MM Test-Drive: 2012 Ford F-150 XLT 4X4
03-03-12, 06:58 PM
#1
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
MM Test-Drive: 2012 Ford F-150 XLT 4X4
By request from Ford, a test-drive of the 2012 Ford F-150 4X4 XLT SuperCab
http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/trim/?trim=xlt
IN A NUTSHELL: Smoother-driving and more refined than I expected, but watch it on sharp curves.
CLOSEST COMPETITORS: Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Dodge Ram, Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan
Last month, at the D.C. Auto Show, the Ford and Lincoln displays were promoting test-drives by giving out forms, good for a $50 Mastercard for a dealer-verified test-drive on new 2012 or leftover 2011 models. So, since I'm not a member of the regular auto-press and generally don't get paid for my reviews, I said heck, why not, and signed-up. Not that I really needed the money (I generally make more than I need, even in my jobless retirement), but Ford has also been doing very well lately in the profit-department. I figured that if they can afford to give everybody $50 a pop to sample one of their new vehicles, I wouldn't just walk away from it. The only problem was......March 31 was the test-drive deadline, and I have a CL review-request for the all-new 2013 Ford Escape, which probably won't be released in the U.S. market until after that. So, the option of using it for a new Escape review was pretty-much out. Except for the new Escape, I didn't have any current CL or non-CL requests for any other Ford/Lincoln reviews, so I wondered what I'd do for the $50 test-drive. I had already reviewed or test-driven most of the other current-generation Ford products. Then, I figured......why not the latest F-150? Even without spoecific review-requests, the F-150 has enormous popularity in the full-size truck market, and had led truck-sales across the board for over thirty years. Each year, no matter how expensive gas gets (and these trucks DO use some gas), hundereds of thousands of buyers drive their new F-150s home. Like it or not, it has become a American institution. I had done a previous review, a couple of years ago (per CL-request), on an F-150 Raptor, but that is a low-volume niche-truck designed primarily for extreme and brutual off-road-driving, not a typical everyday F-150 like the XLT. So, for the test-drive (and mini-review) I chose a mid-level XLT model with 4X4 for all-weather and off-road adaptability and the 6-speed automatic for convienience. It had the SuperCab configuration with smaller rear-hinged half-doors on each size and a reasonably-sized back seat. It had the cloth bucket-seat option, a large table-like flip-up compartment in the middle where a console would have gone, and a traditional steering-column shift-lever for the automatic. Ingress/egress, on this tall vehicle, was helped by a nice set of chrome and black step-bars (running-boards) on each side....I generally didn't need them, but shorter persons might.
Prices on F-150s, of course, vary enormously, and can run from the low 20s for base manual-transmission 2WD models to 50K and even 60K or more for loaded Lariat and King-Ranch models. My Adobe-Beige XLT 4X4 automatic Supercab, with an optional 5.0L V8, started at 33K and listed at slightly over 36K......and you got a lot of truck for that money. Since this is a general test-drive, rather than a full-review, I'm just going to give a few brief comments on each category and concentrate on the driving-experience and road-manners, instead of the usual long write-up. I'll also forego the usual long list of Plusses and Minuses.
MODEL TEST-DRIVEN: 2012 Ford F-150 XLT 4X4 SuperCab 6-Speed Automatic
BASE PRICE: $33,700
OPTIONS:
5.0L V8: $1000
Chrome Step-Bar: $635
Cloth Bucket Seats/Console: $300
DESTINATION/FREIGHT: $995 (more than average, but this is a large, heavy vehicle)
LIST PRICE AS DRIVEN: $36,630
DRIVETRAIN: Electronically-controlled 2WD/4WD/4WD-Low, Longitudinally-mounted 5.0L V8, 360 HP @ 5500 RPM, Torque 380 Ft-lbs. @ 4250 RPM, 6-speed automatic transmission with Tow/Haul mode.
EPA MILEAGE RATING: 14 City / 19 Highway (Don't cringe....this is typical for V8 full-size trucks)
EXTERIOR COLOR: Pale Adobe Metallic
INTERIOR: Adobe Cloth
EXTERIOR:
Pretty much the same way it has been for several years now, though Ford paint jobs seem to be getting better. Generally good sheet-metal and hardware, though some of the trim was a little thin and lightweight. One annoying feature outside that Ford has not (yet) dealt with is the non-locking gas-filler-door, which is an invitation to gas-poachers (just watch what happens if gas gets to $5 a gallon). The capless refuelling-system, though, is a convienience. The paint-job was pretty good, though not quite to Toyota/Lexus/Audi standards. My truck had spray-on-bedliner in the bed (not on the sides) but it was unclear if it was done at the factory or at the dealership. Tires were nice white raised-letter Michelin A/T (All-Terrain) 70-series, which helped the ride somewhat...more on that later.
UNDERHOOD:
A fairly heavy steel hood, as one would expect on a full-size truck, but at least it had struts to hold it up instead of a prop-rod.....and, IMO, it felt easier to lift than the one I tried a few days ago on the much-smaller Toyota RAV-4. Underhood, the enormous engine compartment had plenty of room for the 5.0L V8 and all of its components with room to spare...but, of course, leaning up and over the tall fenders and grille to get at things could be a
chore.
INTERIOR:
Overall, one of the F-150's better features. Plenty of headroom, both front and rear, for tall persons. Good legroom up front, OK in the rear even for tall persons (yes, this is a big truck). Nice, fairly-comfortable front-seats. Good stereo sound. Clear readible primary-gauges. Complete but small set of secondary-gauges and no idiot-lights. Fairly intuitive, easy-to-use controls/*****/buttons. Generally good workmanship and fit/finish (but base F-150s
are much cruder inside).
CARGO BED/TAILGATE:
Generally durable-feeling and well-done, with more-solid-feeling sheet metal than on Toyota/Nissan full-size pickups. Generally easy-to-use tailgate.
ON THE ROAD:
The engine starts with conventional ignition key/side-column-switch, and comes to life smoothly and quietly. I was surprised at this truck's refinement..........even without a major redesign, Ford must have made attempts on it in the last couple of years to compete better with the new Dodge Ram's refinement, which, in several ways, is at or near luxury-car-levels. The 5.0L V8 and automatic won't win drag-races, but, unloaded, there is easily enough torque for everyday driving (I didn't test it fully-loaded). The engine and transmission, on the road, are surprisingly smooth and quiet....not just at idle. On acceleration, a small amount of exhaust-noise can be detected, but it is very well-muted. Wind-noise is also very well-muted, and (surprisingly, with the exposed truck-bed in back and the knobbly all-terrain tires), road-noise is also quite-well-muted. This truck was definitely quieter than I expected.
And it also rode smoother than I expected....much smoother than the F-150 Raptor I remember driving a couple of years ago. Despite the stiffish truck-suspension, the long wheelbase and tall-profile 7-series tires helped cushion a lot of road-impacts, though there was a small amount of the typical fore-aft pitching often found on trucks and SUVs. Even the pitching, though, was almost unnoticeable...certainly not like on older trucks. Steering response itself was quite good for a full-size truck, but the 4X4's tall stance and high-center-of-gravity required from the ground-clearance and 4WD hardware underneath exposed the truck's one main handling fault.....copius body-roll. Sharp curves and steering-input made it roll like Humpty-Dumpty sitting on the wall.....perhaps contributed to by the concessions (seemingly) made for ride-comfort. The nose, like on the larger but now-discontinued Ford Excursion, would bob up and down slightly when coming to a stop.....but its overall driving-manners are still light-years ahead of the Excursion, which was one of the poorest-handling and poorest-driving vehicles I've ever sampled. The Excursion was like a boat in stormy-waters. The XLT's brakes had a nice firm-feeling pedal on initial push, but then a slight amount of sponginess. Of course, the brakes had a lot of weight to stop. The brake pedal was located fairly well, but still allowed a small hang-up by my big size-15 clod-hopper shoe on the edge of the pedal when lifting it off the gas.
THE VERDICT:
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. The new Dodge Ram, when I reviwed it last year, truly impressed me with its excellent suspension/chassis, ride-comfort, and fit/finish. But the F-150 XLT, for 2012, and the latest improvements it brought without a total redesign, impressed me almost as much. It will be interesting to see what Ford engineers come up with on the F-150's next total-redesign.
As always......Happy Car (Oops, Truck)-Shopping.
MM
http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/trim/?trim=xlt
IN A NUTSHELL: Smoother-driving and more refined than I expected, but watch it on sharp curves.
CLOSEST COMPETITORS: Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Dodge Ram, Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan
Last month, at the D.C. Auto Show, the Ford and Lincoln displays were promoting test-drives by giving out forms, good for a $50 Mastercard for a dealer-verified test-drive on new 2012 or leftover 2011 models. So, since I'm not a member of the regular auto-press and generally don't get paid for my reviews, I said heck, why not, and signed-up. Not that I really needed the money (I generally make more than I need, even in my jobless retirement), but Ford has also been doing very well lately in the profit-department. I figured that if they can afford to give everybody $50 a pop to sample one of their new vehicles, I wouldn't just walk away from it. The only problem was......March 31 was the test-drive deadline, and I have a CL review-request for the all-new 2013 Ford Escape, which probably won't be released in the U.S. market until after that. So, the option of using it for a new Escape review was pretty-much out. Except for the new Escape, I didn't have any current CL or non-CL requests for any other Ford/Lincoln reviews, so I wondered what I'd do for the $50 test-drive. I had already reviewed or test-driven most of the other current-generation Ford products. Then, I figured......why not the latest F-150? Even without spoecific review-requests, the F-150 has enormous popularity in the full-size truck market, and had led truck-sales across the board for over thirty years. Each year, no matter how expensive gas gets (and these trucks DO use some gas), hundereds of thousands of buyers drive their new F-150s home. Like it or not, it has become a American institution. I had done a previous review, a couple of years ago (per CL-request), on an F-150 Raptor, but that is a low-volume niche-truck designed primarily for extreme and brutual off-road-driving, not a typical everyday F-150 like the XLT. So, for the test-drive (and mini-review) I chose a mid-level XLT model with 4X4 for all-weather and off-road adaptability and the 6-speed automatic for convienience. It had the SuperCab configuration with smaller rear-hinged half-doors on each size and a reasonably-sized back seat. It had the cloth bucket-seat option, a large table-like flip-up compartment in the middle where a console would have gone, and a traditional steering-column shift-lever for the automatic. Ingress/egress, on this tall vehicle, was helped by a nice set of chrome and black step-bars (running-boards) on each side....I generally didn't need them, but shorter persons might.
Prices on F-150s, of course, vary enormously, and can run from the low 20s for base manual-transmission 2WD models to 50K and even 60K or more for loaded Lariat and King-Ranch models. My Adobe-Beige XLT 4X4 automatic Supercab, with an optional 5.0L V8, started at 33K and listed at slightly over 36K......and you got a lot of truck for that money. Since this is a general test-drive, rather than a full-review, I'm just going to give a few brief comments on each category and concentrate on the driving-experience and road-manners, instead of the usual long write-up. I'll also forego the usual long list of Plusses and Minuses.
MODEL TEST-DRIVEN: 2012 Ford F-150 XLT 4X4 SuperCab 6-Speed Automatic
BASE PRICE: $33,700
OPTIONS:
5.0L V8: $1000
Chrome Step-Bar: $635
Cloth Bucket Seats/Console: $300
DESTINATION/FREIGHT: $995 (more than average, but this is a large, heavy vehicle)
LIST PRICE AS DRIVEN: $36,630
DRIVETRAIN: Electronically-controlled 2WD/4WD/4WD-Low, Longitudinally-mounted 5.0L V8, 360 HP @ 5500 RPM, Torque 380 Ft-lbs. @ 4250 RPM, 6-speed automatic transmission with Tow/Haul mode.
EPA MILEAGE RATING: 14 City / 19 Highway (Don't cringe....this is typical for V8 full-size trucks)
EXTERIOR COLOR: Pale Adobe Metallic
INTERIOR: Adobe Cloth
EXTERIOR:
Pretty much the same way it has been for several years now, though Ford paint jobs seem to be getting better. Generally good sheet-metal and hardware, though some of the trim was a little thin and lightweight. One annoying feature outside that Ford has not (yet) dealt with is the non-locking gas-filler-door, which is an invitation to gas-poachers (just watch what happens if gas gets to $5 a gallon). The capless refuelling-system, though, is a convienience. The paint-job was pretty good, though not quite to Toyota/Lexus/Audi standards. My truck had spray-on-bedliner in the bed (not on the sides) but it was unclear if it was done at the factory or at the dealership. Tires were nice white raised-letter Michelin A/T (All-Terrain) 70-series, which helped the ride somewhat...more on that later.
UNDERHOOD:
A fairly heavy steel hood, as one would expect on a full-size truck, but at least it had struts to hold it up instead of a prop-rod.....and, IMO, it felt easier to lift than the one I tried a few days ago on the much-smaller Toyota RAV-4. Underhood, the enormous engine compartment had plenty of room for the 5.0L V8 and all of its components with room to spare...but, of course, leaning up and over the tall fenders and grille to get at things could be a
chore.
INTERIOR:
Overall, one of the F-150's better features. Plenty of headroom, both front and rear, for tall persons. Good legroom up front, OK in the rear even for tall persons (yes, this is a big truck). Nice, fairly-comfortable front-seats. Good stereo sound. Clear readible primary-gauges. Complete but small set of secondary-gauges and no idiot-lights. Fairly intuitive, easy-to-use controls/*****/buttons. Generally good workmanship and fit/finish (but base F-150s
are much cruder inside).
CARGO BED/TAILGATE:
Generally durable-feeling and well-done, with more-solid-feeling sheet metal than on Toyota/Nissan full-size pickups. Generally easy-to-use tailgate.
ON THE ROAD:
The engine starts with conventional ignition key/side-column-switch, and comes to life smoothly and quietly. I was surprised at this truck's refinement..........even without a major redesign, Ford must have made attempts on it in the last couple of years to compete better with the new Dodge Ram's refinement, which, in several ways, is at or near luxury-car-levels. The 5.0L V8 and automatic won't win drag-races, but, unloaded, there is easily enough torque for everyday driving (I didn't test it fully-loaded). The engine and transmission, on the road, are surprisingly smooth and quiet....not just at idle. On acceleration, a small amount of exhaust-noise can be detected, but it is very well-muted. Wind-noise is also very well-muted, and (surprisingly, with the exposed truck-bed in back and the knobbly all-terrain tires), road-noise is also quite-well-muted. This truck was definitely quieter than I expected.
And it also rode smoother than I expected....much smoother than the F-150 Raptor I remember driving a couple of years ago. Despite the stiffish truck-suspension, the long wheelbase and tall-profile 7-series tires helped cushion a lot of road-impacts, though there was a small amount of the typical fore-aft pitching often found on trucks and SUVs. Even the pitching, though, was almost unnoticeable...certainly not like on older trucks. Steering response itself was quite good for a full-size truck, but the 4X4's tall stance and high-center-of-gravity required from the ground-clearance and 4WD hardware underneath exposed the truck's one main handling fault.....copius body-roll. Sharp curves and steering-input made it roll like Humpty-Dumpty sitting on the wall.....perhaps contributed to by the concessions (seemingly) made for ride-comfort. The nose, like on the larger but now-discontinued Ford Excursion, would bob up and down slightly when coming to a stop.....but its overall driving-manners are still light-years ahead of the Excursion, which was one of the poorest-handling and poorest-driving vehicles I've ever sampled. The Excursion was like a boat in stormy-waters. The XLT's brakes had a nice firm-feeling pedal on initial push, but then a slight amount of sponginess. Of course, the brakes had a lot of weight to stop. The brake pedal was located fairly well, but still allowed a small hang-up by my big size-15 clod-hopper shoe on the edge of the pedal when lifting it off the gas.
THE VERDICT:
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. The new Dodge Ram, when I reviwed it last year, truly impressed me with its excellent suspension/chassis, ride-comfort, and fit/finish. But the F-150 XLT, for 2012, and the latest improvements it brought without a total redesign, impressed me almost as much. It will be interesting to see what Ford engineers come up with on the F-150's next total-redesign.
As always......Happy Car (Oops, Truck)-Shopping.
MM
Last edited by mmarshall; 03-03-12 at 07:10 PM.
03-03-12, 08:17 PM
#2
Nice review Mike! It's no secret I'm a Ford guy, that said I love most everything about this truck except its exterior design. Personally for me the most handsome looking F-150 was the 2004-08' Lariat trim. If I could get the modern powertrains found in the current F-150 in that generation I'd be in heaven hah!! Very curious about the next generation due to the rumormills floating around regarding weight loss 400-700lbs.
03-03-12, 08:27 PM
#3
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
there's a good reason it's the best selling vehicle of any kind in america.
03-03-12, 08:30 PM
#4
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Thanks. 
Really wasn't much of a write-up, though, compared to my full-reviews.
The King-Ranch and Harley-Davidson F-150s too flashy and ostentatious-looking for you?
I'd bet that a significant part of that weight loss is going to be from smaller, turbo-EcoBoost engines. Like it or not, the Obama Administration and Congress are forcing trucks to have the same safety/mileage/emission standards, in the future, as cars now do.
Really wasn't much of a write-up, though, compared to my full-reviews.
It's no secret I'm a Ford guy, that said I love most everything about this truck except its exterior design. Personally for me the most handsome looking F-150 was the 2004-08' Lariat trim.
If I could get the modern powertrains found in the current F-150 in that generation I'd be in heaven hah!! Very curious about the next generation due to the rumormills floating around regarding weight loss 400-700lbs.
03-03-12, 08:42 PM
#5
Thanks. Really wasn't much of a write-up, though, compared to my full-reviews.
The King-Ranch and Harley-Davidson F-150s too flashy and ostentatious-looking for you?
I'd bet that a significant part of that weight loss is going to be from smaller, turbo-EcoBoost engines. Like it or not, the Obama Administration and Congress are forcing trucks to have the same safety/mileage/emission standards, in the future, as cars now do.
Really wasn't much of a write-up, though, compared to my full-reviews. The King-Ranch and Harley-Davidson F-150s too flashy and ostentatious-looking for you?
I'd bet that a significant part of that weight loss is going to be from smaller, turbo-EcoBoost engines. Like it or not, the Obama Administration and Congress are forcing trucks to have the same safety/mileage/emission standards, in the future, as cars now do.
Probably, though I see lighter and strong materials used on the chassis as equally part of raising fuel economy without sacrificing payload, towing, safety etc.. If any of the current 4 engines were to go first it'd be the 6.2L V8. I'd have no problem with a supercharged 5.0L as the new top engine hah
on another note I wish the engine bay was a bit more cleaner looking (wire tucks etc..) doesn't necessarily need engine covers just a cleaner layout. Looks like a mess
03-03-12, 10:10 PM
#6
I seriously considered a F150 King Ranch a few months ago before I bought my LX470. Overall, I felt the quality was less than desired and it was just too large for my needs.
Plusses:
- Both the 5.0L V8 and 3.5L Ecoboost V6 were great
- Beautiful and comfortable King Ranch leather
- Lots of interior room for passengers or, with the rear seat folded, cargo in the supercrew
- Front seat coolers that worked well
- Great freeway manners
Minuses:
- No full-time 4WD/AWD available
- Horrible seat fabric in the XLT and below trim levels. The seat fabric in the lower trim levels of the Tundra was far superior in quality and comfort
- Rough, ugly welds visible at the lower door edges
- Every F150 had something obviously wrong with it from the factory, e.g. rough shifting transmission, power mirrors that didn't unfold, grease on the rear seat leather, etc. The Tundras I looked at had no visible flaws.
- The 5' standard bed in the supercrew was too small for serious hauling and had no slick storage features like the Ridgeline trunk or Avalanche storage boxes.
- The truck was just too big to easily park in my garage or the parking garage at work.
If I hadn't happened upon the LX470 (thanks Carguy), I would have bought a Tundra Doublecab with a cloth interior.
Plusses:
- Both the 5.0L V8 and 3.5L Ecoboost V6 were great
- Beautiful and comfortable King Ranch leather
- Lots of interior room for passengers or, with the rear seat folded, cargo in the supercrew
- Front seat coolers that worked well
- Great freeway manners
Minuses:
- No full-time 4WD/AWD available
- Horrible seat fabric in the XLT and below trim levels. The seat fabric in the lower trim levels of the Tundra was far superior in quality and comfort
- Rough, ugly welds visible at the lower door edges
- Every F150 had something obviously wrong with it from the factory, e.g. rough shifting transmission, power mirrors that didn't unfold, grease on the rear seat leather, etc. The Tundras I looked at had no visible flaws.
- The 5' standard bed in the supercrew was too small for serious hauling and had no slick storage features like the Ridgeline trunk or Avalanche storage boxes.
- The truck was just too big to easily park in my garage or the parking garage at work.
If I hadn't happened upon the LX470 (thanks Carguy), I would have bought a Tundra Doublecab with a cloth interior.
03-03-12, 10:34 PM
#7
Lexus Test Driver
Great idea to review this see-it-everyday truck.
I agree with Hoovey. The best body was the last generation. It was a smooth and coherent design with blended features. The new model's details stand out on purpose which looks cheaper.
I agree with Hoovey. The best body was the last generation. It was a smooth and coherent design with blended features. The new model's details stand out on purpose which looks cheaper.
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03-04-12, 09:46 AM
#9
The nose, like on the larger but now-discontinued Ford Excursion, would bob up and down slightly when coming to a stop.....but its overall driving-manners are still light-years ahead of the Excursion, which was one of the poorest-handling and poorest-driving vehicles I've ever sampled
03-04-12, 10:01 AM
#10
Lexus Fanatic
03-04-12, 11:17 AM
#11
Lexus Test Driver
03-04-12, 12:35 PM
#12
Out of Warranty
What's with these heavyweight hoods, do the designers expect people to stand in the middle of them? Case in point, my son's old Dakota S 4WD - the hood must weigh well over fifty pounds and lifting it from its closed position that's well over waist high thanks to that high ground clearance to the full open position requires a full military press that would be impossible for smaller people thanks to no counterbalance springs. Then, once you get it there, you have to hold it one-handed while you fumble for the prop rod. If you're 5'8" or under, you're going to have to get help hoisting that thing into the treetops.
03-04-12, 01:39 PM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
In this class of vehicle, owners typically show even more loyalty than a politician does to his/her donors. That's been one of the reasons (but not the only one) why it has been so hard for the Japanese manufacturers to make serious inroads.
03-04-12, 02:00 PM
#14
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Thanks.
Yes, I know that the Excursion was based on the larger F-250/350 platform (I test-drove one a number of years ago, just out of curiosity, but didn't write it up). I was referring not to similiar platforms, but the tendency for the nose to bob up and down when coming to a stop. In the new F-150 (at least in the wheelbase/bed-length version I drove), there was a small amount of it, but nothing like the Excursion, which had the general road-manners of a steamship in a hurricane. The Excursion's 7000-lb+. weight, IMO, even unloaded, was simply too much for the suspension and steering gear......to the point that, under even some moderate driving conditions, I thought it was borderline dangerous. Consumer Reports, while not actually rating it Not Acceptable, also severely criticized its steering/handling/braking as well. It didn't last very long in the marketplace, either, like the much-better-handling Chevy Suburban it competed against.
I saw very little of that with the 2012 F-150 version I drove. The nose-bobbing was there, but much more controlled than on the Excursion. Aside from that, and some marked body-roll on cornering from the high center-of-gravity, there was, IMO, little to criticize on the road by full-size-truck standards. But, of course, the F-150 still is no sports car...nor was it meant to be.
but what is with the reference to the Ford Excursion, the Excursion was based on the Ford F250
I saw very little of that with the 2012 F-150 version I drove. The nose-bobbing was there, but much more controlled than on the Excursion. Aside from that, and some marked body-roll on cornering from the high center-of-gravity, there was, IMO, little to criticize on the road by full-size-truck standards. But, of course, the F-150 still is no sports car...nor was it meant to be.
Last edited by mmarshall; 03-04-12 at 02:09 PM.
03-04-12, 02:17 PM
#15
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
What's with these heavyweight hoods, do the designers expect people to stand in the middle of them? Case in point, my son's old Dakota S 4WD - the hood must weigh well over fifty pounds and lifting it from its closed position that's well over waist high thanks to that high ground clearance to the full open position requires a full military press that would be impossible for smaller people thanks to no counterbalance springs. Then, once you get it there, you have to hold it one-handed while you fumble for the prop rod. If you're 5'8" or under, you're going to have to get help hoisting that thing into the treetops.
This is (probably) one of the reasons why the Roadside Assistance programs, today, are so popular.