Raptor towing good and bad?

NELCO

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I am thinking of buying a raptor to tow my Shelby, I want the pull from the 6.2 motor and 4.10 gears. I will not use it use much off road. The 150 with ecoboost is nice but unsure to go that route. Please weigh in and thanks for your info.
 

mcallister

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Ive got a raptor and it tows good id say but I wouldn't go looking to buy a raptor thinking it's the ideal tow rig, the regular f150 has a higher towing capacity.
 

Equalbracket

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No clue on the raptor, but don't buy an eco boost to pull anything, yes its rated to pull the sun down but its a light weight truck and from personal experience, they suck.
 

MDShelby

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I agree that it is not designed to be a tow vehicle, however it is more than capable of towing your Shelby. I know of a couple people that do the same thing. The suspension is the limiting factor, not the drive train. And the suspension can be upgraded to make it a better or more reliable tow vehicle.
 

Bad Company

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I borrowed a fairly heavy utility style trailer to tow behind my 2010 SuperCab Raptor with a 6.2L engine. I'd estimate the trailer weight with the car was around 6200 to 6300 Lbs. The truck pulled the trailer effortlessly at speeds up to 75mph on Interstate 95 between Washington DC and southern PA, but I wasn't completely comfortable with the handling characteristics of the combination. To keep tongue weight down and the Raptor from squatting too much in the rear I loaded the car towards the center of the trailer over the trailer axles. This still squatted the rear of the Raptor roughly 2" to 3". The Raptor's extra body roll due to its suspension made me uncomfortable with the idea of making quick maneuvers, if I needed to in an emergency situation with the trailer. In fact it made me uncomfortable in the twisties of the northwest section of I495 around DC at 65mph

Now with that said I just picked up a 2014 SuperCrew(4 door) Raptor Friday. This truck has much less body roll in a corner than the 2010 Raptor SuperCab I towed with in the past. I don't know what Ford did different in the suspension of these 2 trucks, but it is a night and day difference both in the ride quality and handling stability of the 2 . If I was going to buy a Raptor and use it for a tow vehicle, make sure you buy the SuperCrew(4 door) model over the shorter wheelbase SuperCab model. It maybe the fact that Ford dialed the suspension in much better over the 4 years since they introduced the Raptor, but the 2014 model inspires much more confidence than my 2010 did at higher speeds when you factor in body roll.
 

Bad Company

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The other thing I ran into with using a utility/equipment style trailer is it is very hard to load a lowered Shelby on to it without scraping something underneath or the front spoiler. The deck height is much higher and this caused major problems getting the car up on the trailer. Find a trailer with the lowest possible deck height from the ground for easy loading. The only problem with lower deck heights is the fenders of the trailer are higher over the trailer tires and it may make it hard to open the door to get out of the car once you've got it on the trailer. So you may need to find a trailer with removable fenders for this purpose.
 

Steve@Tasca

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We paddock at Road America next to a team that's been pulling it's enclosed race trailer with a Raptor for several years now, I'd think it would make a great tow rig.

-Steve
 

FX4ALL

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I've towed my 08 GT 3k+ miles with the Raptor so far and she's been a great tow pig. She's no SuperDuty, but she tow's better then my dad's 2004 F150 5.4 2wd w/ tow package or any previous Fullsize pickup I've owned. Just make sure you get a WD hitch and you'll be fine.

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FX4ALL

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Another thing to consider, the 6.2 is available on many other models of F150s now. They would tow better then a Raptor, you just wouldn't look as good doing it. :beer:
 

Bad Company

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Guys I've driven highly modified(1200 RWHP) tractor trailers for over a million miles locally in the Washington DC region with its heavy traffic. I've run TTs in triple digits grossing high gross weights. I know what is stable and what isn't stable when sitting in the seat doing things that you're not supposed to while towing a trailer behind me. I'd rather make an evasive maneuver grossing in excess of 100,000 lbs in one of the tractor trailers I've owned over the last 15 years at 80 or 90 mph than try to make that same type of maneuver when I was pulling the 18' bumper pull utility trailer with my Shelby on it with my Raptor as the tow vehicle at 65 mph. Now I didn't have a weight distributing hitch. I did load the car towards the rear more than I would have normally to reduce tongue weight on the truck. I also did this to keep the truck from squatting too much in the rear while lifting the front end for less steer axle traction. The 2010 SuperCab Raptor I had, had serious body roll that got my attention immediately when pulling the loaded trailer in the twisty turns of I495 around the NW section of DC at 65mph. The 2014 SuperCrew Raptor I bought Friday has much less body roll to begin with, when compared to the old SuperCab when empty. So I'd expect there to be less body roll when loaded also. The other thing I've noticed about the SuperCrew is the frame is much heavier between the firewall and the front spring mount for the rear axle with a much heavier boxed crossmember between the rails in the mid section of this area. This may also help with frame flex and why the new truck feels much more stable in a corner when compared to my old Raptor.

Would I tow with the new Raptor for short jaunts? Yes. But I would invest in the lightest possible trailer with the lowest possible deck height to reduce the trailer center of gravity. I'd do a WD hitch to combat the low spring rates of the rear axle on the Raptor. I'd even consider changing the springs if I was going to tow regularly. The SuperCab is shorter in wheelbase, which also contributes to less stability in evasive maneuvers. Over the years of driving TT the longer the wheelbase of the tow vehicle(tractor), the less the trailer can influence its instability at speed. So buy a SuperCrew if you are seriously considering a Raptor as a primary tow vehicle. If for any reason the trailer starts to sway the Raptor..........it is going to react badly in my opinion. You may have the tail wagging the dog and the final results may not be pretty.
 
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Svts

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I'm towing an 8000k RV with my '12 crew cab and it does just fine. Still gets about 9 mpg and thats with pulling some pretty long and steep grades here in Idaho. I will tell you that an EcoBoost with the same trailer will outpull you on the hills. I followed one that was pulling a pretty big 5th wheel RV and he didnt lose as much speed as I did on a 7% grade.
 

Rainman15

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I tow a 8k lb box with my 13 F-150 Limited with the eco boost and 3.73's and I routinely out accelerate light duty rams and chevy's from stoplights with just fishing boats and ski boats on the hook. I also average around 9-10mpg depending on how hard I push it.
 

SVTRaptorNY

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At 8,000 pounds you are pretty much maxing out the Screws towing capacity.

The 2011+ Raptor super crew has a towing capacity of 8,000 pounds. The 2011+ Raptor super cab has a towing capacity of 6,000 pounds.

Exceeding these limits will put extreme stress on the truck and can lead to premature failure.
 

Sonic605hp

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I can't speak on a Raptor but I have an '11 F-150 Screw with a 6.2 and it tows like a bear. My uncle has the same truck with an ecoboost and it tows equally as well. We both pull RV's that weigh about 6500-7000 loaded......he consistently gets 3-5 MPG better than my truck at the same speeds, although my truck has 3.73's and his doesn't. I don't care what the gas mileage is though, my truck sounds ****ing awesome with the resonator delete and the Banks Monster system on it :). Every time I hit the gas it's music to my ears, it's worth the extra gas $, and I get compliments on the sound all the time, my uncle on the other hand is ofter asked why his truck is so quiet by those not in the know. Both trucks are great but I just prefer a big 8.:shrug:
 
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colin450

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Ive got a raptor and it tows good id say but I wouldn't go looking to buy a raptor thinking it's the ideal tow rig, the regular f150 has a higher towing capacity.

This.

If you want a Raptor for a DD and you want to tow short distances every once in a while, go for it. If you're looking for a specific tow vehicle, I'd consider the other options. I tow a 21' center console with mine and it's fine. But, that isn't nearly the weight you'd be towing.

Also, careful getting a Raptor. You might start enjoying it more than the Shelby, it happened to me.
 
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GOTSVT?

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Just did 2000 miles towing
Towed my 14 Shelby @ 7000lbs
No issues at all!
Truck tows like it was meant to be a tow rig!
 

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