2023 Ford Expedition Timberline
Of course, a big full size eight-passanger 4×4 SUV is good on the farm, especially if it is an off-road Expedition Timberline. The Timberline has a lift, all-terrain tires, rear locking axle and can tow 9,200 pounds. I put it through it paces by towing a Cimarron three-horse trailer up Poudre Canyon. The truck has a high output 3.5L V-6 twin turbo with 440 horsepower and 510 torque. It also has skid plates including a front bash plate.
It’s great for plowing through sage brush and gulleys, as well as muddy fields and dirt roads. It has lots of power and the Environmental Protection Agency rates it at 19 mpg on highways. I was getting 20 mpg on the highway and with a 3,300 pound horse trailer, I was still getting 14 mpg in the mountains. It has a smooth quiet ride that handles mountain curves well, which is all you’d expect for a MSRP of $83,805. And it’s 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 that had a MSRP $102,000. It’s a 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 percent. I guess I’ll have to buy a Maverick to get the same payment as my F150.
But we’re all in the same boat, we need three jobs to survive and have to move in with our kids. Oh well, It could be worse. I remember in the 80s operating interest on my farm was 18 percent. 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, which has the heavy duty trailer package, heavy duty radiator, 3.73 rear axle ratio and 33-inch tires. It’s made for off-road with off-road shocks, Trail Control and Terrian Management that will do well in most pastures. It’s like a bus with seatbelts for eight and has 12 BO speakers, a 15.5 inch center screen like a big touch I-pad screen. The tri-zone automatic climate control allows each row to control the temperature. The dual exhaust doesn’t sound like a V-6 and the 10-speed automatic transmission was smooth. It also has a 2-speed transfer case, lots of trucks don’t have a low range transfer case now, don’t know why.
The Expedition was one of the first SUV’s to have four-wheel independent suspension, which improves the ride and gives the third row more leg room, and with its reclining seat can be good for adults. Maybe you could use this bus for Uber and make some extra money. Or you could 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. If you fold down the second and third row, you can camp in it and 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 get stuck in the snow, it would be hard to shift from reverse to drive quickly.
