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The three-axel truck trend is growing in popularity. For reasons we still can’t explain, certain people like adding another set of wheels and a third axle to their trucks. Brands like Hennessey are known for doing these extreme modifications to add another layer of ridiculousness to its creations. Now, it seems like Ford is getting in on the triple-axle action after Carbuzz discovered a new Ford patent, converting the Ford F-150 into one of the six-wheeled trucks.

What company makes six-wheeled trucks?

Ford F-150 six-wheel
Ford F-150 six-wheel | Ford

There are several companies that offer six-wheel trucks. Hennessy is the most famous of this type of conversion. Others like Rezvani, Apocalypse, and even Mercedes make gargantuan six-wheel pickups. However, now Ford wants to join in the fun. 

Ford filed a new patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), showing a bolt-on third axle that can be added at any time. However, Ford won’t claim it will help for off-road performance. Instead, this additional axle is made to increase the F-150’s payload capacity. 

Ford used to offer a Heavy Payload Package for the F-150 that didn’t make you look like you pound Monster Energy drink in a Texaco parking lot, but dropped it for the 2024 model year. Ford says it was too expensive to produce and, ultimately, wasn’t a popular option. According to the new Ford patent, the bolt-on third axle would be much cheaper to produce and would allow customers to add it whenever they want. 

Ford F-150 could get an electrified axle

Ford F-150 six-wheel schematic
Ford F-150 six-wheel patent schematic | Ford

Look, six-wheel trucks put off a certain kind of energy that not everyone cares to associate with. However, this new Ford patent has one very interesting potential use. The patent says that Ford might even make this new Axle electrified. Think about it: if the whole point of this new axle is to add payload potential, then it would make sense to give the truck some extra power. This new axle could be that power source if it had an electric motor. 

Now, instead of a mall parking lot cruiser from hell, the electrified axle would make the Ford F-150 a PHEV work truck the like of which the world has never seen. 

Could this modification be reversible? 

Ford six-wheel F-150 patent schematics
six-wheel Ford F-150 patent | Ford

Ford would make this part a bolt-on aftermarket kit, which means customers could add it to whatever trim truck they wanted, whenever they wanted. The issue is if you make the modification, you better like it because there might not be any going back. 

The F-150 bodywork will have to be altered to make room for the new wheels and axle. Ford would have to issue some kind of wheel arch kit or something to accommodate the additional space needed. Even still, once the modifications are made, you won’t be able to uncut the bed, making the mods irreverable. 

Is adding another axel to your F-150 worth it? 

Seeing as how this is merely a patent and not yet a product for sale, we don’t know what Ford might charge for the kit. If the third axle was cheap enough, it could be an amazing modification for folks who need to carry more weight in their F-150. This utility only gets better if the third axle is powered. Even if the axle is lazy, I wouldn’t be surprised if people still did it just to have the look, you know, the monster energy in a parking lot look. No matter what your thoughts on this new Ford F-150 patent, it is an interesting idea.