Omitting Ultimate Trailer Tow Camera System

Nothing new to add other than I agree we need to know the dimensions of our trucks and be comfortable maneuvering them around without cameras but…..I’m with the majority of those who have replied saying I use the cameras (especially overhead 360 view and front camera) every time I drive my truck. I wish the quality was better but they work fine for the intended purpose.
 
There has to be someone in the aftermarket world that sells a better camera we could replace ours with if you really don’t like it
 
I would not buy a truck like this without the 360 cameras. Use them all the time.

Don't care about the trailer backup deal though, someday I should try mine to see if it even works.
That was exactly my thought process. This is one of the things I wish Ford wouldn't package together.
 
I did not get the PTBA package. I thought about it a lot, but didn’t want all the stuff attached to my steering. The cameras however I think are awesome and wish they could have been added on their own. The price however was too much and didn’t want something to break down the road sometime. The camera quality of my back up camera is fine, it’s not perfect and I think the large 12 inch screen accentuates the poor quality. I think the 4K quality of our phones and tv’s now days makes the camera screen look bad, but honestly it’s not that bad, works perfectly for what it needs to do. If the price doesn’t scare you away I think the 360 cameras are awesome!
 
Agree with most others that the cameras are a “must have” despite the substandard image quality.

They more than get the job done and enable you to do things with the truck that you wouldn’t dare without them.

And if you hook up a trailer with any regularity you’ll kick yourself for not having them. I hook up and move trailers more often than I really need to just because of how easy the cameras make it. 😂

I’ve yet to use the trailer backup system/controls. Setting up the sticker and all that doesn’t seem worth the effort. I might change my tune if I was often needing to backup a long distance in a fairly straight line. For example, I used to have a house with a 1500’ long driveway with a gentle curve and no room to turn at the end. I had a Isuzu NPR with a 18’ bed and a 22’ equipment trailer at the time. I sure wish I had a trailer backup system for that thing then.
 
Agree with most others that the cameras are a “must have” despite the substandard image quality.

They more than get the job done and enable you to do things with the truck that you wouldn’t dare without them.

And if you hook up a trailer with any regularity you’ll kick yourself for not having them. I hook up and move trailers more often than I really need to just because of how easy the cameras make it. 😂

I’ve yet to use the trailer backup system/controls. Setting up the sticker and all that doesn’t seem worth the effort. I might change my tune if I was often needing to backup a long distance in a fairly straight line. For example, I used to have a house with a 1500’ long driveway with a gentle curve and no room to turn at the end. I had a Isuzu NPR with a 18’ bed and a 22’ equipment trailer at the time. I sure wish I had a trailer backup system for that thing then.
To add, Just simple things like parking somewhere with a pole or wall in front of you, turn on the front camera and pull it up close.

These trucks are big and I see a lot of shitty parking jobs and don't want to be "that guy". These aren't little old F150's.
 
Scenario I hit yesterday where the cameras were super handy: backing into a parking spot between a car and a post.

I was able to fold my mirrors in so I could hug the post really tight, then use the cameras to still have visibility. Made it a lot easier than swinging out wide to have the mirror clear the post and swing back in, or folding the mirrors in and backing up blind until they cleared the post.
 
Guys, thanks for all of your feedback. Based on what was explained i decided to shell out and get the ultimate cameras. Like many i’m not happy about the cost, the supbar low res quality, and the fact that it comes with back up assist (more stuff to break eventually), but still the front camera and side views are good features. I’ll look to save elsewhere, just have to find some other goodies to omit!
 
That was exactly my thought process. This is one of the things I wish Ford wouldn't package together.

I completely agree. For me, the PTBA is absolutely useless. I will venture to say that Ford packaged the UTTCS with the PTBA because of the popularity of the UTTCS combined with the slow selling PTBA numbers in previous years on both the F150 and Super Duty trucks.

I had a 2019 with the Tow Technology Bundle ($1970) which included UTTCS, Adaptive Steering and Lane Keeping Alert. The cameras were nice, but I used the Rear Park Assist and the CHMSL the most. I purchased the 2019 off the dealer lot. Later read some bad reviews about the Adaptive Steering...would be very expensive to fix out of warranty. If I had ordered that truck, I would have ordered the UTTCS ($720) as a separate stand alone option.

I have read that consumers in Europe buy vehicles via individual orders...similar to what we currently have here. No package of options...all options are separate stand alone items. This type of business model makes perfect sense...for the auto industry, except maybe the sales people.....cut out the "floor planning" (dealer inventory) with monthly financial obligations to the manufacturer; eliminate or reduce factory rebates, etc.



 
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Scenario I hit yesterday where the cameras were super handy: backing into a parking spot between a car and a post.

I was able to fold my mirrors in so I could hug the post really tight, then use the cameras to still have visibility. Made it a lot easier than swinging out wide to have the mirror clear the post and swing back in, or folding the mirrors in and backing up blind until they cleared the post.
I recently read on the F150 forum where a guy stated he used his front camera to see past a big truck to his left while sitting at a stop sign and watching for traffic to clear in order to cross a 4 lane highway. A big truck to his left kept inching forward to obstruct his view. Evidently the front camera can 'almost' see around a corner...can view to the left or right of the truck from the front...places the driver cannot see if view is obstructed from the cab. I never used the front camera much...even for parking on my previous 2019 truck, but found his post interesting.
 
I did not get the PTBA package. I thought about it a lot, but didn’t want all the stuff attached to my steering. The cameras however I think are awesome and wish they could have been added on their own. The price however was too much and didn’t want something to break down the road sometime. The camera quality of my back up camera is fine, it’s not perfect and I think the large 12 inch screen accentuates the poor quality. I think the 4K quality of our phones and tv’s now days makes the camera screen look bad, but honestly it’s not that bad, works perfectly for what it needs to do. If the price doesn’t scare you away I think the 360 cameras are awesome!
The UTTCS is a neat option and useful sometimes. However, IMO, the PTBA is virtually worthless. Moreover, both the PTBA and the Adaptive Steering makes me wonder if either could render the truck undriveable if there was a breakdown or malfunction. In addition, what would the repair cost be on either or both for a truck out of warranty.
 
I completely agree. For me, the PTBA is absolutely useless. I will venture to say that Ford packaged the UTTCS with the PTBA because of the popularity of the UTTCS combined with the slow selling PTBA numbers in previous years on both the F150 and Super Duty trucks.

I had a 2019 with the Tow Technology Bundle which included UTTCS, Adaptive Steering and Lane Keeping Alert. The cameras were nice, but I used the Rear Park Assist and the CHMSL the most. I purchased the 2019 off the dealer lot. Later read some bad reviews about the Adaptive Steering...would be very expensive to fix out of warranty. If I had ordered that truck, I would have ordered the UTTCS as a separate stand alone option...at $720.00.

I have read that consumers in Europe buy vehicles via individual orders...similar to what we currently have here. No package of options...all options are separate stand alone items. This type of business model makes perfect sense...for the auto industry, except maybe the sales people.....cut out the "floor planning" (dealer inventory) with monthly financial obligations to the manufacturer; eliminate or reduce factory rebates, etc.



 
I recently read on the F150 forum where a guy stated he used his front camera to see past a big truck to his left while sitting at a stop sign and watching for traffic to clear in order to cross a 4 lane highway. A big truck to his left kept inching forward to obstruct his view. Evidently the front camera can 'almost' see around a corner...can view to the left or right of the truck from the front...places the driver cannot see if view is obstructed from the cab. I never used the front camera much...even for parking on my previous 2019 truck, but found his post interesting.
Honestly I would believe it. The front camera is very wide angle. Quite impressive.

Also: the truck creeping forward sucks.

The UTTCS is a neat option and useful sometimes. However, IMO, the PTBA is virtually worthless. Moreover, both the PTBA and the Adaptive Steering makes me wonder if either could render the truck undriveable if there was a breakdown or malfunction. In addition, what would the repair cost be on either or both for a truck out of warranty.
+1 to PTBA being worthless IMO. I certainly don't intend to ever use it. As for breakdowns, it's a good and valid question.

I have to believe adaptive steering module could leave you without steering depending on how it failed, though maybe (hopefully!) they designed it to be fail-safe. It's an electric motor in the steering wheel.

As for PTBA, it utilizes an electric assist motor on the steering shaft, so presumably it's possible for that to also leave you without steering (again, hoping they designed it to be fail-safe); however, that motor isn't used exclusively for PTBA so you might have it anyways. It's also used for steering assist - lightens the steering feel at low speed. Note that this is different than adaptive steering which changes the steering ratio, but not the lightness/stiffness.

Here's a video showing what the motor on the steering shaft looks like if you want to check if your truck has it. Shows it on a truck without PTBA.

 
Honestly I would believe it. The front camera is very wide angle. Quite impressive.

Also: the truck creeping forward sucks.


+1 to PTBA being worthless IMO. I certainly don't intend to ever use it. As for breakdowns, it's a good and valid question.

I have to believe adaptive steering module could leave you without steering depending on how it failed, though maybe (hopefully!) they designed it to be fail-safe. It's an electric motor in the steering wheel.

As for PTBA, it utilizes an electric assist motor on the steering shaft, so presumably it's possible for that to also leave you without steering (again, hoping they designed it to be fail-safe); however, that motor isn't used exclusively for PTBA so you might have it anyways. It's also used for steering assist - lightens the steering feel at low speed. Note that this is different than adaptive steering which changes the steering ratio, but not the lightness/stiffness.

Here's a video showing what the motor on the steering shaft looks like if you want to check if your truck has it. Shows it on a truck without PTBA.

Interesting......Steering Assist...similar (lightens the feel at low speed) yet different than Adaptive Steering (AS) (low and high ratios - lightens the feel at low speeds and tightens the feel at high speeds via different gear ratios).

Even though I had previous trucks with both Adaptive Steering and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), I never dived into the details of the electronics or mechanics. Both AS and ACC are neat options, but the AS appears to have the potential for long term ownership reliability / repair costs issues. If ACC goes out, truck is still useable and will most likely still have standard cruise control. Somewhat difficult to use cruise control on crowded Interstate highways nowadays...though ACC makes it more convenient.

Not sure what trim levels have the Steering Assist. My truck is a Lariat with the Ultimate Package. I will watch the video you posted and check it out after I take delivery of the truck (in a couple of weeks?).
 
Not sure what trim levels have the Steering Assist. My truck is a Lariat with the Ultimate Package. I will watch the video you posted and check it out after I take delivery of the truck (in a couple of weeks?).
One theory I saw in the video comments, which makes sense to me, is that it's used for lane departure warning (vibrates the steering wheel) and possibly other safety features. That's pretty logical to me, though obviously it's not proof. If that's true, then your truck would have it.

Will be curious to hear if you have it or not!
 
One theory I saw in the video comments, which makes sense to me, is that it's used for lane departure warning (vibrates the steering wheel) and possibly other safety features. That's pretty logical to me, though obviously it's not proof. If that's true, then your truck would have it.

Will be curious to hear if you have it or not!
I will confirm after taking delivery.
 
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