Interesting article from Truck Camper Magazine on the new F-150s that will have built in weight sensors. You can get an accurate payload number from the infotainment screen, your smartphone app, or from the tail lights. The tail lights have 4 "bars" that light up like a battery gauge that tell you from the outside when you are loading the truck when it has reached 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of rated payload. Once you exceed payload, the tail lights blink.TC magazine opines that this function will be added to SuperDutys next year and that other mfrs will follow suit. I wonder if there will be a way to override the blinking tail lights when running overloaded? It's not a stretch to picture this tied into the PCM so that the truck won't start if it's overloaded, or maybe is limited to 5mph "limp" mode when loaded over the GVWR.

I wonder if there will be a way to override the blinking tail lights when running overloaded?What will happen when you add airbags, or any other mods to the suspension?How is it done technically?

I have seen millions interesting inventions, that did not make it in real life, so will watch it.To my knowledge accurate sensors who can be installed on vehicle don't exist, so if Ford invented it, good for them.

Kayteg1 wrote:I have seen millions interesting inventions, that did not make it in real life, so will watch it.To my knowledge accurate sensors who can be installed on vehicle don't exist, so if Ford invented it, good for them.They are commonly used in commercial trucks, here's just one example

Kayteg1 wrote:I have seen millions interesting inventions, that did not make it in real life, so will watch it.To my knowledge accurate sensors who can be installed on vehicle don't exist, so if Ford invented it, good for them.Springs and scales don't mix real well. OTOH, a pressure gauge with leveling valve can get spot on with air suspension. (good enough that when mine would read FAT, I would dump suspension, close a valve when read legal, then air up. Want to ticket me? Use your scale!) If I bought a new pickup I would worry this info would be recorded, used to deny warranty repair. Years back somebody rented a truck from Home Depot to take their stuff home. Stopped to pick up some rock. When got close to what we loaded on pickup a horn started to honk.

Just about all logging trucks have scales and they can be quite accurate..

New Fords Weigh Themselves | Good Sam Community

JRscooby
Explorer II
May 01, 2021
Kayteg1 wrote:
jaycocreek wrote:
Just about all logging trucks have scales and they can be quite accurate..

+- 300 lb ?

With the pressure gauge on Pete, and Air Weigh on the RGN, I would be within 60 lbs of what Cat said. And with the pressure gauge on my Mate end-dump just as close.
JIMNLIN
Explorer III
May 01, 2021
The new F150 has around 22 different GVWR ratings from a 6010 gvwr up to 7850 gvwr. Example is the 6750/6800/6950/7000/7050/7150 gvwr.
WE know some F150 gvwr payloads can overload the its RAWR numbers so I would think Ford would go with axle load scales like I've seen on bigger trucks/trailers.
Hemi_Joel
Explorer
May 02, 2021
Unbelievable that Ford would think any fools will fall into this trap. Pay $600+ for a system to rat you out to the highway nazis and the truck warrantor if you go over weight? Void the warranty on the engine, the trans, the whole truck, because the violation is stored in the PCM? Get pulled over and fined/impounded? Good luck selling that one, Ford.

Edit: On second thought PT Barnum was right. These things will sell like hotcakes.
GDS-3950BH
Explorer
May 02, 2021
Hemi Joel wrote:
Unbelievable that Ford would think any fools will fall into this trap. Pay $600+ for a system to rat you out to the highway nazis and the truck warrantor if you go over weight? Void the warranty on the engine, the trans, the whole truck, because the violation is stored in the PCM? Get pulled over and fined/impounded? Good luck selling that one, Ford.

Edit: On second thought PT Barnum was right. These things will sell like hotcakes.

The $600 honeymoon and the oooohs and ahhhhs will end in short order the minute a sensor or module goes bad, and it costs 2 or 3 times the cost of the original option to repair. Next they should install toilets with an auto wipe feature in their trucks, and put highway rest stops into the obsolete column
JRscooby
Explorer II
May 02, 2021
Hemi Joel wrote:
Unbelievable that Ford would think any fools will fall into this trap. Pay $600+ for a system to rat you out to the highway nazis and the truck warrantor if you go over weight? Void the warranty on the engine, the trans, the whole truck, because the violation is stored in the PCM? Get pulled over and fined/impounded? Good luck selling that one, Ford.

Edit: On second thought PT Barnum was right. These things will sell like hotcakes.

IMHO, the warranty issue is likely real. Would not surprise me to learn people are paying extra to test the systems in real world. If they can sell it for $600, find out it works it is likely cheep enough to install on all trucks. If customer asks for it, they pay and get the light show. Don't ask for, don't know they have it until warranty is denied.
The fine/impound snot? No.
3_tons
Explorer III
May 02, 2021
This device has been on the aftermarket for quite some time - just a computer dongle that correlates already existing OBD II drivetrain data, however it won’t know if you do a suspension mod...Ford simply made it a pricy option integrated into center screen...

Mfg by Curt, available at etrailer

3 tons
jimh406
Explorer III
May 02, 2021
Ford doesn’t try to make it work for every vehicle out there while Curt did. Fitness RV did a test and it wasn’t very good results. The engineers came out and did some work to try to make it better.

My guess is that Ford’s solution “could” be far more accurate although not perfect over time. Springs do change over time.

For me though, I’m not sure why I care other than having the latest tech gadget. Not that I’m against tech as a person who retired from it, but at some point, you are paying for gadgets that rarely have a need. For instance, for this “feature” what would you do if you found out that you were x% higher than you wanted to be. Maybe the first time, you take stuff out. After that, I think most would just go for it. That’s about equivalent to going to a CAT scale once, but of course, the Ford solution would be far more expensive.
joerg68
Nomad III
May 04, 2021
There is overweight, and there is overweight.
Taking a load of tiles home from the nearest box store 5 mls down the road is not the same as a six week cross country trip with a heavy camper in the back and a toyhauler on the hitch...
The truck won't know the difference...
Either way the driver needs to know what the truck can safely do.

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