This F250 Super Duty Proves Things Are Not Always What They Seem

Although this video is brief, it shows you that in the world of all-wheel-drive vehicles things aren't always what they seem to be. For example, this 6X6 shown in the clip should have the small hill knocked, but, does it?

If you were to look at one of the six-wheeled wonders out there, you probably assume two things:

1. It can tow an incredible amount (because there are four rear driving wheels)
2. It has great traction so it can get out of its way

Ford F250 Seems To Be Having Its Share Of Problems

However, if you watch this video that we found on The Ford Authority the other day you’ll soon see that something is wrong with these assumptions, at least on this six-wheeled F250 Super Duty, Well, we’ll let the video speak for the truck before we pick up our tale a little later.

The tale began when the person who filmed this clip met the owner of the maroon Ford F250 6X6. Of course, the owner of the custom pickup began yakking about how great his truck was. When he had finished his spiel, the owner grabbed the keys, started up, and drove off.

Everything would have stopped right there if nothing had happened – and there would have been no video – but something did, there was a hill at the end of the drive that the F250 six-wheeler had to climb. The 6X6 truck reached that spot and, well, you would have thought the immovable object hit the irresistible force. The F250 6X6 just hung right there, unable to make it, wheels spinning.

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Who Knows Why It Happened?

As to why the pickup couldn’t make it, we can only guess. Looking closely, it seems like there was an axle problem as in maybe the rear axles couldn’t work together. The rear axle appears to be spinning, causing lots of tire smoke, while the middle axle loses traction.

As was pointed out in a commentary that accompanied the video presentation, The Ford Authority speculated that it “doesn’t appear that truck has its six-wheel- or four-wheel-drive engaged.” Indeed, from the angle of the film clip, they couldn’t determine if the F250 was a multi-wheel-drive vehicle. The F250 6X6 honestly looked as if the middle wheels were just grafted on for effect. It seems as if the F250 was a standard rear-wheel-drive three-quarter-ton pickup with added wheels.

Ford F250 May Have Had Mechanical Issue

Or, maybe there was a mechanical failure. The failure left the pickup with front wheels and middle axle unable to help out. The commentary concluded that the F250 wasn’t up to the task the owner was trying to handle. The Ford Authority concluded that the F250 “is certainly not up to the task of everyday use. We’d hate to see what level of fail ensues if the owner tried to take the Ford F250 6X6 offroad. Anyone dreaming of a 6x6 Ford Truck that works should check out the: Hennessey Velociraptor.”

About the author

Marc Stern has been an auto writer since 1971. It was a position that filled two boyhood dreams: One was that I would write, and two that I write about cars. When I took over as my newspaper’s auto editor, I began a 32-year career as an automotive columnist. There isn’t much on four wheels that I haven’t driven or reviewed. My work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, and others. Today, I am the Ford F150 reporter for Torque News. I write how-to and help columns for online sites such as Fixya.com and others. You can follow me on Twitter or Facebook.

Source: The Ford Authority is one of the best online sites for real Ford information. Its writers present you with the facts about any Ford product or program,