Hands up if you’ve ever wrestled with keeping cargo from moving about the bed of a pickup truck. Whether it’s thanks to an oddly-sized piece of kit or something with few tie-down points, trying to safely secure all items aft of the cab can be a trial, with enough rope strung around to trip up at least half of Cirque du Soliel.

Hey, if you can’t tie knots – tie lots.

Moldy old dad jokes aside, Ford has patented a neat take on cargo management. Their idea? A whole bunch of magnets.

First discovered by the gearheads at Muscle Cars & Trucks, the patent goes into some detail about how a series of magnets underneath a truck bed would help keep certain types of payload from making an unauthorized bid for freedom. Specifically, they call it ‘selectively actuated magnetic floor sections’ as part of a pickup bed having controllably magnetized areas for retaining cargo or attachment devices.

This is a slick idea. Imagine having a bank of switches – or a series of virtual buttons in an infotainment submenu – which permit one of four quadrants in your truck’s bed to become magnetized. The advantages when moving metal objects like appliances are obvious, with this technology providing one more anchor point for security. Ropes and ratchet straps will still be needed, of course, but this author will take all the help he can get tying down gear. Even tasks like flinging the kid’s bike back there would be aided by this tech, helping to prevent the BMX from sliding around. One could also magnetize wheels locks for ATVs to the bed, as an example of using this tech to secure new mounting points for non-metallic items like the tires on said ATV.

Of course, car companies patent new ideas all the time, many of which never see the light of production. They might go through this trouble to secure a new idea, preventing competitors from seizing on the opportunity, or the concept might simply be too expensive or impractical to place into mass production. There are all kinds of sensitive electronics on a modern pickup truck that would likely need to be shielded from magnetic fields, for example; one would imagine this would go double for an EV pickup like the Lightning.

Still, it’s an interesting concept. What do you think? Would magnetized bed areas be useful to you? Or would they simply hoover every nut and bolt out of your toolbox in the garage? Sound off in the comments below.

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Since magnetic force varies by the square of the target distance, they’d have little effect beyond a very short distance off the bed – which is good.

Shielding the back side of the magnet is trivial, so no worries there. But the bed side would need to have yellow caution stickers telling people with pacemakers, etc to not lay in the truck bed when the magnets are activated.

I can see these magnets serving as tie-downs, but that could be accomplished more cheaply with recessed eye bolts.

The box being aluminum would not get magnetized due to use.

One guy drops his new $1000 iPhone into his magnetized truck bed… Litigation.

This was my first thought. Can’t set your phone down while you’re in the bed.

Or credit cards Or pacemakers Or large screen TV`s you are bringing home from Costco….

On a different note, when I bought my new TV last year, the guy at Best Buy told me not to lay it flat in my trunk or risk damaging the TV. Truth or BS?

Having only little experience hauling a 75′ tv, in the box, in my CX5 a few years ago, I’d say it’s a little bit of both. The loader said not to transport it screenside down, but that for short distances transporting flat was okay.

Obviously the preferred method is transmitting in the orientation it’ll live at home, but you gotta do what you gotta do. My best guess is that it was a CYA statement so they could absolve themselves of any implied liability should the TV break.

Yeah, I figured that was CYA on their part too, or an excuse to not return it if I got it home and didn’t like the way it worked or something (“Chad here saw you laying the box flat in your trunk…sorry, bro, it’s yours now”).

The TV was a 55″ unit, and my car at the time was an A3 sedan, which has a famously crappy trunk, so the only way that was getting home was laid flat on the floor, with the back seats down.

It has worked fine for the last year, so clearly I didn’t screw it up by doing that.

These magnets are not going to be powerful enough to disrupt a modern phone (unless you’re trying to use the compass). We aren’t in the days of spinning rust anymore. A pacemaker might be a different story, though.

I used a rubber mat that isn’t as slippery as the normal bed liners most folks used. Later on I had some tie down hooks welded in so I had more options for tie downs. The mat is about $100 and about the same for 6 hooks.

The rubber mats are a very good idea. The magnets are a good idea, but can be problematic. What if you forget to turn it off, go to grab something, and your watch gets stuck to the truck bed? If you sit back there, would it be powerful enough to demagnetize the ATM card in your wallet? What about people with pacemakers? There’s a good chance Ford’s lawyers won’t let them proceed with this. Ya gotta give ’em credit for a clever idea, though.

Also won’t these magnets require additional micro chips? I’ll pass.

I mean, a permanent magnet probably doesn’t need any electronics. If it’s an electromagnet, it could be managed by something as simple as a mechanical switch and a relay.

But what product that CAN be managed by something as simple as a mechanical switch and a relay ever is these days?

“I mean, a permanent magnet probably doesn’t need any electronics. If it’s an electromagnet, it could be managed by something as simple as a mechanical switch and a relay.”

Or just a mechanical switch–just like how a magnetic lathe chuck works, for example.

Imagine waltzing out of a Buc-ee’s, 40 ounce in hand, only to find some Texan welded to the side of your F-150 courtesy of his frisbee-sized belt buckle.

..or when you find out that the Mitsubishi Mirage that’s been tailgating you for the last 500 miles had originally intended to exit 499 miles back.

That might actually be a selling point for the ladies.

You were waltzing? Ok makes sense now.

Tailgate falls off after your FordPass subscription expires.

If autonomous driving has taught me anything, it’s that people will presume to “tie down” upright freezers and grandfather clocks using only the magnets despite any warnings about still needing rope or ratchet straps.

Obvious objection: Shock loads are not a magnet’s forte. I.e., what holds perfectly well in static conditions in Ford’s “lab” [the one where they struggle to fasten foamcore with adhesive tape] may not do so well out on the road at precisely the time it is needed most (bumps, hard braking, collision, you name it).

If you own a pickup, you need a *good* set of ratchet straps (or three). If you spring for the nice trim level and then cheap out on the ratchet straps, we will all be laughing at you. [If you are the guy at Home Depot with the brand new truck who is using the free tie-down string off the cart to hold down lumber, really, just go home. Please.]

Freezers and bikes? Really? New in the carton? A stainless-sided freezer with all the substantial ferrous pieces *way* under the surface and with spacing feet on the bottom? Did the B&B ever play with magnets? Ever cut apart a fridge? Wow some of you are useless in the real world. :-)

“Selectively actuated” is the key. If this works like the switchable magnetic base on my dial indicator, it could be beautiful for some loads under some conditions, but again I have my doubts with the wrong shock load at the wrong angle at the wrong time: https://www.harborfreight.com/multi-position-magnetic-base-with-fine-adjustment-63663.html

If they are using electromagnets, we better insure that there aren’t any little breaks in current flow, know-what-I-mean?

At least it isn’t permanent magnets. Any permanent magnets in my possession (like on the bottom of parts trays) tend to get instantly coated with a layer of iron filings [from grinding], and there is no good way to remove them [but sprinkling them inside the drip line of trees and bushes keeps the leaves from yellowing].

Don’t you mean ‘ensure,’ Mr. Covid Brain?

OK, I have sprinkled the magnets inside the drip line. How long before they take effect on my shrubberies? ;)

The magnets might work, but I usually sprinkle the iron filings. They don’t work as quickly as a commercial product like Ironite – which is advertised as ‘soluble iron’ or some such thing – but they will work over time.

Do you always mock the old guy with the covid fog? Kind of mean :-)

I learned it from that “ToolGuy” poster above me. I got caught up in the mob mentality! j/k

I’m trying to grow some flowered shrubs, veggies, etc. I should really get a soil test but I have been putting it off. Some of the amendments are good as a rule of thumb (calcium for tomatoes, etc.), but more info would be helpful to make sure I’m not wasting money on things they don’t need.

Don’t let the functional stupidity of this obscure what it actually is, a clever way to extract additional money from white collar dweebs larping as rugged freeholders who already bought the 10 way power tailgate.

Magnetism is a quack treatment for erectile dysfunction.

Coincidence? Given the customer base, I think not. I believe GM is introducing a magnetic driver’s seat for the Corvette.

I doubt the intention is to have magnets directly hold cargo. More likely they’d be used to facilitate attaching specialized tie down anchors, or cargo dividers, that could thus be placed anywhere on the bed floor or walls.

Your comment prompted me to read the patent. I highly recommend not doing that (absolutely terrifying).

[Sample: “The body control module may integrate the signal with the vehicle speed and steering inputs to adjust the power provided to the electromagnets based upon vehicle dynamics.”]

Typical Detroit – come up with a fancy technological solution, when plain and simple have been working for a lot of years. I assume this is for the nice clean cargos, lightly pushed into the bed by the well-dressed infobabe, under a controlled demonstration.

If they want a fancy tech solution, do something useful like cargo straps with built-in Bluetooth tensiometers that the vehicle can monitor for looseness. Have an alarm on the dash if a strap comes loose. Maybe build the tensiometers into the tiedowns.

I work in a machine shop. let me tell you something.if I see anyone bringing a magnet close to my “Chevy” pickup, rest assured I would be moving towards the individual swinging. I had a magnet bag on my motorcycle and the tank was nicely scratched thanks to the particles sticking in between. We use magnets to clean the yard. But again good on Ford. Cleaning the streets.

I haven’t read something so polarized in a long time!

I’m here all week! Try the Caesar Salad, and remember to tip your server. (And hope the drives are solid-state!)

This is a two thousand (or more) dollar solution to a problem that is normally solved with a sturdy ten dollar rope. When America needs a better* idea, Ford puts it on wheels!

*Somewhat as good as the previous solution, but very complicated, guaranteed to fail sooner or later, and nearly as profitable as VIN etching on the windows.

Since the large Ford trucks are aluminum it might help to have a magnetic bed when the recycling centers are picking up the junk trunk to put in the crusher.

Conceptually, stabilizing cargo in a pickup truck bed is often a functionally prudent, basic, common sense need for many day to day uses. Especially when longer range trips are involved.

It would be useful to understand the magnetic rate of load-securing attraction?

I would be concerned to avoid proximity of magnetically vulnerable, sensitive items such as computers with hard drives and integrated microchips; (etc). I envision many such errors in judgement occurring which will innocently result in costly ‘oopses’.

If I were the inventive Designer at Ford, I would consider taking this idea up a step or two. (Especially insofar as the Lightning e-truck is concerned)

Useful to actually grid map both the ‘Frunk’and the Box with a selection of either mechanical push buttons or (perhaps) touch screen contact points over the selected grid maps within the inside truck display. Something which would also be monitorable complete with alerts.

I would integrate under-the-floor zones of electromagnets. Rather ‘simple’ to design into the contoured floor(s). Plus, exceptionally strong, secure grip. Strikes my idea of innovation which capitalizes upon tried & true function which is proven over decades.

… I would integrate under-the-floor zones of electromagnets. Rather ‘simple’ to design into the contoured floor(s). Plus, exceptionally strong, secure grip. Strikes my idea of innovation which capitalizes upon tried & true function which is proven over decades.

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