For some years now, truck manufacturers have been offering various types of systems make accessing the bed of a pickup easier. With trucks getting ever bigger, these systems are becoming ever more necessary.
Ford was one of the first companies to innovate in this field with a deployable step and an arm that made climbing easier. General Motors, for its part, developed a tailgate that can be opened in six different ways.
Ford is working on a new system, according to a patent application filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on May 21, and first submitted by Ford in 2021. The application concerns a deployable step for the rear bumper of a pickup truck that will make accessing the bed easier.
The application describes the step as adapted to a truck's trailer hitch. An arm swings down from the mounting point when the step is in use. The rest of the time, the step could be stored against the bumper so it doesn’t obstruct anything.
In trucks equipped with air suspension, the step could also be connected to an on-board controller that would instruct the rear suspension to lower when the step is in use. The pickup would then lower, just as a city bus does to bring the first step closer to the ground.
Note that the application concerns models equipped with the new Pro Access tailgate, which contains an integrated door, a feature just introduced with the 2024 versions of the Ford F-150. The door of this hatchback can be opened at angles of 37, 70 or 100 degrees.
Whether this innovation reaches production remains to be seen. Filing an application doesn't always lead to something concrete, but in this case, we shouldn't be surprised to see this step appear on models in the not-too-distant future.
