Tow capacity of a 2020

[K9 EXPERT]

Hi all,

I looked for a thread for this but couldn't find one.

I'm a new Raptor owner and I just bought a 2020 F150 Raptor and I am about to start my grand tour of North America. So, I am now looking to buy a travel trailer. I have a supercrew cab and I have found so many different numbers about how much I can tow. A buddy of mine, who camps a lot with his Chevy, gave a calculation of around 6583lbs which includes 1000lbs of cargo. However, I have seen on a lot of sites that the capacity is more like 8k (w/o cargo which would come to about 7k w/), so which is correct? As far as I know, the truck is stock (at least I think it is, because I heard that Raptor automatically comes with Fox shocks). So which, if any, is right? Thanks for the help in advance.

Rob

Read the attached thread carefully and then determine your risk tolerance

Anyone tow with their Gen 3 yet?

Has anyone done any towing with their Gen 3 yet? I've got a new Raptor on order and part of the reason for the Raptor is to tow my travel trailer. Currently towing with a 2017 Tacoma that struggles a bit. Dry weight is 4000lbs with a 480lb tongue weight (yes I have a WDH) so I'm hoping that...

www.fordraptorforum.com

 

[Cybot]

Read the attached thread carefully and then determine your risk tolerance

Anyone tow with their Gen 3 yet?

Has anyone done any towing with their Gen 3 yet? I've got a new Raptor on order and part of the reason for the Raptor is to tow my travel trailer. Currently towing with a 2017 Tacoma that struggles a bit. Dry weight is 4000lbs with a 480lb tongue weight (yes I have a WDH) so I'm hoping that...

www.fordraptorforum.com

Holly crap, that link points me to the Ford site that says this

Does that mean I can only tow 5600 pounds with about 500lbs of people weight?

 

[Old-Raptor-guy]

There is no legal way to increase payload/towing.

If an accident happens you are going to need some pretty excellent (expensive as all fuxk) to prove your over loaded (per manufacturer specs) was in fact NOT over loaded due to your modifications.

Are you increasing braking power, are you strengthening steering components, are you making the frame stronger, are you increasing load capacity on the wheels AND the tires? The list is almost endless.

In a shit hole state like California (not sure where you live) a LEO that knows the difference between Raptor and F150 could easily have your truck impounded.

I am actually a pretty good rule breaker/ non conformist. But I also look at risks involved.

 

[K9 EXPERT]

Holly crap, that link points me to the Ford site that says this

Does that mean I can only tow 5600 pounds with about 500lbs of people weight?

I don’t have all the answers, but I do know payload weight equals: passengers, gasoline, oil weight and everything else above dry, or curb weight inside the passenger compartment and truck bed. Afterward, you add it to the trailer weight, including the hitch. The total is subtracted from the potential weight on the trailer. You then need to determine the tongue weight, which should not exceed 10% of the trailer weight and trailer load. The tongue weight and total payload are added together and if if exceeds 1400 pounds and you kill somebody, you are toast. As I stated previously, I purchased an aluminum trailer with a total estimated weight of 1200 pounds. I ordered a Polaris Ranger Crew with a dry weight of about 2300 hundred pounds. With two passenger, two dogs, a smart cap and a 220 pound gun vault, I would be borderline with a custom 14’ all aluminum trailer. In other words, the Raptor is not designed to tow, but Ford marketing indicates it can tow 8000 pounds. That figure does not take into the FACT of payload capacity. Now ask yourself, if you crash and kill someone, will Ford pay, or will you? Yes, it can tow 8000, but did you complete due diligence and determine the ACTUAL towing capacity? Ford MARKETS THE RAPTOR TO TOW 8000 POUNDS, but the fine print indicates otherwise.
Personally I would rather get a real truck that can tow. It’s just not worth taking the chance to me. However, I realize I may be financially better off than some, but I don’t go to Vegas to gamble!

 

[Cybot]

There is no legal way to increase payload/towing.

If an accident happens you are going to need some pretty excellent (expensive as all fuxk) to prove your over loaded (per manufacturer specs) was in fact NOT over loaded due to your modifications.

Are you increasing braking power, are you strengthening steering components, are you making the frame stronger, are you increasing load capacity on the wheels AND the tires? The list is almost endless.

In a shit hole state like California (not sure where you live) a LEO that knows the difference between Raptor and F150 could easily have your truck impounded.

I am actually a pretty good rule breaker/ non conformist. But I also look at risks involved.

Honesty, I haven't been in the mechanican game in a lot of years and even then it was muscle cars. So what to add and what not to add, I am clueless (hence, why I joined the forums to bug the crap out of you all.) .

PS. Although I may have been born in Cali, the only time I ever plan on going back there is a road trip up the coastal highway from Mexico to Alaska. Won't stay but a few days. However, just about every where else (except NYC) is fair game. I'm currently in KCMO. Once my divorce goes thru and I leech all the tips out of you all, I'm buying the dog and trailer and leaving. I WFH so I can go anywhere in North America, and I plan on seeing every inch. (figuratively of course)

 

[Cybot]

I don’t have all the answers, but I do know payload weight equals: passengers, gasoline, oil weight and everything else above dry, or curb weight inside the passenger compartment and truck bed. Afterward, you add it to the trailer weight, including the hitch. The total is subtracted from the potential weight on the trailer. You then need to determine the tongue weight, which should not exceed 10% of the trailer weight and trailer load. The tongue weight and total payload are added together and if if exceeds 1400 pounds and you kill somebody, you are toast. As I stated previously, I purchased an aluminum trailer with a total estimated weight of 1200 pounds. I ordered a Polaris Ranger Crew with a dry weight of about 2300 hundred pounds. With two passenger, two dogs, a smart cap and a 220 pound gun vault, I would be borderline with a custom 14’ all aluminum trailer. In other words, the Raptor is not designed to tow, but Ford marketing indicates it can tow 8000 pounds. That figure does not take into the FACT of payload capacity. Now ask yourself, if you crash and kill someone, will Ford pay, or will you? Yes, it can tow 8000, but did you complete due diligence and determine the ACTUAL towing capacity? Ford MARKETS THE RAPTOR TO TOW 8000 POUNDS, but the fine print indicates otherwise.
Personally I would rather get a real truck that can tow. It’s just not worth taking the chance to me. However, I realize I may be financially better off than some, but I don’t go to Vegas to gamble!

I already bought the Raptor 3 weeks ago. So it'll have to do.

 

[Granelli]

my 18 SUPERcab tows a 23ft airstream flying cloud quite nicely with a weight distributing hitch. The trailer weights 5200lbs

 

[Cybot]

my 18 SUPERcab tows a 23ft airstream flying cloud quite nicely with a weight distributing hitch. The trailer weights 5200lbs

I was looking (and hoping) for omething like a 2022 WINNEBAGO VOYAGE 2427RB,

LENGTH​

27.75'​

DRY WEIGHT​

6,762 LBS​

It will will always be towed dry. I'm not planning on going to spots w/o hookups, right now. (plus I'm disabled military, so if there is a base around and it has an rv park, that's were I'll be parking, and as far as I know most of those places have hookups)

 

[dfw62]

I was looking (and hoping) for omething like a 2022 WINNEBAGO VOYAGE 2427RB,

LENGTH​

27.75'​

DRY WEIGHT​

6,762 LBS​

It will will always be towed dry. I'm not planning on going to spots w/o hookups, right now. (plus I'm disabled military, so if there is a base around and it has an rv park, that's were I'll be parking, and as far as I know most of those places have hookups)

If you want to stay within the ratings of your truck this camper probably won't be possible. To avoid trailer sway you need 10-15% of the total trailer weight on the ball. For this trailer dry that starts you out with 676# on the hitch. Think Winnebago quotes the dry tongue weight as 674#. Dry weight does not include propane and it looks like the camper you're considering has two 30 pound tanks at 55# each which being on the front of the trailer will add another 110# on the ball. Thus the camper dry with just propane would put 786# on your ball. You also have to include the weight of your weight distributing hitch which is typically around 100# so now you have 886# that goes against your payload rating which I recall is just under 1100# which leaves you with only around 300# left for passengers and cargo. With payload being your limiting factor you could try to offset some of the weight on the ball by packing the rear of the camper as long as you don't end up with less than 10% of the total trailer weight on the ball to prevent sway. However, the floorplan of the camper you're considering is such that when packed most of the weight will likely be in front of the axles and thus partially transferred to the ball. As you think about what to carry in the truck vs in the camper keep in mind that cargo in the trailer will have less of an impact on payload than cargo in the truck as the weight of trailer cargo is split between the trailer axles and the ball of the truck.

I have a Gen 3 Raptor and tow a Winnebago Micro Minnie FLX2108DS with a dry weight of 4370# (GVWR is 5500#). My Raptor payload is 1214#. My real world tongue weight is around 600# depending how I pack the camper. I use an Andersen WD hitch as it's the lightest I could find at just over 50#. With this set up I end up with a little over 500 pounds available for passengers and cargo in the truck.

 

[Cybot]

If you want to stay within the ratings of your truck this camper probably won't be possible. To avoid trailer sway you need 10-15% of the total trailer weight on the ball. For this trailer dry that starts you out with 676# on the hitch. Think Winnebago quotes the dry tongue weight as 674#. Dry weight does not include propane and it looks like the camper you're considering has two 30 pound tanks at 55# each which being on the front of the trailer will add another 110# on the ball. Thus the camper dry with just propane would put 786# on your ball. You also have to include the weight of your weight distributing hitch which is typically around 100# so now you have 886# that goes against your payload rating which I recall is just under 1100# which leaves you with only around 300# left for passengers and cargo. With payload being your limiting factor you could try to offset some of the weight on the ball by packing the rear of the camper as long as you don't end up with less than 10% of the total trailer weight on the ball to prevent sway. However, the floorplan of the camper you're considering is such that when packed most of the weight will likely be in front of the axles and thus partially transferred to the ball. As you think about what to carry in the truck vs in the camper keep in mind that cargo in the trailer will have less of an impact on payload than cargo in the truck as the weight of trailer cargo is split between the trailer axles and the ball of the truck.

I have a Gen 3 Raptor and tow a Winnebago Micro Minnie FLX2108DS with a dry weight of 4370# (GVWR is 5500#). My Raptor payload is 1214#. My real world tongue weight is around 600# depending how I pack the camper. I use an Andersen WD hitch as it's the lightest I could find at just over 50#. With this set up I end up with a little over 500 pounds available for passengers and cargo in the truck.

Is the tongue weight limit just because of sag and hitch limitations? If I added another leaf or as somebody else said air bags and a higher-rated hitch, would that do it? Oh, and I can always pull the 2 tanks and put them on the back bumper of the trailer while pulling if that'll help some.

BTW, thanks everyone so far, and in advance for all the great tips.