How much can your truck tow? When choosing a new trailer or a new pickup a lot of folks look at the tow rating and think that that’s the final number. But the tow rating is just one factor in a calculation of how much you can safely tow. In fact we have a whole podcast episode about towing with a towing calculator. 

One of the most important factors in towing is actually tongue weight or pin weight combined with cargo carrying capacity and that’s where a lot of people get stuck. So Ford just announced a new feature in the F150 pickups that literally features an on board scale along with a Smart Hitch system. 

From Ford

• This summer, the 2021 Ford F-150 will debut available Onboard Scales which estimate cargo weight in real time and indicate capacity three different ways

• Class-exclusive available Smart Hitch measures tongue weight to help customers properly hitch up and reduce the possibility of trailer sway when towing

• Available continuously controlled damping improves ride and handling on- and off-road, especially in towing situations and also provide pothole mitigation technology

Customers can now gauge how much they’re hauling. New available Onboard Scales measure and display the approximate weight of the payload in the truck. Load information is displayed in the center touch screen with a graphic representation of the truck, on a mobile phone through the FordPass app or in graphics within the truck’s smart tail lamps.

Smart tail lamps operate like the battery charge indicator on a mobile phone, displaying the percentage of payload capacity by illuminating LEDs arranged in a built-in vertical bar. As the truck is loaded, all four lights illuminate, showing it’s fully loaded. If the truck is overloaded, the top lights blink. The maximum payload based on the pickup’s configuration is programmed into the system. Additionally, the truck can be set on scale mode, which zeroes out the current load and allows for approximate weighing of additional items loaded into the bed.

Load trailers easily

Class-exclusive Smart Hitch is designed to help customers easily load trailers and better practice safe towing. Smart Hitch measures the tongue weight of a trailer being connected, to help the customer distribute trailer weight correctly.

After the trailer is set up in the center touch screen, Smart Hitch calculates its tongue weight and provides guidance on weight distribution or hitch overloading on the screen, on the FordPass™ app or within the smart tail lamps. The truck also will indicate if the hitch weight is too high or low and can even guide owners through properly tensioning a weight redistributing hitch.

Comfort and control with a smarter suspension

The all-new 2021 F-150 offers available continuously controlled damping for enhanced ride and handling characteristics, especially when towing or hauling heavy loads. A computer within the F-150 analyzes multiple signals collected from high-resolution sensors – adjusting vehicle response to each situation by controlling valves in the shocks.

Damping force is used to control unwanted motions such as bounce, pitch and roll reducing the severity the truck – and its passengers – will feel from traveling through the pothole. When the edge of a pothole is detected, the dampers firm up, preventing the tires from dropping as deep into the hole. Tuning can be adjusted by selecting any of the available drive modes.

In Tow/Haul mode, continuously controlled damping is specifically tuned to provide a smooth and confident driving experience, easing truck and trailer responses to road conditions while providing connected, precise, and linear steering despite a heavy trailer or load, helping reduce stress on the driver while towing.

Available Onboard Scales, Smart Hitch, and Continuously Controlled Damping can be ordered in early June, with deliveries beginning in late summer. They add to the catalog of available technology for F-150 like PowerBoost™ full-hybrid powertrain, Pro Power Onboard™, Trailer Reverse Guidance and Pro Trailer Backup Assist, Active Park Assist 2.0, and Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Detection.