Ford officially pulled the wraps off its 2017 Super Duty F-Series trucks this week with the claim that these are the toughest, smartest and most capable Super Duty trucks yet.
New from the ground up, these pickups offer great new features for trailer boaters, but you’ll need to wait 12 months to buy one; the trucks aren’t due to arrive at dealers until next fall.
Like the 2015 F-150 pickups, the new Super Duty series will feature military-grade aluminum alloy bodies, saving on average 350 pounds in weight, according to Ford. Yet the company is putting that weight back in the trucks with more rugged, fully-boxed frames. Ford claims the frames are 24 times stiffer than the previous versions. There are also upgraded drive trains, axles and suspension systems. Ford says it has already conducted over 12 million miles of testing on roads at its proving grounds and elsewhere.
Towing is core to the Super Duty mission, Ford says. And part of that is new technology that makes towing easier and more efficient. For example, an available rearview camera on the tailgate now zooms to make the process of hitching up your boat trailer a bit simpler
Also, in an industry first, an available camera attached to the trailer will let to see behind the boat to improve visibility while backing up. This is part of seven available cameras that let you monitor 360 degrees around your rig.
In another tech advance for towing, Ford’s Blind Spot Information System – which uses radar sensors in the taillamps to monitor areas not readily visible to the driver – will be optimized in the Super Duty trucks to include the length of the trailer. What’s more, an available feature will let you monitor the pressure in your trailer tires from the comfort of the cab while stopped or on the highway. An available integrated brake controller lets you control a trailer’s electric or electric-over-hydraulic brakes from the driver’s seat.
Ford claims that the new Super Duty trucks will boast bigger and stronger conventional towing hitches and will have the highest max Super Duty tow rating ever. For power, the second-generation Ford-built 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 diesel engine will available for the 2017 Super Duty pickups, as will the 6.2-liter V8 gasoline engine. There will be five trim levels – XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum – and three cabs – Regular Cab, SuperCab and Crew Cab.
