Snowmobiling is a winter sport. Hauling a trailer is a year-round sport for most of us. Whether your off-season hobby is boating, ATV-ing, camping or fishing, there's a good chance you're towing on the weekends. Ford thinks they've made backing those payloads child's play.
Our family falls into any of the above categories (sometimes multiple) on any given summer weekend. There's no worse feeling than having to take several runs at backing your rig in front of an impatiently waiting crowd at the launch or campsite. On the other hand, if there's one thing that can affirm your manhood to an observant group of strangers, it's your ability to be 'one-and-done' backing that trailer.
Ford's latest technology on their 2016 F-150 appears to have taken the nerves out of backing a trailer with its Pro Trailer Backup Assist system. It couples the rear view camera with the Back Up Assist knob to take you to your final destination. Once you throw the truck in reverse, you take your hands off the wheel and steer your rig with the Back Up Assist knob. You use the backup camera with trailer guidance as your eyes. The driver is still in charge of the gas and brake pedals, however, if the angle is too tight, the truck automatically limits the speed. Think of it as an adaptation of the parallel-park assist system with a trailer. It's the same concept, but with slightly more user control.
“Pro Trailer Backup Assist is a smart solution to save time and increase productivity for our customers,” Doug Scott, marketing manager, Ford Truck Group said.
Scroll down to view a quick video demo of this new technology. It's yet to be seen how effective the technology actually is. It certainly seems like a cool concept that will afford everyone more time having fun rather than fiddling in the parking lot. It has the potential to alleviate that public place spousal disagreement (Yup, I've seen it.) Then again, should we really be developing more technology to replace what is a perfectly reasonable skill to learn? That's a post for another day.
Personally, I consider myself lucky to have married a gal who has no issue backing a trailer. For you single guys, if this skill isn't part of your potential spouse evaluation process, it should be! Days on the trail or on the water get off to a much more pleasant start!
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