How Well Does The 2021 Ram TRX's Trailer Reverse Steer Control Actually WORK? I Put It To The Test!
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- Опубліковано 17 жов 2024
- Ram's Trailer Reverse Steering Control is new for the 2021 Ram 1500 models, including the TRX. But how well does it work? In this video, Andre puts this new feature to the test.
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#Ram #Trailer #ReverseSteering
Nice Video. I wanted to know was this feature worth getting on a new Ram. You have answered my question. Thanks. No one has done a video like this. Thank you again.
What are your conclusions? Worth getting it or not?
I think the primary purpose of these trailer backup features are for those guys on the boat ramp who can’t keep the trailer straight. Then again, if you can’t back up a trailer, you probably shouldn’t be towing one in the first place.
I've kicked people out of their own truck to back their boat in because they're too slow holding up the ramps lol
I think you are correct. As a boat owner, I'd say about 20% of the folks using the ramp, need this feature. Can't tell you how many times I see people get flustered at busy ramps and back up onto the curbs etc.
This is prefect for my wife when she backs up to grab me and the boat at the end of the day. I can definitely see the benefit.
Gotta learn somehow but find a empty lot and some cones
@@evictioncarpentry2628 lol. Yup been there and done that also. Then there is one more thing after the boat is in the water... people never start there boat in spring. They bring it to the dock and lone and behold. Boat won’t start. That drives me nuts. Lol.
I bought a used pop up trailer years ago from a guy that taught semi driver's how to drive for a large company. Trick from him was to keep right hand at 6 o'clock position on steering wheel. The direction the right hand moves is the direction the trailer moves. My house at the time had a fairly long driveway with a fence on one side and my house for a section on the other. This trick made it easy for a relative trailer novice like me to park my trailer in the back yard without trauma. My front street was fairly busy and this helped with the 90 degree in as well.
I've heard of that method before. I've never tried it before though. I learned by backing up a lawn sweeper behind the garden tractor when I was 13 (I think). A lot fewer risks in when just driving around the yard though.
Thanks for the tip!
videos like this make me thankful i learned how to drive with trailers attached to trucks. not trying to be a smart *** but literally my dad taught me how to do this at 15. i could back your flatbed to canada (from colorado) lol! not every knows how to do this which is why they load these trucks with seemingly useless tech, but taking the time to learn this would be much better than ramming something with a trailer because you used some dealer tech wrong.
I would be interested to see a contest between all TFL hosts, see who can back up a trailer fastest and most accurately. Nathan, Andre, Roman, Tommy, Kase.
Extra points to building or vehicle damage. 🤪
Throw David and Mr Truck in for good measure.
@@jamesbeaman6337 I don't know about David,but with Mr Trucks background that's something he should be really good at.
A lot of these super macho people hate on these systems, but my dad is a commercial truck driver of 35+ years and loves the system on his 2018 F-150. He says that he’s backed up more trailers in one lifetime than some people will in 20, so he’s allowed to enjoy his technology and relax a little! Lol great video!
These guys actually give you useful facts about this hugely important truck, instead of lighting it on fire and destroying it like a bunch of irresponsible kids... Really shows how they value stewardship
Lmao well the person you are referring to has a to much money issue so that's how they like to solve it
@@gman3563 haha, I wish I had that issue
@@gman3563 I didn’t watch it and don’t want to watch it. He’s trying to be whistling diesel. When millions of people are trying to figure out how to pay their rent or buy food right now, he’s buying $80k trucks and setting them on fire. I’m not judging anyone if they think it’s funny or good entertainment I just think he’s a pos. TFL runs a legit business and works hard.
@@JonBecker81 with you on that...the wife and i both working 2 jobs currently would never be able to afford the new chevy 2500 her dad has...BUT I am glad that we figured out the budget to buy me a brand new nissan frontier 6 speed 4x4 back in 2018 and I couldn't be happier!
Regardless if one thinks that another shouldn't be driving a truck if they can't back up a trailer, this was an interesting video.
This is the first time using my favorite hitch, this is not a paid advertisement
Verdict: good for simple applications. For complex situations manually works best. Great video!
I think the system is designed to help keep the trailer straight while backing up, would of loved to see the ford do the same test
Its just as bad, although I think it will turn tighter. I never use mine. its great for a super long straight backup. The Ford can go pretty fast in reverse.
This is a fantastic real-world evaluation. I’d love to see more maneuverability tests.
Thanks for this excellent review of the system. I agree that your course was completely doable, but it was an extreme challenge compared to most people backing into a spot in a lot, or down a ramp to the water. I appreciate that there will be some adjustments to the way we think about reversing, but based upon what I have seen, you can still use this if you adjust to the turn radius limits, and recalibrate your thinking about what sort of distance you need from corner obstacles and where to start relative to the tow axle. I am curious what it is like backing up a slope, as opposed to down one, like you might need to in a lane way alongside a farm field.
It was hard to see exactly how you calibrated the system but it does not seem like you made 90 degree turns. I wonder if you made sharper turns during calibration if the truck would make sharper turns while using the Trailer Reverse Steering Control?
This system is just like parking assist features. It is only useful if you absolutely suck at doing it yourself. If you can do it at all, then you're going to be a lot better than the assist systems.
I really wanted to see someone use this system in a controlled test, which you just did. Thank you Andre! Now I am anxiously waiting to see you use the Ford system and hear your views of its performance. GO TFL!!!
I wonder if the tire has any effect on the system because if the truck is using the back up camera the tire looks a lot closer than the trailer actually is. He had to calibrate it turning both ways so there could be a limit on available turning angle based on the trailers proximity to the truck.
For those saying you shouldn’t drive a truck if you can’t back up a trailer. Try backing up a short trailer like a PWC trailer. I find them FAR more difficult to back up than my 32’ Jayco that I routinely park between 2 boats. My double PWC trailer on the other hand. Well, can def be embarrassing at times. SO, I use my F-150s back up system. Makes maneuvering those little trailers WAY easier. And for those macho types who NEVER have “moments” when backing up a trailer...I call BS unless you’re a pro driver. And even then, we are all human. I do agree you should know how to back up a trailer without these systems. They just make it easier at times. I don’t use mine all the time. But they are awesome for backing up straight for a long distance.
Great review, Andre. Sounds like you picked up on all the nuances of these systems. Backing up straight is where they really make their money!
So it actually makes backing up somewhat HARDER because it won't turn as tightly? Wow. I've never backed up a trailer, but I have pushed back airplanes, and the motions and pivot points in that scenario are exactly the same as in Andre's test here. It takes a little getting used to, but once you do, it's pretty easy.
Nice backing skills especially with that car where it was .
Great job Andre this is a fantastic truck we need to know everything about it.
Run this test again with a newb who had never backed a trailer. Have them do a backing test that gets progressively harder as it goes. They should go until they hit a cone. The first run should be them on their own. The second test should be with the trailer assist. The third should be a skilled driver(Andre!) backing with no assist.
I agree I want to see a newb do it and get their opinion. Then have an experienced person show them how to do it and explain it and see what the newb's opinion is then.
I wonder if you recalibrated the trailer and did tighter turns in forward if it would help
^This^
Yes, also is there a SETTING that needs to be CHANGED. so that the trailer can turn at more severe angles --- i.e. almost jacknife?
I'm not a patent lawyer but I wonder if Ram can't use stickers from Ford's patent and therefore if it is limited on how aggressive it can jackknife. It would be really interesting to compare them back to back.
Good thought, but since Ram is using a different setup, it seems that it's just a setting/tuning issue with the system.
The video graphics processors are just grabbing edges. So sure, the Ford system uses a discrete marker, but soon these will not need anything at all. I suspect that if you were to place a high contrast marker on the tongue, the RAM video system would make use of it. They did mention the brightness as a limiting factor, as that would swamp contract in the video. Still handy for some applications.
My guess is that it's user error and it's merely replicating the arc to wheel input you did when calibrating the system. You effectively made a "slow" arc durring the calibration turns! Try really cranking the steering wheel very quickly as you drive very slowly to increase system response durring the calibration corners.
( calibrate it using the "sharpest" 90 you can and try it again.)
Great test of the new tech, Andre! Do you think the calibration impacts the overly cautious limits on tight turns? In other words, if you do it exactly per the manual with turns exactly at 100 feet, etc., do you think that turning would improve?
Just curious.
Compare to fords now. I swear when I messed around with my f150 it lets you turn sharper. I usually don't use but backing up strait for a long stretch is useful. If it can see the dang sticker. Sometimes the sun messes it up or it's dirty
Is this feature only useful when backing up a flat trailer like you have in the video, or will it also work when backing up a travel trailer that's as tall or taller than the truck? I'm about to buy a 2023 Ram 1500 that has this feature.
I wonder if the degree of your turn during calibration determines how sharp the system turns the trailer. It specifically said turn 90° instead of just turn left and right. So if he only made say a 60° turn would that limit the trailers turning range
Now try using it with a short single axle trailer. That will prove its worth or not.
Absolutely
A challenging combination I’ve driven is a humvee with the single axle high back trailer. Terrible turning radius in the humvee and an easily turned trailer. Not impossible, but can be very hard.
@@gasolinediesel972 It's much more difficult to back a 4' X 6' single axle trailer than back an 8' x 20' tandem axle trailer. Know what you're speaking about before you make idiotic remarks.
@@greateyedeer5418 Exactly
@@gasolinediesel972 obviously, you’ve never towed a small trailer so there is that...your opinion is worthless too.
You have had hundreds of hours experience backing up manually but only this initial try with the steering control. Maybe with more time it would be more effective. Are you able to override the steering wheel to make a sharper turn?
Can you over ride the knob for a tighter turn?
That is a great video thank you. I wonder if the truck "thought" that the trailer was closer than it is because of the location of the spare tire. making it not able to turn tighter.
Those features are kinda finicky, sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. But trust me if you do keep it on don’t be surprised if it saves you a couple of times. All it takes is some one in your blind spot and the mirrors have the amber light on or you hear a chime telling you not to shift or some guy breaks in front of you and you get a alert on the dash for you to hit the breaks. Then some times the features get in the way of spirited driving. By any chance is there any extra added charge for co - pilot 360 I’m trying to see if FORD is gonna try and bump up that base price since it’s a standard feature now.
Andre,,,,,I wonder if the TRX sees the spare tire thats sticking up on the front of the trailer while it`s trying to turn, and it cannot compensate enough in the turns because it sees the spare tire ?
Excellent work Andre!!!...tht was really good job...cool system!!.. Thanks Andre!😎
Good video Andre! First, I will say that I had higher expectations for you when backing it up. I doubt I would have been able to do it as easily a you did though. That said, at the beginning I was expecting the system to show you up. I'm glad I was wrong. It appears the trailer steer system is designed to keep the trailer from getting to an angle where it is unrecoverable without pulling forward. I expect this is to keep "newbies" out of trouble. As you proved though a veteran can still do it better. So to everyone out there that thinks this will prevent you from having to learn how to back up your trailer, well maybe it will, but you will still be well served to learn how to do it yourself because there may always be that situation where the computer won't save you. It does look like it would make it easy to back up a long distance in straight line.
Any chance that during the calibration process you didn't turn a sharp enough corner and therefore the system thinks it's at full turn when it's actually not? That would be my guess.
It seems that it's a system that you need to get used to it and turn earlier to compensate for the less radius it's giving you. It could be used, but like everyone stating the obvious, if you trailer often enough you don't need it (don't remember how much extra did it cost).
I haven’t set this feature up on my F150. I’m curious to see if I’ll like it or not. I have no problems backing up a trailer, but I’m curious to try it.
That's a really tight space and that system isn't setup or designed to do that tight of turns, even to park that trailer there manually would be a tough back and forward park. Also, did you go through the setup for that trailer in the park system? It has to configure and learn about the trailer to function properly. You have to go through a sequence of 90 degree turns and 30m forward straight motions to configure the trailer to the trucks system.
Great video that sheds a lot of light on this subject.
Am I the only one who thinks that it's easier to traditionally reverse a trailer? I'm just used to it.
If this question has been asked, I missed it, but can you help the knob with the steering wheel if you want it to turn a bit sharper than the knob will let you?
I think you did a wonderful job reversing mate.👍
Basically if you can't back a trailer the trailer control will help. If you can back a trailer you're better off doing it yourself.
nice video. have you done the same with Ford F150 backup assist?
I'm impressed! You're quite a good driver.
@TFLNow thanks for the great reviews!
OK so now we know it is a tool. Like any tool it is useful in some situations but not every situation.
Likewise I have a hammer, which isn’t useful for the same tasks as a screwdriver. And a flat blade screwdriver isn’t used in the same situation as a Phillips. And a #3 Phillips is different from a #1 Phillips. That doesn’t mean that my toolbox doesn’t have all of these tools if I want to be well prepared.
Driving aids are a tool. I like to have more tools whenever my better half says I can afford them. 😀
After Andre's comments I thinking the sticker system on the ford will be allot easier. If it has to be calibrated for with and without the load it sounds like a convoluted mess to keep track of.
Western Express needs this in their trucks.
I bet it'd be great for a single jetski trailer that jackknifes on it's own in a heartbeat. Any large trailer you don't really need it.
Are you guys seeing any wear in the rubber bits of that GenY hitch? Ive been thinking of getting one but I use all of gravel and crappy roads and I wonder if it will be as unreliable as a torsion suspension on trailers in those kind of situations?
I wonder how this system would work with the 360 Surround camera system?
probably wont be any different. except i think if you have the large screen you will be able to see 360 view and the back up in split scree. that would be handy.
All these cameras, sensors and driving aids and yet Andre still didn't see the sign that said "do not enter" hahaha!!!!!
Can you make manual inputs with the wheel without the system shutting off? Or does that cancel out the assist mode?
Good question.
Nice video
It's nice to hear I'm not the only one who sometimes say "Sparking spot"
Lol
Thanks Andre!
If you need the knob then news flash.... don’t be driving with a trailer 🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
Finally part 2 of a video you where making a few weeks back lol .
Seems like a couple hours in a wal mart parking lot with a trailer would save you the money this 'feature' costs.
That's how I learned albeit when I learned we didn't have Walmarts.
That knob is a waste they should have put the money towards a front lsd differential
I see the many reviews, and wonder if it needs recalibrating.
I'm disappointed that the system let the trailer hit a cone. I would like a warning device.
This would be great for a small trailer that is narrower than the truck.
Finally a video on this! Great
You will always be more precise than accurate in manual IMHO.
You should do a test with and without the system and some one who doesn't knows how to back a trailer. I think that would be more apples to apples. As someone who backs trailers daily I think the backing assistance would make it harder for me.
Although I appreciate the new technology in vehicles today i can't help but think that its not only usless at the end of the day but makes people more inept in thier driving abilities.
If you cant back up a trailer using your mirrors, you have no business pulling a trailer imo
Exactly!
Agreed but I will say that having the back up camera is really handy for towing by yourself.. hooking up the trailer and also it allows you to see how close you are to crushing your bumper in them tight turn scenarios
@@gman3563 that I agree with. The wife and i own horses and a 1995 v10 extended cab long box dually. It takes a couple times getting out to see how far you are by yourself.
While I agree, there are times when you do need to reverse on your own without a spotter, and some long laneways can be tedious. I believe this will be better for short and low trailers, as opposed to RVs. For an RV, you still need the spotter because of upper corners, and GOAL (get out and look) will always be the safest way.
I'm confuse. Isn't using the knob basically same thing using the steering wheel??Looks same me. I rather do it my self. I honestly thought you just press button and truck does it it self without touching anything. I don't think its worth extra cost.
I like it better to backup by myself!
I wanted this truck but now I’m thinking the new Escalade which is price comparable. The Cadillac has amazing technology.
Looks like it works like it’s supposed to be just needs more practice with it
What tires are those on the trx?
Thanks for showing this off. I like to think of these tech features as "rich people beta tests". Eventually they'll be useful (airbags, cruise control, ride adjustment, etc...) so I'll wait until they are standard equipment and actually improve the driving experience.
None of this stuff will ever improve the experience, it takes away from experience an whipes out skill building.
Andre with the tough “passenger side back”
It's called "blind side backing"
It appeared in the video that your calibration turns were not very tight, I wonder if you recalibrated with tighter turns if the truck would be willing to turn harder? or it might be that they just programmed in a safety net so they get fewer lawsuits :P.
Will this work with a big box trailer (car trailer)?
Steering with your knob went about as well as I would
Figure. I think a lot of these
Driver aids aren’t there yet
Never steer with your knob, always use your hands.
Very cool demonstration. Will be a nice comparison against how the Ford system works.
How about RAM vs Ford backup cameras?
Andre. You’re far better at holding your own knob than the Rams!
Even when I took my cdl driver test on the alley dock section they allow you one pullup to straighten out. The all wheel steering system is great for backing trailers in tight spots, but honestly real drivers don't need computers to back their trailer up.
These gimmicks are for people who should not be trailering
One more comment, based on your video and Roman's Moab video, it would appear that the massive TRX really does need the 360 deg. camera option. B-)
Thanks for doing this! To me, (and similar to other posts), it seems a bit ‘gimmicky’. Also, when you said it would have to be calibrated with a boat on and off, it made me wonder about flat utility trailers where you haul items that are a variety of size and shape.
I thought about that too, but let's be honest, you will get used to calibrating every time you hook up. So if you pull a flat deck, and load up, the destination drive to the job site will be your calibration (normal driving), and the empty deck will be after you unload and pull the trailer to park it somewhere.
The position of the spare wheel on the trailer may have obscured the camera's view.
I just saw that if you in Ontario that I saw a trx for $155,000 before taxes and licensing fees. And that goes up to $180,000
it seems like a good system for people who don't tow a lot but its going to be a long time before its as good as people who do it all the time
That's a pretty cool feature and all but it's something I personally think I would never use, I can see from this day on with younger drivers getting a truck and towing for the first time making use of this but us old school guys that has been backing trailers up for over 30 years not so much lol!
Nice vid love the trx 🤣😎😎
As an assistant, it is fine. As a "control" it is not. I would take it over Ford because of all that sticker on the trailer learning curve it has. More like dos vs Windows 95. So, would I want it? Sure. Would I rely solely on it? No.
The sticker thing is annoying, But I dont have to do it twice for my boat trailers. the Ford will let you turn much sharper im pretty sure. I never use mine, you have to learn it, and ive been backing trailers since before I had a license.
So. Much. Want. Must figure out how to get a TRX of my own!!!
Forget the trailer....I am seeing the awesome TRX truck. Lucky you. LOL...it does work better than Ford variant. Less cumbersome setup procedure.
if you don’t know how to backup a trailer, learn the manual way, if you need to rely on these automagical system, you have no business towing a trailer
Exactly!!!!
Yeah the same people who have to rely on this system to back a trailer up are probably taking out stop signs and side swiping cars with the trailer going forward.
The funny thing is, I feel like these systems take longer to learn than actually learning to back a trailer. I have it on my Ford, and its awesome when I need to put someone in the drivers seat to back the boat down the last few feet. But I dont use it.
That sort of feature is way too fancy for my taste...nice vid regardless 👌
maybe because of the spare tire on trailer it was limiting the radius? try it will spare tire off.
you should compare the back-up system in the Raptor vs TRX!
We all know how thats would turn out
It looks like the RAM steering wheel turns in little steps, where it appears the Ford just smoothly rips the wheel whichever direction you input, just an observation!
I happy that the trx isn’t destroyed yet
I think he did better than the computer
My verdict, Andra is a better driver than the fancy new system.
My truck has backup assist. It's called rearview mirrors.