Tech Highlight: Ford Pro Trailer Backup Assist™
By Jakob Hansen, 6/3/2020
A tricky maneuver, now made easy.
Tailers are the bain of my existence. Towing forward is easy, just make sure you take the turns a bit wider. Backing up a trailer, on the other hand, is only slightly more difficult than crossing the River Styx.
Photos Courtesy of Ford
If you are anything like me, backing up a trailer isn’t exactly something you can put on your resume. My trailer backing up proficiency is not exactly...a strong suit of mine. The last time I attempted to back up a trailer, I ultimately gave up and left the trailer in the middle of the road. “Good enough.” I thought as traffic was being redirected.
Needless to say, trailers aren’t my favorite thing in the world, and when I first heard about Ford’s Pro Trailer Backup Assist™, my interest was sparked.
Many truck owners tow nearly every day. Whether for work, or play, there is a trailer hitched to the back of your truck all the time. This feature clearly is not for you.
For the average truck owner, however, we only tow once or twice a year, if that. Therefore, for us, we may need a little help in the backing up department. Don’t worry folks, Ford has you covered. And you don’t even have to go ask your neighbor to help.
Ford’s Pro Trailer Backup Assist™ is an amazing feature that takes the guesswork out of reversing a trailer and makes easy work of those difficult corners.
The way it works is simple. To start, you simply push the Pro Trailer Backup Assist™ button next to the steering wheel, this activates the system. Once activated, the system uses the trucks Co-Pilot360™ Technology, including cameras, sensors, and steering assists modules.
Put the vehicle in reverse, and use the Trailer Backup knob to steer the vehicle.
The truck does the rest of the work.
Simply turn the knob left or right to turn the vehicle, and control the throttle, and the truck does the complicated math to steer the wheel to accurately back up the trailer. Turning the knob will tell the truck which way you are looking to go. By using the cameras and digital readouts, you can see where the trailer will end up, and control the vehicle with the simple turn of the knob. The truck will do the rest.
Truly an amazing piece of engineering and simplifies a process that has led to many trashed trailers, side scrapes, and honestly, deep-seated embarrassment.
The engineers at Ford have developed an amazing system that takes one of the hardest parts of driving a truck and makes it easier than backing up a truck without a trailer.
Many of Ford’s vehicles offer this amazing system. The 2020 F-150 and Super Duty both come available with the system. The Expedition and Expedition also comes available with the system which means you can take your
This is not an ad for Ford. Ford has not paid us to say great things. We simply cannot get enough of this amazing feature that makes many guys and gals daily lives much easier.
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Jakob is our writer with a love for all things automotive. He comes from a dealer background with experience on both sides of the fence. Knowing the system inside and out, he knows the best cars and the best deals. No matter what. |
