Any setup that can safely tow my 5500lb tractor?

[jabroni619]

No you don't need rear leaf springs. The SCREW Raptor is tow rated at 5k lbs without a weight distributing hitch and 8k lbs with a weight distributing hitch. 5500 is well within the upper limit unless you plan to get an insanely heavy trailer to place it on.

I think it's 6k without a WD hitch an 8k with. That's on 2017-2018. I believe 2019+ is up to 8500 with a WD hitch.

 

[pbtjrlmrt]

you will be 100 % maxed out-

payload of raptor- 1200 lbs- ( with 150 lb driver only)

so 800x 10% weight on truck= 400lbs left on truck ( should be 10-15%)

good weight distribution hitch- 150 lbs= 250 payload left

empty truck-6800 lbs + trailer 8000= 14,800, max combined weight rating 14,200 ( 5500 lb tractor+ 2500 lbs trailer)

so if you have nothing under the seat- nothing in the bed and no passengers you will be on the edge to over.

The one place you can save weight is with the trailer- buying an aluminum trailer could save 500-800 lbs

I don't know why people spread mis information like this. The gen2 Raptor does not weigh 6800 lbs...maybe your thinking of the Gen1? According to the sticker on my truck and the ford web site the truck weighs 5,525–5,697 lbs depending on SCAB or SCREW.

You claimed that a good weight distribution hitch would be 250lbs...OMG what are you talking about. https://andersenhitches.com/Product...itch-4-droprise-2-ball-3-4-5--6-brackets.aspx Shipping weight less than 50 lbs.

You're estimates are off by several hundred lbs and contain false information that is not helpful to the OP.
It is true that maxing out the tow rating at 8k lbs will mean you have less left over for passengers/additional cargo.
I also agree with your tongue weight calculation.

 

[Brett Rahn]

No you don't need rear leaf springs. The SCREW Raptor is tow rated at 5k lbs without a weight distributing hitch and 8k lbs with a weight distributing hitch. 5500 is well within the upper limit unless you plan to get an insanely heavy trailer to place it on.

I would check tongue weight if it’s 700 or heavier. The truck will squat really bad. I mean really bad. I ended up doing heavier springs done by my local shop. They added 1 extra steel and that really helped also you may want to look at Timbren system they are cheap and work very well.

 

[John Rathjen]

I think tongue wt on our trucks is not supposed to exceed 600lbs

 

[Nickshu]

I think tongue wt on our trucks is not supposed to exceed 600lbs

600 for SCAB and 800 for SCREW, both numbers when using a WDH.

 

[Sage]

How far are you moving it, on what kind of road/speed???

I move a 420 JD crawler with mower on a dual axle car trailer. Maxed out but only go 9 miles and never over 50. (gen 1)

Tongue wt is usually dependent on equipment placement over the axles.

 

[pbtjrlmrt]

I think it's 6k without a WD hitch an 8k with. That's on 2017-2018. I believe 2019+ is up to 8500 with a WD hitch.

From the owners manual:

 

[jabroni619]

I stand corrected. Thanks for the info

 

[zombiekiller]

No you don't need rear leaf springs. The SCREW Raptor is tow rated at 5k lbs without a weight distributing hitch and 8k lbs with a weight distributing hitch. 5500 is well within the upper limit unless you plan to get an insanely heavy trailer to place it on.

disagree. The stock springs are awful for everything and absolutely will sag, weaken and make towing that tractor downright dangerous by the 3rd trip.

A simple Deaver +2 HD spring pack will ride better than stock every day, will reduce sway and will last for quite some time.

We aren't talking about 5500 lbs. We're talking a 5500 lb load on a 2000-2500 lb trailer. And that is with nothing in the bed, nothing else in the cab, and no fuel.

If you want to do it, and you're confident in it, go for it. Just please don't tow whatever it is anywhere near me, my friends, or family. Just because you get lucky, doesn't mean you're being safe. you ALWAYS want to plan a buffer between limits and practice. If something does go wrong, you're suddenly behind the wheel of a 12K lb missile with no control.

 

[Ray Knight]

I would bet money that 50% of your sway issues are the C rated tires. The sidewall and carcass construction of the Raptor's specific BFGs are designed for small bump compliance and ride comfort through the rough stuff.

If you don't believe that the difference matters, take a look at the PSI rating for a C rated tire versus an E rated tire ( like Toyo MTS). The higher the PSI capability, the less sway you'll encounter and the more planted you'll feel. The higher load rating also means that the effect of heat at higher speeds is significantly diminished.

The tires also have a lot to do with the diminished tow capacity over F-150s.

If I was going to tow that tractor with a raptor, I'd want to massage the raptor with the following modifications:

1 - D or E rated tires.
2 - class 4 hitch with WD
3 - a trailer with brakes on both axles
4 - Deaver HD leaf springs
5 - trailer tire TPMS

As far as the trailer with the tractor on it, you have to know that you probably won't get the balance of the trailer/tractor perfect. you'll end up with either a little more tongue weight or a little less than optimal. This means that the Tires on the trailer aren't going to heat evenly. To combat the product of uneven load, consider putting F or G rated trailer tires on.

No one really thinks about it until they have a trailer blowout at speed. I never gave it any thought until I had an E rated trailer tire delaminate and blow out while doing 75mph at 1AM in the middle of nowhere. The trailer tires had less than 7K miles on them at the time.

For reference, this was towing my raptor ( I'd guess that it is 6300 lbs now) on a 20 ft, 14K lb capable drive-over-fender trailer that weighs 3400 lbs unloaded. ( which I prefer to keep the COG lower and the trailer sway down)

you will also want to make sure that you test and tweak the settings on your trailer brake controller. It will be hugely important to get this right so the trailer and truck together stop "flat". At this close to the weight limit of the raptor, the last thing you want to deal with is the trailer bucking during emergency maneuvers due to the trailer not slowing as fast as the truck, or the trailer slowing faster than the truck.

hope this helps.

Good point on the tires! Only issue is they ride like crap when you are not towing. But yes they make a huge difference in stability.