Truck manufacturers are constantly finding ways to add utility to their models’ beds—everything from additional storage options, to lighting, and more convenient ways to hop on and off them. This one by Ford, though, might be the biggest advancement in that department we’ve seen in a long while.
The US Patent and Trademark Office recently awarded Ford a patent for a “truck bed with selectively actuated magnetic floor sections. A magnetized truck bed, basically.
The patent’s abstract says that “magnetized areas” will help keep cargo and attachments secure on the bed. This will be done via two magnets: The first being a permanent magnet hidden beneath the surface of the bed, and a separate one that can be rotated with a servo motor “to modify the level of magnetic force applied to objects in the truck bed.”
Ford magnetic truck bed
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Also mentioned in the document is the potential installation of a “magnetic bar” at the edge of the truck bed to prevent small metal objects like screws from falling out as well as bed dividers that will be held in place by magnets. These features will no doubt come in handy for motorists who rely on their truck bed as a mobile work area of sorts. You can read the patent filing in its entirety here.
Interesting stuff. We’d definitely love to see this available in local Ford Ranger units one day. Do you think that advancement in truck beds like this might eliminate the need for cumbersome ropes and cables to hold cargo down in the future? Let us know in the comments.
