We have a '22 F350 XL CCLB DRW that we use to haul our '17 Adventurer 910DB. I added the 'severe duty' Timbrens and some generic upper overload bumpers, with the result being that the truck rides mostly level all loaded up.

The problem is... that the low beams on the headlights are all but unusable - the 'throw' is *maybe* 100yds, if that. Terrifyingly short distance at highway speeds over/through mountain passes. And even when I finally just started driving with high beams on as much as possible, then just all the damn time... I'd swear I get 'flashed' way more when driving my little '17 Fusion on low beams than I do with the '22 F350 on *high* beams. Something is not right about how these appear to be aimed.

I guess my question is... if I take it to a dealer or other shop, should I leave the camper *on* and tell them to fix the aim/throw of the lights with the full weight of the camper? My concern is that some shops may not have that high of a bay to accommodate a rig this size.

I'd love to just get LED headlights, but my understanding is that ends up being quite a 'process' on the newer Fords?

 

LED lights are even worse, currently. Absolutely blinding to oncoming traffic. Too much light up close, not enough throw.

Dim your dash. Turn off your fog lights if you have them. Polish up the lights lens, and consider fresh bulbs. Sylvania deos offer higher end bulbs.

100 yards is decent, slow down in unlit areas. You should never ever use high beams with traffic around. Also, get your eyes checked. I have contacts that help at night, and reduce glare.

 

Okay, let me rephrase this: this setup has the absolute shortest low-beam projection distance I have *ever* seen, in any vehicle, ever. Imagine driving in dense fog, without the wall of white in front of you. That's the kind of 'throw' we're talking about here. Whatever the distance actually is - 100yds was a guess, it's not something I stopped and measured on the side of the road. - it's too damn short.

Slow down in unlit areas? I have no idea where you go driving at night, but not many highways I've ever been on have street lights And we have been slowing down, on roads that we've never had to slow down on before with other vehicles, that no other vehicles are slowing down on, because I CAN'T FREAKING SEE far enough ahead. If I slow down any more, I'd have to put my hazard blinkers on so I don't get ***-ended by someone else driving at normal speeds.

I do dim the dash lights, and I tend to stay more on top of my vision correction than probably 99.9% of people. I'll admit, as I'm on the wrong side of the big five oh, my night vision isn't what it was in my 20s or 30s, but again, this vehicle stands out as singularly the worst 'throw' on the low beams of anything I've driven even recently. It almost acts like the low beams are aimed at a much shorter distance than the high beams - which I didn't think was possible; I was under the impression that the whole fixture was aimed as a whole. I'll check out the aftermarket bulbs

 

Actually that is exactly how headlights are designed to work in north america... it's called "low beam" for a reason. That design varies by country/region, the Euro and Asian spec has been different for some time.
It is so there is only so much the low beam can be raised before the high beam just points up in the sky.

 

Might be the low beams are aimed too high, due to camper load? Youre only getting the bottom if the beam on the road? You can aim the beams yourself. I wouldnt have a deal do it. Put a level on your bedrail first, i dont think you can adjust enough for any squat. Just level and rake.

Bulbs do dim with age. Migh just be time for fresh ones. These worked well for me in the past:
https://www.sylvania-automotive.com/...derSearch=true

 

I agree there is something wrong here.

Something has not been covered in this thread: When the pickup is unloaded, as in the camper is removed and the bed is mostly empty, is the headlight situation any better?

Next, find a level place to park where you have level pavement under the truck that continues waaaay out in front of the truck. Get a board or similar to see where the focal points where the headlights are aiming, both low and high beams. As you get further away, do these focal points move up or down?

Next, put the camper back on. How does this change the measurements of the focal points of the headlights?

From what I've read above, you don't generally have night vision issues in other cars, including a 2017 Fusion, where your eyes are commonly blasted by other cars and where the headlights have much less downward angle to work with. I hear no complaint about that, so this takes vision issues out of the equation in my book.

 

I kinda doubt it... like I said originally, the truck has both Timbren severe duty jounce stops, and aftermarket (not Timbren) upper overload spacers added. It sits pretty much level, maybe a tiny bit of squat, with the camper loaded.

Part of me wants to say "It's only a '22!" but then again, I guess that is actually ~4 yrs old. Still doesn't seem like the bulbs should be going bad already, but I guess it's possible. Several recommendations for the Sylvania bulbs, and a few more for aftermarket LED which I'm looking into.

 

TBH, we don't drive it at night that often... except for the occasional road trip where we need to put some extra miles on to get from point A to point B a little sooner. This most recent trip was kind of an exception - we got a late start after the wife got home, and it was raining most of the way there - so what little light there was from the headlights was badly diffused by the time it hit the pavement. The lane markings on the road were all but invisible, not reflecting at all due to the surface water. Didn't help the situation at all, for sure. The trip back was dry(ish) conditions, but again, the entire trip was in the dark.

Otherwise, the rare occasions when the camper is off, it's pretty much a trip to HD or Lowes for something that I need the truck bed for - and basically never at night. Loading/unloading the camper isn't a major ordeal - unlike some people, we do actually take it out and put it back more often than just when we change vehicles - but it's not something I'm going to rush out and do just to check headlights. Sorry, I know, I asked. I do plan to do some testing much like you describe, but probably just with the camper loaded as thats the majority use case for us.

I mean... as I get older, astigmatism gets more annoying, particularly with night driving. I know when I was (much) younger, I'd see the 'glow' of oncoming headlights before they even got close to topping a rise, and dim my lights accordingly. It seemed like I could see *forever* at night... now, not so much. Definitely less, but still a long ways - I think - from being 'night blind'.

 

Makes sense. Next I'd try the measuring suggestions. If you don't want to take the camper off, just measure it on that flat pavement I was telling you about. See where the focal point goes as you get further away.