How Ford built and tested a Ranger Super Duty fire truck to keep a promise

For land managers, forestry crews and rural firefighters, payload isn’t just a number on a spreadsheet - it’s the line between having the right gear and making impossible compromises. To help solve this, Ford engineers developed a Ranger Super Duty¹ with the capacity to carry a custom configuration carrying a 1,000-litre water tank - a benchmark for extreme weight management.

The mission began not in a design studio but out in the field, listening to the stories of the people who depend on their trucks in remote terrain.

"We heard about the impossible choices they were forced to make."

said Jeremy Welch, a strategic projects manager at Ford Australia.

"They needed to carry heavy, specialized equipment, but were often limited by payload. It was a problem we knew we had to solve."

That feedback became a clear and ambitious target. Drew O’Shannassay, program manager for the Ranger Super Duty, set the goal: the ability to carry 1,000 litres of water with enough payload capacity² left over for pumps, hoses and all the gear a crew needs on the front line.

Forging a stronger backbone

To handle such immense loads, the team forged a new backbone for the Ranger. While the chassis shares its dimensions with the standard model, the steel itself is thicker and heavily reinforced. Every body and suspension mount was made larger and stronger. The team fortified the axles, fitted eight-bolt wheel hubs, and installed the toughest rear differential ever used on a Ranger.

"You don't just show up to a powerlifting competition without doing the work," O’Shannassy said. "This Ranger has done the work."

Intelligence meets strength

For teams operating in remote areas, overloading isn’t just a compliance issue; it’s a safety risk. To remove the guesswork, engineers integrated Ford’s Onboard Scales³. Using sensors that measure the suspension’s compression, Ford’s Onboard Scales³ provides a live estimate of the payload on the SYNC® screen.

"But a simple scale wasn't enough," O’Shannassy explains. "It’s a complete payload management system. We knew crews would add bull bars, winches and passengers. The system allows you to account for all of it to get your remaining payload. There’s less guesswork. More confidence."

Tested to the Limit

After months of relentless digital and physical testing at Ford’s You Yangs Proving Ground, near Geelong, Australia - including weeks on the infamous "Corrugation Lane" to simulate years of abuse⁴.

"We had pushed the truck to its limits with concrete blocks, but you can't truly understand someone’s mission until you walk a mile in their boots," said Abdool Beebeejaun, a senior engineer in Special Vehicle Engineering.

"So, we built the truck they told us they needed."

said Abdool Beebeejaun, a senior engineer in Special Vehicle Engineering.

"We created a light-attack fire truck prototype with a custom-built 1000-litre slip on. With two crew and the tank filled with water, it weighed in at approximately 4,400 kilograms⁵."

Then, this prototype and others were driven to Queensland and driven side-by-side with the fleets who had originally challenged Ford’s engineers: specialist crews who need to haul heavy equipment into Australia’s tough and remote environments.

"The truck was driven on tracks the teams hadn’t previously been able to reach," Beebeejaun said. "We watched as, in one test⁶, they deliberately bogged the trucks down to their axles and then dead-pulled them to assess the winch and recovery points. These trucks, loaded to near their 4,500 kilograms Gross Vehicle Mass⁷, were pushed to the limit."

This wasn't just about validating a payload number². It was about fulfilling a promise - knowing that when the call comes, the men and women doing the toughest jobs have a vehicle¹ that can do its job, so they can do theirs. Without compromise.