First Truck / Raptor, and some pictures

[ThankU45]

Forgive me for taking so long to share - the truck was delivered April 11th, but some travel and a generally busy time at work kept me away from the forum until now.

I'd like to start with thanking all forum members, in particular my brothers @oswiff @Shane361 @BellHeli407 and most of all, @Chiefgiant for the leads on MSRP deals. I was willing to travel halfway across the country for the right deal but ended up finding one 30 mins from me.

This is my first truck, I'm coming from a Subaru Outback (yup...) and a Subaru Legacy before that so you can imagine how blown my mind is driving a Raptor. Took a couple of days getting used to the Body-on-Frame feel but I don't think I could ever go back to cars/SUVs again unless it was a summer convertible/sports car or something.

Went back and forth between the Retrax and Bak Revolver, but then decided to go with the Retrax. This might be a rookie question, but any suggestions on how to keep cargo (mostly luggage) from moving around in the bed? Cargo Nets / Tie-Down Straps / Bungee Cords / anything else?

Lastly, I found some parts in the storage compartment underneath the center armrest. One of them says something about Tailgate removal, does anyone know what these (pics below) are and if I should be saving them?

Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend.

God Bless 'Murica

 

[ThankU45]

And one more.

 

[Nex]

Welcome to FRF. And yes, I am sure it is a bit on an adjustment coming from cars to the Raptor. You are gonna have way more fun.

The part in your hand is for trailer wiring. To convert the round connector to a flat 4 pin.

Need to see part numbers on the bag for others.

 

[Shane361]

Nice!!! Congrats!!

 

[ThankU45]

Nice!!! Congrats!!

Thanks Shane, hope you've been well.

 

[CoronaRaptor]

Beautiful Raptor, congrats and thanks for sharing the pics.

 

[Shane361]

Thanks Shane, hope you've been well.

Not as good as you apparently! Maybe had I been more patient! My deal feel through and Ford did not build my Gen3 after waiting 2 months at the end of last year. They did not build a LFG for 22 so I opted for a Mint LFG loaded 2020 that my dealer had. I used the extra money to polish and ceramic coat and threw a 10K stereo in it. Congrats Again Man!

 

[Bullet Bob]

Congrats on your truck. Nice improvement over the Subie. (Been there, done that too, hahaha) Regarding securing items in the bed. That's always an issue with a truck. I've found that installing a rubber bed mat like you can buy at Tractor Supply helps to keep things from sliding around all the time and protects the bed floor from possible dents. Make sure to install the bedlock hooks that came with it. They're really nice. I use rubber bungee cords to secure things to the bedlocks. If you get them, believe me, you'll really appreciate having the adjustable bungees with the holes in them. You can snuggly secure you load by making the bungees the correct length. Here's an example below. I need to order some replacements myself.
Anyway, good luck my friend.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GRZKJXF/?tag=fordraptorforum-20

 

[pghraptor34]

Congrats on the truck! Similar situation to me, traded an STI on my first truck, the Raptor. You're going to want to keep those parts, pic R6 is for towing connections.

 

[ThankU45]

Not as good as you apparently! Maybe had I been more patient! My deal feel through and Ford did not build my Gen3 after waiting 2 months at the end of last year. They did not build a LFG for 22 so I opted for a Mint LFG loaded 2020 that my dealer had. I used the extra money to polish and ceramic coat and threw a 10K stereo in it. Congrats Again Man!

Thank you, and congratulations to you as well. Hope you enjoy the truck in good health.