Nice innovation from ford.

[Rock Crawler]

Looks like a 'lite' mechanical version of the Curt BetterWeigh, only with Tattletale lights for the cops...

CURT: Trailer Hitches - Trailer Wiring - 5th Wheel - Gooseneck

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I hardly think it's lit up while driving around. It's a mode that you'll go into for loading that activatesthe taillight indicators as well as the dashboard display.

When you drive around the taillights will act like any other taillights.

 

[Egon]

Measure the height of the rear fender wells and compare to the load - unload. Do this for a number of loads and you could set up a chart or graph. Easy to do.

 

[Fallon]

Measure the height of the rear fender wells and compare to the load - unload. Do this for a number of loads and you could set up a chart or graph. Easy to do.

I'm sure that's basically what the truck is doing. Then lighting/flashing lights according to its internal chart.

 

[gsganzer]

They keep adding some pretty cool technological functions. Some seem really useful and some others are gimmicky.

I do wish I had the Ford package that allows you to add trailer TPMS sensors to the trucks system. Right now, I use a separate TireMinder system for my trailer. Being able to monitor my horse trailer tires on long trips has been really comforting.

 

[Cataclysm]

I like it. Most people have no idea on weights. This at least gives them a sporting chance to not overload if they choose to use it.

I like the ability to zero your weight and then see how much tongue weight you added. I think this will be the most useful feature as most people have no idea of their trailer+load weight.

The down side is if you have a wreck and are overloaded it will be trucks computer.

 

[Egon]

I'm sure that's basically what the truck is doing. Then lighting/flashing lights according to its internal chart.

Agreed, using a tape measure has been happening for many a year.

 

[Kschwennsen]

I wonder a couple things:
- When will this be added to super duties?
- what about WD hitches?
- Gooseneck/5th wheel issues?
- Does this "speak" to the trailer brakes eliminating the need for operator inputs?
- If loaded on one side (loaded with dirt off-center) would one side light up more than the other?
- a way to turn it off or will it just "bing" while driving overloaded. AKA - get it out or override it.

Curt's Betterweigh you have to enter what vehicle you have then do a couple maneuvers for it to calibrate for the trailer and tongue load. It's a good system.

 

[JWR]

Well I'm assuming it would help to let you know how much to tongue weight you have on your trailer. Ie 4 bars to much. So you could adjust the load accordingly. Some areas, scales aren't available. Didn't post this as a political government overregulation . But I can see how this would be handy for someone loading a trailer in the middle of nowhere.

Agree it is a nice feature and good to have around. I have posted before that there are gadgets used to be called haul-gauges and now 'better-weigh' that plug into your wiring harness under the steering column and allow you to read out the weight of the vehicle, weight of the payload, tongue weight and all sorts of stuff. It feeds an app on your smart phone. Around $90 when I got one for Xmas 2 yrs ago. Actually works (which takes some study to understand how!) I see others posted regarding the better weigh system in posts 10 and 11 above now that I re-read the thread.

That said, there are a couple of problems with the F-150 feature in this thread. 1) It has no way to know what a good tongue weight is without knowing what the trailer and load are like. And 2) I am already hacked off big time because the vehicle manufacturers are obsessed with making them so complex they cannot be worked on, the dealer's techs stand no prayer of debugging them unless it shows a"code", and many of the self-inflicted wounds of the needless complexity cannot be accurately diagnosed, much less fixed. This is anti-customer bull crap at our expense. Costs you to buy it and costs far worse to try to fix it.

Case in point: the "CCD" (continuously controlled damping system) now going into GM trucks and cars and I see in the suggested website above also into Ford and I know from my own horror story with a Lincoln, they go into many "nicer cars." These #$%^&* systems take inputs from a large number of sensors and update the shocks settings every 2 milliseconds. What could possible go wrong??

 

[civilian]

Agree it is a nice feature and good to have around. I have posted before that there are gadgets used to be called haul-gauges and now 'better-weigh' that plug into your wiring harness under the steering column and allow you to read out the weight of the vehicle, weight of the payload, tongue weight and all sorts of stuff. It feeds an app on your smart phone. Around $90 when I got one for Xmas 2 yrs ago. Actually works (which takes some study to understand how!) I see others posted regarding the better weigh system in posts 10 and 11 above now that I re-read the thread.

That said, there are a couple of problems with the F-150 feature in this thread. 1) It has no way to know what a good tongue weight is without knowing what the trailer and load are like. And 2) I am already hacked off big time because the vehicle manufacturers are obsessed with making them so complex they cannot be worked on, the dealer's techs stand no prayer of debugging them unless it shows a"code", and many of the self-inflicted wounds of the needless complexity cannot be accurately diagnosed, much less fixed. This is anti-customer bull crap at our expense. Costs you to buy it and costs far worse to try to fix it.

Case in point: the "CCD" (continuously controlled damping system) now going into GM trucks and cars and I see in the suggested website above also into Ford and I know from my own horror story with a Lincoln, they go into many "nicer cars." These #$%^&* systems take inputs from a large number of sensors and update the shocks settings every 2 milliseconds. What could possible go wrong??

Like my daughter's 2011 Taurus with rain sensing wipers. Sensor not working but could not get the wipers to work. Jon

 

[Paystar]

I like that! I've always been a fan of on-board scales on my big trucks. Makes me want to trade my 20 for a new one now. If there were any available, LOL