2023 Ford Super Duty F-350 Limited
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DETROIT — Let’s set up a scene: a pickup truck driver and their husband, the truck in reverse, trying to align the hitch ball on the pickup with a hitch on the trailer. “A little to the left. No, your left. No, YOUR left. OK, now a little to the right. It doesn’t matter. Let’s try again.”
Among other things, that well-known headache is the reason Ford engine is ramping up technologies for its most expensive pickups to make the vehicles more manageable for newer owners and to alleviate major pain points for experienced truck drivers.
The Detroit-based automaker is adding features to its 2023 Ford Super Duty lineup to increase truck transaction prices and reduce issues with some of the vehicles’ key features: towing and carry/towing.
“It’s really about making the truck safer for our customers, for equipment, for whatever you’re towing. It’s about productivity. It’s about convenience. It’s about saving marriages,” said Tim Baughman, general manager of the commercial division of Ford. “With our new trailer tow features, I’m sure we’ll save a few marriages based on what it can do now.”
Many pickup truck owners, especially newer ones, face headaches, such as determining how much weight they can safely fit in their vehicle or hitching trailers to their trucks, according to Ford.
The last challenge in particular can cause relationship problems as it takes two people and several tries to get the positioning of the trucks and trailers correct for towing – as in our all-too-common but fictionalized scenario above.
“Our team is obsessed with our customers,” Baughman said. “This is about customer understanding and customer obsession. And everything in this truck is purpose built.”
Ford says 96% of its customers tow with its F-250 to F-450 Super Duty pickups, which are bigger siblings of its well-known F-150 trucks. A majority also use the vehicles to carry heavy loads in the vehicles’ cargo beds, which start at around $44,000 and can cost upwards of $103,000 depending on the model.
To assist with pulling and pulling, Ford uses technologies such as new camera functions, automated assistance and smart weight tail lights.
Easy mounting of the towbar
Ford’s new “Pro Trailer Hitch Assist” takes the hassle out of the process. The truck automatically reverses and aligns the hitch ball with the trailer receiver. The feature is standard or available on several models, starting at $1,035.
“It’s meant to take the pain away,” said Aaron Bresky, Ford Super Duty chief technology officer. “People have to tow for recreation and work, and the more we can take the pain away, the more natural it becomes.”
The 2023 F-Series Super Duty trucks can tow between 14,000 and 40,000 pounds, depending on the truck.
Ford’s “Pro Trailer Hitch Assist” automatically reverses the truck and aligns the conventional hitch ball with the trailer receiver.
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Light scales on board
Other than towing or trailering, Ford’s Super Duty pickups can haul a lot themselves, up to 8,000 pounds, depending on the model. That includes all people, cargo and any objects that may be in the pickup bed.
But it can be difficult to guess or calculate how much you’re carrying, especially if there are passengers in the vehicle or if you don’t know how much your load weighs.
Ford’s answer to this problem is something it calls “Onboard Scales with Smart Hitch,” which debuted on the 2021 F-150. The system uses in-vehicle scales to determine the vehicle’s total payload/weight.
Drivers can use the vehicle’s infotainment screen or app to determine payload, but Ford also offers a more unique way to do this. The vehicle’s rear lights illuminate in different levels to let the owner know how close they are to reaching the vehicle’s maximum load capacity.
If the vehicle exceeds its certified payload, the top bar flashes to alert the owner that he or she may need to reconsider what they’re carrying or dump a passenger or two.
The taillights can also be used to balance a trailer with the vehicle, known as a trailer tongue weight.
The Smart Hitch built-in scale is available for $650 on Lariat models and standard on higher-end trucks.
Newly available “Onboard Scales” measure and display the approximate weight of the load in the Ford trucks. Load information is displayed on the center touchscreen, on the FordPass app or in the truck’s smart taillights.
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Tailgate camera
The simplest new feature is a rear-view camera mounted on top of the vehicle’s tailgate. While facing the sky when the gate is up, it provides a clear view of what’s behind the vehicle when the tailgate is down, providing an extra pair of eyes when an owner is towing a little longer in the vehicle’s cargo bed.
While all new vehicles are required to have rear-view cameras, Ford is the first to implement such a camera, which comes in handy when the tailgate is down. Standard rear-view cameras on American pickup trucks face the ground when the tailgate is lowered.
The option also comes with built-in sensors that work with the camera to alert drivers when their lowered tailgate is approaching an object.
The new reversing camera and sensors are standard on higher-end models, but not available on entry-level and lower-end trucks.
Ford placed a camera and sensors in the tailgate of its F-Series Super Duty pickups that can be used when the tailgate is down.
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