hdrider_chgo

It seems Zepper has a similar issue with getting the doors open in tight spaces, and eresweber also had concerns about stuff projecting out the back. I'm not alone in these concerns, these are pretty basic day-to-day issues, which could readily be addressed by offering a modified rear door configuration. I think the TC would be a great vehicle for me if Ford would just think it through a little better. I like the F150 with a bed cap, but it's a gas guzzler. I get 14 mpg on the open highway, and probably about 8 mpg in typical Chicago driving. And I could use the additional cargo height of the TC. I thought this thread was about suggesting improvements, not taking the attitude that "well, if you don't like it, go buy something else".

Close, but on that configuration, you still need to swing open the doors. (Although it would be more workable than what they have now). I'm talking more about what I show in the attached pic. This is pretty basic stuff for any tradesman. If Ford never offered it on their vans in the past proves nothing. They should start listening to their customers. Maybe in suburbia, this isn't an issue, but I thought the TC is supposed to be geared to working in the city. And letting long stuff hang out the back is essential. The roof load limit is too light to put much up there, and you may already have that space taken up by a ladder. Putting material on the roof is a last resort anyway. It takes much longer to secure it safely. For a weekend warrior, that's fine, but when you are in business, time is money. Lifting stuff up there is another opportunity for employees to get injured, for stuff to slide off and cause damage. tailgate:hatch.tiff

That's crazy. Now how do you close the doors, repeat the process? And then when you come back out an hour later to get something, repeat it again? I agree there are workarounds like this. And of course I can leave something sticking out and do some kind of hillbilly thing with bungee cords. But you'd think Ford could design something that was actually usable out-of-the-box for tradesmen. Don't they talk to any real guys who actually use work vehicles? A tailgate/hatchback option would alleviate this. This really isn't rocket science.

I'm looking at the TC to replace my aging F-150 shortbed for my carpentry-related business. However one serious, serious problem with the TC design is the lack of a tailgate/hatchback option. I don't haul a lot of lumber or long stuff, but I do it often enough that I need to let it hang out the back. My F-150 I can just flop the tailgate down, and strap the material, easily hauling stuff up to 10' long. Or let it hang over the top of the tailgate with the hard tonneau cover (A.R.E. cover) strapped down. How am I going to accomplish this with the TC? On top of that, I work in tight urban areas. (That's what the TC is for, right?) Well, how come I never see any of the ad pictures for the TC parallel parked, with someone trying to get enough space behind it to swing open those doors? All I see is pictures of the TC parked in huge driveways in suburbia. Most of where I work, there are no driveways, you parallel park on the street. With my F-150, I can get in the back with virtually no clearance, by flipping the cover UP, rather than swinging it to the side. Other than that, this looks like the ideal vehicle for me. But this lack of tailgate/hatchback option seems like a deal breaker. How hard could it be to add that? I can't be the first one to bring this up, every carpenter I know would have the same issue.