Ford F150 2k Pro Power - setting expectations for campers

packetjunkie

I am posting this in the event others are considering the F150 with its built in generator and the idea that my experience might help anyone else with their purchase choices. I purchased my 2021 with the 2k generator thinking that I'd be saving myself the hassle of transporting my portable units. There was probably some music in my head as I pictured just me, my truck and my T@G being off the grid and happy... boy, did I not think that all the way through...

More than a few issues make the Ford setup only useful as a backup to the backups...

1) The most obvious thing that didn't occur to me is that without the electric F150, you have to run the truck for the generator to work - for me that's a V8 engine on premium gas running a generator putting out only 2k of power. One weekend in charging my teardrop trailer (not even a big RV, mind you, just the T@G XL Boondock), $60 in premium gas. Doing the math, you can see where this becomes much less of an appealing alternative to cheaper portable units pumping out 2k on a tiny motor running in ECO mode.
2) I can power things like a Keurig coffee maker with Pro Power, but nothing - and I mean nothing, not even a phone charging - can be plugged in at the same time. The power of the generator is not constant, it's peak and the mini-Keurig will jump to 1400 watts to heat, but will trip and fail if anything else is plugged in. At this point, the only thing I use the truck generator for is my morning coffee (easier than cranking up a generator). I just dont think I care enough to spend the $300-$400 on a 2k/3k inverter just so I can have my coffee without waiting an hour for the water to boil on the fire.
3) For some reason the 2k generator in the F150 will not power the AC outlets in my T@G (there are threads on this) that passes shore power to the outlets. However, my portable inverter generators power them just fine. With the truck, I get RED lights and popped GFCIs. Posted on here and elsewhere and never got a solution for this. I tried some adapters, but they didn't work. Shore power from my home and from my Wen generators - AC power works fine. Shore power from the F150, all I get is battery charging and little else.
4) Manual says you can activate the Pro Power via your Ford App - but this requires a cell signal and for campers, that's not always the case. Our campsite doesnt have good coverage and I can't connect to do the functions remote. I can start the truck with my FOB, but I still have to get out of the camper and go to the truck to press the Pro power button.

My T@G XL Boondock has a microwave, heater and AC - small units - the heater works only on a LOW setting with a 2k generator. I did not test the AC or microwave unit yet. I ended up buying a second inverter generator and a bridge with a 30AMP connection so that I can run them in parallel when I really need the power. Using two of these Amazon Amazon I can get 3600 watts and 30 amps of power in a pinch.

My take is that the generator in the F150 wasn't designed for RVers - but is useful for people who have tools or equipment to plug in and use on site.

Hindsight being what it is - if you plan to RV and need your appliances, you'll want the electric setup with the hybrid that can run off the batteries in the truck and only starts when it senses the batteries needing charging.

beaky

its a job site setup, have friends who love it