It was just last month that we covered the debut of the new at the State Fair of Texas. Ford is still mum about final power figures for its all-new 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 turbodiesel that's under its hood — we expect them to be more than 390 horsepower and 720 lbs.-ft. of torque — but that's not stopping the company from showing off how strong its new rig is. A bright red F-450 showed up for an exhibition pull at the Battle of the Bluegrass diesel truck series in LaGrange, Ky., just outside Louisville.
"The Ford pulled a sled that weighed about 30,000 pounds," said Wayne Kincaid, promoter for the Battle of the Bluegrass. "The distance was about 300 feet."
Events like Battle of the Bluegrass usually upgraded with aftermarket components that often allow them to get 800-plus hp and over 1,000 lbs.-ft. of torque.
What's unique about the F-450 captured on video is that it's said to be an early production test truck from Ford's nearby Kentucky Truck Plant that pulled the super-heavy sled with a conventional hitch.
The max trailering rating for the F-450 is 24,500 pounds (we pulled 20,000 pounds up a 25% grade during our 2007 Heavy Duty Shootout) with a fifth-wheel hitch.
What's also notable is how little the truck appears to smoke pulling the load. Most trucks that compete in pulling contests like this belch black smoke out their tailpipes or exhaust stacks. It's visual evidence how clean the latest diesel engines are and, in Ford's case, how powerful they can be.
[H/T to Ford Boy for the tip!]
