I'm curious why someone would practice using this feature rather than practicing using the steering wheel to back up? For those of you who have it on your truck, is it even worth hooking it up?

I'm not going to watch a 30 minute video on the system. But I do have it on my Expedition MAX. I've set it up to work with both my boats. Only used it once - when I went out with a group of people, and no one was comfortable backing up the trailer to retrieve the boat at the launch ramp.The system worked well enough to have someone with limited experience successfully back down the boat ramp. Spend anytime at a boat ramp (or honestly a campground), and you quickly see there is a real need for a product like this.

^^^Interesting, I struggle understanding how turning a knob vs turning a steering wheel makes backing up easier. I guess the secret is that letting go of the knob let’s the computer work to straighten the truck and trailer out.

If you've seen the commercial of the girl using it to back her TT into a busy gas station you know the people this is intended for! I know of no one that would back into a gas station spot!

^^^I haven’t seen the commercial nor have I driven a truck with this backup feature but my suspicion (which may be totally wrong) is that anyone capable of backing a trailer into a gas station stall using pro backup assist could, with very little practice, back up a trailer into a gas station stall using a steering wheel.

I've never used the system myself or seen it used, but from what I understand it greatly simplifies the backing process by automatically initiating the countersteer required to get the trailer moving the right way, and then turning the wheels the other way to straighten the trailer out, while not allowing the front end to swing into anything or jackknife the trailer. All that stuff is pretty intuitive to an experienced trailer backer, but with this system all you do is turn the knob the way you want the trailer to go. I'd like to try it at some point.

Pro trailer back up assist | Good Sam Community

Fisherman
Explorer
Nov 18, 2020
Tvov wrote:
Fisherman wrote:
Okay, have to ask, what's a FRED?

On behalf of us who wanted to know but didn't ask, Thank You! lol

I don't know why but your post just got me laughing so hard there's coffee dripping off the end of my nose, lol.
Tvov
Explorer II
Nov 18, 2020
Fisherman wrote:
Okay, have to ask, what's a FRED?

On behalf of us who wanted to know but didn't ask, Thank You! lol
Fisherman
Explorer
Nov 18, 2020
Ah thanks.
JRscooby
Explorer II
Nov 18, 2020
4x4ord wrote:
^^^Freaking Ridiculous Electronic Device

Close enough for a family site. LOL
4x4ord
Explorer III
Nov 17, 2020
^^^Freaking Ridiculous Electronic Device
Fisherman
Explorer
Nov 17, 2020
Okay, have to ask, what's a FRED?
Groover
Explorer II
Nov 17, 2020
Mike134 wrote:
4x4ord wrote:
^^^I'm thinking the same way regarding back up assist having more appeal in the F150 market. I've noticed the odometer counter for the individual trailers on my truck's DIC and it really surprised me to see the high percentage of miles that my truck is used for towing. In fact I actually find it hard to believe the number. It has me wondering if there is a possibility that the odometer keeps counting after I've unhooked a trailer if I fail to select "no active trailer"?

Yes our "smart" trucks sometimes forget the trailer is disconnected.
There have been a few postings about that on the F150 forum site

My F150 will not quit counting miles for the trailer until I go into settings and select No Trailer. And, I have to be stopped to do this. Most of the time I unhitch I forget and don't remember until I am going somewhere and then can't change it because I am moving. It tells me that the trailer has been disconnected, it probably knows the from the light bulb monitor but that information is not shared with the data log for trailer. Really stupid! There is so much more that Ford could do to make their trailer towing software more useful than what my 2016 has. That is the type of stuff where Tesla crushes most other automotive companies.

My suggestions to Ford on how to improve the trailer towing software:
1) Remember settings for each trailer, like electric brake and use of tow/haul. Have loaded and unloaded settings for each trailer.
2) Remember data for calculating distance to empty for each trailer. And no trailer
3) Use throttle and brake response to verify trailer entries
4) Offer low/med/high for tow mode
5) When the trailer doesn't seem to be with you anymore ask you to confirm "NO TRAILER", or just go ahead and select that automatically.

Seriously, I can adjust brightness and color of ambient lighting while driving but I can't unselect the trailer until I come to a complete stop. How stupid!
FishOnOne
Nomad
Nov 17, 2020
I will say that when backing up I'm a lot better backing towards the passenger side and a bit awkward backing towards the drivers side which I rarely do, but every once in a while I'm forced to do it. When I built our shop to store our camper, I put garage doors on both ends so I can drive thru when putting it up.
Mike134
Explorer
Nov 17, 2020
4x4ord wrote:
^^^I'm thinking the same way regarding back up assist having more appeal in the F150 market. I've noticed the odometer counter for the individual trailers on my truck's DIC and it really surprised me to see the high percentage of miles that my truck is used for towing. In fact I actually find it hard to believe the number. It has me wondering if there is a possibility that the odometer keeps counting after I've unhooked a trailer if I fail to select "no active trailer"?

Yes our "smart" trucks sometimes forget the trailer is disconnected.
There have been a few postings about that on the F150 forum site
4x4ord
Explorer III
Nov 17, 2020
Groover wrote:
" In a way this thread is kind of funny ..... we are all expert backer uppers yet the campgrounds and boat launches are full of people who haven't a clue how to back up a trailer."

I have two theories on that.
1) The people on this site are more experienced with trailers than the general public.

2) We remember other people's mistakes more than what they do right.

You might be right, on the other hand, you'd kind of expect the people on this site to have similar experience with trailers to those at the campgrounds and boat launches.