On the Ball: Pickup Trailering Technology Misses the Mark
By Bruce W. Smith
Technology such as rearview cameras, automated trailer backup, onboard trailer light checks, grade braking and trailer-sway control all make towing with new pickups trucks easier and safer. Truth be told, every warning and driving aid in the world seems to be available on today's pickups.
Well, almost everything is available. None address the biggest safety issue in towing: excessive tongue weight.
It makes us wonder: Have pickup engineers lost sight of the fact that the stability of any tow vehicle and trailer begins at the hitch ball?
Automakers spend millions developing new technology that makes poor or inattentive drivers less of a threat to others on the road. Millions also are spent on handling tests to improve vehicle stability when a vehicle is overloaded.
But we have yet to see a truckmaker develop a system that tells the driver when the weight on the hitch ball (or gooseneck pin in the bed) surpasses the pickup's maximum load limit.
Strain gauges, instruments that measure the amount of flex in material, have been around for decades. Big rigs of all types use them every day to measure the weight of the load they carry. Leap Innovations' WeighSafe hitches have a built-in gauge that shows tongue weight. Wouldn't it be sweet if that same technology was part of the next-generation towing packages built right into our pickups?
Pickup manufacturers easily could employ existing computer software and strain gauge technology in a factory receiver hitch that would display a warning on the dash indicating when tongue weight is beyond factory limits. At least then drivers would be aware before heading down the road that their trailered load was not within the safety parameters of their pickup.
What are your thoughts?
Cars.com photos by Bruce W. Smith
The WeighSafe hitch has a built-in gauge that shows tongue weight.
Comments
GMs sag less than Fords, GM'S are safer.
THAT STATEMENT IS FALSE. RAM HAS SAFER AIR RIDE AND IS THE SAFEST FOR HANDLING AND STABILITY.
So many variables on tongue weight. Would be a good idea but not as accurate as bathroom scales but probably easier....
These truck manufactures cant make something that tells one they over weight, if that was the case, then truck people would see that half tons are just actually grocery getters and nothing more, they are in it for the money....I was waiting for the day when any of the truck makers would actually tell people all about towing so they understand it fully.....that will never happen, and people like GMSRGREAT will always think that their gm s can actually tow some weight, then hurt someone and get sued, and then blame the truck maker, which btw you will not win that one...
Because of the Military Grade Aluminum in the F-Series and the new Super Duty Series of trucks. All new Fords can tow more than those other brands.
Toyota has a similar frame design as the best selling HD Super Duty, there for C-Channel for life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Who needs to measure tongue weight when you got that frame that will flex.
Toyota and Ford YEAH!!!!!
Ford has magic spring dust, that trumps all other makers.
So who will be first to get this?
The first manufacturer gets bragging rights, maybe a patent if they come up with a really slick of showing/doing it, maybe establish a new level of safety standard only they would qualify for until the competition caught up...
MOST importantly they would have another ding dong that added another 1K to the prices of a 55+K truck... about half of that 1K being profit...
Im not saying its a bad idea, im not saying its a good idea, but since it adds cost and at the minimum a cool feature its gonna happen.
Tongue weight is just part of towing. Hitches do have a tongue weight rating and so does the trailer tongue. However the total weight of the trailer is vital also. You can be light on the tongue but be severely over loaded for the hitch or tow vehicle. Then you can throw in weight distributing hitches into the mix.
I would think that too little tongue weight is a more dangerous situation.
To know the tongue weight as a percentage of trailer weight, you also have to know the trailer weight.
I could envision a system where the truck measures the tongue weight and the driver has to enter the trailer weight. If the tongue weight is out of range, the truck nags you and won't let you drive over 10 mph until you change the tongue weight or change the trailer weight. The trouble is that you can just take the tongue weight, multiply by ten, and enter that as the weight. et Voila! Off you go.
To really solve this problem requires a smart trailer that will tell the truck how much it weighs.
Well Bruce since you came up with tbe idea. Why don't you invent this system and call it The Bruce Tongue Weight Detector ???
If you think this is bad all trailers hitches and the trailers are built and made to a VOLUNTARY standard developed by idiots. Go to dangeroustrailers.org
No matter how techy a truck may get, it will never be good enough for the idiots who habitually overload their trucks. There's only one way to stop them and that's by simply preventing them from starting.
Overloaded hitch? Engine shuts off or won't start.
Overloaded bed? Engine shuts off or won't start.
Both conditions make very loud and annoying "OVERLOAD WARNING" sounds and lights.
I see too many pickup trucks with their noses in the air and their hitch practically dragging the ground. Education is no longer good enough; they need to be made idiot-proof.
That's great, then the person towing will move the excessive weight to the rear which will make the situation just as dangerous. Ever see a trailer sway? Great. Now lets add a trailer with too little tongue weight.
Neither is favorable but a tongue weight indicator could push new towers to make the situation just as bad. If you do not have the ability to read and follow instructions on trailer loading as per your owners manual, then you should not be towing a trailer. Oh, and what about hysteresis with sensors?
I've always said.. just like a CD license, there needs to be a TD(towing license) for anyone who plans to tow a trailer that exceeds 10' in length or 3k in weight, which ever comes first.
First the manufacturers must put the Curb Weight of the truck as its equipped and the GCVWR on the door sticker. That takes all the guess work out of the equation. Then a hitch weight and a payload gauge that would prevent the truck from being driven if it indicated the truck or the hitch were overloaded. I'd much rather have those things on a truck than Apple Car Play, Forward Collision Alert or Lane Departure Warning.
The average driver SHOULD NOT be towing.
I drive a ute, but what does it haul? It just hauls air.
Even though I rank in the top 10% of drivers, even I do not tow.
@ uh huh - I agree that a tow licence should be mandatory for lower tow weights. Some jurisdictions do not require a tow endorsement for anything under 10k. Even that is too high.
Truck companies probably could engineer sensors on the front and rear suspension as well as tow hitch points to monitor weight distribution.
Cargo weight would be a relatively easy one to engineer.
It won't happen voluntarily since car companies wouldn't want to hurt their sales.
@bat - I wonder how many people know that the ratings are on the door sticker?
I know that one of the FCA mo-ron's on this site who claims to be an engineer did not know the ratings for his balcony equipped sedan.
B1g A1 from 0z - "I rank in the top 10% of drivers"
Wow they have rankings for that sort of thing in Australia?
Yes you do haul just air............ LOTS..... and......LOTS
of HOT AIR.
LOL
I'd want strain gauges on my trailer axles and jack before anywhere else, if they could be made reliably accurate for a decent cost. Those two or three (on a dual axle) readouts, would give a much more complete picture of the load as you're loading, than a simple measurement at the hitch ball.
The main purpose for a hitch ball readout, would be for dynamic load logging on bumpy roads, which I have to admit would be a cool, if nerdy, feature. Could help with stability/trailer brake/sway algorithms, though.
You'd also want a hitch gauge for when you (partially) load and unload the trailer while attached, which is probably more common in commercial use.
You wont see this anytime soon, because most people who have towed all of their lives would realize that (with the exception of some 3/4 and 1 tons) they need a weigh distro hitch to tow anything bigger than a jetski.
I agree it needs to be included, because overloading the tongue is one of the fastest ways to wind up backwards in a ditch with a jack knifed trailer, but most people just load sh*t on a trailer and drive off with their headlights pointing up into outer space and call it good.
Overloaded hitch? Engine shuts off or won't start.
Overloaded bed? Engine shuts off or won't start.
Both conditions make very loud and annoying "OVERLOAD WARNING" sounds and lights.
I see too many pickup trucks with their noses in the air and their hitch practically dragging the ground. Education is no longer good enough; they need to be made idiot-proof.
Posted by: RoadWhale™ | May 16, 2016 9:03:06 PM
Good idea for on road, but people working in the middle of the woods or a field no so good.
"Good idea for on road, but people working in the middle of the woods or a field no so good."
--Posted by: johnny doe | May 17, 2016 6:02:23 PM
A pity, Johnny. But I've seen enough idiots with overloaded and mis-loaded trucks to think idiocy needs to be prevented, not coddled.
Because of the Military Grade Aluminum in the F-Series and the new Super Duty Series of trucks. All new Fords can tow more than those other brands.
Posted by: Blueman | May 16, 2016 11:54:55 AM
Better read the fine print. Ford reduces their tow rating for every 1,000 ft of elevation.
First, and I hate to say this, always read the owners manual. It has a towing section. It basically walks you through your vehicles capabilities. It also references where to find the relevant weight ratings, DOOR PLACARDS, and hitch rating. In my 2013 Ram owners manual, it actually gives you tips as well as relevant warnings about improper tongue weight. Hell, even my 2011 Subaru Legacy has a towing section in the owners manual. So, the onus is not on the manufacturer. Second, Do any of you really think that any professional truck/trailer driver actually does anyhing without weighing empty and then weighing full? A simple google search can lead you to free weigh scales in your area. Shoot, I can take my trailer to the metal scrap yard and use their scale for free. Weigh up, and use the 10%-12% weight rule. 10-12% of the total weight being towed (Trailer weight plus load weight) will be your total tongue weight. And lastly, strain gauges exist for professional drivers because they weigh in regularly. They have to have their load situated properly. If they don't they can lose their license. The average joe shouldn't tow unless they understand the vehicle's capabilities as well as there own.
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