RV & Trailer Towing Guide Online
http://www.fleet.ford.com/towing-guides/Website
TRAILER REVERSING AIDS (IF
EQUIPPED)
Pro Trailer Backup Assist™
WARNING: Driving while distractedcan result in loss of vehicle control, crashand injury. We strongly recommend thatyou use extreme caution when using anydevice that may take your focus off theroad. Your primary responsibility is the safeoperation of your vehicle. We recommendagainst the use of any hand-held devicewhile driving and encourage the use ofvoice-operated systems when possible.Make sure you are aware of all applicablelocal laws that may affect the use ofelectronic devices while driving.
WARNING: This system is an extradriving aid. It does not replace yourattention and judgment, or the need toapply the brakes. This system does NOTautomatically brake your vehicle. If you failto press the brake pedal when necessary,you may collide with another vehicle.
Note:The system is not a substitute for safedriving practices.
Note:You must always be aware of thevehicle and trailer combination and thesurrounding environment.
Note:The system does not detect or preventthe vehicle or trailer from making contactwith obstacles in the surroundingenvironment.
Note:Keep in mind that the front end of thevehicle swings out when changing thedirection of the trailer.
Note:The system relies on usermeasurements to determine stickerplacement and system limits. It is critical totake the key measurements correctly.Incorrect measurements can result in theimproper function of the system up to andincluding contact between the vehicle andtrailer.
Note:The system limits vehicle speed whenbacking up. The system is not a replacementfor proper use of the throttle and brakepedals.
Principle of Operation
This feature helps you to steer your vehiclewhen reversing with a trailer attached. Turnand hold the control knob in the directionyou want the trailer to go and the systemtakes over the steering. This allows you tofocus on checking the mirrors and operatingthe brake and accelerator.
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Setup
The system is designed to be used with awide variety of trailers. However there aresome trailers that do not have a propersurface and location to mount the sticker.These trailers are not supported. Attemptsto place the sticker on a surface that doesnot meet the sticker placement requirementlisted in Step 3 of the setup instruction orentering inaccurate measurements toproceed through setup can result in impropersystem function.
Accurate measurements are critical to correctsystem function. If you need to checkmeasurements entered or change them youcan access them through the trailer menusin the instrument cluster. Choose the optionto change the sticker from the change trailersettings menu. It is not necessary to removethe sticker if you are just reviewing orchanging measurements.
The following menu warnings or difficultiesmay occur during setup. Tips to resolve themare listed below.
Note:If you still experience issues with thesystem's ability to detect the sticker, see theinformation in the next section regardingsticker lost during system operation.
Measurement A has reached maximum orminimum value:
•The system is designed to work withdrawbars that have a bumper to hitch ballcenter measurement of 4 in (10 cm) to11 in (28 cm) when installed. Do notattempt to use drawbars that have alength outside this range as the systemperformance will be degraded and couldcause improper system function.
•Make sure that the measurement beingmade is the horizontal distance only frombumper and the hitch ball center. Astraight line distance that includes anyvertical rise or drop will increase themeasurement and make it inaccurate.Inaccurate measurements will degradesystem performance and could causeimproper system function. See step 4 ofthe setup instruction to reviewmeasurement instructions.
Measurement B has reached maximum orminimum value:
•Make sure that the sticker placementinstruction in step 3 of the setup hasbeen followed. Stickers placed outsidethe allowed zone will adversely affect thesystem performance and could causeimproper feature function.
•Make sure that the measurement beingmade is the horizontal distance only fromcenter of sticker to the hitch ball center.A straight line distance that includes anyvertical rise or drop will increase themeasurement and cause an inaccuratevalue to be entered into the system. Seestep 4 of the setup for additionalmeasurement instructions.
Measurement C has reached maximum orminimum value:
•Make sure that the sticker placementinstructions in step 3 of the setup havebeen followed. Stickers placed outsidethe allowed zone will adversely affect thesystem performance and could causeimproper feature function. If you havemet all the criteria for sticker placementand you see this message this sticker is
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either too far below or too close to thecamera to properly recognize the sticker.In order for the system to operatecorrectly the sticker height must belowered if you receive the minimumwarning or the sticker height must beraised if you receive the maximumwarning.
•Only one sticker can be placed on thetrailer for correct system function. Theprevious sticker must be removed orcovered so only one sticker is visible tothe camera.
•Measurement B and C must be measuredagain if a new sticker is placed on thetrailer.
Measurement D has reached maximum orminimum value:
•Make sure that the measurement beingmade is the horizontal distance only fromthe bumper to the center of the singleaxle or the center of all the axles on thetrailer. See step 4 of the setup foradditional measurement instructions. TheTBA system does not support trailerlengths outside the range allowed by theinformation display.
System is circling something beside thesticker or system cannot find the sticker:
•Make sure the rear camera is clean andthe sticker is clearly visible in the cameraimage. Clean the camera and sticker ifnecessary.
•The camera system uses the enteredmeasurements to help locate the sticker.Inaccurate sticker measurements willdegrade the system’s ability to locate thesticker. Verify the measurements enteredinto the system are accurate.
•Remove the incorrectly circled label ordecal if possible.
•If you cannot resolve the issue a newsticker location should be tried. Thesticker location must still meet therequirements noted in step 3 of the setupinstructions. Only one sticker can beplaced on the trailer for correct systemfunction. The previous sticker must beremoved or covered so only one stickeris visible to the camera.
Calibration
The system monitors various vehicleparameters to ensure your vehicle is beingdriven straight and the trailer straight behindyour vehicle. Any steering input or trailermovement will pause the calibration.
For best results:
•Use a long, straight, smooth and levelroad when attempting to calibrate.
•Drive straight forward.
•Drive between 4 mph (6 km/h) and24 mph (39 km/h).
System Operation
The following warnings or difficulties mayoccur during feature operation. Tips toresolve them are listed below.
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•You can change your sticker location bygoing into the Towing menu, selectingtrailer options, selecting change trailersettings and then selecting the changesticker option. The previous sticker mustbe removed. ONLY ONE STICKERSHOULD BE PLACED ON THE TRAILERFOR CORRECT SYSTEM FUNCTION.
•The camera system uses the enteredmeasurements to help locate the sticker.Inaccurate measurements will reduce thesystem’s ability to locate the sticker.Check the measurements entered intothe system are correct. Refer to the step4 of Pro trailer backup Assist setup forinstructions on measurements.
•You can change your measurement bygoing into the Towing menu, selectingtrailer options, selecting change trailersetting and then selecting the changesticker option. Disregard the prompt toremove this sticker and continue to thenext step if you only plan to update themeasurements for the current stickerlocation.
System will not backup straight:
•Factors such as the drawbar connectionto the hitch receiver, road camber, roadgrade and compliance in the trailersuspension can influence how straightthe system is able to back your trailerwhen the knob is not turned. You cancompensate for the trailer drifting to theright or left by slowly turning the ProTrailer Backup Assist knob until the traileris following your desired path and thenholding the knob in that position. If youwould like to recalibrate the system forstraight backing, you can do so with thefollowing procedure.
•Go into the Towing menu, select traileroptions, select change trailer setting andthen select the change sticker option.Your saved measurements will bedisplayed. Do not change them butcontinue to confirm measurements. Onceyou confirm the measurements, thesystem will then prompt you to performthe calibration procedure.
System consistently shows Stop Now Maxtrailer angle reached warning:
•The system uses your measurements todetermine sticker position and establishsystem limits. Accurate sticker placementand trailer measurements will provide thebest system performance. If you areconsistently receiving this warning it islikely there is an issue with stickerplacement or the entered measurements.Make sure that the sticker is placedcorrectly based on steps 3 and themeasurements were made correctlyaccording to Step 4. The troubleshootingguide for trailer measurements can alsobe reviewed for help in makingmeasurements.
•To change sticker location or changetrailer measurements, go into the Towingmenu, select trailer options, selectchange trailer setting and then select thechange sticker option.
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•If the sticker location needs to bechanged, the previous sticker must beremoved and a new sticker needs to beplaced on the trailer. ONLY ONESTICKER SHOULD BE PLACED ON THETRAILER FOR PROPER SYSTEMFUNCTION.
•Disregard the prompt to remove thissticker and continue to the next step ifyou only plan to update themeasurements for the current stickerlocation.
System consistently shows Stop now takecontrol of steering warning:
•The system displays this warning whenit can no longer steer the vehicle and youmust take over steering. There are fourreasons why this warning displays andadditional information regarding thereason for the warning is available on thecenter display.
•The steering wheel is touched while thesystem is controlling it. Avoid touchingthe wheel during system operation.
•The maximum speed for featureoperation is exceeded. Systemperformance is optimized at slowerspeeds. Backup slowly.
•The sticker was lost by the camerasystem. Once your vehicle is stoppedadditional warnings will indicate thesticker was lost. Refer to sticker losttrouble shooting tips.
•An internal condition for systemoperation was not met which requiresyour vehicle return to manual control ofthe steering.
Note:The system is designed to be usedwith the same trailer connection every timethe trailer is chosen from the selection menu.Using a different drawbar or a different pinhole (on drawbars with more than one) whenconnecting the drawbar to your vehicleaffects the trailer measurements. Take themeasurements again and update if required.
TRAILER SWAY CONTROL
WARNING: Turning off trailer swaycontrol increases the risk of loss of vehiclecontrol, serious injury or death. Ford doesnot recommend disabling this featureexcept in situations where speed reductionmay be detrimental (such as hill climbing),the driver has significant trailer towingexperience, and can control trailer swayand maintain safe operation.
Note:This feature does not prevent trailersway, but reduces it once it begins.
Note:This feature cannot stop all trailersfrom swaying.
Note:In some cases, if vehicle speed is toohigh, the system may activate multiple times,gradually reducing vehicle speed.
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1.Grab the trailer hitch cover at the bottomand pull towards the rear of the vehicleuntil the bottom of the trailer hitch coverunsnaps from the bumper.
2. Grab the trailer hitch cover at the edgeand rotate until the top of the trailer hitchcover unsnaps from the bumper, thenremove the trailer hitch cover.
To install the trailer hitch cover:
1. Line up the snaps on the trailer hitchcover to the holes on the bumper andpush forward until it snaps into place.
Hitches
WARNING: Do not cut, drill, weld ormodify the trailer hitch. Modifying the trailerhitch could reduce the hitch rating.
Do not use a hitch that either clamps ontothe bumper or attaches to the axle.
Distribute the trailer load so 10-15% of thetotal trailer weight is on the tongue.
Integrated Hitch Rating
WARNING: Towing trailers beyondthe maximum recommended gross trailerweight exceeds the limit of your vehicleand could result in engine damage,transmission damage, structural damage,loss of vehicle control, vehicle rollover andpersonal injury.
The standard integrated hitch has two ratingsdepending on mode of operation:
•Weight-carrying mode requires a drawbar and hitch ball. The draw bar supportsall the vertical tongue load of the trailer.
•Weight-distributing mode requires anaftermarket weight-distributing system,which includes draw bar, hitch ball, springbars and snap-up brackets. This systemdistributes the vertical tongue load of thetrailer between the truck and the trailer.
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Maximum Tongue WeightMaximum Trailer WeightMode
600 lb (272 kg)6,000 lb (2,722 kg)Weight carrying
900 lb (408 kg)9,000 lb (4,082 kg)Weight distributing
Note:These are hitch ratings only. Actualvehicle ratings are dependent on engine,transmission and axle combinations.
Weight-distributing Hitch
WARNING: Do not adjust the springbars so that your vehicle's rear bumper ishigher than before attaching the trailer.Doing so will defeat the function of theweight-distributing hitch, which may causeunpredictable handling, and could resultin serious personal injury.
When hooking-up a trailer using aweight-distributing hitch, always use thefollowing procedure:
1. Park the loaded vehicle, without thetrailer, on a level surface.
2. Measure the height to the top of yourvehicle's front wheel opening on thefender. This is H1.
3. Attach the loaded trailer to your vehiclewithout the weight-distributing barsconnected.
4. Measure the height to the top of yourvehicle's front wheel opening on thefender a second time. This is H2.
5. Install and adjust the tension in theweight-distributing bars so that the heightof your vehicle's front wheel opening onthe fender is approximately half the waydown from H2, toward H1.
6. Check that the trailer is level or slightlynose down toward your vehicle. If not,adjust the ball height accordingly andrepeat Steps 2-6.
When the trailer is level or slightly nose downtoward the vehicle:
•Lock the bar tension adjuster in place.
•Check that the trailer tongue securelyattaches and locks onto the hitch.
•Install safety chains, lighting and trailerbrake controls as required by law or thetrailer manufacturer.
Safety Chains
Note:Do not attach safety chains to thebumper. Always connect the safety chainsto the frame or hook retainers of your trailerhitch.
Install trailer safety chains to the trailer hitchas recommended by the manufacturer. Crossthe chains under the trailer tongue and allowenough slack for turning tight corners. Donot allow the chains to drag on the ground.
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If the trailer safety chain hook has a latch,make sure the latch fully closes.
Trailer Brakes (If Equipped)
WARNING: Do not connect a trailer'shydraulic brake system directly to yourvehicle's brake system. Your vehicle maynot have enough braking power and yourchances of having a collision greatlyincrease.
Electric brakes and manual, automatic orsurge-type trailer brakes are safe if you installthem properly and adjust them to themanufacturer's specifications. The trailerbrakes must meet local and federalregulations.
The rating for the tow vehicle's brakingsystem operation is at the gross vehicleweight rating, not the gross combinedweight rating.
Separate functioning brake systems arerequired for safe control of towed vehiclesand trailers weighing more than 1500 lb(680 kg) when loaded.
Integrated Trailer Brake Controller (If
Equipped)
WARNING: Use the integrated trailerbrake controller to properly adjust thetrailer brakes and check all connectionsbefore towing a trailer. Failure to followthis instruction could result in the loss ofcontrol of your vehicle, personal injury ordeath.
When used properly, the trailer brakecontroller assists in smooth and effectivetrailer braking by powering the trailer’selectric or electric-over-hydraulic brakes witha proportional output based on the towingvehicle’s brake pressure.
The controller user interface consists of thefollowing:
A: + and - (Gain adjustment buttons): Pressingthese buttons adjusts the controller's poweroutput to the trailer brakes in 0.5 increments.You can increase the gain setting to 10.0(maximum trailer braking) or decrease it to0 (no trailer braking). The gain settingdisplays in the message center.
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