Our friends over at TFLTruck experienced an unlikely event while testing towing and payload performance of a 2017 Ford F-250 Super Duty. It seems the plastic cooling fan disintegrated into several pieces, sending high-speed projectiles into the radiator and slicing off the main serpentine belt. And all this before arriving at TFLTruck’s famed “Ike Gauntlet” towing test up the steep, seven-percent grade near the Eisenhower tunnel on I-70 outside Denver, Colorado.

The Super Duty in question is a bare-bones regular cab in XL trim with RWD and the 6.2-liter gasoline V-8. In other words – a common work truck. What’s more, the 6.2-liter is a carry-over engine from the previous generation Super Duty. Only a new air intake and camshaft profile were added for 2017, helping bump power output to 385 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. F-250 models with the 6.2-liter also have the new TorqShift-G six-speed automatic transmission, though the transmission certainly had nothing to do with the cooling fan blowing up.

Granted, the F-250’s V-8 was working hard. The truck was hauling a 2,500-pound water tote in its eight-foot bed while towing an 11,900-pound trailer loaded with a 2012 Ford F-250 Super Duty Crew Cab. Combined with the 2017 truck’s curb weight, the GCWR sat around 19,500 pounds – right at the limit for this F-250. The cooling system was undoubtedly under stress. Still, the truck wasn’t overloaded; TFLTruck is known for being thorough and fair with evaluations. The heavy weight doesn’t excuse what happened. It will be interesting to see what Ford tells TFLTruck and how the issue is resolved. Luckily, we’ll get that update in TFLTruck of this video review.

So, what do you think? Does this add fuel to the age-old battle between Ford, GM, and Ram? Let us know in the comments below.

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Part 2