The Impact of the Utility Truck on Commercial Vehicles

Does your current job require that you travel from one location or jobsite to another with all kinds of equipment to perform your services? If so, having an organized system by which you can securely store your tools in your vehicle without constantly digging around for them or fearing that something gets lost is of the utmost importance. Thankfully, there is a specific type of vehicle that was designed specifically to solve these problems, the utility truck.

The origins of the utility truck come from the Australian State of Victoria in the 1930’s. Allegedly, a farmer’s wife wrote to the Ford manufacturing plant and inquired as to why the company had not invented a vehicle that could simultaneously be used to haul the family to church on Sunday, while transporting the pigs to market on Monday. Part of her inspiration had to do with the fact that at that time, the Australian banks would provide loans for farming vehicles, but not passenger vehicles. Thankfully the good people at Ford liked the idea, and the first Utility Truck was born.

Today you can find utility trucks for sale at new and used automobile dealerships throughout the United States and the entire world. Who uses these trucks today? All kinds of people use them. For example, if you worked as a cable installer burying fiber optic cables into the ground, you might need a truck with extra towing capacity to lug around your heavy machinery, as well as storage space for all of your cable. Voila – the utility truck solves both of these needs.

Alternatively, a plumber typically has to carry all kinds of equipment, whether it is wrenches, elbow joints, piping, a plumbing ‘snake’, and other tools. Specially designed utility trucks come with lockable storage containers mounted onto the sides of the vehicle that are perfect for storing all of this various equipment. Today the utility truck has expanded from the original Aussie ‘Ute’ to take on many forms. It is the prototype for the modern parcel van, single or dual rear wheel utility truck, contractor flatbed, service truck, and a whole host of other vehicles that are used for commercial use today.

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The end of Hummer

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As reported in The Times, the attempt by General Motors to flog its ailing Hummer brand to the Chinese has failed.



Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery, with no experience of vehicle manufacture, had agreed to buy Hummer for $150 million. However, the deal needed approval from the Chinese government. They, in the end, weren’t too keen because it didn’t fit in with their nascent green policies.

The chance of finding another buyer appears slim. Of course this is awful news for those working for Hummer and its dealers, but the unfortunate reality is that it’s the free market at work.



Economic meltdown and rising fuel costs have severely affected many people’s wish to buy an SUV. The current need for SUV drivers to withstand the withering looks and snide comments, freely offered by those of an environmentalist bent, hasn’t helped either.

Hummer was hit especially badly, and sales in 2009 fell a massive 67% to around 9,000 units. Its products had become largely irrelevant. Hardly anyone needed the range’s off road ability, and one of the few unconvincing concessions to improved fuel consumption was the availability of a 3.7 litre five cylinder engine for the H3 (instead of the usual 5.3 litre V8). Petrol-powered, of course - no diesels here.



The vehicle that started it all, the military-spec Humvee, is unaffected by the demise of Hummer and will continue to be built by AM General.

Hummer H3 and H3T became ecologically-pure

Company Hummer has informed, that off-road car H3 and pickup H3T 2010 have received besides three new variants of colouring of a body — silvery, grey and red "metallics" — the modernised engine on more harmless fuel.

Eco off-road H3

5,3-l V8 can work both on usual gasoline, and on bioethanol E85 or any combination of these kinds of fuel. Power of the engine: 300HP.

The prices on H3 2010 m. of in the USA will begin from $33,390. Pickup H3T in a base complete set begins to be on sale for $30,915. In the dealer centres cars will appear in December, 2009.

Legendary HUMMER H2

Supercharged Hummer H3 V8 by Geiger

Someone should tell the good folks over at Geiger that gluttonous, V8 powered SUVs are no longer cool. You know, given the worldwide economic crisis and global warming, excess is out and restraint is in.

But why not fly in the face of all that and have some fun with a Hummer? It's only a baby Hummer, after all.

So let's have a look-see at what German tuner Geiger has cooking for the Hummer H3.

Well, they've taken the stock 5.3 liter V8 and slapped a supercharger on it to squeeze some more life out of the thing - a lot more. What you get is the H3 V8 Kompressor, with Geiger taking the 5.3 liter V8's standard 300 hp and 320 lb-ft (434 Nm) of torque and cranking it up to a galloping 423 hp and 502 lb-ft (680 Nm) of pure power.

What that does is make this high center of gravity vehicle take a scary 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) run in 7 seconds with a top speed that has to be illegal somewhere for an SUV this size of 238 km/h (148mph).

On the optics side, the full body kit with carbon fiber trim on the inside are best described by the photos that follow.

And if the Hummer brand doesn't survive GM's current troubles, this H3 will look really retro out there on the road. Screaming 90s Detroit automotive narcissism. Ah, those were the days.

Hummer H2 Silver Ice Limited Edition

This year's round of updates to the Hummer H2 included an upgraded, redesigned interior, a more powerful 6.2 liter V8 and a new six-speed automatic transmission that, whether you approve of the H2 or not, did a decent job of updating the aging beast. All of that work under the skin was a bit subtle when viewed from the curb however, so Hummer is introducing another limited model to keep things interesting. The Hummer H2 "Silver Ice" limited edition will debut later this year.

Available on the H2 and H2 SUT models, the Silver Ice edition is distinguished by monochromatic metallic silver paint, Hummer's chrome kit and special 20-inch chrome wheels. Standard amenities include a reverse-assist camera, leather, a rear-seat DVD entertainment system, a sunroof and an upgraded BOSE 5.1 surround-sound audio.

The Silver Ice limited edition follows the 2007 Victory Red and 2006 Pacific Blue special-edition Hummers and suggests strongly that the tradition of yearly unique-color limited editions will continue.

2009 Hummer H3T

It is time to reveal the new pick truck, which will be presented to the public in the next Chicago Auto Show. It would take a little longer for us to have the official images, but the magazine Truck Trend broke the embargo date (February 1, 2008) in its last issue.

The Hummer H3T is build on the Chevrolet Colorado /H3 architecture. Although based on the SUV, the H3T’s wheelbase is 8,6 cm larger, reaching 3,41 m and allowing the presence of a pretty reasonable separate bed, with 1,5 m. The crew cab ca carry up to five passengers.

Engine options range from a Vortec 3.7L I-5 with dual overhead cams and variable valve timing that generates 245 bhp at 5,600 rpm and 328 Nm at 4,600 rpm, mated to a five-speed manual transmition or an optional four-speed automatic gearbox, to the Hummer H3 Alpha’s engine, a 5.3-liter small block V8 that delivers 304 bhp and 433 Nm. For this option, the four-speed automatic transmition is standard, as well as the towing capacity of 2,676 kg.

If the H3T owner wants to use it in difficult terrains, the off-road capabilities of the new Hummer pickup truck can be maximized with the Off-Road Adventure suspension package. Besides front and rear locking differentials, unique in the midsize pickup trucks segment, it also offers 33-inch tires, 4.03:1 low-range gearing in the transfer case and crawl ratios of 68.9 with the manual transmission or 56.2 with the automatic. The standard suspension package, the Z85 Heavy-Duty Handling and Trailering, uses 32-inch tires.

Hummer 2008

2008 Hummer H2 Victory Red Limited Edition Year2008 MakeHummer ModelH2 Victory Red Limited Edition Body StyleSUV Engine LocationFront Drive Type4WD Price$66,030.00 Introduced At2007 Chicago
Standard Transmission Gears4 TransmissionAutomatic
Hydra-Matic 4L65 Final Drive4.10:1
Dimensions Cargo Volume86.60 cu. ft. Fuel Capacity32.0 Gal Doors4 ExteriorLength203.501 in | 5168.9 mm. Width81.201 in | 2062.5 mm. Height79.201 in | 2011.7 mm. Wheelbase122.801 in | 3119.1 mm. Front Track69.401 in | 1762.8 mm. Rear Track69.401 in | 1762.8 mm. Ground Clearance10.001 in | 254 mm. InteriorFront Headroom40.501 in | 1028.7 mm. Rear Headroom39.701 in | 1008.4 mm. Front Legroom41.301 in | 1049 mm. Rear Legroom38.601 in | 980.5 mm. Front Hip Room63.81 in | 1620.8 mm. Rear Hip Room62.01 in | 1575.1 mm. Front Shoulder Room66.401 in | 1686.6 mm. Rear Shoulder Room66.301 in | 1684 mm.