Gen 2 Raptor rescues a Power Wagon (and some land rovers)!

Went snow wheeling this past weekend up in Northern Maine. It's an annual land rover event but we get invited by friends.

Ran into a 2018 Power Wagon on the trails. Owner was a very nice guy and we chatted about both trucks. We were NOT impressed by how the Power Wagon did even when it was locked front and rear and had the swaybars disconnected. We ended up having to dig it out a couple of times.

This is a tricky hill and much steeper than it looks in the photos. The trail is icy in a lot of spots, and much of it was rutted out by some land rovers trying to get up it and spinning their wheels the night before.





Once we got him up on to the hill (we maxtraxed a fair way, then he winched up the rest of the way), he dug himself in at the top trying to turn around. I had to pull him free.



Now for the important part. This was the Raptor going up the same hill. Tires at 12 PSI, no chains. (skip ahead to 50 seconds if you want to just get to the icy hill climb)



Here's a video of the Raptor going down the same hill. Hill descent control was on and made it too easy.



I wish I had videos of some rovers trying to get up this same hill. They were all making it look so dramatic with lots of wheelspin, rolling bsideways or backwards etc Everyone was amazed by how easy and boring the Raptor made it look. In fairness, lots of other rovers and Jeep's did make the Hill climb as well, but most everyone had chains on.

Now, here are some pics of the Raptor and Power Wagon at the top of the hill. The Power Wagon makes the Raptor look tiny by comparison! And has way more ground clearance than the Raptor.







My sides and roof are all wrapped in PPF. Money well spent! The north east trails are TIGHT. Other than widening the trail for everyone else and scraping the sides on brush, the Raptor just walked through everything. No drama.





There were plenty of these little ice holes.



Here's a video of us going through that ice hole:



Here is a video of us pulling out some stuck land rovers:

The Raptor is better in conditions like that because it has MORE actual ground clearance than the Power Wagon. The stock PW, which comes on 33's not 35s like the Rator, only has about 8 inches under most of the front axle. Not only is the diff hanging down but the new radius arms are huge and hang down seriously reducing ground clearance and increasing snow drag. The Raptor just cruises right over with its smooth skid plate and wheels that can drop without having to drag the whole axle. Then there is the traction control... I do not know how the 2nd gen Raptor is but on my 2010, when you turn the electronic aids off they are OFF. Not so on the PW. I had ABS intervention and major throttle manipulation by the computer in low 4wd all locked up many times. For sure it was shutting him down on the snow BTDT, paid to get rid of that overhyped POS.

Snowsled said:

The Raptor is better in conditions like that because it has MORE actual ground clearance than the Power Wagon. The stock PW, which comes on 33's not 35s like the Rator, only has about 8 inches under most of the front axle. Not only is the diff hanging down but the new radius arms are huge and hang down seriously reducing ground clearance and increasing snow drag. The Raptor just cruises right over with its smooth skid plate and wheels that can drop without having to drag the whole axle. Then there is the traction control... I do not know how the 2nd gen Raptor is but on my 2010, when you turn the electronic aids off they are OFF. Not so on the PW. I had ABS intervention and major throttle manipulation by the computer in low 4wd all locked up many times. For sure it was shutting him down on the snow BTDT, paid to get rid of that overhyped POS.

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In those conditions, the Raptor's far lighter weight and much larger tire footprint are probably what made the biggest difference.

for getting vehicles unstuck, are you supposed to give a running tug like that? looks kinda harsh. Just curious.

Gotta produce traction some how. Otherwise, winch to the nearest tree. He was tugging on the frames of both vehicles. Not going to damage anything unless a strap pops and recoils into the truck. Don't tie off to an axel, or you'll rip the wheels off.

ace75 said:

for getting vehicles unstuck, are you supposed to give a running tug like that? looks kinda harsh. Just curious.

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kandewinn said:

Gotta produce traction some how. Otherwise, winch to the nearest tree. He was tugging on the frames of both vehicles. Not going to damage anything unless a strap pops and recoils into the truck. Don't tie off to an axel, or you'll rip the wheels off.

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We were using kinetic ropes. Yes, you are supposed to give them a good yank. They load up the energy, and then act like a rubber band to pull the stuck vehicle free.

I like the black roof on your Raptor, did you paint it or use film ?

DANACO said:

I like the black roof on your Raptor, did you paint it or use film ?

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Vinyl wrap.

xxaarraa said:

Vinyl wrap.

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Cool, thx !

Another question, besides running 12 psi, what drivetrain settings were used on the way up ?

DANACO said:

Cool, thx !

Another question, besides running 12 psi, what drivetrain settings were used on the way up ?

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4L, locker on, limited it to 3rd gear with the paddles. Could have done it with locker off as well, though I had it on.