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.
Thank you for bringing light to this important issue. lol. I always scratched my head at the choice to put him in that F-250. In the episode where he reluctantly test drives it, he is surprised at how much he likes it. I think it was a result of him dealing with a problem vehicle for so long that he appreciated something that simply WORKED. That, and it helps him rescue Bobby with its capability. He is also kind of over a barrel with his beloved Ranger getting destroyed. I would think, though, that he’d eventually come to his senses and just get into a more practical truck.
I read this in Hank’s voice; “It’s a very rational truck, a no-bullshit compact pickup with a good-sized bed and a robust drivetrain with adequate power”
“I tell you what.”
Counterpoint on the F250 – you could get those tritons to run on propane.
Yes, they offered rangers and F150s that did, but the superduties were far more common and exempt from some emissions / equipment requirements due to their GVWR in many areas.
And Bi-Fuel WAS a factory option (and an EXPENSIVE one at that) back in that generation too, was introduced in the 2000 model year.
My son calls every Cadillac he sees a “Cadillac Car” due to Cotton Hill.
The Tojos took my shins!
Would love to see an Episode about Bobby getting an Evo X used as a first fun car. Seeing Hank having to come to grips that it truly is a fun car after Bobby somehow gets him into it and uses a 5500rpm launch to save them from something that needs them to move fast.
Hank hating Bobby getting an import would be funny.
I remember buying a used 2000 Honda Civic Si, and taking my dad on a quick second test drive. I told him to really give it the revs, and he wound it to about 5,000 rpm and shifted up. “I don’t get it, it’s just like any other small four cylinder.” (For reference, he’d been driving Mazda 626s for years with the 2.2L that redlined at 6,000 RPM and was quickish and torquey.)
I chuckled and said, “the powerband STARTS at 5,500 RPM. It runs to 8,200 RPM.”
It was just slightly wet out, so when it hit the VTEC changeover at 5,500, it immediately spun a front wheel and tried to change lanes on its own. “Oh, NOW I get it.”
The best part of how Honda used these engines was that, if you took it to redline, when you upshifted, you’d always be above 5,500 RPM in the next gear. Once he experienced that, he said, “I never got these before. Now I see that it’s two cars in one.”
I should have gotten another before the prices got crazy, but I still enjoy rotaries more.
I know I want an old, light, RWD car with an F20C – just not sure what. It’d be a hoot in something like a Triumph TR4, but I’m thinking more along the lines of a compact wagon like a Corolla from the last all-RWD generation.
Let’s consider however the demise of the light/small truck in the US market between Bobby’s adolescence and coming of age. By the time Hank gets back, the ship of the ranger class truck has sailed. Hank doesn’t seem like the Maverick demographic.
Looking forward to Hank’s thoughts on EVs.
“I’ll consider alternative fuels when they build a truck that runs on propane.”
Actually there ARE trucks that run on LPG, they are just stupidly expensive.
Well shit. Those last paragraphs felt like you were talking about me and my Datsun 720.
Kahn had an El Camino for an episode, till Bill squashed it with the tank he “borrowed” from the fort. Personally I think Hank Hill should be a Chevy man…but since he has gone to the dark side and drives Phords….I agree with the other comments that a Super Duty is too much truck for him.
There was one episode though, at the beginning of the 1999 season, where Peggy enters a “mature ladies'” beauty pageant, and she really wants to win because the prize is a new 1999 Chevy Silverado. This episode originally aired the week the real Silverado was introduced; this came later in the year than expected because GM had a strike that delayed the changeover and rollout of the new GMT 800 trucks.(Part of why 1999 GMT 400 trucks exist….) The original airing also had a commercial before the show opening for the new Silverado, and the pickup in this TV ad is white like the one the beauty pageant is giving away. Then there is a scene where this commercial is animated, when the pageant, or Peggy (I don’t remember) is talking about this truck and extolling its virtues.
Long story short, Peggy does not win the pageant, but Hank still loves her anyway. And the last scene shows them driving home from the pageant venue, in the Ranger that has conveniently been repainted white!
I don’t remember how many times this episode ran after the initial airing, but I want to say that the animated truck commercial got edited out of any future airings. Like how Dale Earnhardt’s cameo in the NASCAR episode got edited out, after he was killed. (Fox didn’t want to pay Teresa for using his likeness and voice????)
It’ll be interesting to see how the reboot handles this, I tell ya what….
I wonder if he’d buy a Tundra just for the made in Texas. It’ll be interesting if they do much with his truck
Maybe now that Cotton has passed.
How about this. Hank had the F250, then goes to Saudi Arabia where he’s either in or driving nothing but big trucks. Desert Trucks. When they come home, he wants nothing more than the basic of basic trucks, something old, really old. You have to assume having been an expat, they come back with some change in the pocket. He picks up a mid-50s to mid-60s Ford, being a Ford man. Of course it’s bare bones, but they are always looking under the hood and fixing it up, like so many of us do when we can.
Apologies if someone already posted this, but I ran across the KotH reboot/reveal the other week and here it is in case anyone’s curious to see how Bobby grew up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrHXxdXZf0c&pp=ygUfa2luZyBvZiB0aGUgaGlsbCByZWJvb3QgdHJhaWxlcg%3D%3D
I always enjoyed the show, and am looking forward to seeing it again.
And thank you Jason for the seemingly spot-on read of Hank’s motivations when it comes to choosing his ride. 🙂
I wonder how hank will take to modern 100k pickup trucks in the reboot
That could be an episode in itself, but Judge/Daniels/writers will probably just be satisfied with a mention of it, like Hank being exasperated/in disbelief when a car salesman gives him the bad news.
as the assistant manager on assistant manager salary the ranger works. The 93 ranger works better. I thought the move to the F-250 was too big, but I could see Hank scouring ads and leads to get one at a good price. That would have been a good episode by itself
Cam we talk about Peggy’s Buick?
Ho-yeah!
Edit: or Bill’s Escort.
Let’s see, Kahn had one of those FC Toyota vans, and of course Cotton had a Cadillac Car.
And Boomhauer’s Mustang that they ditched in the quarry.
Bill’s Escort with the pinstripes he
boughtfinanced!Beat me to it!
“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.”
He should START in a last-year (2011?) Ranger, so that at some point (preferably not in season 1) they can make the lack of small, practical pickups on the market into a plot point. Say Hank wants a new or newer truck for *reasons* and he gets tempted by Japanese models, maybe even some new fangled EV or hypothetical Chinese import. There are several in-character paths such an episode could take.
I could see Hank with a hybrid. “Bill, see, it’s fuel eff-fficent.”
having a teenager with a ford ranger is a struggle. the f250 makes sense just for the extra cab room.
Somehow my Brother in Law managed to survive in the jumpseat of my Ranger XLT Supercab. All the way to Napa and back from SF.
Most people with kids who had a Ranger also had another car to serve the family. That’s how it worked in my family with Dad’s Ford Courier – when it was more than two of us, we took Mom’s car.
I can’t tell you how many trips I made from NE PA to Wisconsin or Georgia in the back of a B4000 (Mazda’s Ranger). In my younger years, that little jump seat put me at a perfect height to prop my head between the passenger seat and the door frame and I could sleep sitting upright and not move an inch.
In my families context, the truck was moms car so that’s what we took
My dad had an 03 gmc canyon with the jump seats riding in the back got old after i was about 14. Fortunately my dad got a ram in 06. Unfortunately he also got a divorce so riding in that truck was bitter sweet.
Well, it does look like Bobby grew up to be pretty big, so that tracks. 🙂
I’ve written several times how much I admire all the expertise on this site. I’m usually referring to engineering of course. My gosh you’ve all got a lot of KOTH expertise as well. Admirable.
An enlightened article but I don’t think you really get Hank. He is a Texan but first he is a man. He bought the Ranger and as a real DIY man he fixes things, he doesn’t replace things. He would rebuild a carburetor before switching to EFI. HE never purchases more than his need. A personality quirk that often causes arguments with him and Peggy. Now Hank is loyal as they come so his relationship with his truck is like his relationship with his wife till death do us part. But not only is it with his wife and his truck but with his job. So if his new truck is a company truck given with a promotion from Assistant Manager to Manager, Mr Strickland is a boob, and used to occasionally deliver 100 gallon to 500 gallon propane tanks, something that needs a F250 I think it works but he could also keep his Ranger.
Also Dale is a boob he acts like he knows what he is talking about but even Bill knows he doesn’t. Interesting note Hank has only had sex with one woman, the same with Dale, Boomhower is a stud but loser Bill has had the 2nd most sexual partners. Think about it.
Heck in one episode when going to a Cowboy football game they stopped at the Bill’s family home and he had sex with more women than Hank or Dale have in their whole life.
My dad before he retired actually had Hank Hill’s job. He drove an f-550 to deliver and install propane tanks
that would make sense except there was a very famous episode where hank totals his ranger and it was a semi major plot point for the whole series. so it’s not like he went to the store on a whim and decided to trade his truck in it got smashed.
You can be sure of one thing, he paid list price for that F250, and not a dime more. Don’t tell the other customers.
what’s funny is that’s considered a “good” deal in 2025. especially if you take what the salesman says at face value. “the price on the window is the price your going to pay” if that included the taxes, fees, registration + whatever that would actually be pretty damn decent!
I know. In 2021 I paid MSRP for a new car. My friends acted like I sacrificed my first born male child. A few months later I sold it for a profit. Weird times.
Since the new series will open with Hank coming back from Saudi Arabia, I can see part of the show and propelling conflict being that Hank and Peggy have gotten used to the (slightly) finer things in life. I think it’s going to be an F-150 King Ranch for Hank and a Chrysler 300 for Peggy.
Hank fell into some hard times and is forced to drive a Honda Ridgeline.
That truck ain’t right
Yep.
he’s a ford guy so he would be driving a hybrid maverick.
Would Bobby fit in the back seat?
The back seat of Mavericks seems decent enough, but Bobby was (and is) a big kid.
That’s why I wonder. Maybe they have Bobby complain the entire time.
Hank would never be okay with that, but that would make a great episode.
Thank you. That was the point. It would hit him like when he found out he was born in New York city.
He’d probably hate it until he drove it. I’ve never driven one, but every single review I’ve ever read or seen praises its car-like comfort, ease-of-use, and resale value when compared to big American trucks.
Besides, Ridgelines are pricey, even used. Not a hard times kind of truck.
I liked sitting in it at the auto show. It wasn’t bad and he’d definitely appreciate the mileage.
Yah, I’d probably have bought one if they weren’t so dear. I’ve never owned a Honda OR a pickup, so I could’ve killed two birds with one stone by getting a Ridgeline. Heck, I even like the weird first-gen ones, but finding one of those that hasn’t been beat/rusted/modded to hell and back is like finding that proverbial needle in a haystack.
Or went south of the border and ended up dailying a BYD Shark ???? Imagine the horror!
ROFL!
If they do multiple new season I could see Hank driving a Slate. He is too rational to hate EVs just for existing or at least would be won over with good info.
Hank Hill would call any vehicle that takes more time to charge than you can drive it. Asinine!
Hank would pick a propane powered truck before an illogical EV. Heck charcoal beats propane but Hank won’t switch. Hank would never drive an electric vehicle
Hank loves propane because it’s a clean and efficient fuel, he probably doesn’t think very highly of coal. He never had a propane powered personal vehicle before, he knows it’s not efficient for that.
Why would he find EVs illogical?
I’ve seen LPG (propane + butane) flex-fuel PHEV trucks and buses running around in China, wonder what Hank would think of that?
Then again, he probably wouldn’t like sweet lady propane mingling with a bastard gas in the same pressurised cylinder
Only if they turn out to actually be good.
I agree about the Ranger, disagree about the F250 being a mistake. IIRC, Hank didn’t want the F250, but his Ranger was at the end of its life and the sales guy pushed it on him, but then he reluctantly had to use it to find Bobby and he realized that the newer features were a big help. I think that demonstrated that, while he may be rigid, he’s not closed off and can appreciate something when he’s reluctantly exposed to it and in the case of the truck, sees that it’s useful, justifying him buying it. Beyond mere usefulness, he’s got some sentimentality and I think the truck helping him get Bobby especially endeared it to him. If the story line was something, like, he had it as a loaner and found it easier to pick up mulch with it (or anything similarly unimportant), then I think it would have been a misstep. Didn’t the Ranger end up getting destroyed by a train after stalling on the tracks and that’s why he ended up taking the F250 for a “test drive” to find Bobby or am I remembering that wrong?
Nope. You are not wrong at all. You nailed it. Hank even put the old Ranger shift knob on the new F250.
That’s right, I can’t believe I forgot that detail as I’ve done that exact thing. I don’t remember most episodes, but that one stuck with me because I can relate to it so well.
And this is really a cute part of Hank’s character. He has a very particular view of things and is resistant to change, but he often finds his opinions changing when presented with new evidence.
For him, a full size truck may have been “asinine” to start, but once he was able to drive the larger truck, “well this thing is alright, I tell you what.”
Yeah, it was a great show. Not just a run of gags, it had layered characters that evolved like real people.
Maybe an older f100 from the 70s? If you wanted to go full size.
Dad had a i6 one, super gutless but towed ok if slow.
Still could be a ranger too
Dad had a new ’73 F100 Custom.
Don’t recall if it had the 240 I6 or the 302 V8 – it definitely had Automatic and AC, so probably the V8.
And it was gutless.