2016 Ford F-150 Pro Trailer Backup Assist

[NoDak]

There are some automotive tasks that are more or less impossible the first time you attempt them, no matter your skill level. Remember the first time you had to back a trailer into position? Yeah, you'd have more luck disarming a nuclear bomb than getting the trailer where you're aiming.

Ford is preparing to debut a technology that takes the mystery out of reversing a trailer, with the new Pro Trailer Backup Assist. Available on the entire 2016 F-150 range, the system essentially allows owners to drive their trailers by way of a dash-mounted knob. Turn the knob and the steering wheel automagically turns to the correct angle, leading the trailer in the desired direction. The steering wheel twirls about as needed, although drivers still have direct control of the accelerator and brake pedals, much as they do with Ford's Enhanced Active Park Assist system.

Ford has spent eight years developing the system, the company's engineers told us. Drivers will need to measure their trailers a certain way and fit the checked reference sticker you can see in the gallery, although once a measurement is stored in the system, it can easily be recalled using the display in the instrument cluster. The system can stow the measurements for 10 trailers, and can accommodate tow-behinds up to 33 feet long. As of right now, though, the PTBA can't work with gooseneck trailers or fifth-wheels, although we're betting Ford is hard at work to accommodate those more substantial setups.

"Pro Trailer Backup Assist is a smart solution to save time and increase productivity for our customers," Doug Scott, Ford Truck's marketing manager, said in the attached statement. "Instead of struggling to back up their trailer, they can spend more time on the job or enjoying the lake."

We took part in a hands-on demo of the new system off the Detroit River, near Grosse Ile, MI. Full disclosure, we didn't back the trailer into the water, (your author had no interest in potentially damaging the roughly $50,000 boat/trailer Ford brought in for the test). We did, however, conduct a brief test in the safe confines of a nearby parking lot.

Our immediate impression of this technology is that it will be a boon to novices or first-time towers, a group of which your author is a member. It takes the mystery out of backing up a trailer, and while there's still a learning curve involved, it's significantly easier than doing things the old-fashioned way. The knob itself is easy to modulate, allowing drivers to make fine adjustments to the trailer angle as needed. You still need to have your wits about you when using the system, but in general, the overall process is far more straight forward.

Ford didn't hand out pricing during yesterday's event, although we were able to confirm that PTBA will be available as part of the Trailer Tow Package. That means everyone from entry level XL buyers to top-of-the-line Platinum owners can take advantage of the trailer assist.

original article : http://www.autoblog.com/2015/05/21/we-test-the-2016-ford-f-150-pro-trailer-backup-assist/

 

[LittleCaesar]

Empowerment through technology is not always a good thing. Sometimes skills, just as backing up a trailer, have to be learned and honed to bring forth the best result.

 

[cfranck1]

original article : We test the 2016 Ford F-150 Pro Trailer Backup Assist

Article from Ford itself

https://media.ford.com/content/ford...up-assist-for-2016-ford-f-150-makes-back.html

 

[SupaSupra]

Article from Ford itself

https://media.ford.com/content/ford...up-assist-for-2016-ford-f-150-makes-back.html

So instead of using your hands on the steering wheel, you use your hands on a knob? How is that any different?

 

[NoDak]

So instead of using your hands on the steering wheel, you use your hands on a knob? How is that any different?

its because when you use the steering wheel you have to remember you have to move it opposite of your intended direction since most people move the steering wheel from the top position as a reference.

and putting your hands at the bottom of the steering wheel feels unnatural until you train your brain to compensate for that and use the steering wheel from the top position reference.

using a knob is just a simple issue to take the inputs and send them as an opposite output to the steering wheel.

 

[wnelax04sr5]

im not really for tech like this. something like towing shouldn't be "easy" or "available" for everyone. just because you have the tech to hook up a trailer and go, doesnt mean youre actually capable of handling a trailer. stuff like this leads to more tech that takes away the need to actually have skill and respect for what youre doing

 

[gm350reratliff]

I never really thought backing a trailer was all that hard in the first place. Seems to me that using the knob would be more challenging.