[Bill Fuhs]

Two years ago I put a deposit down on a 22 Lightening Pro. My idea was to pair it with a industrial saw mill, and make a killing----and have a lot of fun----- in the forest. The 36 inch Norwood sawmill is together, on a trailer with a 10 hp motor.
Everyone on this site, and the dealer, say that a reservation, is kinda a wishy washy thing that they may do. Right now, they don't want to do it, but maybe later. Such crap! If someone on this site can help me force Ford to honor their written promise, I will be a lumberman. If not, make me an offer on a fantastic new sawmill.

 

[KElkhorn]

Just get a powerboost with pro power, should work fine until you are able to order.

 

[Voltz]

Two years ago I put a deposit down on a 22 Lightening Pro.

The truck was revealed less than two years ago (5/19/21) and orders were not accepted until early 2022, first deliveries about 10 months ago. If you paid a $100 reservation fee May-December of 2021, it wasn't a deposit, it's a refundable payment to establish place in a queue that eventually leads to ordering. So far, Ford hasn't produced anough trucks to get through the first few of days of reservations. The reservation agreement boilerplate legal terms are available in your online account.

 

[Bill Fuhs]

Thank you both. My reservation date was 7/4/2021. Are you saying if I wait long enough, I will get my truck at the agreed upon price? And if I put a power boost pro in my garage now, I could at least use my truck in there?
Thanks for the help!

 

[KElkhorn]

Thank you both. My reservation date was 7/4/2021. Are you saying if I wait long enough, I will get my truck at the agreed upon price? And if I put a power boost pro in my garage now, I could at least use my truck in there?
Thanks for the help!

You never agreed to a price, you paid $100 to get a spot in line to order when your turn comes.

 

[Voltz]

My reservation date was 7/4/2021. Are you saying if I wait long enough, I will get my truck at the agreed upon price?

I said that they have not built enough trucks to fulfill the $100 reservation holders who want to convert their reservation into an order. I also said that you might want to read what you and the dealer agreed to when you let the dealer hold your refundable $100 reservation fee. The dealer determines pricing.

Another thing you may want to investigate to avoid further disappointment is the power needs of your Norwood. By definition, that 10 hp electric motor should need about 7.5 kW. That exceeds the truck's 240V output. It might work, but the PPO protective devices are pretty sensitive. What kind of circuit does Norwood recommend?

 

[Bill Fuhs]

Mr. Voltz, from your question, and your handle, I'm going to admit you know a lot more about this than me. Unfortunately I know zip about the power needs. I have a Techtop 10 hp motor, I think out of England. It obviously can be wired in many different configurations. My solar guy is a wizard though, and if you could tell me the power requirements of the Power Wall, he could match it, or at least tell me how else to solve my power needs.
Am I foolish to wait for a Pro? My dealer did find a sligthtly used Lariat for $90K......is that as good as it gets, or should I keep waiting?

 

[BertJ]

I would have to agree with previous posts. If your going to be out banging around in the woods you probably don’t want anything more than the Pro. Your choice. Your $100 really didn’t even guarantee a spot in the line. Ford has been pretty stingy about producing Pros. If you order a more expensive version you kind of get moved to the head of the line. Also, I doubt you’d be happy running a 10hp sawmill off of the 30 amp outlet. Assuming you’re talking a single phase motor, the initial inrush of starting the motor may trip the trucks outlet. If you add a soft start to the motor, you may overcome that problem, but you’ll have to baby that mill in hard woods or even once the blade dulls a little. Maybe doable, but also might be an exercise in frustration. Be forewarned. The truck has a total 9.6 KW output, but you can’t access it all in one outlet. Ford was slightly deceptive about that IMO. Maybe find someone with a Lightning and try it a little before you invest.

 

[Henry Ford]

There's a Pro on this forum for $51k.

That said, it seems unlikely a Lightning could reliably power a 10 hp sawmill.🤷‍♂️

 

[Bill Fuhs]

I'm really surprised, and disappointed, that the Lightening will not supply the power for my sawmill. Actually I am more disappointed that my $100 and a two year wait was to get on a list......I assumed that my reservation number was a reservation in the ordinary sense of the word. Has anyone tested this in courrt? Are there any lawyers on our forum? If not, has anyone taken this to Small Claims Court?
I understood the chip shortage and such, but what exactely is the problem now?
The correspondence I received in Dec said: "Due to high demand , the current model year is no longer available..." It still has the $39,974 price on it. I assumed I was still on the list for a 23.
It sounds like this work truck is great for warming up a cup of coffee, and I expected more from Ford.
For the forum record, I bet I was the first to have a 23 Ford. That would have been my first car as a teenager. A well used 1923 Model T. The man, Marvin Sweeter, gave it to me if I could get it started.....had to drive it away. Towing not allowed!

 

[btreece]

smh 🤡🤡🤡

 

[Henry Ford]

There are no damages, you can get your $100 back whenever you want.

I don't know anything about sawmills or 10 hp electric motors but after doing a little searching it appears you'd need at least a 50 amp breaker to power it. The Lightning has a 30 amp breaker. Ask an electrician, but I don't see a way to make that work.

I think the idea of using a Lightning to power a sawmill is solid. Maybe there's a lower powered mill that would work if you're really committed to the idea.

 

[Bill Fuhs]

Thanks for that information. These trucks are beautiful, and I think they will be powering sawmills, and even hot pizza delivery someday. I might be a bit early. In my house, my electrician switched out a 50 amp AC breaker for a 35 amp and put in a four ton heat pump. Everyone said I would be going the other way (70amp) for it. Love the heat pump!
If I can find a Lightening at the advertised price, I will certainly try it. I will probably talk to the Small Claims court.

 

[Henry Ford]

If I can find a Lightening at the advertised price, I will certainly try it. I will probably talk to the Small Claims court.

I'm confused what the problem is. If you want your $100 back just log into your account and cancel the reservation. If you want a truck you can either wait, search dealers, or buy a used one. I linked the lowest price used Lightning I've seen in an earlier post.

 

[Bill Fuhs]

I appreciated that post, but.......I want my truck at the advertised price. I will wait.....but not forever. Does anyone have an idea when they might start production again? And did the reservation roll over to the 23? If it rolled over to the 23, I can be much more patient. I haven't been able to get Ford, or the dealer, to answer that question.

 

[Henry Ford]

When your number comes up you will be invited to order a truck. You can order whatever Ford is selling at the time of your order. What you pay is between you and your dealer but historically the price has started at MSRP. I haven't heard of discounts other than Ford Plan buyers. Right now the smallest MSRP is about $58k for a Pro. Model year 2023 is sold out according to the Ford website. Maybe they'll price 2024 models lower than 2023, who knows.

 

[Bill Fuhs]

Thanks for the info....much appreciated.

 

[fhteagle]

Other option is to put a 48V aux battery and inverter/charger on the trailer itself. For your loads a low frequency inverter would be the way to go. Hook the inverter to the 7.2kW output of the truck into the "grid" input of the inverter/charger, and then if it's a properly designed it should be able to phase match and boost the current provided by the truck. Need to check the passthrough amps specs of the inverter itself carefully of course. You can optionally charge from solar panels on or offboard the trailer, if it's a solar capable inverter/charger.

I've done something similar with a pair of smaller Growatt inverter/chargers towed by my not-a-Lightning, and run electric chain saws and tools, charged the car, etc from it. So much better than stinky loud gas saws, generators, etc.

 

[Bill Fuhs]

Thank you! Can't say I understand it......but my solar guy will. I am loving the 40 and 80 amp Greenworks tools. I had put up with the electric saws, blowers, hedge trimmers etc for years as they were almost as strong. This current generation is great....probably could knock the neighbor off his fence post with that blower.

 

[DUNE BUGGY 62]

I appreciated that post, but.......I want my truck at the advertised price. I will wait.....but not forever. Does anyone have an idea when they might start production again? And did the reservation roll over to the 23? If it rolled over to the 23, I can be much more patient. I haven't been able to get Ford, or the dealer, to answer that question.

CALL FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE 800-392-3673 I'VE BEEN WAITING LIKE A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE SINCE MAY 19 , 2021 AT 9:15 PM