New Fords Weigh Themselves

[BurbMan]

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.

[joerg68]

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.

[jimh406]

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.

[3_tons]

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

[JRscooby]

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.

[GDS-3950BH]

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

[Hemi_Joel]

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.

[JIMNLIN]

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.

[JRscooby]

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.

[rhagfo]

I chuckle at this, had a neighbor in the early 90’s that ran his own log trucks, had load cells installed on the bunks so he knew his loaded weight before leaving the landing.
The interesting thing thing was he could run his truck in three different configurations with or without pup trailer.

[Kayteg1]

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

+- 300 lb ?

[joerg68]

Of course, the ratings do not change when I modify the suspension*. The truck doesn't know anything has changed.
But depending on the engineering solution to determine the weight, the values registered by the truck may now be grossly inaccurate. Thats why I am curious to know how they do it. For example, if pressure readings from TPMS sensors is used, it is difficult to calculate the load when the vehicle is not on a flat surface. At least that is what the control circuit of my truck's airbags has me believe...

*) At the risk of derailing the thread: Here in Germany, the registration document lists the axle weight ratings and GVWR, among many other things. Invariably, it has the values from the door sticker. Changes can be made, but are very difficult to obtain, with all the required documentation being in a foreign language, if it exists at all. The values in the registration document are binding; if you exceed the numbers when you are weighed (which can and does happen), you are in trouble and may have to unload your camper to continue. Exact regulations vary from country to country, Germany usually accepts 5% over, other countries are more strict.
It is always fun to read how relaxed this is seen in the US. Be glad for what you have, believe me.

[valhalla360]

joerg68 wrote:

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?

Unless you get an engineer to review, sign off and apply for a new rating based on the modifications...the official rating hasn't changed when you add airbags, so I doubt Ford would be interested in letting owners change the limits in the system.

[BurbMan]

JRscooby wrote:
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.

Happened to me when I loaded on this Lance to get it home. What I found out is that the horn stops honking when you put it in Drive.... stop and put it back in Park and the horn starts up again LOL

[jaycocreek]

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