Ford Trailer Backup Assist

When the camper is on, the hitch extension will bring the receiver to the back end of the camper, making the hitch ball about the same distance behind the camera as the tailgate camera is to the stock hitch. The big difference will be the extra distance from the rear axel to the ball.

As for how well it works, I'm more concerned with keeping it straight while backing up a long distance. One of the trailers I town has no place to turn around, so I have to back it up over 100 yards. The trailer is pretty narrow, so I can't see it behind the camper. On top of that, its short so it gets out of line really quickly.

Bionic Man wrote:
As others stated, the way that the back up assist “works” is based on the distance from the rear view camera to a sticker on the trailer. And there is both minimum and maximum distances required, so you would have to find a way to make that work if you somehow re-positioned the camera.

Have you ever tried using the assist in the first place? I set it up on my Expedition MAX on both my wake boat and my fishing boat. And my personal experience is that neither of them work very well.

First, it is very finicky to pick up the sticker at all. I find mine has to be in complete sun for it to work. Not at night, and not if it is in the shade.

Second, it isn’t unusual for it to lose the sticker once you start backing up.

Third, it won’t make a very sharp turn. For example, turning 90* from my street into my driveway isn’t possible with the assist.

Maybe Ford has made significant improvements since my 2019. And maybe I’m just not patient enough to fiddle with it as I am competent in my backing skills. But I personally wouldn’t want to rely on that as a system to back up my own trailers.