Now I've seen it all...

completely useless for a travel trailer or fifth wheel unless the camera was on the back of the trailer....all I'de be looking at is my trailer and nothing behind it......I'll still need my wife to call out other useless hints....like "no, no, no ....more to the right"...or my personal favorite...say nothing, while making weird facial expressions...

what fun would if be for those around us, if we slipped that trailer right in without yelling at each other?

gijoecam wrote:
This has GOT to be the most ridiculous 'feature' I've seen on any vehicle. Ever. There are no words to express my disdain for this 'feature.'..

It's getting old in here.

My comments: here goes!

1st: It's a Ford innovation. What more can be said (you can take that either "positive" or "negative") I do bet Chevy and Ram copy-cat it though!

2nd: According to the video link above, it looks like it works pretty good for backing a boat! BUT ... a 35 foot TRAILER! Well ... we'll see eventually!

3rd: It's quite obvious the driver in the video has practiced with this device for a while. It still takes time to figure it out. Either watching a monitor or looking over your shoulder, you've to to figure out which way to turn that knob. Coming from "old school" here, I think I would be terribly confused with that knob and the direction to turn it. So the person doing the driving in the video, of course, has had lots of practice to make it look so easy. For us "old school-timers" I bet we'd get frustrated very quick with this!

4th: I do see an advantage to this technology. First, its a new innovation and I'm sure Ford is going to make a lot of money off it from folks wanting it installed on their vehicles. (you know, children always to play with the newest and greatest toys on the market). Second, for someone who has minimal experience towing and backing a trailer, and not "old-school", this may actually be easier for them. Third, it's raising some eyebrows (even mine), causing a lot of discussion now, giving us something "new" to talk about. All of these are good "positives"!

(Imagine "THIS" coming from a Chevy die-hard guy! Maybe I'm not so "die-hard" after all? Nay! I drive a Chevy, but do appreciate technology when I see it!)

gijoecam wrote:
This has GOT to be the most ridiculous 'feature' I've seen on any vehicle. Ever. There are no words to express my disdain for this 'feature.'... If you can't figure out which way to turn the wheels, maybe you shouldn't be towing the trailer in the first place?

Ford Pro Trailer Backup Assist Feature

Now, is the technology that enables this cool? Yeah. The nerd in me marvels at it. Is it at all practical? As far as I'm concerned, it's utterly useless. I'm confident that I'd be able to do it faster and at least as accurately...

Why so upset? If you don't like a feature, don't use it. What's so hard about that? We weren't all born pros at backing up a trailer.

Many people may find it very useful when backing a boat trailer but not an RV. The back-up camera would not let you see beyond the front of the TT. Another problem may occur when focusing on the review mirror and trailer, the front end of the truck may strike an object in tight turning situations. Time and customer experience in the field will tell how useful this new technology will be. Don't be afraid to try something new. We all have room to learn and appreciate new ideas.

It will make me look at ford for my next truck. Probably comes as part of the tow package. Having only owned a TT for 3 months, it might be helpful. As far as assisting the experienced trucker / tower - not so sure.

All this new "assist" technology just makes for a dumber generation of drivers who rely on it. The technology is cool but the reality of it is kind of sad.

I think it is pretty cool and allows a beginner to at least backup without wrecking anything. Folks who actually tested it seemed to like it. It doesn't even look like it will be expensive, so why not?

Our immediate impression of this technology is that it will be a boon to novices or first-time towers, a group of which your author is a member. It takes the mystery out of backing up a trailer, and while there's still a learning curve involved, it's significantly easier than doing things the old-fashioned way. The knob itself is easy to modulate, allowing drivers to make fine adjustments to the trailer angle as needed. You still need to have your wits about you when using the system, but in general, the overall process is far more straight forward.

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/05/21/we-test-the-2016-ford-f-150-pro-trailer-backup-assist/

I suspect many thought the automatic transmission was ridiculous at first.

Mike

That feature may be ridiculous to you, but it may be a great aid for many. I know it would make my life much easier when backing my boat or travel trailer.

HAHA

Found a video also...

Clicky

(Footage is from Elizabeth Park in Trenton, MI and the Ford Yacht Club in Grosse Ile, MI... I grew up two doors away from FYC and regularly launched out of Elizabeth Park for years!)