5th wheel towing with a Raptor?

[rmschaver]

Sometimes no matter the wisdom some people just refuse to accept what they are being told. It does not match up with what they want. IMHO if the man wants and insists on towing a fifth wheel the tow weights are in the owners manual. His friend the RV dealer," if he is any good" should be able to take that info and work with it. Personally I would not do it. Seen some pretty ugly looking damage from trucks trying to pull/haul what they are not intended to. If your gonna be dumb you better be tough.

 

[Ironhorse07]

@Raptizzle ^^^

 

[7GenTex]

Nope..........

Towing in general:

You will normally run out of payload (truck/TV rating) before you get anywhere close to the max. advertised "Unicorn" trailer rating.

2017 Raptors have somewhere around 1,000 (SCAB) and 1,200 (SCREW) of MAXIMUM payload (yellow tire rating sticker on door jamb) as actually equipped.

Receiver hitch / bumper pull tongue weight will (should) run 10 to 15% of actual trailer weight. SCAB has a #600 max (and #6,000 for trailer) and SCREW has a #800 (and #8,000 for trailer) when using a WD hitch.

Fifth wheel pin weight will run about 18 to 25% of actual trailer weight. Raptor is not specifically "rated" for such.

Tongue and 5th wheel pin weight (actual - not the advertised BS light value!) reduce the available payload.

EVERYTHING you put in the truck (driver, passengers, dogs, tools, etc.) reduces payload.

Do the math. A #8,000 actual weight 5th wheel will have a pin weight of around #1,600 resulting in payload being massively exceeded.

Tail wagging the dog........

"Pulling" no problem - safe stopping and handling - NOPE!

Also, a short bed truck will usually require a "slider" hitch for a 5th wheel approach to keep from bashing the cab corners in tighter turns....and it weighs a bit as well.

The only "1/2 ton" (whatever that is?) I am aware of that has a reasonable chance at a 5th wheel is a F-150 with the heavy duty payload package

 

[Tall Mike]

Buy a cheap used Super Duty...

Towing is what they do..

 

[duhiephoa3]

Nếu bánh thứ 5 của bạn nặng hơn 8000 lbs, việc kéo một chiếc Raptor sẽ là bất hợp pháp. Nó có thể được thực hiện, nhưng mNếu bánh thứ 5 của bạn nặng hơn 8000 lbs, việc kéo một chiếc Raptor sẽ là bất hợp pháp. Nó có thể được thực hiện, Nếu bánh thứ 5 của bạn nặng du an vincity , hơn 8000 lbs, việc kéo một chiếc Raptor sẽ là bất hợp pháp. Nó có thể được thực hiện, nhưng một cách an toàn, tôi nghi ngờ nó ..nhưng một cách an toàn, tôi nghi ngờ nó ..ột cách an toàn, tôi nghi ngờ nó ..

 

[CineSLR]

Why the Raptor? Are you planning on pulling a big event to have fun in the Raptor? Or are you simply using it as a tow vehicle? Why not get an F150 and put bigger tires and Raptor fenders on it? You technically could mod the Raptor to tow more weight with airbags etc but it will be more expensive, not tow as well and will be uninsurable. Even if you get coverage if you ever get into an accident you will be way over legal limit and you will be dropped like a bad habit.

You do realize a Raptor is just an f150 with soft suspension and big fenders right...? Soft suspension is the opposite of what you are looking for.


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[Me2]

The suspension is far too soft for this to be feasible for all but the tiniest of trailers. Even then, you are easily exceeding the payload capacity. With the hitch in the bed and you behind the wheel with nothing else in the truck, you've only got ~800 pounds to spare. Since pin weight is ~20%, that means that the heaviest fifth wheel trailer you can to is ~4000 pounds.

One other thing that has been overlooked is the fact that the bed is tiny. Towing a fifth wheel with an 8' bed is easy. Towing with a 6.5' bed requires a special hitch (e.g. slider or a specialty hitch) and/or a fifth wheel with a narrow front to keep from hitting the cab in tight turns and maneuvering while backing up. The Raptor has a 5.5' bed. That doesn't leave much room to avoid damaging your tailgate and/or cab.

 

[gwpfan]

Old thread I know, but since it got some recent activity...

Well there are 3 ways that I know of to pull a trailer from a truck.

Bumper. Where the ball is actually mounted to the bumper. Which is an absolute horrible idea. Most often you can see bumpers hanging down, bent from hitch weight. Like you said earlier, no, just no..

Rear frame aka conventional. This is the most common way. Normally with a class III receiver and hitch.

5th wheel or Goose neck. Frame mounted over or through the bed.

At least 4 ways to pull, in order from lowest to highest weights allowed.
1. Bumper, done quite often especially on older vehicles where they had heavy duty bumpers and/or those pulling light trailers. (weight carrying)
2. Rear Frame/conventional (weight carrying)
3. Rear Frame with Weight Distribution Hitch, while similar to the rear frame/conventional, it is different and increases towing capability. This basically torques the frame of the trailer and truck to even out the weight across the truck.
4. 5th wheel/goose neck.
Some good info here after muddling thru some BS.
http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f262/gen-2-rear-too-lightly-sprung-needs-airbags-53216/index8.html

2017 Ford Raptor: Comprehensive Guide to Maximum Towing and Payload Specs - The Fast Lane Truck