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A 2007 Toyota Tundra chassis holding the vehicle's engine, drivetrain, suspension and wheels.

Body-on-frame is a traditional motor vehicle construction method whereby a separate body or coach is mounted on a strong and relatively rigid vehicle frame or chassis that carries the powertrain (the engine and drivetrain) and to which the wheels and their suspension, brakes, and steering are mounted. Whereas this was the original method of building automobiles, body-on-frame construction is now used mainly for pickup trucks, large SUVs, and heavy trucks.

In the late 19th century, the frames, like those of the carriages they replaced, might be made of wood (commonly ash), reinforced by steel flitch plates, but in the early 20th century, steel ladder frames or chassis rapidly became standard. Mass production of all-metal bodies began with the Budd Company and the Dodge Brothers. All-metal bodies became common in the 1920s, except for Europe, which followed almost a decade later. Europe's custom-made or "coachbuilt" cars usually contained some wood framing or used aluminium alloy castings. Towards the beginning of international automobile assembly and construction, most manufacturers created rolling chassis consisting of a powertrain, suspension, steering column and a fuel tank that was then sent to a coachbuilder that added the body, interior and upholstery to the customers specific requests.

In contrast, unibody or monocoque designs, where panels within the body supported the car on its suspension, were developed by European manufacturers in the late 1920s with Budd USA (which had a number of large factories in Europe) and its technical knowhow. Because of the high cost of designing and developing these structures and the high cost of specialised machinery to make the large pressings required by this style of construction it is not used by low-volume manufacturers, who might construct an equivalent by welding steel tube to form a suitable space frame.

History

All steel chassis and all steel body
Body by Edward G Budd Manufacturing Company of Philadelphia for John and Horace Dodge^[1]

The Ford Model T carried the tradition of body-on-frame over from horse-drawn buggies, helping to facilitate high volume manufacturing on a moving assembly line.^[2] The use of steel ladder and X frame chassis allowed numerous vehicles to share a chassis and drivetrain while making changes to bodywork and interiors relatively easy, thus keeping costs down and minimizing design time. Over time the technology for unibody construction became economically feasible, assisted in recent decades by computer-aided design.^[3] in addition, modern creature comforts, luxury and power-assisted features, and extensive safety reinforcement of vehicles have all added substantial weight, the ability to offset this with unibody construction has proven advantageous.

A handful of small passenger vehicles switched to unibody construction by the end of the 1930s. The trend had started with cars like the Citroën Traction Avant (1934) and Opel Olympia (a General Motors design) introduced in 1935, and the short-lived, aborted Chrysler Airflow. Trucks, bus manufacturers, and large low-volume cars or those made in the United States continued to use separate bodies on "conventional" frames. Body-on-frame remains the preferred construction method for heavy-duty commercial vehicles (especially those intended to carry or pull heavy loads, such as trucks and some sport utility vehicles (SUVs)) but as production volumes rise, increasing numbers of SUVs and crossover SUVs are switching to unibody frames. Mass-market manufacturers Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler are abandoning true body-on-frame SUVs, opting, when sales volume permits, for more efficient unibody construction.^[4] Toyota currently manufactures the most body-on-frame SUVs with the 4Runner, Sequoia, Land Cruiser, Lexus GX, and Lexus LX, followed by Nissan with the Patrol, Armada, and Infiniti QX56/80.^[5]

Examples

The following is a list of SUVs and light-duty pickup trucks that have a body-on-frame construction.^{[as of?]} The list is divided by vehicle category.

SUVs/wagons

Mini SUV

Suzuki Jimny

Mid-size SUV

Full-size SUV

Compact MPV

Mitsubishi Zinger

Mid-size MPV

Toyota Innova (until 2021)
Isuzu Panther

Pickup trucks

Mid-size pickup truck

Full-size pickup truck

References

^ page 106, George A Oliver, A History of Coachbuilding, Cassell, London, 1962
^ Great Moments in Body-on-Frame Car Construction WSJ, May 2, 2014
^ Sawyer, Christopher A. (2009-06-02). "Framing the question | Automotive Design & Production | Find Articles at BNET". Findarticles.com. Archived from the original on 2009-02-11. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
^ "Car Reviews, New and Used Car Prices, Photos and Videos - MSN Autos". editorial.autos.msn.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
^ "Toyota reaffirms commitment to body-on-frame SUVs". autoblog.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
^ "Austin A40 Sports". Austin Memories. Archived from the original on 2009-01-05.

External links

Ford assembly line featuring body-on-frame car (historic)

[GAO-1] 106, George A Oliver, A History of Coachbuilding, Cassell, London, 1962

[2] Great Moments in Body-on-Frame Car Construction WSJ, May 2, 2014

[3] Sawyer, Christopher A. (2009-06-02). "Framing the question | Automotive Design & Production | Find Articles at BNET". Findarticles.com. Archived from the original on 2009-02-11. Retrieved 2009-12-08.

[4] "Car Reviews, New and Used Car Prices, Photos and Videos - MSN Autos". editorial.autos.msn.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2018.

[5] "Toyota reaffirms commitment to body-on-frame SUVs". autoblog.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018.

[austmem1-6] "Austin A40 Sports". Austin Memories. Archived from the original on 2009-01-05.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|Automobile construction method using a separate body on a structural frame}}
-{{Pro and con list|date=November 2010}}
-[[Image:Car-frames.jpg|thumb|225px|Car frames.]]
-[[Image:ToyotaTundraChassis.jpg|thumb|225px|2007 [[Toyota Tundra]] chassis.]]
+[[File:Auromobile bare chassis frame.jpg|thumb|A [[vehicle frame#Ladder frame|ladder frame]]]]
-'''Body-on-frame''' is an [[automobile]] construction method. Mounting a separate [[coachwork|body]] to a rigid [[vehicle frame|frame]] that supports the [[Powertrain|drivetrain]] was the original method of building automobiles, and continues to this day. Originally frames were made of wood (commonly [[ash tree|ash]]), but steel [[vehicle frame#Ladder frame|ladder frames]] became common in the 1930s. It is technically not comparable to newer [[monocoque]] designs, and almost no modern vehicle uses it (other than trucks).
+[[File:ToyotaTundraChassis.jpg|thumb|A 2007 [[Toyota Tundra]] chassis holding the vehicle's engine, drivetrain, suspension and wheels.]]
+[[File:IAA 2013 BMW i3 (9833675545).jpg|thumb|The [[BMW i3]] electric car is one of the rare modern passenger cars with a separate body and frame design (2013).]]
+'''Body-on-frame''' is a traditional [[motor vehicle]] construction method whereby a separate [[coachwork|body]] or coach is mounted on a strong and relatively rigid [[vehicle frame]] or [[chassis]] that carries the [[powertrain]] (the engine and [[drivetrain]]) and to which the wheels and their [[Car suspension|suspension]], brakes, and steering are mounted. Whereas this was the original method of building automobiles, body-on-frame construction is now used mainly for [[Pickup truck|pickup trucks]], large [[SUV]]s, and heavy [[truck]]s.
-In the USA the frequent changes in [[automobile design]] made it necessary to use a ladder frame rather than [[monocoque]] construction to make it possible to change the design without having to change the [[chassis]], allowing frequent changes and improvements to the car's bodywork and interior (where they were most noticeable to customers) while leaving the chassis and driveline unchanged, and thus keeping costs down and design times short. It was also easy to use the same chassis and driveline for several very different cars. Especially in the days before [[computer-aided design]], this was a big advantage.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KJI/is_2_115/ai_97872909 |title=Framing the question &#124; Automotive Design & Production &#124; Find Articles at BNET |publisher=Findarticles.com |date=2009-06-02 |accessdate=2009-12-08 | first=Christopher A. | last=Sawyer}}</ref>
+In the late 19th century, the frames, like those of the carriages they replaced, might be made of wood (commonly [[ash tree|ash]]), reinforced by steel [[flitch beam|flitch plates]], but in the early 20th century, steel [[vehicle frame#Ladder frame|ladder frames]] or chassis rapidly became standard. Mass production of all-metal bodies began with the [[Budd Company]] and the [[Dodge Brothers]]. All-metal bodies became common in the 1920s, except for Europe, which followed almost a decade later. Europe's custom-made or "coachbuilt" cars usually contained some wood framing or used aluminium alloy castings. Towards the beginning of international automobile assembly and construction, most manufacturers created [[rolling chassis]] consisting of a powertrain, suspension, steering column and a fuel tank that was then sent to a [[coachbuilder]] that added the body, interior and upholstery to the customers specific requests.
-Most small passenger vehicles switched to [[monocoque]] construction in the 1960s, but the trend had started in the 1930s with cars like the [[Opel Olympia]], and [[Citroen Traction Avant]], leaving just [[truck]]s, some [[bus manufacturing|bus manufacturers]], and large cars using conventional frames. The shift continues today: body-on-frame remains the preferred construction method for heavy-duty commercial vehicles (especially those intended to carry or pull heavy loads, such as trucks and some [[sport utility vehicles]] (SUVs)), but increasing numbers of SUVs are also being converted to automobile-style [[unibody]] frames, and the market is also shifting from SUVs to [[Crossover_(automobile)|crossover SUVs]]. Mass-market manufacturers [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]], [[General Motors]] and [[Chrysler]] are abandoning true body-on-frame SUVs, opting for cheaper-to-produce unibody construction.<ref>http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs/autosblogpost.aspx?post=7bdff2c1-c41c-4a71-bc48-bbf244f419d1</ref> [[Toyota]] currently manufactures the most body-on-frame SUVs with the [[4Runner]], [[FJ Cruiser]], [[Land Cruiser]] and [[Toyota_Sequoia|Sequoia]] followed by [[Nissan]] with the [[Nissan_Armada|Armada]], [[Patrol]] and [[Xterra]].<ref>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/07/29/toyota-reaffirms-commitment-to-body-on-frame-suvs/</ref> The [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] [[Ford Panther platform|Panther platform]], which was discontinued in 2011, was the last series of traditional passenger cars to be built in this manner.
+In contrast, [[unibody]] or [[monocoque]] designs, where panels within the body supported the car on its suspension, were developed by European manufacturers in the late 1920s with Budd USA (which had a number of large factories in Europe) and its technical knowhow. Because of the high cost of designing and developing these structures and the high cost of specialised machinery to make the large pressings required by this style of construction it is not used by low-volume manufacturers, who might construct an equivalent by welding steel tube to form a suitable space frame.
-An intermediate to full monocoque construction was the '[[semi-monocoque]]' used by the [[Volkswagen Beetle]] and [[Citroen 2CV]]. These used a lightweight separate chassis made from pressed sheet steel panels forming a 'platform chassis', to give the benefits of a traditional chassis, but with lower weight and greater stiffness. Both of these chassis were used for several different models. Volkswagen made use of the bodyshell for structural strength as well as the chassis — hence 'semi-monocoque'.
+== History ==
-The [[Lincoln Town Car]] dominates the American limousine market because it is the last American luxury car made with body-on-frame, and therefore easily lengthened for livery work.
+[[File:Ford model t 1919 d044 lubrication chart.png|thumb|A [[Model T]] chassis ready for its body]]
+[[File:Dodge4Door1920.jpg|thumb|All steel chassis and all steel body<br>Body by Edward G Budd Manufacturing Company of Philadelphia for John and Horace Dodge<ref name=GAO>page 106, George A Oliver, ''A History of Coachbuilding'', Cassell, London, 1962</ref>]]
+The [[Ford Model T]] carried the tradition of body-on-frame over from horse-drawn buggies, helping to facilitate high volume manufacturing on a moving assembly line.<ref>[https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304178104579538081576326194?ref=SB10001424052702304677904579535612915387656 Great Moments in Body-on-Frame Car Construction] WSJ, May 2, 2014</ref> The use of steel ladder and X frame [[chassis]] allowed numerous vehicles to share a chassis and drivetrain while making changes to bodywork and interiors relatively easy, thus keeping costs down and minimizing design time. Over time the technology for unibody construction became economically feasible, assisted in recent decades by [[computer-aided design]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KJI/is_2_115/ai_97872909 |title=Framing the question &#124; Automotive Design & Production &#124; Find Articles at BNET |publisher=Findarticles.com |date=2009-06-02 |access-date=2009-12-08 |first=Christopher A. |last=Sawyer |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211205129/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KJI/is_2_115/ai_97872909 |archive-date=2009-02-11 }}</ref> in addition, modern creature comforts, luxury and power-assisted features, and extensive safety reinforcement of vehicles have all added substantial weight, the ability to offset this with unibody construction has proven advantageous.
+A handful of  small passenger vehicles switched to [[Vehicle frame#Types|unibody]] construction by the end of the 1930s. The trend had started with cars like the [[Citroën Traction Avant]] (1934) and [[Opel Olympia]] (a [[General Motors]] design) introduced in 1935, and the short-lived, aborted [[Chrysler Airflow]]. [[Truck]]s, [[bus manufacturing|bus manufacturers]], and large low-volume cars or those made in the United States continued to use separate bodies on "conventional" frames. Body-on-frame remains the preferred construction method for heavy-duty commercial vehicles (especially those intended to carry or pull heavy loads, such as trucks and some [[sport utility vehicles]] (SUVs)) but as production volumes rise, increasing numbers of SUVs and [[Crossover (automobile)|crossover SUVs]] are switching to [[unibody]] frames. Mass-market manufacturers [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]], [[General Motors]], and [[Chrysler]] are abandoning true body-on-frame SUVs, opting, when sales volume permits, for more efficient unibody construction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs/autosblogpost.aspx?post=7bdff2c1-c41c-4a71-bc48-bbf244f419d1|title=Car Reviews, New and Used Car Prices, Photos and Videos - MSN Autos|website=editorial.autos.msn.com|access-date=10 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106032956/http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs/autosblogpost.aspx?post=7bdff2c1-c41c-4a71-bc48-bbf244f419d1|archive-date=6 January 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Toyota]] currently manufactures the most body-on-frame SUVs with the [[Toyota 4Runner|4Runner]], [[Toyota Sequoia|Sequoia]], [[Toyota Land Cruiser|Land Cruiser]], [[Lexus GX]], and [[Lexus LX]], followed by [[Nissan]] with the [[Nissan Patrol|Patrol]], [[Nissan Armada|Armada]], and [[Infiniti QX80|Infiniti QX56/80]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.autoblog.com/2013/07/29/toyota-reaffirms-commitment-to-body-on-frame-suvs/|title=Toyota reaffirms commitment to body-on-frame SUVs|website=autoblog.com|access-date=10 April 2018}}</ref>
-==Advantages and disadvantages compared to unibody==
-===Advantages===
+[[Image:Austin A40 Roadster ca 1951.jpg|thumb|[[Austin A40 Sports]], ca 1951. [[Jensen Motors]] (of [[West Bromwich]]) built the aluminium-on-ash bodies under contract and transported them to Austin's [[Longbridge plant]] for final assembly.<ref name="austmem1">
-* Easier to design, build and modify (less of an issue now that Computer-Assisted Design (CAD) is commonplace, but still an advantage for coach-built vehicles).
+{{cite web
-* Quieter, because the stresses do not pass into the body, which is isolated from the frame with rubber pads around the attachment bolts. This is less significant now, but historically bodies would squeak and rattle more as they rusted, lubricants drained, and fasteners loosened. Isolated bodies were affected to a lesser degree by these modes of aging.
+ |title= Austin A40 Sports
-* Easier to repair after accidents. This is crucial for taxicabs, because damaged bolt-on fenders can be replaced in the firm's own garage for petty cash, with the cab returned to earning status immediately, whereas a monocoque body would require straightening by paid specialists on a machine expensive to rent — with the cab laid up for repair longer. [[Grand American Road Racing Association|Grand-Am]] allows tubular spaceframe cars to replace their monocoque counterparts, as the cars can easily be repaired with new clips.
+ |publisher= Austin Memories
-* Can allow a manufacturer to easily subcontract portions of work, e.g. as when [[Austin Motor Company|Austin]] subcontracted the aluminium body work of the [[Austin A40 Sports]] to [[Jensen Motors]].
+ |url= http://www.austinmemories.co.uk/page8/page106/page106.html
+ |url-status= dead
+ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090105215228/http://www.austinmemories.co.uk/page8/page106/page106.html
+ |archive-date= 2009-01-05
+}}
+</ref>]]
+==Examples==
-[[Image:Austin A40 Roadster ca 1951.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Austin A40 Sports]], ca 1951. During production, A40 Sports aluminium bodies were built by Jensen (of [[West Bromwich]]) and transported to Austin's [[Longbridge plant]] for final assembly.<ref name="austmem1">{{cite web
+{{Main|List of body-on-frame vehicles}}
-  | title = Austin A40 Sports
+The following is a list of SUVs and light-duty pickup trucks that have a body-on-frame construction.{{as of when|date=May 2024}} The list is divided by vehicle category.
-  | publisher = Austin Memories
-  | url = http://www.austinmemories.co.uk/page8/page106/page106.html}}</ref>]]
-===Disadvantages===
+===SUVs/wagons===
-* Heavier than unibody, causing lower performance and/or higher fuel consumption.
+====Mini SUV====
-* Far less resistant to torsional flexing (flexing of the whole car in corners), compromising handling and road grip.
+*[[Suzuki Jimny]]
-* Lack of a [[crumple zone]] causes higher rate of death and serious injury. Some cars have adopted a "front clip" and "rear clip" format similar to what is used in NASCAR where the car is split into three sections, and the clips absorb the impact, allowing the "clip" to be replaced when repairing the car.<ref>http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/doc.asp?CID=1080&DID=6585</ref>
+====Mid-size SUV====
+*[[Toyota 4Runner]]
+*[[Ineos Grenadier|INEOS Grenadier]]
+*[[Toyota Fortuner]]
+*[[Toyota Land Cruiser Prado]]
+*[[Lexus GX]]
+*[[Mitsubishi Pajero Sport]]
+*[[Nissan Terra]]
+*[[SsangYong Rexton]]
+*[[Isuzu MU-X]]
+*[[Jeep Wrangler]]
+*[[Ford Bronco]]
+*[[Ford Everest]]
+*[[Ford Explorer]] (until 2010)
+*[[Kia Mohave]]
+*[[Mercedes-Benz G-Class]]
+*[[Mercury Mountaineer]]
+*[[Lincoln Aviator]] (until 2005)
+*[[Chevrolet TrailBlazer (SUV)|Chevrolet TrailBlazer]] (until 2009)
+*[[LDV D90]]
+*[[TANK 300]]
+*[[TANK 500]]
+====Full-size SUV====
+*[[Toyota Land Cruiser]]
+*[[Toyota Sequoia]]
+*[[Lexus LX]]
+*[[Cadillac Escalade]] (ESV)
+*[[Chevrolet Suburban]]
+*[[Chevrolet Tahoe]]
+*[[Hongqi LS7]]
+*[[Nissan Patrol]]
+*[[Nissan Armada]]
+*[[GMC Hummer EV]]
+*[[GMC Yukon]] (XL)
+*[[Jeep Wagoneer]] (Grand Wagoneer)
+*[[Ford Expedition]] (EL/Max)
+*[[Lincoln Navigator]] ([[Lincoln Navigator L|L]])
+*[[Yangwang U8]]
+*[[Infiniti QX80]]
+====Compact MPV====
+*[[Mitsubishi Zinger]]
+====Mid-size MPV====
+*[[Toyota Innova]] (until 2021)
+*[[Isuzu Panther]]
+===Pickup trucks===
+====Mid-size pickup truck====
+*[[Holden Colorado]]
+*[[Ford Ranger (Americas)|Ford Ranger]]
+*[[GMC Canyon]]
+*[[Isuzu D-Max]]
+*[[Renault Alaskan]]
+*[[SsangYong Musso]]
+*[[Toyota Hilux]]
+*[[Toyota Kijang]]
+*[[Toyota Tacoma]]
+*[[Mazda BT-50]]
+*[[Mitsubishi Triton]]
+*[[Nissan Frontier]]
+*[[Nissan Navara]]
+*[[Jeep Gladiator (JT)|Jeep Gladiator]]
+*[[Volkswagen Amarok]]
+*[[LDV T60]]
+*[[Great Wall Pao|GWM Ute Cannon]]
+====Full-size pickup truck====
+*[[Chevrolet Silverado]]
+*[[Ford F-Series]]
+*[[GMC Hummer EV]]
+*[[GMC Sierra]]
+*[[Nissan Titan]]
+*[[Ram pickup]]
+*[[Toyota Tundra]]
 ==See also==
-* [[Vehicle frame]]
+* [[Backbone chassis]]
+* [[Structural channel|C-channel]]
 * [[Coachwork]]
-* [[Spaceframe]]
+* [[Exoskeleton car]]
+* [[Monocoque]]
+* [[Skateboard (automotive platform)]]
+* [[Semi-monocoque]]
+* [[Space frame]]
 * [[Subframe]]
 * [[Superleggera]]
-* [[Backbone chassis]]
 ==References==
@@ Line 43: / Line 132: @@
 ==External links==
-* [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KJI/is_2_115/ai_97872909 Article about body-on-frame in modern cars and trucks]
-* [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3012/is_n1_v178/ai_20160852 Body on frame and unibody in SUVs]
 * [http://www.oldchesterpa.com/ford_assembly_pics.htm Ford assembly line featuring body-on-frame car (historic)]