Towing

Lol yeah you'd be surprised what a well built X can do. Plus its paid off and cheaper to repair than the Raptor. It's not built for the same thing either. Raptor for fast and X for crawling. Once the Raptor is paid off the wife will get somethin New and I'll inherit the Raptor. Then I'll get to play with it.

As for towing I definitely have some learning to do for setup. I know very little.

Towing capacity for the truck is empty and figuring one person 150 pounds as the driver. So if you add people to the truck you reduce tow capacity. Tongue weight is also critical. you may want to get a car hauler instead of an enclosed trailer. You definitely want to look for trailers with brakes.

Tow capacity is minus all the weight you add to the truck. So the more in the truck the less you can tow.

Here is a guide to help you...

Although "payload capacity" usually refers to how much weight a truck can carry in both passengers and cargo in the cab and bed, towing capacity refers to how much the truck can safely tow. Although different, these two parameters can affect each other. For instance, the payload can include the tongue weight, which is the portion of trailer weight -- usually about 15 percent -- that bears down on the truck's hitch.
Manufacturers often embellish the maximum towing capacity of a truck in advertisements. For instance, they often calculate this number by supposing that nothing is in the truck except for a 150-pound (68-kg) driver. In realistic situations, where the driver may be heavier, other passengers are in the cab and extra cargo is in the bed, the truck's actual towing capacity is lower. In general, the more pounds in your truck's payload, the lighter your towed vehicle should be.
Here is a guide to help to determine towing capacity. And a brief explanation of what all thise dam abbreviations mean...

Finding Your Vehicle's Compliance Certification Label

After you've read your vehicle owner's manual, it's a good idea to double check the compliance certification label. This is typically a sticker placed somewhere in the driver's door sill area. This label will have several fields, labeled with acronyms such as "GVR," "GAW," and "GCWR." These fields are defined as follows:

Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)
This is the vehicle's standard curb weight, plus an allowance for a standard amount of luggage, gas and passengers, as predicted by the manufacturer. Of course, your vehicle's actual weight will vary depending on how much luggage, gasoline, and passenger weight you have actually placed in the vehicle, so the GVW is an approximation.

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
This is the maximum safe actual weight of your vehicle. If you exceed this weight, the vehicle's engine, transmission, brakes, and so on will be stressed beyond their design limits.

Gross Combination Weight (GCW)
This is the actual weight of your vehicle (GVW) plus the actual total weight (not the tongue weight) of your trailer. This number must not be higher than your vehicle's GCWR.

Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR)
This is the maximum safe weight of your combined vehicle and trailer. This weight includes all people, luggage, and other material. If your combined towing setup exceeds this weight, your vehicle's engine, transmission, brakes, and so on will be stressed beyond their design limits.

Gross Axle Weight (GAW)
These numbers are the weights expected to be placed on your vehicle's front and rear wheels. The two numbers are likely to be different to account for engine weight and other factors.

Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR)
This is the maximum safe weight that can be placed on your front or rear wheels. The two numbers are likely to be different to account for engine weight and trailer tongue weight and luggage. If you exceed this weight rating on either the front or rear tires, you can create a dangerous driving situation or even damage your vehicle.



Every modification you do to your truck effects weight carrying capacity and towing capacity...

hope this helps a little...

I'm sure you already know, but for other guys who don't, you need to be very careful when towing over the maximum amount the manufacturer states you can tow. If you happen to have to lock up the brakes for some reason and plow into somebody and they find out the weight of your truck + trailer + load is over the max limit, any half competent lawyer is going to drag your ass over the coals.

I'm not saying the truck can't handle, I'm just saying to be extra careful and to give yourself a lot of room between vehicles.

Towing capacity for the truck is empty and figuring one person 150 pounds as the driver. So if you add people to the truck you reduce tow capacity. Tongue weight is also critical. you may want to get a car hauler instead of an enclosed trailer. You definitely want to look for trailers with brakes.

Tow capacity is minus all the weight you add to the truck. So the more in the truck the less you can tow.

Here is a guide to help you...

Although "payload capacity" usually refers to how much weight a truck can carry in both passengers and cargo in the cab and bed, towing capacity refers to how much the truck can safely tow. Although different, these two parameters can affect each other. For instance, the payload can include the tongue weight, which is the portion of trailer weight -- usually about 15 percent -- that bears down on the truck's hitch.
Manufacturers often embellish the maximum towing capacity of a truck in advertisements. For instance, they often calculate this number by supposing that nothing is in the truck except for a 150-pound (68-kg) driver. In realistic situations, where the driver may be heavier, other passengers are in the cab and extra cargo is in the bed, the truck's actual towing capacity is lower. In general, the more pounds in your truck's payload, the lighter your towed vehicle should be.
Here is a guide to help to determine towing capacity. And a brief explanation of what all thise dam abbreviations mean...

Finding Your Vehicle's Compliance Certification Label

After you've read your vehicle owner's manual, it's a good idea to double check the compliance certification label. This is typically a sticker placed somewhere in the driver's door sill area. This label will have several fields, labeled with acronyms such as "GVR," "GAW," and "GCWR." These fields are defined as follows:

Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)
This is the vehicle's standard curb weight, plus an allowance for a standard amount of luggage, gas and passengers, as predicted by the manufacturer. Of course, your vehicle's actual weight will vary depending on how much luggage, gasoline, and passenger weight you have actually placed in the vehicle, so the GVW is an approximation.

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
This is the maximum safe actual weight of your vehicle. If you exceed this weight, the vehicle's engine, transmission, brakes, and so on will be stressed beyond their design limits.

Gross Combination Weight (GCW)
This is the actual weight of your vehicle (GVW) plus the actual total weight (not the tongue weight) of your trailer. This number must not be higher than your vehicle's GCWR.

Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR)
This is the maximum safe weight of your combined vehicle and trailer. This weight includes all people, luggage, and other material. If your combined towing setup exceeds this weight, your vehicle's engine, transmission, brakes, and so on will be stressed beyond their design limits.

Gross Axle Weight (GAW)
These numbers are the weights expected to be placed on your vehicle's front and rear wheels. The two numbers are likely to be different to account for engine weight and other factors.

Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR)
This is the maximum safe weight that can be placed on your front or rear wheels. The two numbers are likely to be different to account for engine weight and trailer tongue weight and luggage. If you exceed this weight rating on either the front or rear tires, you can create a dangerous driving situation or even damage your vehicle.



Every modification you do to your truck effects weight carrying capacity and towing capacity...

hope this helps a little...

I agree with Icecobra and the data he provided. I have used duallys for years for my towing needs and the trailer is a very important component in any towing equation. Lighter trucks need to be well-matched with the trailer they pull. Gunner's trailer has well-placed axles (for his needs) that reduce the all important tongue weight. A lot of trailers have the axles placed towards the rear and load-up the hitch with weight. For example, my horse trailer places 3000lbs + tongue weight in the bed of my dually (with a gooseneck set-up). These stretched-out trailers provide a comfortable and more importantly, safe ride so there is a reason for the madness. Axles moved forward reduce tongue weight and maneuver corners better but can affect performance at higher speeds somewhat.

A few of the important factors for trailers include the pulling ability, stopping ability and weight requirements. The Raptor definitely can handle most of the pulling part within the lighter load ranges. Braking can be achieved by matching quality trailer brakes with the truck (and slower road speeds). Where the Raptor is weak of course, is the weight capability. Again, a good portion of this can be handled by buying a trailer with a weight distribution that compliments the Raptor.

Personally, I would stay away from approaching the outside of the Raptor's towing envelope, it's still a light pick-up that just isn't designed to pull too much weight. Installing a gooseneck or 5th wheel set-up on a Raptor just doesn't make much sense with the lighter load range but I can tell you that once you pull any trailer with this set-up, you will recognize the downsides of hitch towing quickly -- regardless of truck size.

Yeah I found all those numbers but this does help me with what they mean. Thanks.

The biggest limitation on towing with the Raptor is its carrying or payload capacity. I think my door sticker says 1053 pounds. My travel trailer has a tongue weight of about 500 lbs. 1053 - 500 = 553 lbs. That means after attaching the trailer, that leaves 553 pounds for my fat ass, my gear and other passengers. I try to put as much of my gear in the travel trailer so I don't exceed the carrying capacity of the Raptor. The Raptor has plenty of towing capacity, something like 8000 lbs. but you're probably going to exceep the payload capacity before you come close to 8000 lbs. unless you're a scrawny **** with no friends or family.

Oh, and if you're going to be towing things in the 4000 to 8000 lb. range I'd definitely get weight dist. hitch.

You will be fine with a car hauler and the X-terra. Make sure the trailer you get has trailer brakes and get a weight distributing hitch to keep the Raptor's ass end up higher and more level with the trailer.

I'm pulling a toyhauler fully loaded with my screw and using a weight distributing hitch with no problems.

Upgraded rear springs will help with towing as well

I tow regularly cars regularly with my Raptor. My trailer is steel double axle, i tow in Alaska and the roads are crap. I use the stock hitch, make sure you position the weight is distributed correctly, my trailer tracks/tows great and i often cruise at 100mph.