Ford and United Auto Workers officials Wednesday morning drove the symbolic first unit of its new Ford F-650/F-750 series off the line at its Ohio Assembly Plant near Avon Lake amid cheers that followed congratulatory speeches.
Ford Plant Celebrates F-650/750 Rollout
From left: U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio); Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio, 9th Dist.); Tim Rowe, UAW chairman, Ohio Assembly Plant; Greg Drudi, UAW administrative assistant; Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor (R-Ohio), Gary Polakowski, plant manager; and Joe Hinrichs, Ford president, The Americas.
Photo: Tom Berg
Completed trucks were displayed near the plant's entrance. Production actually began several weeks before the ceremony.
Photo: Tom Berg
The Tonka Truck-themed F-750 dump is a one-of-a-kind vehicle with graphics approved by the toy maker. No others will be built, Ford says.
Photo: Tom Berg
Until June, the F-650 and F-750 were assembled at a Navistar plant in Mexico. Ford powertrain components include Power Stroke V-8 diesel and Triton gasoline V-10 with TorqShift 6-speed automatic transmission.
Photo: Tom Berg
F-750 tractor returns to the lineup with the 2016 models. But few are likely to be built like this demo, with its four-door Crewcab.
Photo: Tom Berg
From left, Joe Hinrichs, Ford president, The Americas; Tim Rowe, UAW chairman, Ohio Assembly Plant; Greg Drudi, UAW administrative assistant; and Gary Polakowski, plant manager.
Photo: Tom Berg
About 450 of the 1,400 workers at the plant are involved in F-650/750 production and additional hiring is expected late this year.
Photo: Tom Berg
Cabs and their interiors, with some freshening, are carried over from the previous models.
Photo: Tom Berg