It's a lost cause. There is always going to be something out there which is newer, faster, shinier, fancier, or higher tech. GM or RAM may quickly out-torque us. They may introduce new revolutionary features. Even Ford will do a mid-cycle refresh. In two years, we may have the "old" transmission. We may have the lower output engine. New stuff is always in the pipeline to get people to continue to buy. This truck was, more or less, designed in parallel with the F-150. That means initial design started in 2009. The tech we are so thrilled with is actually probably several years old already.

After 3 current-gen Super Dutys, I'm going to be content with this new one for quite awhile, regardless of what the competition or even Ford does.

 

Good things come to those who wait, right?

 

So last night I became a big fan of the new trailer camera. Not because I have one but because I needed it, bad. Explanation in a second...

My wife, son and daughter (home from school for a few days) decided Friday afternoon that we should take a quick trip to Island Park, Idaho. No biggie, as it's only 4 hours each way. I hook up the trailer, fuel up the truck and we head out. I find myself getting a little sentimental as the 2011 pulls the monster trailer loaded light at 17,500 lbs without a care in the world. We took the RZR and the XP for a day of tooling around in the Grand Targhee. Instead of heading straight home yesterday, they all ask to "swing through" Yellowstone National Park. Without consulting a map, I say sure and we head further north and into the west entrance of the park. Again, all the climbs, descents, and altitude are zero challenge for the truck. I find myself thinking how awesomely comfortable and powerful this truck is. But in the back of my mind I'm wondering how much better the 2017 will handle the road chatter, the extra steep climbs, and how the massage seats will feel. The extra run through Yellowstone added another 150 miles to the trip but in that time we saw Old Faithful, other geysers and the boiling mud pots of Grant's Thumb. We also drove around a wild fire just north of the Grand Tetons that nearly obscured the only highway in smoke. We did a lot and saw a lot in only 48 hours and it was only possible due to the awesome piece of engineering that is a Ford Super Duty truck.

Now, back to the original reason of this post, the back up camera. Being a long day, we arrived home last night about 9:30 PM. It was well after dark and my neighborhood is very dark. Everyone in the truck bails out and runs inside the house because it's been 3 hours since our last stop. I pull to the end of the culdesac and of course my neighbor's kid parks his car in the very spot I need to swing into when I start my backup. My neighbor across the street has his old F150 parked at the end of his driveway removing any possibility of me using his driveway as an option for my back up. So I execute a blind backup of a 40 foot toy hauler on a near 90 degree angle by braille. I'm literally going off memory of how the 6 trailer tires should feel as they enter the driveway. At this point (and about 25 other points) I'm thinking how awesome it will be to be able to see where the crap I am going. The little backup lights at the back of the trailer are so far away they are useless. So having set a new world record for how slow a person can back a trailer, I finally place it into a good enough spot for the night and notice my home-from-college daughter has been dutifully giving me directions the whole time. I just couldn't see her in the darkness from that far away. Sweet girl she is.

So yes, I'm looking forward to that camera. Now more than ever.

 

Better have adequate lighting on the back of your trailer or that camera will be fairly useless...

But the best part is that you are able to do it without the camera, if you have to.

 

What a nice weekend. I am envious of the ability to take off and enjoy such grand space and wide open freedom with your family. And you really didn't need the camera after all!

 

Maybe a set of traffic cones with conspicuity tape around the top would be a big help even with the camera. Blind side backing is a real pain no matter how many times or how good you are at it. Eventually you come to a time when it doesn't feel quite right and G.O.A.L proves you inches away from something you thought was feet away.

 

Agreed. The lights can be easily improved with LED inserts. They will be very helpful. Luckily my neighborhood is dead quiet with no traffic. I was in and out of the truck 3 or 4 times to make sure I wasn't going where I shouldn't. It's kind of a beautiful thing though to see the trailer lit up at night and hear the axle springs and tires groaning and popping in a tight turn. Back in the 7.3 days I'm sure my neighbors would have said it was an unacceptable racket. The 6.7L on the other hand is a ninja.

 

I love seeing a well-lighted trailer all lit up at night as well.

 

got a bult date of 9-8 today as well as VIN

 

Stick with the new one for sure. Besides that is not far away at all. But the Green Gem sounds mighty tempting. Those were the days before Ford hired a new batch of exterior desicrators!!

 

im sticking with the 2017 for sure. just hoping the 9-8 date sticks.

 

I posted this in another thread but it might help to show it again. I got this from the ford fleet site.

Unscheduled/Clean

Order received by Ford Motor Company, has no compatibility errors, and is not yet scheduled for production.

Compatibility Error/Material Hold

Order contains compatibility error(s) and option(s) on material hold. Please contact your dealer for more information or you can call
• US Customers - the Ford Fleet Customer Information Center at 1-800-34-FLEET, pick 2
• Canadian Customers - the Ford Fleet Headquarters at 1-800-668-5515

Material Hold

Order accepted by Ford Motor Company, but cannot be scheduled at this time. Please contact your dealer for more information or you can call
• US Customers - the Ford Fleet Customer Information Center at 1-800-34-FLEET, pick 2
• Canadian Customers - the Ford Fleet Headquarters at 1-800-668-5515

Compatibility Error

Order contains compatibility error and cannot be scheduled until error is corrected. Please contact your dealer for more information or you can call
• US Customers - the Ford Fleet Customer Information Center at 1-800-34-FLEET, pick 2
• Canadian Customers - the Ford Fleet Headquarters at 1-800-668-5515

Submitted to Plant

Order has been submitted to plant to receive a scheduled date.

Scheduled

Vehicle has received a scheduled date for a future week of production.

Production

Order has begun the assembly process.

To Test Center

Vehicle was randomly selected for Emissions testing.

From Test Center

Vehicle returned from Emissions testing for delivery to final destination.

Shipped

Vehicle has left the assembly plant for final delivery.

Damaged Vehicle-Delay

Vehicle has been damaged and will result in a delay in delivering to the final destination. Please contact your dealer for more information or you can call
• US Customers - the Ford Fleet Customer Information Center at 1-800-34-FLEET, pick 2
• Canadian Customers - the Ford Fleet Headquarters at 1-800-668-5515

Delivered

Vehicle has been delivered to final destination.

Damaged Vehicle-Undeliverable

Vehicle has been damaged, and will not be delivered. Please contact your dealer for more information or you can call
• US Customers - the Ford Fleet Customer Information Center at 1-800-34-FLEET, pick 2
• Canadian Customers - the Ford Fleet Headquarters at 1-800-668-5515

Order Cancelled

Order has been cancelled by the ordering dealer and will not be built. Please contact your dealer for more information or you can call
• US Customers - the Ford Fleet Customer Information Center at 1-800-34-FLEET, pick 2
• Canadian Customers - the Ford Fleet Headquarters at 1-800-668-5515

Model Year Balance Out

Vehicle production for this model and model year is complete. The order will not be built.

Production Locked-In

Order's content has been locked in. Options cannot be changed and the order cannot be cancelled.

Produced

Vehicle has been built, but has not been released from the assembly plant.

Sent to Body Company

Vehicle sent to body company for modification.

Returned from Body Company

Vehicle returned from body company to Ford Motor Company's transportation sys

 

Your fleet guy should be able to check your order at will. Ford has a fleet site that is very user friendly. All you need is a fleet customer number.

 

I just test drove a f250 lariat with all the bells and whistles and the camera system. I can't believe how nice these trucks are . It's so quiet if you didn't know it was a diesel you can't tell . The power is there for the asking. I'm stoked again and can't wait now.

 

Hey guys, Ive ordered a 2017 F450 King Ranch. From what I has been told by my dealer and the Ford rep. the delay is the wiring harness for the trailer camera and trailer TPMS. This wiring harness has to be run along the frame to the screen on the dash. Its the 12 pin connector under the 7 pin trailer plug.

Larry