Anyone tow with their Gen 3 yet?

[blwn]

The payload on the Lariat is 1705, 300 pounds more than my 2021 Raptor and almost 500 pounds more than the 2019 Raptor I traded today. The Lariat drives very nice and feels much lighter than the Raptor, seems quieter as well. Acceleration is very close. I told the dealership to find another equipped identically and I will trade my 2021 for it, straight across. Unlike the Smart Cap rep said, the cap from the 2019 fit perfectly, but I haven’t taken it thru a car wash yet. All the floor mats as well as the bed mat fits as well. The owner of the shop that switched out the cap owns a 2014 XLT. His truck has a smart cap, racks on top, big metal bumpers and a 1250 payload. it is also equipped with air bags and an after market suspension. He uses it to pull a 4200 pound camp trailer. He told me it only scared him twice, however it will overheat going up a slight grade and the trailer burned up one transmission. Again, if you read everything that is standard with the max tow package, you may understand the reason the Raptor is not meant to tow.

The Max Tow package doesn't have anything that a raptor doesn't:

Includes:
• 3.55 Electronic-locking Rear-Axle (If ordered with 3.0L Diesel Engine, 3.5L EcoBoost Engine without Heavy-Duty Payload Package, 3.5L PowerBoost Full Hybrid V6 Engine with 4x2)
• 3.73 Electronic-locking Rear-Axle (If ordered with 5.0L V8 Engine 3.5L EcoBoost Engine with Heavy-Duty Payload Package, 3.5L PowerBoost Full Hybrid V6 Engine with 4x4)
• 7-pin Wiring Harness; Includes 7-Pin-to-4-Pin Adapter
• 36 Gallon Fuel tank (NA with 3.5L PowerBoost Full Hybrid V6 or 3.0L Diesel Engine
• Class IV Trailer Hitch Receiver
• Pro Trailer Backup Assist (Not included on XL)
• Pro Trailer Backup Assist – NA on XL Standard; Requires Tow Technology on XL High
• Smart Trailer Tow Connector (Includes BLIS® with Trailer Tow Coverage Where BLIS® is Available)
• Integrated Trailer Brake Controller
• Upgraded Rear Bumper

The package you really want if you're going to tow heavy in a F150 is the HDPP if it's even still available. In the end you traded an offroad oriented truck to gain 300lbs of payload (comparing Gen3 to same Gen Lariat). I think that is why most here will say don't buy a Raptor if you want to tow, but it's not really any worse than a loaded Platinum or Limited based on Payload ratings. It's all about the right tool for the job. At least you're trying to not be overloaded and learn the limitations. And I'm glad you're happy with your Lariat since it doesn't sound like the Raptor has been a good fit for your needs

 

[K9 EXPERT]

The Max Tow package doesn't have anything that a raptor doesn't:

Includes:
• 3.55 Electronic-locking Rear-Axle (If ordered with 3.0L Diesel Engine, 3.5L EcoBoost Engine without Heavy-Duty Payload Package, 3.5L PowerBoost Full Hybrid V6 Engine with 4x2)
• 3.73 Electronic-locking Rear-Axle (If ordered with 5.0L V8 Engine 3.5L EcoBoost Engine with Heavy-Duty Payload Package, 3.5L PowerBoost Full Hybrid V6 Engine with 4x4)
• 7-pin Wiring Harness; Includes 7-Pin-to-4-Pin Adapter
• 36 Gallon Fuel tank (NA with 3.5L PowerBoost Full Hybrid V6 or 3.0L Diesel Engine
• Class IV Trailer Hitch Receiver
• Pro Trailer Backup Assist (Not included on XL)
• Pro Trailer Backup Assist – NA on XL Standard; Requires Tow Technology on XL High
• Smart Trailer Tow Connector (Includes BLIS® with Trailer Tow Coverage Where BLIS® is Available)
• Integrated Trailer Brake Controller
• Upgraded Rear Bumper

The package you really want if you're going to tow heavy in a F150 is the HDPP if it's even still available. In the end you traded an offroad oriented truck to gain 300lbs of payload (comparing Gen3 to same Gen Lariat). I think that is why most here will say don't buy a Raptor if you want to tow, but it's not really any worse than a loaded Platinum or Limited based on Payload ratings. It's all about the right tool for the job. At least you're trying to not be overloaded and learn the limitations. And I'm glad you're happy with your Lariat since it doesn't sound like the Raptor has been a good fit for your needs

You are 100% wrong with regard to the max tow package, but I will not debate you. I’ve owned Gen 1, Gen 2 and 3 and although I don’t understand the mechanics of either, I can read the difference between max tow and Raptor. I can also afford to purchase pretty much any vehicle. Having said that, combined with the knowledge I have gained about towing/payload limits and abilities, the Raptor is a huge liability if its owner tows anything over 2000 pounds. We all have different backgrounds, a baker bakes bread, a carpenter builds stuff out of wood. I worked for the California Highway Patrol for 30 years and I have seen the gore of accidents as well as criminal/civil ramifications. A person may get lucky and never experience an incident from pulling a trailer with a truck designed to look cool. However, after 30 years as a cop I learned, if it’s going as planned, it’s an ambush. I do not see the glass half full and I will take every precaution not adversely change someone’s life because I drove a vehicle in a way it was not designed to be driven. The Raptor does not have the max tow package!

 

[Nex]

I'm happy for you @K9 EXPERT , and sad at the same time. Hopefully you stick around here and BS with us.

 

[blwn]

You are 100% wrong with regard to the max tow package, but I will not debate you. I’ve owned Gen 1, Gen 2 and 3 and although I don’t understand the mechanics of either, I can read the difference between max tow and Raptor. I can also afford to purchase pretty much any vehicle. Having said that, combined with the knowledge I have gained about towing/payload limits and abilities, the Raptor is a huge liability if its owner tows anything over 2000 pounds. We all have different backgrounds, a baker bakes bread, a carpenter builds stuff out of wood. I worked for the California Highway Patrol for 30 years and I have seen the gore of accidents as well as criminal/civil ramifications. A person may get lucky and never experience an incident from pulling a trailer with a truck designed to look cool. However, after 30 years as a cop I learned, if it’s going as planned, it’s an ambush. I do not see the glass half full and I will take every precaution not adversely change someone’s life because I drove a vehicle in a way it was not designed to be driven. The Raptor does not have the max tow package!

Fair enough. Could you point out what is in the Max Tow package that the Raptor doesn't have?

I also don't think it's fair to say the Raptor can't tow anything over 2000lbs. It has been shown in this thread or the others it's more than capable of towing over that and still remaining under limits. Your case is unique because you have so much cargo. It's not like you're doubling your towing capacity with your Lariat, you're gaining a few hundred pounds of capacity. It's also very easy to go over Payload on the Platinum and Limited trims.

I'm all for staying within the limits, they're there for a reason. I just want others that come to FRF for information make sure they understand what a half ton is capable of towing and why.

 

[BoostCreep]

A huge liability if you tow over 2,000 pounds? Things are getting a little over the top in here.

 

[EricM]

A huge liability if you tow over 2,000 pounds? Things are getting a little over the top in here.

He tends to be over the top in general.


I've pulled a 5000 lb boat dozens of times, totaling thousands of miles with zero issues. My Raptor pulls and tows better than any of my previous "standard" F150s.

 

[BoostCreep]

He tends to be over the top in general.


I've pulled a 5000 lb boat dozens of times, totaling thousands of miles with zero issues. My Raptor pulls and tows better than any of my previous "standard" F150s.

As it should. It’s still an F-150, not a Wrangler.

 

[K9 EXPERT]

Fair enough. Could you point out what is in the Max Tow package that the Raptor doesn't have?

I also don't think it's fair to say the Raptor can't tow anything over 2000lbs. It has been shown in this thread or the others it's more than capable of towing over that and still remaining under limits. Your case is unique because you have so much cargo. It's not like you're doubling your towing capacity with your Lariat, you're gaining a few hundred pounds of capacity. It's also very easy to go over Payload on the Platinum and Limited trims.

I'm all for staying within the limits, they're there for a reason. I just want others that come to FRF for information make sure they understand what a half ton is capable of towing and why.

i don’t care who tows what, I was just attempting to pass along info I learned. Having said that, I just assume if Raptor had everything in a max tow package, it would be listed on the sticker. Seriously you can pull a house for all I care. Having said that, if something bad happened specifically related to exceeding the weight and/or tow limits, the driver of the vehicle doing the towing, will pay a steep price, but life is a risk and I personally think it is a stupid risk. Just my opinion. Apparently some on this thread believe because the Raptor looks big and bad, it can do anything, I thought the same as well. It wasn’t until I told a friend who investigates major traffic collisions as a profession, that I was going to tow a UTV with my Raptor, is when I got a reality slap. I know nothing about towing, but I can do basic math and perform google searches, and when combined with what I learned from my friend, whom reconstructs accident scenes, I believe unless it’s a very light load, the Raptor should not tow. Check out the attached

https://www.kingsfordinc.com/blog/what-is-the-ford-max-tow-package/

 

[blwn]

i don’t care who tows what, I was just attempting to pass along info I learned. Having said that, I just assume if Raptor had everything in a max tow package, it would be listed on the sticker. Seriously you can pull a house for all I care. Having said that, if something bad happened specifically related to exceeding the weight and/or tow limits, the driver of the vehicle doing the towing, will pay a steep price, but life is a risk and I personally think it is a stupid risk. Just my opinion. Apparently some on this thread believe because the Raptor looks big and bad, it can do anything, I thought the same as well. It wasn’t until I told a friend who investigates major traffic collisions as a profession, that I was going to tow a UTV with my Raptor, is when I got a reality slap. I know nothing about towing, but I can do basic math and perform google searches, and when combined with what I learned from my friend, whom reconstructs accident scenes, I believe unless it’s a very light load, the Raptor should not tow. Check out the attached

https://www.kingsfordinc.com/blog/what-is-the-ford-max-tow-package/

Understood. I'm also just passing along what I've learned as well. And the main point of that is with a F150 you will typically run out of Payload before any other towing limit is reached. While Ford and other manufactures love to throw around big towing limits (like 14k lbs) there are very few versions of that model that can actually tow that legally. The F150 Max tow package has stuff like 36gallon tank, transmission cooler and the different axle ratio, all of which are already included on the Raptor, but for performance reasons. That's why they don't market it as Max Tow. It would be silly to advertise the Max Tow package on the Raptor as it's suspension already limits it to the 8200 lbs and as you've found out, that is almost impossible to achieve.

In the case of the Raptor towing, my opinion is most people should be able to tow up to 5000lb without issue. That's leaving you with 700+ lbs of payload for passengers and cargo. Again towing is not the strong suit for the Raptor, but it will also do a lot of things well for MOST people.

 

[K9 EXPERT]

I’m not a Ford guru by any stretch, however it is my understanding that the max tow package has slightly different axle ratios than the Raptor, but I don’t know what an axle ratio even means. I have also read and been told that the max tow package also includes everything in the regular tow package, including an upgraded hitch. About 10 years ago, due to a shooting incident, I was temporarily removed from narcotics and placed inside an LE scale facility, the type that is found on an interstate highway. My job was just to sit around while the investigation concluded. During the time it was slow or over staffed, scale whales (cops) were assigned to stop vehicles pulling trailers that sagged. They were brought back to the scale and received what I was told to be a very expensive over weight ticket. Occasionally they were put out of service and not allowed to continue their journey until they dropped weight from their load. Often time a drug dog sniffed the vehicle as well and a tons of arrests were completed. The moral of the story is, a trailer that sags provides LE probable cause to stop the vehicle and the same laws that apply to big rigs, apply to all vehicles. Lastly, it is also silly to market a vehicle by indicating it can tow 8200 pounds, when in fact, it cannot do it legally. Therefore, if you are correct about the Raptor having everything in the Max Tow package, but it is silly to market it as such because the Raptor can’t do it, why does ford market other F 150’s as a towing beast, when they are not? It just doesn’t make sense to me, which doesn’t mean it’s not true. There must be at least one piece of equipment or ratio that is missing?