Ford markets a Black diamond:

[Valhalla]

A group of us will be headed to a popular off highway park soon. I was just thinking before I head out to work today that the trail rating system must not have computed to Ford. Ford markets a Black Diamond Bronco. Black Diamond ( or difficult trails ) are describe by ONX as " Expected Terrain: Off-camber trail with deep holes and large rocks that may exceed axle height. Expect erosion, loose rocks, tree roots, sand, washes, shelves, and deep mud holes. Obstacles and ledges up to 5 feet. Near-vertical grades 8-10 feet tall. Potential for water crossings with strong currents. Exercise caution: vehicle damages are possible. ". These are 7 on the scale of 10. I believe that a stock Black Diamond would not be able to navigate these trails without breaking. I am going by my experience in the SE United States. I know that this will cause some intense debate. i would like you guys thoughts. This of course is all opinion. So please keep it civil. I will post a windrock video link below of what they consider Black diamond. They use the Easy, moderate, Black diamond, and double Diamond ratings. I'd say in my opinion the Raptor is the only one stock that is equipped for a black diamond trail.

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[userdude]

I didn't interpret Black Diamond as the toughness of the terrain it can handle; I interpreted it as the snow season truck for sloshing around outside ski resorts.

Base: Scratch that just-the-facts-ma'am type
Big Bend: Lighter, perhaps goes farther (like the old Jeep Rio Grande), more work truck
Outer Banks: Visiting the crowded touristy areas and still looking spiffy
Badlands: Some rock crawling, tougher terrain but nothing crazy
WildTrak: A fast ride for gravel and light sand for those who got the cash

 

[Valhalla]

 

[Valhalla]

I didn't interpret Black Diamond as the toughness of the terrain it can handle; I interpreted it as the snow season truck for sloshing around outside ski resorts.

Base: Scratch that just-the-facts-ma'am type
Big Bend: Lighter, perhaps goes farther (like the old Jeep Rio Grande), more work truck
Outer Banks: Visiting the crowded touristy areas and still looking spiffy
Badlands: Some rock crawling, tougher terrain but nothing crazy
WildTrak: A fast ride for gravel and light sand for those who got the cash

I hear you as I said all opinion on this. I did take it to be marketed for these areas or terrains myself. Only four weren't places at first. I figured they'd stay with the four wheeling theme throughout.
This is Big bend ( scenic )

This is OBX ( more risque outdoors )

Badlands I mean it's in the name... rocks and stuff

 

[Wallyworld Ranger 269]

Just my .2 cents
Looking at badging……..
Base: self explanatory
Big Bend : jagged mountains : National park in Texas
Black Diamond : mountain peak : black diamond ski trails
Outer Banks : waves on sand : Outer Banks chain of islands on the North Carolina coast
Badlands : buttes and arroyos : Badlands of the Dakotas

But then again I’m hung the freak over so what do I know?

 

[Valhalla]

But then again I’m hung the freak over so what do I know?

Quit surfing and drink some water man!!

 

[ksdon]

Ford has used lots of names that seem more "out of the clear blue" than descriptive of the vehicles intended use. Ford Probe?? Galaxy??

 

[Valhalla]

True, this however is from Ford media: topping out with Wildtrak™ and Badlands for more extreme off-road adventuring.
I know this is a stretch but Extreme are double diamond trails...
Here is that whole article.
https://media.ford.com/content/ford...two-door-and-first-ever-four-door-models.html

 

[userdude]

I know this is a stretch but Extreme are double diamond trails...

The problem is that's ski resort nomenclature. I know several off road parks that don't use that at all and have very difficult terrain. It's borrowed. I've also seen Ford marketing that showed a Black Diamond with skiing equipment and a mountain in the background, which is where I got the idea in the first place.

We're all entitled to our own interpretation, as you state of course. But I wouldn't hold that against the BD or any of the rest of the models. They are what they are, starting or ending points. I'm just glad they brought the Bronco back! lol

 

[Valhalla]

I know in olden times, A CJ5 with a rear locker 4" of lift 35's and a winch could do most Black diamond trails. I wheel a Badlands 2 door with 37's and front and rear winches. I can do some black diamond trails.

I digress as this is about the marketing of them.

 

[HotdogThud]

I mean, it's marketing.

Marketing people are the same ones that put 'TRAIL RATED' on all things Jeep. Everything from the Rubicon to one of those dinky Compass things has one. Pretty sure they even put them on the accessories.

"yeah, my backpack is Trail Rated. it's pretty sweet."

 

[Area51BS]

I didn't interpret Black Diamond as the toughness of the terrain it can handle; I interpreted it as the snow season truck for sloshing around outside ski resorts.

Base: Scratch that just-the-facts-ma'am type
Big Bend: Lighter, perhaps goes farther (like the old Jeep Rio Grande), more work truck
Outer Banks: Visiting the crowded touristy areas and still looking spiffy
Badlands: Some rock crawling, tougher terrain but nothing crazy
WildTrak: A fast ride for gravel and light sand for those who got the cash

Perfect!
Anything tougher needed. Build it.

 

[Valhalla]

Disney’s role in ski trail signs
Strangely enough, the Disney Company played a key role in the design of ski trail signs. In the 1960s, the company had plans to develop a Mineral King, a glacial valley in California’s Sequoia National Park, into a ski resort. Thankfully, the nascent environmental movement prevented the project from turning a national park into a theme park, but the company had already figured out its trail signage. As John Fry and Bob Cram recount in a piece for skiinghistory.org:

The company had even tested skier’s reactions to different geometric figures, concluding, for example, that the symbol for easy terrain should be a circle, perceived as soft; its color should be green, perceived as mellow.

 

[userdude]

I know in olden times, A CJ5 with a rear locker 4" of lift 35's and a winch could do most Black diamond trails. I wheel a Badlands 2 door with 37's and front and rear winches. I can do some black diamond trails.

This is interesting, though. 5-6 years ago when I was thinking about getting into off roading, a 32-33" was a big tire on a Jeep! I was like, wow, 35's would be huge. Now, not so much 40's people don't even blink an eye.

What I keep hearing on podcasts (Big Rich and Snail Trail 4x4) and some on here is that the bigger tires are changing the nature of the trails, so you need bigger tires to keep up. 40's break down the trails in a way that for some trails, makes you need bigger tires.

So I wonder to some degree if the growth of the desired size of tire is making off roading in the Sierra's, for instance, harder, while opening up some trails that weren't desirable with 33's but can be done with 37's. And y'know, the limitations of IFS for hardcore rock crawling squeezing that one percent for the straight axle folk.

 

[dgorsett]

This is interesting, though. 5-6 years ago when I was thinking about getting into off roading, a 32-33" was a big tire on a Jeep! I was like, wow, 35's would be huge. Now, not so much 40's people don't even blink an eye.

What I keep hearing on podcasts (Big Rich and Snail Trail 4x4) and some on here is that the bigger tires are changing the nature of the trails, so you need bigger tires to keep up. 40's break down the trails in a way that for some trails, makes you need bigger tires.

So I wonder to some degree if the growth of the desired size of tire is making off roading in the Sierra's, for instance, harder, while opening up some trails that weren't desirable with 33's but can be done with 37's. And y'know, the limitations of IFS for hardcore rock crawling squeezing that one percent for the straight axle folk.

It wasn't too many years ago that any stock 4x4 with a low range could do any trail in SW Colorado (I used to run up Poughkeepsie with stock BII, Ranger or Explorer) and most in Moab (My BII went many places I didn't know I shouldn't go) if driven smartly. Whether it's bigger tires, UTVs, ATVs and Rock Buggies or folks obsessed with skinny pedal I don't know, but trails are torn up so much that unless your into challenge for challenge sake, a lot of the fun is gone.

Poughkeepsie above the falls, and that Commando was about worthless off road.

Prichett Canyon on P195/75x15s

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