When a certain world-famous parade—that doesn’t like folks to mention its name without paying for the honor—hits the streets next month in Pasadena, Calif., it’s expected to boast the world’s longest and heaviest float ever—as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. But while hauling a 116-foot-long parade float weighing 50 tons sounds like it might be a challenge, the outlook will be quite rosy with Ford’s all-new 6.8-liter V10 engine doing the heavy lifting.
The gasoline-powered engine is the same mighty mill that can motivate the 2012 Ford F-650 medium-duty truck, in which it will be deployed as a class-exclusive, high-value option to the diesel units more typically found in these types of rigs. In fact, customers will be able to save an average of $8,300 when purchasing a gas-powered F-650 as compared to the diesel model. The same engine also is available in current F-Series SuperDuty chassis cabs and E-Series van, and it’s mated to a high-efficiency six-speed automatic transmission in all applications.
As for the float, it will be the latest spectacular creation for Natural Balance Pet Foods. This year’s version will showcase the talents of Tillman the Surfing Dog (and friends) by featuring “the world’s first rolling white-water surfing machine”—the canine crew will literally surf in some 6,600 gallons of water as the float uses Ford power to travel the parade route.
“Trying to set the Guinness record for the World’s longest and heaviest float is no small engineering feet. That’s why I was so happy that Ford is providing the engine and transmission to make sure our over 100,000-pound float will be okay as it rolls down the street for this year’s parade,” said Joey Herrick, president, Natural Balance Pet Foods.
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