Ford F-150 Pro Trailer Backup Assist?

[LLMRPh]

So .... "simple" question: does anyone have a 2016 or newer F150 with this gizmo AND is it helpful/worth getting? Note: I'm a girl (not that I think that matters! .... and I do the driving/towing ... and I've learned to backup pretty well ... but it isn't my favorite part of any trip. So ... as I'm looking around for a new/used TV (which should be a whole other post!), is it worth making this feature a "must have?" And it's OK to be honest, guys. . Thanks in advance!

[WolfWhistle]

Originally Posted by LLMRPh

So .... "simple" question: does anyone have a 2016 or newer F150 with this gizmo AND is it helpful/worth getting? Note: I'm a girl (not that I think that matters! .... and I do the driving/towing ... and I've learned to backup pretty well ... but it isn't my favorite part of any trip. So ... as I'm looking around for a new/used TV (which should be a whole other post!), is it worth making this feature a "must have?" And it's OK to be honest, guys. . Thanks in advance!

L, I don't have this feature on my 2017 SD, but I did get to try it out on a loaner truck. I would have thought this is silly, adding more things to go wrong. Well it is pretty slick. It wouldn't be a deal breaker if it didn't have one, but I would make a backup camera and factory GPS high on the wish list. And this a bit lower down the list. You can get an F150 with 360 degree cameras, but the standard backup only that comes on XLT is pretty nice, best I've seen on anything.
WW

[wool33]

I have a 2016 f150 xlt with back up assist. I didn't program it yet. But my buddy did. And it does work good

[LLMRPh]

Yes, a backup camera is a must .... and The Ford version is second to none. I have. 2015 Expedition with max tow. I can back into a hitch on first try with no assistance! Since you all have F150's, I'm curious what you are pulling and if there is any sway problem. I love my Expedition so much and it has plenty of power and weight room to pull my 2506s MiniLite. But even with my Blu Ox Sway Pro, I feel lots of "wiggle" on the road as soon as I go above about 60mph. So that's why I'm looking at trucks .... longer wheel base ... yada yada. But then I see many people saying they had sway problems even with an F 150. So I'm torn. But that trailer backup assist seems pretty cool too!

[wool33]

I pull a 33 ft travel trailer. It weighs 7720 dry. I have very little sway

[m2kamp]

Originally Posted by LLMRPh

Yes, a backup camera is a must .... and The Ford version is second to none. I have. 2015 Expedition with max tow. I can back into a hitch on first try with no assistance! Since you all have F150's, I'm curious what you are pulling and if there is any sway problem. I love my Expedition so much and it has plenty of power and weight room to pull my 2506s MiniLite. But even with my Blu Ox Sway Pro, I feel lots of "wiggle" on the road as soon as I go above about 60mph. So that's why I'm looking at trucks .... longer wheel base ... yada yada. But then I see many people saying they had sway problems even with an F 150. So I'm torn. But that trailer backup assist seems pretty cool too!

I agree, backup camera makes life so much easier (and safer). My Ram backup camera displays on the 8.4 inch touch screen (with moving guidelines) and can also be activated while driving to check on things which is awesome.

I am curious on how the Ford trailer backup assist works?

An HD truck fixes all the "wiggle" and weird stuff that happens with lighter duty vehicles. I upgraded from a 1/2 ton and will never look back.

[LLMRPh]

Originally Posted by m2kamp

I agree, backup camera makes life so much easier (and safer). My Ram backup camera displays on the 8.4 inch touch screen (with moving guidelines) and can also be activated while driving to check on things which is awesome.



I am curious on how the Ford trailer backup assist works?



An HD truck fixes all the "wiggle" and weird stuff that happens with lighter duty vehicles. I upgraded from a 1/2 ton and will never look back.

The trailer assist works by totally doing the steering of the truck while the driver just turns a knob to directly "steer" the camper. So it let's the computer do the "reverse thinking" for the steering wheel while you just get to steer the trailer the same way you would steer a normal car or truck to back up. The demo at the dealer is a little video game thing but it was pretty cool.
Novice truck question: HD is heavy duty right? Does that mean a F250?

[Semperfi24]

We are planning to upgrade from a 2015 F150, SCrew, 4x4, 3.5 Ecoboost, max tow, 5' bed to a 2018 at the end of the year. One of the options the wife wants is the back up assist. she has never driven the truck while towing, and its something she wants to have, so I'm curious how people that have it feel about it.


As far as towing and sway. Our trailer is probably pretty similar in size (off the top of my head) to yours (Minilite 2504S). We have the equalizer hitch and experience minimum sway, but I wont try to over sell you and say no sway. You just have to be prepared for it. The only time I feel anything is with large "flat front" vehicles like busses.

[wool33]

And that's about as much sway I get when big rigs or busses drive past me. Like I said a have a 2016 f150 xlt with ecoboost and the max towing package

[m2kamp]

Originally Posted by LLMRPh

The trailer assist works by totally doing the steering of the truck while the driver just turns a knob to directly "steer" the camper. So it let's the computer do the "reverse thinking" for the steering wheel while you just get to steer the trailer the same way you would steer a normal car or truck to back up. The demo at the dealer is a little video game thing but it was pretty cool.
Novice truck question: HD is heavy duty right? Does that mean a F250?

Thank you for the explanation, pretty cool! Does anyone here have any real world experience with it?

Yes HD = Heavy Duty Pickup 3/4 ton and above (F250/350, Ram 2500/3500, Chevy/GMC 2500HD/3500HD and the new Nissan Titan is between a 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton, but they are new and not much user info on them)

If you plan on upgrading in size or tow very frequently HD is the way to go. Always better to have too much tow vehicle, especially during emergency situations. With 3200 lbs of payload I can bring an extra kitchen sink if I want and not worry about capacity.

[Herowe]

My 2016 F-150 has the pro btrailer back up assist. I use it with my boat and my camper. It works great. The biggest thing is, you cannot jack knife the rig while using it. You can turn the knob all the way to the stops and it will back in one continous circle.

Two problems. 1: When locating the sticker on the TT I had to create a nice flat spot to put the sticker on with magnets. 2: Sometimes with the sun low, the shadows can prevent the camera from finding the sticker.

I find the TT is easy to back up with out the system. The boat is smaller and it really comes in handy for that smaller more skittish trailer. It does help with backing, especially if you are trying to back over a long distance, because once you get the trailer going the way you want, just let go of the knob, it will continue to follow that line. Then just tap in corrections as needed.

I am going to upgrade to an F-350 and loose the system. It is nice to have, but 360 camera is really the deal. Nice to see how close the front truck corner is to something. Also, the F-350 has trailer back up camera view with guidance help. New F-350 being built this week. Should have it by next month.

[rvfriendly]

I ordered my 2017 F150 with these features. Max tow package, rear camera, trailer backup assist. I love all of these features, reduces stress when backing a TT.

[MilCop4523]

i have mine on my 16 Ecoboost. was easy to install the decal and measure the distances (setup instructions are simple). I used it 2 times and then traded my tag along trailer for a 38 foot 5th wheel.
the 2 times I used it, it worked as it should.
however if you rely on it to park your trailer ... and something doesn't work - you are better off skipping the process and carry on backing the unit you have or will get as per normal

[Mark Ulmer]

Originally Posted by LLMRPh

So .... "simple" question: does anyone have a 2016 or newer F150 with this gizmo AND is it helpful/worth getting? Note: I'm a girl (not that I think that matters! .... and I do the driving/towing ... and I've learned to backup pretty well ... but it isn't my favorite part of any trip. So ... as I'm looking around for a new/used TV (which should be a whole other post!), is it worth making this feature a "must have?" And it's OK to be honest, guys. . Thanks in advance!

I did setup the backup assist on my former TT (MiniLite 2109S). Unfortunately, I've found it to be mostly useless. Because of the way the tongue jack, propane tanks, etc. were situated the positioning of the sticker was severely constrained and I just barely managed to position it the minimum 7" distance from the center of the coupler.

When it works, it actually does work pretty nicely. However, most of the time, it would think for about 60 seconds and then say "can't find sticker". So, now I don't bother with it, and I just backup the old fashioned way.

[JohnNJean]

I don't have the backup assist because it wasn't available on the '16 F250 and, while it sounds neat, I'm glad I don't have it. Here's why -

My wife has a '16 Escape Titanium with all the bells and whistles and I hate the Sync 3 system. The GPS sucks, but that can be turned off. The worst part is that it is next to impossible to add inputs to the camera. I pull a fifth wheel and the one feature I added that I wouldn't be without are three cameras on the fiver - each side and the rear. I don't think the backup assist is available without the Sync 3 system so it would have been difficult to add the cameras because of the limited panel space. As it is, there's plenty of room on the lower panel cup holder to mount a nice size monitor with four switchable inputs (back of truck and three on the fiver).

FWIW, when I first got the truck, I was pulling a 16' TT. Other than blindside backing - which the additional cameras would have cured - it went backwards about as good as forward - no magic needed with a bumper hitch.

However, sway was mentioned and if that is a serious consideration in your case, go with a fifth wheel. The F250 was plenty of truck - actually, overkill - for a 6000 lb TT and once I got the WDH and sway bar tweaked it was fine - except when being passed by a large truck or in a crosswind. I never got used to being blown around and after a few hours behind the wheel, I felt like I'd done a days work. I have the factory brake controller with sway control, but I can't tell that it does anything to mitigate sway.

Until I got the fifth wheel, I didn't know how effortless towing could be. I can drive all day and arrive not feeling tired.

Sorry to further confuse things for you, but I sure wouldn't give up an inch of panel space to the Sync 3 system and backup assist and with any tall vehicle I think you'd still have the blindside problem even with the birdseye view.

FWIW, most fiver owners I've met started with a TT and I've never heard one that wanted to go back to a TT.

[mTn_biKer65]

I've had a 2016 with the Backup Assist for about a month but haven't gone much past setting it up. My driveway has a car and hydrant to stay clear of and being a busy road it's not a good time to experiment. Maybe I should find a parking lot and see if I can do a figure 8 backwards.

[Mark Ulmer]

Originally Posted by JohnNJean

... I don't think the backup assist is available without the Sync 3 system so it would have been difficult to add the cameras because of the limited panel space. ...

Actually, it is. My 2017 f150 only has the regular Sync, not Sync 3. Backup assist doesn't really have anything at all to do with Sync. It doesn't use that Sync display at all.

[capt104]

Have an F-150 towing a Coachmen 276 FE RKDSLE. We had an E2 Equalizer wd hitch with their friction anti-sway. We experienced quite a few white knuckle moments with semi's and wind conditions causing downright scary swaying. This year I bit the bullet and bought a ProPride hitch which has completely eliminated sway. Have put on several hundred miles in all conditions with the new hitch and must say I am completely satisfied. Towing is far less stressful now and we arrive a bit more relaxed.

[A32Deuce]

Originally Posted by LLMRPh

Yes, a backup camera is a must .... and The Ford version is second to none. I have. 2015 Expedition with max tow. I can back into a hitch on first try with no assistance! Since you all have F150's, I'm curious what you are pulling and if there is any sway problem. I love my Expedition so much and it has plenty of power and weight room to pull my 2506s MiniLite. But even with my Blu Ox Sway Pro, I feel lots of "wiggle" on the road as soon as I go above about 60mph. So that's why I'm looking at trucks .... longer wheel base ... yada yada. But then I see many people saying they had sway problems even with an F 150. So I'm torn. But that trailer backup assist seems pretty cool too!

Are you running P type tires or LT type. P will sway.

[bowlingg]

I have a 2017 F150 Platinum with the back up assist. I am hauling a 2017 Minilite 2109s. This is my first TT and I don't have any experience with backing trailers. My first few trips, I backed up into my spot the old school way with my wife giving me directions from inside (I hadn't programmed the back up assist yet). I had a few restarts but overall not too bad. For my last 3 trips, I've used the back up assist and it is fantastic. There is no thinking involved - get your trailer wheels in the vicinity of the parking spot. Turn the back up assist knob like you're backing up your truck until your trailer wheels are in line with the parking spot, let go of the knob and the assist takes you straight back from there. I have friends who say they don't like it because they've been backing trailers up forever and their brains are permanently programmed but I wouldn't want to do without it now.