It’s not tricky, everybody realizes that the frame of a truck is the single most important component in the vehicle. They can brag about big horsepower and giant torque with monster payload and tow ratings but none of that matters if the frame can't cash the check the powertrain writes.
You lose in so many ways if the frame isn’t really up to the job. Long term and short term, a weak or poorly engineered frame is a big problem. As a consumer here’s the challenge: frames are buried deep under the truck where it requires you get underneath it to inspect. As such we’re inclined to believe the manufacturers when they tell us how strong their trucks are.
Frames are expensive and it can be a great hidden place to save money for the manufacturer when they opt for a weaker design. So what’s the cost to you in terms safety, durability and the ability to perform the tasks you might you ask of it? Here are the different types: C-channel: this design has been around the longest and when trucks didn’t have the powertrains and nice wide tires, a “C-channel” frame worked okay though it didn’t take long for its shortcomings to appear. If asked to work hard, the C-channel frame will twist its two main rails easily, producing very unstable handling and making long durability out of the question. In short, they wore out quickly when really put to the task. Next came the fully boxed frame, a square steel tube with no open side. These were a great improvement over the cheaper C-channel.
Toyota uses the C-channel to this day, hence why their truck, which has a great powertrain, is far less stable and capable than the others; By far weaker than any other full-size pick up on the market. GM and Ram use the fully boxed frame in an effort to spare a few bucks, which, when spread over 500,000 trucks a year adds up to a lot of money saved by not adding a lot of crossmembers. Here’s where Ford jumps to the lead in terms of value. They’ve been the Best Selling Pickup for 43 years and stability, durability and capability are the reasons why. Ford uses a fully boxed frame that is hydro-formed, better for overall strength and Ford then adds more cross members by doubling some of the competition and then goes the extra mile of “through welding” them so as to have them go all the way through the frame rails and be welded to it on both sides. The strength enhancement is worth every penny Ford spends. Hidden from sight but such an important value. When towing or carrying heavy loads, that extra frame strength pays dividends. Here’s hoping when you buy a pickup truck, you get framed.
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