Yet another towing review...

[xxaarraa]

So..I towed with my Gen 2 for the first time this week and wanted to share some thoughts. I am very happy with the towing performance so far, it is such a huge upgrade from my old truck's towing capabilities. So much power, quiet, and just does the job with no fuss.

Background: I tow a 7x14 dual-axle trailer with electric brakes and all-in weight is probably 4000-4500 lbs.

Pros:

• The rear view camera with the line that targets the trailer's hitch is a life saver. My old truck did not have anything like this, and saves 10x time hitching up a trailer without someone to help.
• Pro trailer backup assist is very useful. When I unhitch, I have to back the trailer up onto a driveway of a busy street with cars parked on both sides. I used the pro trailer system to initiate the turn onto the driveway, and find it much much easier than trying to do it myself.
• So much power. Damn. No need to ever think about what gear, what speed etc. Just press and the truck hauls ass like the trailer isn't even there.
• Quiet. Yes you can hear the exhaust a tad more while towing, but it still blends away into the background nicely and NVH isn't any more noticeable than when not towing.
• Mirrors are great, I get full visibility. Granted my trailer is only 7 feet wide, still, did not feel any need for tow mirrors.
• Trailer BLIS is a nice feature. I am still not 100% comfortable relying on it, but find that to be a nice safety net.

Cons:

• Rear end seems to sag a noticeable amount when trailer is hitched.
• There is a decent amount of sway at times while towing at 72-75 mph. It could have just been windy out yesterday, but I did notice it swayed, and the trailer sway control even kicked in once and cut power to slow down the truck.

Neutral:

• My towing MPG for the 4500 lb trailer towing at 72 mph was about 11 mpg. I don't think that's bad, since my old truck with half the power and half the comfort did exactly the same on the same route.
• Brakes on this truck are soft to begin with, so I just set the gain a bit higher on my trailer brakes. It was OK braking performance.

 

[Toadster]

Nice review!!

 

[dewalt]

Are you using a wd hitch. Should help if not

 

[Gilligan]

There's a towing link around here somewhere. You should check it out

 

[ovrlnd]

There's a towing link around here somewhere. You should check it out

Yes and unlike like most 10 year old internet pranks that instantly date the poster, that one can be used over and over and over...

 

[Sasquatch77]

Towing won't be great with this baja suspension setup. Sure, it can do it, but it will not be an ideal set up. If you needed towing, a regular f150 would have done much better for this application.

 

[xxaarraa]

Are you using a wd hitch. Should help if not

I'm using whatever stock receiver that came on the truck. Is there a WD receiver option?

 

[xrocket21]

Towing won't be great with this baja suspension setup. Sure, it can do it, but it will not be an ideal set up. If you needed towing, a regular f150 would have done much better for this application.

Sasquatched!!!

 

[dewalt]

Look up anderson WD hitch

 

[7GenTex]

Sag / Sway

Tongue weight? Truck rear axle weight when hitched?
Front axle weight before and after being hitched?

I bet the front end is too light when hitched without a WD hitch setup.

Trailer appears a bit "nose down" in the pic - hard to tell though.
A bit nose down is better than nose up though!

Definitely get a WD setup with a sway bar add-on - or the Anderson approach. I have a ProPride for pulling a #5,500 27' travel trailer with a tongue weight of #725. Exceeds Raptor specs for tongue so I will go another route for the hitch as the ProPride is around #230 by itself.

Believe the "nose rise" when hitched on the Raptor should be reduced by 1/2 with the WD bars. Check the manual. Putting weight back on the truck front wheels will make it more stable.

You can also up the truck tires air pressure a bit when towing - just mind the sidewall indicated limits.

To really know the story - hit the CAT scales sometime.
Weigh 3 times:
(should weigh each axle individually each time - trailer axles count as one - there are separate platforms for each)

1. trailer attached - W/D bars on
2. trailer attached - W/D bars un-hooked
3. just the truck - ready to tow

Most trailer sway comes from not being setup right / best. Or, from a bad "back of ball ratio"

FYI - check the speed rating on your trailer tires..........most are 65 MPH