Did you know there’s a King of the Hill reboot in the works? There is, and it’s pretty exciting for those of us who were taken by the simple, rational charms of a man who sold propane and propane accessories and the people around him in his fictional, animated Texas town, shown weekly from 1997 to 2009. I think it was weekly? I sometimes forget how Old Television worked. There were rabbit ears, that I remember. Anyway, with the show making a comeback, I think it’s time to note an important fact about the original that I feel like doesn’t get as much recognition as it should: Hank’s choice of a Ford Ranger as his truck.
Yes, I realize that later in the series Hank “upgraded” to an F-250, but for most of the series Hank drove Ford Rangers, first a 1986 one, and then later a 1993. Both at the time, and ever since, there has been a lot of talk and controversy in the animated characters’ car community about this decision, with many loud and influential factions suggesting that Hank really should have been driving a Ford F-150. I maintain that an F-150 would have been wrong for a number of important, if subtle reasons, and the choice of a Ranger remains the right choice for the character.
It’s worth pointing out that the very first scene of the very first episode of King of the Hill actually was quite literally focused on Hank’s Ranger. It’s the focus of four of the main characters, Boomhauer, Hank, Dale, and Bill, as they all stare at what appears to be the truck’s exposed 2.3-liter inline-four engine, with pauses to drink beer and say “yup.”
There’s also Dale’s wonderful assertion that Ford stands for “Fix It Again, Tony,” which is, of course, the derogatory acronym for Fiat, of which I suspect Arlen, Texas had very few. Maybe someone had an X1/9 on blocks in their backyard. I think Dale was conflating that with “Fix Or Repair Daily,” but that’s a lot less funny than the Tony thing.
Sure, the series fudges with some timelines in order to make certain plots happen, so things don’t always line up, but eventually it was settled that Hank had a red 1986 Ford Ranger SuperCab truck, as you can see here:
King of the Hill always tended to render their their cars quite realistically, and this ’86 Ranger is no exception. It’s a very rational truck, a no-bullshit compact pickup with a good-sized bed and a robust drivetrain with adequate power. Hank’s is a five-speed manual, and we know he had a great deal of affection for the truck. There was a whole episode about him having to get rid of the truck called Chasing Bobby, and the depth of his affection for the Ranger was made clear.
That episode retconned the truck Hank was shown to be driving previously, a 1993 Ford Ranger, in order to square the timeline with the plot. It was sort of sloppy, but these things happen on fictional shows and we all manage to survive, somehow. It’s quite forgivable as conceptually I think a ’93 Ranger fits the character as well as the ’86, really.
Now, let’s get to the big question here: why does Hank not drive a Ford F-150, the best-selling truck, something slightly larger and more capable than a Ranger, something that perhaps someone of Hank’s general demographic would consider more of a “real” truck? An F-150 would have been the easy, expected choice. No one would have faulted Mike Judge or the writing team for putting Hank in an F-150; it would have made sense. So why didn’t they?
I think the reason has to do with an understanding of Hank’s character that goes beyond a surface level. Yes, Hank is a Texan, a conservative, traditional man with fairly rigid ideas about what he feels is right and wrong, what it means to be an American, what it means to be a man in the modern world. All of that is true. But there is a little more there; Hank also has a significant streak of something that’s not exactly humbleness, but something that almost glorifies struggle and deprivation, to some degree. Remember, this is a man who finds the delaying of gratification gratifying in its own right, which does create a bit of a paradox. Still the man likes delayed gratification, as he tells us:
@bobbyj.hill
Hank also is extremely concerned with authenticity; the idea of pretending to be something you’re not is anathema to his nature, as was shown in that episode where he had to entertain a client who was obsessed with the stereotypical trappings of Texas and cowboys and big steaks and other silliness. That episode also mentioned a strip club with the amazing name of “Jugstore Cowboys”:
The point I’m getting at here is that deep down, Hank understands he doesn’t need an F-150. He sells propane and propane accessories, and that work, plus whatever he does around his home, lawn, whatever, can all be more than served by the generous capabilities of a Ranger. An F-150 would be, really, overkill, and Hank understands that on a gut level, and he’d feel like an impostor or a pretender if he drove around an F-150 just to haul some propane tanks or a bed full of mulch. Fundamentally, and F-150 is the wrong tool for the job of Hank’s life, and the wrong tool for the job is simply something Hank cannot abide.
That’s why I have issues with Hank getting an F-250 in the show. It’s just the wrong vehicle for Hank, and I feel its one of the few missteps in what is otherwise a very carefully-written show. The F-250 is a real, heavy-duty work truck. I would expect that Hank pronounces the words “heavy duty” with a certain near-ecclesiastical reverence, and his use of such a machine to commute to work and do the chores and projects he does would feel wasteful and undignified for such a truck.
Hank is a realist; Hank doesn’t need to prove himself to anyone, and the F-250, in the context of a suburban propane salesman, feels like overcompensation in a manner that does not fit who Hank Hill actually is. Hank is a Ranger man, and he should be proud to be one.
I don’t know what truck they’ll be putting Hank in for this reboot. It’ll be a truck, definitely, but I hope it’s not an F-250. I could even see him in a Maverick over an F-250. Honestly, he should just be back in a newish Ranger. That’s his natural habitat, and trying to shoehorn him into anything else is just perverse.
It’s like butane that way. A bastard gas.
I love this article and the comments .
I was born and raised a Yankee dairy farm boy (milking shorthorns) and even after I left the farm and became a Journeyman Mechanic I still loved my base model American made short bed 1/2 ton rigs, always with an inline 6 banger under the hood and most often with a stick shift .
As mentioned, some of us don’t like to get more than is necessary, trucks are tools not luxury items .
My current and hopefully last shop truck is a 2001 Ford Ranger base model, 2.4 liter 4 banger , 5 speed manual box, rubber mats , manual windows etc., etc. .
I can still fix a Motocycle in the bed so that’s good, it’s body on frame and has very good engineering throughout .
My only complaint is the tin foil body and lack of any rust proofing, this thing is only 24 years old and the paint is peeling off the frame FGS .
Being a Geezer I now like the standard AC & PS, I’ve switched up a few interior bits and bobs with factory parts to have a CD player and four speakers, little things .
It’s been a long time since I watched King of The Hill, maybe I’ll give this new reboot a look .
Commercials drive me batty(er) and I flat refuse to pay to watch the telly .
Many tell me my old vehicles are “hair shirts” they’d never drive daily but I do by choice and desire .
-Nate
I think autocorrect betrayed you here – “Fundamentally, and F-150 is the wrong tool for the job”
AN F-150
Only because Pedantic Torch is best Torch.
So Peggy will have upgraded to some kind of suv by now… some kind of Ford Escape? Maybe a Dodge Journey is more fitting!
It would be best for Hank if he had a base model new Ford Ranger, IMO.
Dale should still have an old car “without all those damn electronics to track you with.”
I would love to see John Redcorn (R.I.P.) plug and unplug a Jeep Wrangler 4XE.
If the show takes place ten years after the first one, it’s unclear if that means it’s supposed to be today or the 2000s or 2010s.
The other day I saw an ’80s extended cab, short bed Dakota parked next to a newer Tacoma. Shocking the size comparison. The Tacoma was just bigger overall, most notable in height. The Dakota was the bridge between compact and full size when built.
Same when I recently saw a lifted AeroNose F-150 next to a current model RAM, the difference in width was notable and they were the same height.
Fully agree. I miss the 1990s when you had 2 actual sizes of trucks – compact trucks like the Ford Ranger and Chevy S-10 which were great for basic truck stuff that suburbanites do, and full-size F-150s and Silverados for actual work. I feel like today’s Rangers and Colorados are the size of the 1990s F-150s and Silverados, and the full-size trucks are even bigger.
Full disclosure – I used to have a 1992 Chevy S-10 regular cab with a 2.8L V6 and a 5-speed manual. It didn’t run well at the end and was starting to rust out, but I miss that truck.
To me, the episode where he gets a new truck is him softening his stance on creature comforts – it’s really the features he comes to like, features that they wouldn’t offer on a Ranger.
I think they did the F-250 simply because the F-150 at the time wouldn’t have looked different enough to his Ranger for animation on CRTs of the time.
We had a 2001 F-450 6.8L V10 dually 4WD dual fuel propane/gasoline truck we bought with govt money back in the day because it was considered “alt fueled.” All we really needed was a 2WD F-150 but this is all the dealer had for alt fuels and we had to spend the money before the fiscal year was over.
Hated driving that thing. It was sprung like a cement truck and sucked down the propane so quickly you could watch the gas gauge move.
Back in 2000 or so, the steel mill I worked at was spec’ing new maintenance trucks to replace a fleet of Bullnose F-350’s. I’m looking at the spec’s and shaking my head (and I was in my 20’s at the time). 4 speed O/D transmission? – the plant speed limit is 15, just give me a damn C6. A/C? – they are parked, windows down most of the day. 5.4L SOHC V8 – just give me a torque monster 300 I6 workhorse.
What we needed was a new Bullnose F350, but they no longer sold those.
Stuff like this is what keeps me coming back to this site! That was actually a very well thought-out discussion, and I agree with your conclusions.
I never understood why a someone so into propane, propane accessories and access to propane wholesale prices didn’t drive a vehicle powered by propane.
Your take is spot on. Additionally, when Hank got the F-250, there should have been much more swooning over the new truck when he returned home. In that neighborhood, it would have stuck out, and it was such an upgrade that Dale and Bill would have more likely taken it on an ill-advised joyride. I do love that he always had a red truck. That was a bold choice for Hank, I bet he felt pretty saucy when he brought his red ’86 home.
I support this interpretation.