Of course, a big full size 8-passanger 4×4 SUV is good on the farm. It is an off-road Expedition Timberline. Has a lift, all-terrain tires, rear locking axle and can tow 9200 lbs. I towed a Cimarron 3-horse trailer up Poudre Canyon. Has a High Output 3.5L V-6 twin turbo with 440 horsepower and 510 torque. Skid plates including a front bash plate. Great for plowing through sage brush and gulley’s. As well as muddy fields and dirt roads. Lots of power, EPA rated at 19 mpg on highways. I was getting 20 mpg on the highway and with a 3300 lb. horse trailer, still getting 14 mpg in the mountains. With a smooth quiet ride that handles mountain curves well. All you’d expect for a MSRP of $83,805. Heavy enough for a good tax deduction if you qualify. I think that’s what most of the expensive trucks are used for now. Or how could you afford payments? I’ve reviewed a new Ford F350 Platinum’s that had a MSRP $102,000. Crazy time to buy a new or used truck since the pandemic. I’ll have the same problem when my truck will be traded, when the extended warranty runs out along with the zero-interest loan in two years. Now car loans are 7%. I guess I’ll have to buy a Maverick to get the same payment as my F150. We’re all in the same boat. Need 3 jobs to survive and have to move in with my kids. Oh well It could be worse. I remember in the 80’s operating interest on my farm was 18%. I should have become a journalist sooner. We at least get minimum wage. But this is just another cycle we go through. At least it’s not a recession yet. I don’t even want to know what a new combine cost, or seed corn.
Oh well, back to the awesome Expedition. Has the Heavy Duty Trailer Pkg. Heavy Duty Radiator, 3.73 rear axle ratio and 33″ tall tires. Made for off road with off-road shocks, Trail Control and Terrian Management. Will do well in most pastures. It’s like a bus, seatbelts for 8. Twelve BO speakers. 15.5 in. center screen like a big touch I-pad screen. Tri-zone automatic climate control, so each row can control temperature. Dual exhaust doesn’t sound like a V-6. 10-speed automatic transmission was smooth. And it has 2-speed transfer case, lots of trucks don’t have a low range transfer case now, don’t know why. Expedition was one of the first SUV’s to have 4-wheel independent suspension. Which improves the ride and gives the 3rd row more leg room and with its reclining seat can be good for adults. Maybe use this bus for Uber, make some extra money. Or give tours of your farm, corn mazes, and haul your neighbors to vote. I do like this Expedition, the second row even slides forward, to get to the third row of seats. Fold down the second and third row and you can camp in it haul everything. Only thing I don’t like is the transmission shifter knob. You have to look at it to know what gear you’re in. If you could possibly get stuck in the snow, it would be hard to shift from reverse to drive quickly.
