Raptor towing about 4500lbs

[1roadking]

My raptor with 4500 lbs behind it. The truck tows great! The trailering mode in this truck is spot on and the Eco Boost loves to tow

 

[jabroni619]

Looks like a fun day. Everything I've read suggests the powertrain is easily capable of towing up to and even past the tow rating. Its the off-road oriented suspension that is the limiting factor. The brakes are also a bit on the weak side.

 

[1roadking]

Power is a non issue and honestly the suspension isn’t either if the trailer is at the right height to keep the tongue weight correct.

 

[MotoXKing]

My 2018 towed a 4000lb CAM dump trailer with 1000lbs of mulch in it no issues.
Stock suspension didn't droop as bad as my 14 raptor.
Having a hard time with the idea of giving up towing for the ADD pro rear bumper.
But....

 

[Fastback89]

This is what I need to see. I'll be towing open car trailer next summer, we shall see

 

[1roadking]

No fear!! Lol. I wouldn’t worry at all, I had the truck bed full of luggage, 3 people in the truck all large and in charge and the trailer in tow. The truck still was level if not slightly ass high.

 

[BendSprinter]

Towed a ‘41 Chevy on a flatbed car trailer for over 700 miles a month ago or so. Estimating about 5k. Towed incredibly well. Crazy power, no swaying, even 12 mpg driving between 65-70 the whole way from Montana to Oregon.

I couldn’t have been more impressed. Just have to watch tongue weight and squat.

 

[CJ Pony Parts]

Looking good! Not too much squatting at all! If you carry loads with more tongue weight, you might want to consider a set of timbrens

 

[PBR ME]

Looking good! Not too much squatting at all! If you carry loads with more tongue weight, you might want to consider a set of timbrens

Sooo this basically takes out all the suspension travel and it rides on these new long bump stops? Doesn’t seem very safe to me...


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[Todd458]

Sooo this basically takes out all the suspension travel and it rides on these new long bump stops? Doesn’t seem very safe to me...


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Interesting. I would love for some people in the note to comment on this. Does PBR ME have a point?

 

[jabroni619]

Interesting. I would love for some people in the note to comment on this. Does PBR ME have a point?

I think basic common sense says he does have a point. A "no/low compromise" solution for increasing the Raptors towing capability is something that has been discussed for years, and the best solutions fall short of "no" compromise and are quite a bit more invasive. If it was that simple, Ford would have done it from the factory.

 

[1roadking]

I had 4500 lbs in tow, 3 big people in the truck, a bed full of gear and it handled as well or better then my Tundra under similar circumstances. My only concern would be a non level heavy trailer puting way too much tongue weight on the truck. I was actually surprised by how well it took the weight and am no longer worried about it at all. One thing I wouldn’t do is put an ATV in the bed of the truck and tow a heavy trailer, but if your reasonable with the load in the bed and your trailer sits level the trailer is a 0 issue.

 

[brettmess24]

Interesting. I would love for some people in the note to comment on this. Does PBR ME have a point?

Well riding on bumps is very hard on the back and not an enjoyable ride for me.

I’m sure in the right scenario of a large bump or dip it could potentially cause an accident.

I had them on my gen 1 for one tow about 2 1/2 hours of my Yamaha 242LS boat that is about 6k lbs and 500lb tongue weight with a double axle and immediately tossed them in the trash and purchased deavers.

The gen2 has an even softer rear spring rate. Again for me they are not a proper solution ymmv


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[CJ Pony Parts]

Sooo this basically takes out all the suspension travel and it rides on these new long bump stops? Doesn’t seem very safe to me...


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It eliminates some travel. When unloaded there is still suspension travel, the rubber springs don't contact anything when unloaded. Once theyre loaded up they are making contact but there is still some travel, they are hollow progressive rubber springs, not solid chunks of rubber.

 

[PBR ME]

It eliminates some travel. When unloaded there is still suspension travel, the rubber springs don't contact anything when unloaded. Once theyre loaded up they are making contact but there is still some travel, they are hollow progressive rubber springs, not solid chunks of rubber.

Totally seems like a large bump could cause havoc back there, ESPECIALLY towing a trailer... I’ll skip it.


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[Loufish]

Asking a soft pre-runner style rear end to be stiff enough to handle 500+ plus pounds of tongue weight will ALWAYS be a compromise...but here's the deal...EVERY single guy who bought a Raptor knew the rear end was going to be soft enough for the desert and that means at time too soft for some for towing...You bought a luxury light duty pre-runner...
My last truck had about 10.5" of rear travel and at normal ride height had about 7" of compression travel...my last tow was a enclosed 20' trailer weighing about 4500-4700 lbs and we measured the rear drop...2.25"....SO WHAT..It towed awesome and handled great...
Sorry for a bit of a rant...

 

[Uncas]

I had 4500 lbs in tow, 3 big people in the truck, a bed full of gear and it handled as well or better then my Tundra under similar circumstances. My only concern would be a non level heavy trailer puting way too much tongue weight on the truck. I was actually surprised by how well it took the weight and am no longer worried about it at all. One thing I wouldn’t do is put an ATV in the bed of the truck and tow a heavy trailer, but if your reasonable with the load in the bed and your trailer sits level the trailer is a 0 issue.

I maxed out a 6x10 uhaul with way too much ammo and two motorcycles in the front of the trailer, then drove from VA to CO with no problems. I know we had at least 500 lbs in the bed also. It’s no Super Duty and the rear end was squatting right much but I still got 15 mpg and ran the speed limit +5 the whole way. Even let my wife drive thru KS.

 

[Slow6]

I've towed an enclosed weighing roughly 7500lbs, I do use a set of Sumo springs from Super Spring when towing. It's similar to the Timbren I would say but its more progressive, both options bolt onto the frame to replace the factory bump stop. I also use a Weight Distributing Hitch (WDH) with Sway Control bar when towing this trailer. I haven't measured ride height front or rear when hooked up to the trailer (which I'm sure will **** a lot of people off) Truck pulled it just fine. I wouldn't go any bigger without upgrading the brakes, a lot of people seem to think if you can pull it you are "ok", but it's the stopping people don't consider until it's too late.

WDH aren't just for making it ride level, it's also to keep some of the weight on the front so you don't experience lose in steering ability due to reduced weight in front. See the attached for an example Top is WDH, bottom is with air bags or a simple bump stop bolt on such as Timbren or the Super Spring I chose to use when towing. The below diagram they used a scale under each wheel and to measure the weight change at each corner of the truck and each wheel of the trailer, the WDH helps balance out the trailer weight as well (assuming you have it decently balanced before you hook it up)

Yes I do plan to replace the rear springs and eventually get a bump stop kit.
Yes I knew the Raptor wasn't designed for towing when I bought it.

There is an entire story involved in how I ended up with a Raptor, I don't think I would have got one if I couldn't tow a trailer the size I have.

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