The 2024 Ford F-150 made its debut last week bringing a refreshed front fascia, more standard tech across the range, and a new trick tailgate. America\u2019s best-selling vehicle didn\u2019t get a full redesign, though it appears that an interesting suspension upgrade could also be in the cards for future iterations of the truck. Nothing is official yet but a new patent filing hints at how owners could easily turn their workhorses into more capable and practical 6×6 trucks.<\/p>\n
The patent filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) was published on September 12 this year and describes a bolt-on suspension extension kit that attaches to the existing suspension of a Ford truck. The available drawings depict six-lug axles that appear to be similar to those used by the F-150. That doesn\u2019t necessarily mean the patent is aimed at Ford\u2019s most popular product, though it might be a hint at what the automaker is currently working on for its truck range as pickup trucks are mentioned specifically in the patent description.<\/p>\n
The highlight of this patent, which was filed on April 25 last year, is the ability to add a third axle to the truck. Even more interestingly, however, that additional axle could be equipped with an electric motor and a small rechargeable battery, which turns it into a drive axle. Essentially, this upgrade would turn a 4×4 truck into a 6×6 truck with plug-in hybrid support. The manufacturer explains the conversion from a four-wheeled truck into a six-wheeled truck can be implemented without any changes to the suspension, tires, and driveline of the base vehicle. More details can be found at the first source link below.<\/p>\n
Some of Ford\u2019s other recent patent filings include an interesting idea where a small trailer has an electric motor and a battery package, which provides backup power for the towing electric vehicle and for tools and appliances. The charging trailer includes a trailer body, wheels and tires, batteries, ports for recharging the internal pack and providing exportable power, as well as electric motors and a controller.<\/p>\n
Bear in mind that patent filings don’t always mean an automaker is indeed working on a production version of the new tech. In this particular example,\u00a0the brakes all appear to be drum and the driven axle uses a third-member style differential housing which is not what Ford uses in its\u00a0current trucks. Most likely, the company is simply trying to protect one or a few parts of this system but not the entire system.<\/p>\n