I’m a big fan of many, many things in this strange and complicated and sloppy world of ours, and two of those things are Things That Make Small Pickup Trucks Even Better and News That Is Many Months Late. Well, today is a good day because I have something that meets both of those criteria: a Ford patent application from May that describes something that would make Ford’s small unibody Maverick pickup significantly better, I think: a midgate.
It’s interesting – at least to me – to note that one month before this patent was filed I did a big review of the Maverick where the whole point of the review was that I liked the truck, but I sure would like it more if it had a midgate.
You know what I mean by midgate, right? It’d be a panel that opened from the bed and allowed cargo to extend into the cab, a bit. Like this:
This would fundamentally transform this already-useful unibody pickup into something incredibly useful, and I’m all for that. Let’s look at what this patent application is proposing, and I should note it was actually filed way back in October of 2022, but just published in May of this year. So I’m not trying to imply Ford got any ideas from me, because they didn’t:
The midgate design ford is showing here is a pretty simple, straightforward design, essentially just a rectangular opening accessed by folding down the rear seatback forward, into the cab, and folding a rear panel backward, into the bed. It’s very much like what Subaru did with the Baja:
You can see the seatback and panel folding setup in this diagram here:
It’s also worth noting that the thick, plug-like midgate hatch is designed to be level with the in-bed wheel wells, so you can lay, say, a flat sheet of plywood over the midgate hatch and wheel wells and form a “floor” with storage room below.
It’s not specifically mentioned that this design is for the Maverick in the patent, but as it is currently Ford’s only unibody truck and it sure looks like the Maverick in those illustrations, I think we can safely say this is intended for that truck.
The hatch’s latching system does look nice and secure, though in my head I want those handles to be flipped 180°? Is that just me? Seems like it’d be easier to pull down if they were flipped.
Of course, there are the usual midgate issues relating to the weather, since if you have the midgate open, the cold and wet of the outside world can now get into the cab, but since, I suspect, a midgate tends to be used for short, occasional trips where you need to carry something unusually long, I bet this is not a huge issue. This is the sort of thing you use to get a bunch of long 2x4s from the lumberyard to your yard, not something you’re using on a long roadtrip, unless your roadtrip snack of choice is a 6′ party sub.
I hope this patent actually gets turned into something real, instead of meeting the fate of most automotive patents, which function more like a dream journal for carmakers, just ideas, written down, never to see the light of day.
A midgate of any sort would be transformative for the Maverick, and I would love to see it happen!
I just realized something.
I once used my Dodge GC to carry kayaks down a dusty road. The level of grit on the inside was apocalyptic.
If I were to do the same thing, you’re going to essentially need a mid gate condom to seal the inside from the outside. I bet that narrow hole will act as a perfect vacuum.
Will Ford also modify the hidden vents that equalize air pressure?
Who’s the first to create Maverick condoms?
This would only be useful for certain things. Just give us a 2-door, maybe with a back seat, but mostly a longer bed.
And yet they don’t sell f150s with a regular cab and long bed outside of fleet duty.
Regardless if it truly makes sense or not, the crew cab short bed makes up the vast majority of the truck market.