove the Chevy pickup. The Hummer guy was also a jerk, which didn't help him get the job, but we wouldn't have hired him because of the new Hummer.

Sorry.......but Hummers are just against our principles...

[JohnnyRingo]

4. A Hummer is a social statement that doubles as transportation

A Lamborgini Countach is a statement as well, but without the part: "and I can kick your ass"

I think either would offer a negative image when trying to sell oneself as someone I should give money to.

on edit:
The statement the new "monster truck" makes apparently is: "Ah move MObile homes".

[wtmusic]

6. Kewl

A Hummer screams, "I can be a chickenhawk, too!!"

[gmoney]

10. well, obviously he's overcharging

if he can squander money on an impractical pecker substitute, he's gouging... or at least doesn't need YOUR money

good call

[Radius]

29. The Original

Not the one made of chevy parts, is one of the best off road vehicles in the world. Most yuppites dont use them because they are loud, expensive to fix, and ride rough.

But off the road they can not be beat.

[Just Me]

2. Decadence: that which makes the weak in character feel strong,...

...via "possession". Too bad Falwell, Robertson and the fundies like them do NOT get the lessons of that book they use as belts upon their servants. Jesus, who is to return as the lion after being thumped as a lamb by Bush, Falwell, Robertson and the likes of them,...

,...well,...this is not the space or place for such thoughts *smile*

edit-blush spelling-bah

[barb162]

3. I can just see the idiot who lives next door getting one

he has some large red pickup now and 2 dirt bikes and he takes the 2 boys and bikes out somewhere every weekend. One problem though is this behemoth might not fit in his garage, it looks pretty high.

[schultzee]

15. I have the same kind of neighbors.

[barb162]

31. do you talk to them?

mine moved in about 2 years ago from Seattle. The boys flick their cigarettes on to my property, they have actively vandalized in other ways, like trying to destroy my garden with league baseballs, throw basketball at my bushes where I have bird nests, etc. Spoke to the deluded mother last year about it and she denied all of it, smiling at me with this sick smile the entire time. Then I talked to the police and I have not had to go further yet. I have not said a word to these sociopaths in a year.

[Radius]

32. Fences make good neighbors(nt)

[WVhill]

34. Freightliner has been selling their version for years.

The media just hasn't noticed. Most folks buy them to tow the long horse trailers. IH probably realized there's a market segment (pioneered by Freightliner) and decided to jump in. One of the locals has had the Freightliner "pickup" for several years. It's nothing new. Those are specialty vehicles that have always been available in one form or another.

They're not practical for everyday use. The guy around here who owns one seldom uses it. Because of the turning radius, you won't see a lot of them at the mall. Maintenance on those isn't cheap either. The standard engine is probably a DT466 wihich is a 400+ cu, in, six cylinder. An oil change requires several GALLONS of oil. Each tire goes for $200+. If you're going to haul the maximum the truck will handle, the driver may need a commercial driver's license.

I wouldn't get excited.

[Hepburn]

5. A big truck like this needs...

...a big license plate like this:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

8. Hahaha!

They don't run on gasoline, they run on sperm!

[Seabiscuit]

20. They run on molten penile implants.

[kwolf68]

7. And what happens

If you have are driving a "normal" mode of transport and have a wreck with one of these things?

I'm sure the owner of that beast will be fine.

Ahhh, the culture of selfishness lives on in America.

[WVhill]

35. The laws of physics have never been revoked.

Greater mass wins every time. Same with any large truck that a car runs into. Large trucks are always going to be with us. Statistics show that the large majority of truck/car collisions are the car driver's fault. Think of large trucks as a Darwinian way of winnowing out stupid drivers. Those that survive are the ones who truly know how to drive.

[mongo]

9. I need one of those

There's no more room for bumperstickers on my escort!

</sarcasm>

Actually, the reason that a lot of people buy SUV's is for business since you are allowed to depreciate them faster than a regular car.

[medeak]

11. tax incentives sell these

unknown to few...but buying a rig weighing over 5,000 lbs was 100% depreciation write off in ONE YEAR! Obscene for business owners but guilty...we have excursion as penciled out in a ridiculous way.

Thought it expired 2003 but not certain...any cpa's out there?

[alecthemad]

12. Just silly

Just like the hummers people will buy them for the look and not for any practical purpose and then they will run me off the road while chatting on the cell phone.

Though it does remind me of that Simpson's episode when they got a big old SUV and Lisa was concerned that accidents with SUV's have a higher fatality rate. Bart replies "more fatal for the other car" and Lisa shrugs and fastens her seatbelt.

[alecthemad]

14. Picture

And Kewl that picture with Bush's face on the little girl is just disturbing. But I have to keep starting at it.

[leesa]

13. Does that make the emasculated girlie men Americans feel big?

[WVhill]

36. I'm sure that may be true in some cases. But what about the women?

Anymore a woman truck driver is not unusual. It wouldn't surprise me if many of those were driven by women ranchers.

[stepnw1f]

16. More Oil... More Oil... More Oil

Irresponsible and flagrant. Especially during a war based on energy resources. Sick country we live in.

[Radius]

30. Biodiesel

The vehicle is ridiculous. But since it is diesel it can be readily converted to run on french fry grease. I run commercial b-20 and b-50 when I can find it and would run B100 if it was available.

[BigBigBear]

17. Descendent of the IH Scout/Terra

Pity that International Harvester went under before the SUV boom really hit - the Scout would have ruled them all.

(Yes, I own one - a '79 Traveler, that I'll be unloading soon, if I find the right buyer...)

This is a little over the edge as far as I'm concerned - but, damn. Those guys could build bruising 4x4's. I consider this an offspring.

[BraveDave]

18. Looks alot like...

the tow truck I used to drive.

Hard on the kidneys.

[saigon68]

21. It was a tow truck-- in a "working life"

A lot of them were made with roll-backs--- I suspect however they "softened" up the suspension.

[Seabiscuit]

19. A-HOLES!

'Nuff said.

[TahitiNut]

22. 7 miles/gallon - 2 lives/day

They might as well fill the tank with the blood of innocents.

[pingflood]

33. blood of innocents

They might as well fill the tank with the blood of innocents.

I tried that once, but you wouldn't believe how bad the engine pinged...

[shawn703]

23. And where will they park it?

Isn't it too heavy for most residential streets? Too wide for most parking spaces? Too tall for garages and parking structures?

But on the other hand, if they park this thing illegally, will they be able to tow it?

[kodi]

24. gee, is the machine gun turret standard or optional?

just think of what the rat patrol could have done with that sucker.

yet hauling 20 tons will make it useful for some buyers. duelie isn't it?

[fortyfeetunder]

25. Those hummer a-holes think they can intimidate

Last night I was driving on the (Seattle Area) 405. Since it was after 7PM, I could legally drive in the HOV lane alone. I did that for a few miles to escape a couple of known bottlenecks along the way, then I jump into the regular lanes and head to my exit leading home.

It's raining like cats and dogs, and I have this Hummer riding my ass, flashing its lights. OK you asshole, I am driving 60 in the rain. There was little clearance to merge back into the adjacent lane so I stayed put. The last time it flashed its lights, I tapped my brake lights.

The vile creature decided to get out from behind me and zoomed its gas guzzling frame off somewhere.

Don't eff with me Hummer.

[Deja Q]

26. Will drivers of that abomination drive on roads with posts saying

"Maximum vehicle weight"?

7 tons = 14000 pounds.

Won't these things also put greater stress on residential roads?

[WVhill]

37. From an engineering standpoint, it depends.

Pavement design takes into consideration the tire footprint along with the load. Since those trucks run larger tires than the typical one ton trucks, some of which also have 14,000 ratings, the larger truck may stress the pavement less than the "light" truck.

[Hardcore KY Dem]

27. OK, calm down people.

Don't get me wrong, I hate Hummers like i hate a case of the Clap, but a truck like this actually has a few uses i happen to agree with. I live and breath horse farms here in Kentucky. Born, Bred, and Raised on one so this truck can fill a few roles around here that Hummers cant. My mother rides pleasure horses and has to pull a trailer with her truck. Now the truck she has is perfect for what she is doing but if she had anything bigger then the trailer she has she would be in trouble (and she has a massive truck "2500 HD" i think). Farms around here have to move these big-ass animals around and most can only do it 2-3 horses at a time unless they hire out the job. If you hire out the job someone comes to the farm with a Semi-truck and a 25 horse trailer. Do this enough times and the price gets steep quick. Anyone who knows the horse business knows that right now there are over 7000 horses moving in and out of Keenland (track & sales pavilion) so I'm sure you guys can see where I'm going with this. A Farm can save a lot of money buy buying one of these and moving larger #s of horses at once instead of 2-3 at a time in the existing vans. Another good use is moving hay and straw around these farms. It gets delivered on yet another semi that costs a lot of money to use and they tend to tear up the farms when they putt around the little roads we have around here. Also lots of local farmers move home-grown hay/straw on large flat wagons pulled with little dinky trucks which is yet another hazard. Anyway, I guess I'm just saying don't jump all over something that some of us can actually put to a good use.

[Radius]

28. Doofuses

Why any commercial contractor needs anything beyond a F-350 crew cab with a diesel is beyond me. I use a 250 diesel for my side business and it is more than capable of hauling tractors and front end loaders.

Buyers will be in for a surprise with commercial diesels, they cost much more to operate than a gas motor. They last longer but are expensive to operate. The 250 runs 15 qts of oil vs 5-6 in a large gas engine. All parts are twice as much as anything gas related.

Diesels are good in one way that they can run biodiesel, last forever, and are more efficient than gas. A golf tdi will be my wifes next daily driver. 55mpg. Will run the same b20 - b50 I run in the truck. My daily driver is a motorcycle so gas mileage is over 60.

Horse people could use these but they usually use f trucks or much larger tractor trailer rigs.

Luckily it is a limited run vehicle. I think soccer mommys and yuppites should have to endorse in any vehicle over 8000lbs. Ryder trucks included. I had to endorse for a motorcycle, why not make people endorse on commercial vehicles.

[SOS]

38. 7 mpg?

From Robert kennedy Jr.:

"President Carter passed CAFE standards in response to the second oil crisis in 1979. Those standards were directed towards getting our country up from 20 to 40 miles per gallon by 1990. Within six years, we had raised average fuel economy by seven-and-a-half miles per gallon. That efficiency caused an oil glut in this country, collapsing the price of gasoline to the lowest levels in decades. Oil companies went to the Reagan administration and persuaded them to roll back CAFE standards. The Gingrich Congress subsequently made it illegal for the government to pass them. In 1986 we doubled imports from the Persian Gulf and they've been going up ever since. If Reagan hadn't done that we would not have imported one drop of Gulf oil into this country after 1986."

Without Reagan and US Big Oil we would have been independent of ALL oil imports by 1991.

[Moderator]

39. dupe

from way back on Monday.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=824288