Just received an e-mail from sir Daniel Girald. He has sent me a picture of the current Brazilian version of the Ford F-350 Superduty.

What he said:
"Hey mate, look that. A few weeks ago I went to a Ford Trucks dealership and spotted this F-350, the first of the new Euro-5 version that I've ever seen. Now it's only available with the regular cab, but Ford certified a third-party company to perform crew-cab conversions retaining the factory warranty. The old Cummins B3.9 gave its way to the ISF2.8, and the ZF 5S-420 transmission was also replaced by an Eaton FSO 4505 D. The smaller and higher-revving engine sparked some controversy, mostly because in spite of the 25% increase in the power rating (from 120hp to 150hp) there was a roughly-calculated 14% decrease in the torque compared to the Euro-3 (from 420Nm to 360Nm), meanwhile Ford claims a 7% higher fuel-efficiency. As you may notice, the DEF tank is kinda small, attached to the right frame rail and the filling cap is easily accessible from the outside, while the American version has a bigger tank located under the cabin with a filler neck hidden under the bonnet. DEF consumption is about 6.5 to 7% of the fuel volume, almost overcoming the claimed savings..."

My opinion: bonnetted trucks have their "Wild Western" appeal that is what makes them so desired, and the cab is also alleggedly more comfortable for being lower and having a separated compartment for the engine, improving the thermal and acoustic insulation. Its estimated 12.5L/100km fuel consumption may actually not be so attractive compared to the V8 because the smaller engine needs to work a bit harder. All the controversy from the comparatively small engine serves to show clearly the cultural difference about the North American truck market and its European and Asian counterparts, more used to downsizing. The very same ISF2.8 engine is widely used in Chinese trucks that have a GVWR around 7-ton, and it is higher than the F-350 Superduty, and even in the Unites States there is a version of the Isuzu NPR with a downsized 3-litre 4JJ1-TC engine. I see no reason to blame the choice of the ISF2.8 at all. If the front clip was not so outdated it could even become a good option for countries where the 6.7 V8 turbodiesel used in the American F-350 is heavily taxed because of its greater displacement and number of cylinders.

It was kinda surprising to see a Ford F-250 SuperDuty repowered with a Toyota Hilux engine, more specificly the petrol 3.4V6 5VZ-FE. Got to think that it was kinda weird to see a small engine like that in a F-250 but hey, finding parts for that odd 4.2 inline-six MWM turbodiesel outside Brazil is anything but easy. What makes me think about it not being so much of a good idea is the fuel consumption not so advantageous over a V8, or over a diesel.

The smallest engine ever fitted to a Ford Superduty/Western

Ford Superduty trucks, also badged as Western in Malaysia, were reintroduced this year in Brazil where they had been phased out in late 2011 due to emission regulations.

Well, Ford managed that matter by changing the previous entirely mechanical Cummins B3.9 with turbocharger and aftercooler de-rated to 120hp and 450nm for a common-rail ISF2.8 rated at 150hp and 360nm in the F-350 and a regional version of the F-450 labelled F-4000, with SCR and DPF for aftertreatment but no EGR.

The older versions were enough surprising by using a 4 cylinder engine, but now it's not just 4 cylinder but also the first diesel below 3 litre to be fitted into a F-series Ford, smaller even than the Perkins 4-203 used in the F-100 and local derivatives of the F-250 in Argentina until early 90s.

Checked the info in Ford of Brazil trucks operation official webpage, and the engine is listed right there, always backed by a 5 speed manual transmission. There are not other cabin options but the regular, and 4WD is only available for the F-4000 It is still surprising that Ford sticked to this engine that is smaller than the 3.2 from the Ranger even in the F-4000 that has a GVW rating more than the double of the Ranger.
http://www.fordcaminhoes.com.br/serie-f/f-350
http://www.fordcaminhoes.com.br/serie-f/f-4000
http://www.fordcaminhoes.com.br/serie-f/f-4000-4x4

As a sidenote, their North American counterparts are only available with automatic transmission, and the 6.7 Powerstroke V8 that is heavily taxed in export markets because of its displacement is the only diesel option at a higher premium cost compared to the ISF2.8 used in the Brazilian version. It would not be so unrealistic to expect the trucks assembled in Brazil to be sold in such places instead.


These news were brought to me by a French Guyanese resident in Brazil. Merci beaucoup, monsieur Daniel Girald.

The old twin-cylinder Bolinder hot bulb still got the job done. In a crew of 8 we could keep it running for about 19 days and just shut it off about 3 or 4 times. Restarting required some pre heating with a kerosene lamp for about 15 to 30 minutes at each round. That was my first experience with a hot bulb engine, not sure if that is going to be the only one since they are getting quickly phased out. I knew there were some NGOs seeking to reintroduce them on the mainstream market for stationary operations in the so-called "developing world", but it doesn't sound so promising as it was supposed to be.