By STAFF | MobileFoodNews.com
After reading numerous email requests from our readers regarding content ideas and a bit of contemplation, our editorial staff came up with what I feel is a great new column. The column is entitled “The Horse Before the Cart” because it means exactly that.
Most Owner/Operators of food carts, concession and mobile kitchen trailers make it a point to spend months conceptualizing, designing & fabricating what, most of the time is an investment of a lifetime. What most only give a moment of thought to, if that, is “How will I tow my unit”? Not only does toting the food cart come into the equation, but in most cases so does toting the family that benefits from the hard-earned living by the Operator, their cart and their “horse”.
Well, now we can help you with this decision-making process..
You will now find a regular column that will review a wide variety of what MobileFoodNews.com feels are great vehicles that can handle the responsibilities of transporting your “Bread & Butter” from location to location and allow you to safely continue to make a living.
First on our long list of trucks and S.U.V.’s to review is the 2011 Ford F-150 Lariat EcoBoost Pick-up.
Were were praying that we were not going to receive what we all think of as the average work horse pick-up truck. As the F-150 was pulling up for deliver to our team, a sigh of relief came of us all. What we saw was far from our expectations… in a great way!
How can i describe it? A “white stallion” is fitting, considering the title of the column. The bold chrome grill got my attention right off the bat. The front end was enormous. The headlight assembly looked as if it could light up the outfield at Citizens Bank Field!
Now, let’s get down to the “meat and potatoes”. The first day of the road test included a trip to the “Big Apple”, that’s right folks, New York City. We are road rebels, in no way afraid of the city traffic, nor its drivers.
As we motored through the toll booth, adhering to the 5 mph speed limit of course, entering the New Jersey Turnpike, we felt it only right to pay homage to N.J.’s living legend of rock, Bruce Springsteen. We turned to the Springsteen Music Radio channel 20 on the SiriusXM Satellite Radio which was graciously enabled for us by the wonderful people at Ford.
We immediately noticed the ability to throw the trans into “manual mode” and shift as if it were a stick-shift. How cool is that? Very Cool. Added a bit of excitement to a normally boring 70 mile stretch of turnpike.
We enabled the cruise control and set it at 70 mph. We immediately noticed the “EcoBoost” gauge taking action. There we were in a super sized F-150 with 3 adults and a full tank of fuel, at 70 mph and we were getting 18.5 mpg! AMAZING! With it’s horsepower and torque, and the EcoBoost whips up a satisfactory 365 hp and 420 lb-ft on regular unleaded.
The interior was exceptionally comfortable. The fully electronic, multi adjusting, climate controlled leather seats were needless to say “cool & comforting” in the right place for the 90 mile haul on a 92 degree day. The steering wheel allowed easy accessibility to every electronic aspect of the vehicle from hands free phone control to radio and cd control as well.
As a writer for a web-based trade journal focusing on mobile productivity, having a laptop on board is a must have. I was thrilled to see an “AC” plug to keep my laptop fully charged throughout the day. How cool…. VERY!
We visited a few mobile food trucks and carts in Manhattan before heading over to Brooklyn. Again, visiting some of our loyal MFN readers and we were on the way back to Philadelphia.
Later in the week we planned on meeting with the “Dapper Dog“, a great food vendor in Philadelphia that tows his cart on a daily basis. We wanted to get his thoughts on F-150 EcoBoost. Well, we didn’t plan on his vacation. So, where else would we go to learn more about the needs and requirements for pulling various styles of food carts and trailer? A food cart manufacturer!
We found ourselves on the way to the Keystone Vending Cart & Truck’s manufacturing facility in Philadelphia. This company is one of only two companies in the Philadelphia are in the business of fabricating and repairing food carts, concession and mobile kitchen trailers as well as food trucks.
The owner of Keystone was gracious enough to loan us a brand new, fully equipped food trailer to pull around town in order to experience the handling and braking offered by the Ford F-150 EcoBoost.
The cart was outfitted with a griddle, beverage display cooler, refrigeration, sinks and more.
With the in-dash monitor and backup camera, it was simple to align the truck and trailer. Fully lined with polished stainless steel, a safety chain and a sturdy hitch connected. We noticed the onboard computer knew that we had the trailer and electrical harness attached and we were on our way!
The suspension on the F-150 was superb. You could barely see a difference in the height of the bed after attaching the trailer. The suspension was strong and sturdy. We moved gracefully through the tight streets of “Old City” Philadelphia. An area paved in cobblestone streets and tight turns. The turning ratio was magnificent. The trailer brake adjustment was directly to the right of the steering wheel and easily operated. We were able to literally turn on a dime and the trailer followed right along… as it should.
Once we were done road test with the trailer, we returned it to Keystone for a quick disconnect.
The following day we ran some errands in center city Philadelphia and had to park curbside. Not at all a tough task with the back-up camera. The monitor in the media console make it a pleasure to park such a big truck. Big enough to carry an enormous amount of supplies for your business, but not too big to park with high-tech parking assistance!
During the day we encountered extreme rain and thunder showers. I simple turned the dial on the dash and I was immediately in 4 wheel drive. Not that the 4 wheel was even needed with the incredible Pirelli Scorpion ATR. They performed as if they were on dry asphalt.
Over the weekend, we had a family outing to attend. So for the fist time, we utilized the backseat. Yes, in went the baby seat and two grown adults. The first thing they said was “WOW! I can’t believe how much leg room is back here”. I was shocked! I don’t know about you, but trust me, it’s not often I get a compliment from the in-laws.
There were three cell phones plugged into 12v outlets as well as a portable video screen w/dvd player plugged in for the little one. Everyone was pleased, so was I.
The Ford F-150 Lariat EcoBoost is truly an amazing, multi-faceted vehicle. A multi-personality…. It’s a supply hauler, tow vehicle and luxury family “truckster” all wrapped up into one hell of a good lookin’ truck. Besides the comfort and the looks, it is able to maintain a high mpg no matter what environment we placed it in. In this day and age with fuel priced what they are the EcoBoost technology is definitely worth spending for.
Overall, I must rate the 2011 Ford F-150 Lariat EcoBoost a solid 10 out of 10. I would highly recommend this vehicle as a needed piece of equipment for your mobile food business. Not only for your business, but to safely transport your family as well.
*Check out the “Torture Test” the F-150 EcoBoost was put through by Ford.
http://mobilefoodnews.com/2011/08/new-series-horse-before-the-cart/
