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DeWALT Collaborates with Ford MOTOR COMPANY To Offer Tool Link (ebuild)

DeWALT collaborated with Ford and ThingMagic, the industry expert on embedded RFID technology, to create Tool Link. Tool Link allows end users to track assets and control inventory, ensuring crews arrive and leave the jobsite with the right tools and materials for their job. The system includes rugged reliable labels that allow the truck operators to tag, scan and track expensive tools, equipment and other assets. When the vehicle is running, a pair of RFID antennas, mounted in corrosion and impact-resistant housings on the inside of the pickup box, scan the box for tagged items on a pre-programmed inventory list. This data is transmitted to a reader mounted inside the cab and displayed on the in-dash computer screen, alerting the driver if any inventoried tools are not loaded on the truck.

i-290 Pickup (BUILDING PRODUCTS Magazine)

The i-290 and i-370 share a structural platform and engine with the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon. The four-cylinder i-290 (shown) provides 185 hp and 190 pound-feet of torque; the five-cylinder i-370 outputs 242 hp and 242 pound-feet of torque. The i-290 comes as an Extended Cab, and the i-370 is available with an Extended Cab or a Crew Cab. 800-255-6727.

2008 Titan Pickup (BUILDING PRODUCTS Magazine)

The 2008 Titan offers a longer wheelbase and an 8-foot bed option on the King Cab. It comes standard with a 5.6-liter V8 engine that puts out 315 hp and 385 pound-feet of torque, and it offers a maximum payload capacity of 2,063 pounds and a tow rating of 9,500 pounds. Three other bed sizes are available. Builder-friendly options include a lockable exterior-sidewall storage compartment, double-hinged 168-degree-opening rear doors, a factory bed tie-down system, and a spray-on bed liner. 800-647-7261.

Ridgeline SUV/Pickup (BUILDING PRODUCTS Magazine)

Marketed as a midsize SUV/pickup, the Ridgeline features a 4-foot-by-5-foot pickup bed, an 1,100-pound payload capacity, and a 5,000-pound towing capacity. It comes with a 3.5-liter V6 engine that puts out 247 hp and 252 pound-feet of torque. Features includes an on-demand four-wheel-drive system that automatically kicks in when needed, a tailgate that swings out or drops down, and a lockable, waterproof, 81/2-cubic-foot storage compartment below the bed floor. 800-999-1009.

B-Series Pickup Trucks (BUILDING PRODUCTS Magazine)

Built on the Ford Ranger platform, compact and sporty B-series pickups are available with a 4.0-liter V6, 3.0-liter V6, or 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine. They are available in two-door Regular Cab and four-door Cab Plus models. 800-222-5500.

Chevy Silverado 1500 Series Pickup Trucks (BUILDING PRODUCTS Magazine)

The Chevy Silverado 1500 series is available with seven engine options: a 4.3-liter V6, a 4.8-liter V8, four versions of the manufacturer's 5.3-liter V8, and a 6.0-liter V8 that provides 367 hp and 375 pound-feet of torque. Regular, Extended, and Crew Cabs are available with a max towing capacity of 10,500 pounds and a payload capacity of 2,160 pounds. Bed lengths come in 6.6 or 8 feet. 800-222-1020.

Tundra CrewMax and Double Cab Pickup Trucks (BUILDING PRODUCTS Magazine)

The Tundra comes in three full-size models: the four-door CrewMax (shown) and Double Cab, and the two-door Regular Cab, and with three engine options. The CrewMax and the Double Cab have full-size, front-hinged rear doors. The trucks have a max towing capacity of 10,800 pounds and a payload rating of 2,060 pounds. Tundra cabs feature a center console large enough for a laptop computer and hanging files, a wide sliding armrest that doubles as a portable desk, two 12-volt DC outlets (three in the CrewMax), and two separate glove boxes. 800-331-4331.

Toyota Pursues Alternative Fuel-Saving Technology (USA TODAY)

DETROIT -- Toyota Motor, known for gasoline-electric hybrids such as its Prius, says it's branching into other alternative power plants to stay ahead of rivals.At the same time, it will introduce Toyota and Lexus hybrids next year as part of its plan to push U.S. hybrid sales to 1 million annually in the next decade.By 2010, Toyota plans to build about 400 demonstration plug-in hybrids, which also can charge the batteries from wall sockets, to further cut gasoline use.

Ford Focuses on Smaller Engines With Big Results (The Dallas Morning News)

Jan. 14--DETROIT -- Smaller may be smarter, says Ford Motor Co., the world's largest producer of big pickups. When Ford unveiled its Explorer America concept vehicle Sunday -- a stylish crossover that looks like a highly contemporary midsize SUV -- the real news was lurking under its hood. Instead of a V-6 engine typically found in vehicles like it, the Explorer America was propelled by a 2-liter, four-cylinder engine -- a four-cylinder producing 275 horsepower and 280 pounds-feet of torque, considerably more than the current Explorer's V-6.

Ford and Dodge's Big Bets on Big Trucks (Business Week)

Ford (F) and Chrysler, even as they battle each other for "green" bona fides with hybrids, plug-ins, and clean diesel vehicles at the North American International Auto Show this week, yearn for the days when every Polo-wearing, baby-boomer, weekend deck-builder looked at pickup truck ads with the longing eyes of a debutante coveting the latest Gucci purse.Pickup trucks are a must for carpenters, farmers, landscapers, and contractors. And yet, for Ford, its redesigned F-Series pickup truck, to be introduced this week and to go on sale in the fall, is by far its most important new model.