2022 F250 towing woes and delights

[Nick1236]

Ok so I thought I would make a thread about all the towing issues as I come across them and put them all in the same thread.

So far the bad:

2.5inch receiver is measuring an 1/8th inch over sized (2.625" to 2.640" measured with my mitutoyo calipers), leaving .0625" play per side.
- I can't find a tolerance chart online but I'm assuming an 1/8th oversized is too much.
- My shank measures 2.450" which would be acceptable if the receiver opening was on size.
- So with the difference of the receiver opening and my shank size, thats almost an .100" total play side to side. That is not acceptable.

Steering wheel pulls left when towing, but only when towing. This could be a bad alignment with the trailer or something with the WD hitch so I'm not putting blame on Ford just yet)
-Pulled my trailer without the WD bars attached and there was no pulling which leads me to believe it is something with those. Possibly the bar hangers need to be adjusted. Its not anything wrong with the truck though.

Brake light warning came on all of a sudden on my second trip around the block. It was fine at first, I went through the trailer setup process and everything was fine. Now its telling the right brake light/blinker is out but the weird thing is that its working. I get the warning, go check and everything is fine. The lights on the trailer are not malfunctioning. I did not have this issue with my 2019 F150 I literally had hooked up about a week ago.
-Brake Light warning is gone. I cleaned out the terminals on both the truck and trailer and this fixed the issue.

Backup camera resolution is horrible... Its like 240p at best. The image looks like grainy dog poo on the 12 inch screen.

The "zoom in" button (+ symbol top left) doesn't always work. I have to press it MULTIPLE times for it to eventually work.
-I have found that switching to the bed cam and then back to the backup cam fixes this issue, although still annoying.

So far the Good:

Truck has zero problem pulling a 12k trailer with the 7.3L gas engine. It pulls so much better that my F150 did as far as acceleration and off the line get up and go. Very happy with that. Granted I only went around the block a few times and briefly on the freeway.

Noticeable less sway and WAY better braking. I actually had to turn down the gain on the brake controller. I had it maxed on my F150 before.

Tow mirrors are awesome, I didn't have the extendable mirrors on my F150.

I had no problem connecting my safety hooks to the receiver. I know some people have reported issues but I did not.

I like how it remembers to use tow haul mode with my trailer attached after I shut it off and turn it back on.

I will continue to update this thread as I encounter more issues or fixes for issues previously brought up.

 

[Deus]

Super disappointing to hear that the new 12" screen still features the same trash cameras.

 

[greatoppressor]

Well, at least with a hitch receiver that is oversized you don't have to worry about your hitch rusting in place. What's your concern about the loose fit, anyway? Is it just a noise issue?

-SR-

 

[Nick1236]

Well, at least with a hitch receiver that is oversized you don't have to worry about your hitch rusting in place. What's your concern about the loose fit, anyway? Is it just a noise issue?

-SR-

Slop leads to extra wear as the components have more room to move. As the shank move side to side it can slowly "egg" the opening out.

And yeah it's noisy and bangs around and you can hear it "thunk" when stopping sometimes.

 

[Pompey]

Slop leads to extra wear as the components have more room to move. As the shank move side to side it can slowly "egg" the opening out.

And yeah it's noisy and bangs around and you can hear it "thunk" when stopping sometimes.

Maybe drill and tap a hole in it and put a bolt in to tighten it up

 

[ThreeLRanch]

Slop leads to extra wear as the components have more room to move. As the shank move side to side it can slowly "egg" the opening out.

And yeah it's noisy and bangs around and you can hear it "thunk" when stopping sometimes.

Telescoping any pipe or tubing is a pain in the ass and they have done the best that they can with what is offered but I sure ford would let you pay for the construction of a new mill to produce the correct size of tube that you think is needed. You can find some square tubing that is tight like you are wanting it but then you would be complaining about it being to tight and not being able to get out after sometime if being in place , I can guaranteed that. It does bang around just a hair but if your used to hauling a trailer around any at all you just get used to it and after a while you dint notice it. I hate for you to haul a fifth wheel if the little bit of noise bugs you because my 5er makes a loud sound every take off and stop but that’s the way it does.

 

[Daimyo68]

I get the same Brake Light warning on my 2020. Warning pops up, everything checks out fine

 

[Nick1236]

So checking further into the receiver hitch dimensions, they used #4 gauge sheet metal and it's folded into a square and then welded into the housing.

OD of receiver tube measured 3.05" and #4 gauge being .224" thick means the ID is 2.602" at best.

Still have not found a tolerance chart for receiver hitch sizes.

Still seems oversized to me.

 

[Dutch061]

@Nick1236 , the truck should have a Class V receiver hitch, which means it is 3" ID. I assume that you have the adapter inserted to reduce the ID to properly fit a Class IV drawbar which is 2.5".

Could this be your issue?

 

[greatoppressor]

Slop leads to extra wear as the components have more room to move. As the shank move side to side it can slowly "egg" the opening out.

And yeah it's noisy and bangs around and you can hear it "thunk" when stopping sometimes.

True. That "thunk" is just the reassuring sound that your trailer is still back there.

 

[marine_wi]

@Nick1236 , the truck should have a Class V receiver hitch, which means it is 3" ID. I assume that you have the adapter inserted to reduce the ID to properly fit a Class IV drawbar which is 2.5".

Could this be your issue?

Isn't 3 inch for 350 and 2.5 inch is for 250?

 

[Dutch061]

Actually, they both are equipped with Class V receiver hitches.

 

[Nick1236]

Telescoping any pipe or tubing is a pain in the ass and they have done the best that they can with what is offered but I sure ford would let you pay for the construction of a new mill to produce the correct size of tube that you think is needed. You can find some square tubing that is tight like you are wanting it but then you would be complaining about it being to tight and not being able to get out after sometime if being in place , I can guaranteed that. It does bang around just a hair but if your used to hauling a trailer around any at all you just get used to it and after a while you dint notice it. I hate for you to haul a fifth wheel if the little bit of noise bugs you because my 5er makes a loud sound every take off and stop but that’s the way it does.

3 x 3 x 1/4 wall a500 structural tubing exists all day long. That would put the ID at 2.5" nominal +/- .02 tolerance. I do manufacturing and machining for a living. It's easily within Ford's ability to source better material.

The sound isn't that big of an issue. My WD Hitch is loud enough but the real problem is the slop causes excess wear as the shank has room to wiggle it will egg out the hole.

 

[Nick1236]

Isn't 3 inch for 350 and 2.5 inch is for 250?

Correct the 7.3L gas trucks all get the 2.5" receiver.

 

[Nick1236]

I get the same Brake Light warning on my 2020. Warning pops up, everything checks out fine

Did you try anything to fix this?

 

[Daimyo68]

Did you try anything to fix this?

Well, the issue is a Ghost in the Machine..

Being that it only happens when the trailer is connected, I cleaned all terminals at the plug ends (although they really didn't need it), checked all circuits on the trailer and no issue found.

My thought is a voltage "spike" possibly causing it. If the module is monitoring voltage, and while driving the plug moves just a hair causing a millisecond drop/rise of power, I would assume the module will set a flag and pop the warning message up.

Tough one to diagnose when it all checks out good

 

[Apparition]

Isn't 3 inch for 350 and 2.5 inch is for 250?

3" is for 6.7, 2.5" for 7.3

 

[marine_wi]

3" is for 6.7, 2.5" for 7.3

Ok. That's what it was... Thought I saw something with the different sizes. Couldn't remember exactly what it was.

 

[Flourman]

Super disappointing to hear that the new 12" screen still features the same trash cameras.

I’m seeing the same in my 2022 cameras on the 12” screen. When I test drove the new bronco as well. It seems the camera resolution was much lower than my 2017 F150 resolution was. I’m thinking it has to deal with the difference in screen type. My 2017 seemed to have a bit more tactile screen while my 2022 seems to be more like a phone screen.

I’m super happy to changes from the F150 to the gas tremor. I made the same change and coming off the 3.5EB. I do really like the 3.5EB motor so much fun.

 

[oops]

I’m seeing the same in my 2022 cameras on the 12” screen. When I test drove the new bronco as well. It seems the camera resolution was much lower than my 2017 F150 resolution was. I’m thinking it has to deal with the difference in screen type. My 2017 seemed to have a bit more tactile screen while my 2022 seems to be more like a phone screen.

If you have the same resolution input (camera) with a higher resolution output (screen) it's going to look worse because every artifact will be physically larger, and therefore more perceptible to your eye.

Similarly, the glossy screen on the Bronco and 2022 Super Duties will increase the contrast relative to the matte screens on the 2021. Again making the poor image quality more apparent.

Super disappointing to know that Ford had added this huge glossy screen to the 2022 without upgrading other components.