Ford patents new retractable bed rails for future utes

Ford has filed new patent applications for clever retractable bed rails that are designed to make securing and loading cargo in pick-up trucks and utes easier and safer.

Lodged with the US Patent and Trademark Office, the new rails are more sophisticated than they look and are actually operated by electric motors, rather than lifted by hand.

Designed to secure points and load netting for bulky cargo, Ford has also envisaged that the rails could help lift heavy items onto the bed.

A section of the rail acts like an arm, rotating around to lift items (weighing up to 600kg) from the ground and then swinging back and lowering them gently onto the bed.

No further details of when or even if Ford will roll out the tech, but it’s thought the bulkiness of the rails and the large actuator needed to lift as much as 600kg means the system is probably best suited to the full-size Ford F-150.

That said, the retractable rails could be scaled down to fit smaller utes including the top-selling Ford Ranger in Australia and the smaller-still Ford Maverick offered in North America.

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