Ford Is Adding More Innovative Features to the Beloved F-150
Lisa Steuer McArdle
· 3 min read
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Pulling and hauling equipment with your Ford F-150 just got a lot easier.
Ford
has announced new smart technology for its 2021 F-150. Through lights and a touchscreen, the truck displays the weight you’re loading onto your truck
and alerts you if it is over capacity.Plus, once you have your truck loaded or hitched, another feature reduces the stress of driving with the added weight.
The Ford-150 includes an onboard scale
Autotrader
says the new in-bed scale has four vertical LEDs in a taillight to show how close it is to maximum capacity. If you’ve loaded your truck and all four lights are on, it means the truck is full. The top lights will blink if the truck is overloaded. The dash contains a screen that displays a more exact figure.Even better, Ford will pre-program each truck with its specific payload rating.
The truck can also be set on scale mode. This zeroes out the current load and allows the users to get an approximate weight for additional items loaded into the bed.
Ford’s smartphone app, FordPass, can also be used to see the scale’s estimate.
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The Ford-150 Smart Hitch
Ford has also added a Smart Hitch feature, which measures the tongue weight when connecting a trailer. This helps the user properly distribute the weight.
Here’s how it works according to the
automaker
: after you set up a trailer, Smart Hitch calculates its tongue weight on the center touchscreen. There, it provides guidance on weight distribution or hitch overloading. It will also let the user know if the hitch weight is too high or low, and can also guide users through properly tensioning a weight redistributing hitch.
Just like with the onboard scale, the touchscreen, FordPass app, or taillights can be used also to access information on overloading—as well as hitch height and weight distribution.
Smarter suspension
But there’s even more. To help the driver operate the Ford-150 while hauling and pulling equipment, the truck contains a computer that analyzes multiple signals collected from high-resolution sensors and adjusts vehicle response to each situation by controlling valves in the shocks.
By offering continuously controlled damping, the truck can control unwanted motions such as bounce, pitch, and roll.
For example, when a pothole is detected, the dampers firm up and prevent the tires from dropping as deep into the hole. This feature especially comes in handy when transporting heavy equipment.
There’s even a tow/haul mode that eases truck and trailer responses to road conditions. This provides precise and linear steering even with a heavy trailer or load.
Pull your own weight with the Ford-150
These features are perfect for those who need to routinely haul or transport large and/or heavy equipment.
And even if you don’t need to transport a larger weight all the time, there most likely will come a time when you’re moving or make a large purchase and need to easily transport big items.
These features can be ordered in early June, with deliveries beginning in late summer.
The new smart technology on the Ford-150 demonstrates how Ford is always trying to improve the truck so that it remains a class leader in the truck market.
