Any setup that can safely tow my 5500lb tractor?

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dave_g

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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
 
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BroncoAZ

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My 20’ 14K rated flat deck car hauler weighs 3300#. It’s all steel and really heavier than I needed to tow my Bronco. A 16’ 10K car hauler should be close to the 2500# mark in steel, closer to 1600# in aluminum. If I ever buy another trailer it will be aluminum with a metal deck. Steel trailers are great and all, but heavy, and wood decks require maintenance. I would lean towards an all purpose trailer rather than a just fits this tractor trailer.

For weight distribution I’ve had great luck with the Equalizer brand hitch. They have gotten really expensive lately, like $650. A quick look on Amazon found this clone for half the money, it would likely work fine.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W919FL8/?tag=fordraptorforum-20
 

gopher870

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You have several good comments here.....trailer choice ideas, weight distribution hitch recommendation, towing weight estimations, etc. I recommend exploring those further...

I also tow a large Kubota tractor with a heavy duty steel twin-axle trailer. I am at (or over) the limit of the Ford specifications. I only tow (the tractor) occasionally for service and/or help a friend out with some tractor work.

But I am on flat Florida earth and stay off the interstate. I drive super conservatively (I normally drive my Raptor very hard). I leave exceptional room for breaking and extremely limit my speed. I have not had a single issue or concern.

I hesitated on the Raptor purchase because it had a lower tow rating than my previous 2013 Platinum Crew Cab 4x4 (~11,000 lbs). But I took the chance on the Raptor because of the infrequent towing of that weight scenario.

If you are in hilly/mountainous region, or you plan on towing on the interstate at highway speeds, I believe you are at your limits for the Raptor and the risk is too great. Just my opinion on that but why risk the danger just to tow a tractor....

Good luck. I'm envious....trailer shopping is very fun!
 

Ray Knight

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So, I've been digging through forums trying to understand if I could put together a setup to tow a 5500lb tractor with my raptor. From what I've read, it's borderline at best, but I thought I'd check with some Raptor owners as I'm a bit new to towing heavier gear.

So, I own a tractor that weighs about 5500 lbs. I haven't purchased a trailer yet. My question is whether it is feasible to tow this tractor, on a trailer, with my '17 raptor.

Ok so power is NO PROBLEM. You can tow that off boost no problem. With EASE. But there are some weak links. The stock hitch. Mine bent. Replaced with a class 4 receiver (only around $150). Note that you will lose the spare tire if you upgrade the hitch. Next is the suspension. Its nice and plush and balanced front to back. This makes it sag when you attach a heavy trailer! Get an Anderson weight distribution hitch. Sagging problem solved. The biggest issue is really the sway. Even with the distribution hitch the Raptor is just terrible for towing a heavy load on the highway. Its kind of all over the place and will move a LOT when a semi passes you or if you get in a tight lane. Its a white knuckle experience at times. More so than any truck i've ever towed with. Under 55mph its OK. Any faster and it can be sketchy. If you get a 2 axle trailer and load it so the tractor weight is mostly over the axles and slightly forward it will probably be fine. If you are choosing a Raptor mostly for tow duty, pick another truck. ANY other truck. Lol. Even the gen 1 Raptor was WAY more stable for towing heavy loads.
 

zombiekiller

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Ok so power is NO PROBLEM. You can tow that off boost no problem. With EASE. But there are some weak links. The stock hitch. Mine bent. Replaced with a class 4 receiver (only around $150). Note that you will lose the spare tire if you upgrade the hitch. Next is the suspension. Its nice and plush and balanced front to back. This makes it sag when you attach a heavy trailer! Get an Anderson weight distribution hitch. Sagging problem solved. The biggest issue is really the sway. Even with the distribution hitch the Raptor is just terrible for towing a heavy load on the highway. Its kind of all over the place and will move a LOT when a semi passes you or if you get in a tight lane. Its a white knuckle experience at times. More so than any truck i've ever towed with. Under 55mph its OK. Any faster and it can be sketchy. If you get a 2 axle trailer and load it so the tractor weight is mostly over the axles and slightly forward it will probably be fine. If you are choosing a Raptor mostly for tow duty, pick another truck. ANY other truck. Lol. Even the gen 1 Raptor was WAY more stable for towing heavy loads.

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.
 

gopher870

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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

Tires. Very important. On the truck, yes; on the trailer, very yes. I did not mention the use of the Trailer Brake controller as I took it for granted. :emotions122: I would not tow any trailer over 5000 lbs with any truck without one. Even on lighter aluminum car haulers, it just makes sense to have trailer brakes of some sort (even the U-haul compression kind). Trailer tire TPMS: great to have. I too have had a blow out and never noticed it until I stopped at my destination.... :-(
 

GOTSVT?

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I tow a 20' Featherlite model 3110 all aluminum trailer. Weighs about 1750lbs, tows cars effortlessly.
 

pbtjrlmrt

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Thanks! Any recommendation for the type of trailer and weight distribution hitch? I was worried about the tongue weight as that seemed to potentially be the limiting factor. Would I need to change the rear springs?

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.
 
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