Talk me out of buying a Raptor to tow my race car?

Anyone want to talk me out of buying a higher mileage 1st gen raptor? I'm a cheapskate & would be street parking in a so-so neighborhood, so getting a nicer or newer truck isn't going to happen.

All I actually need a truck for is towing a race car 12-14 hours, a few times a year. For now I'm renting a U-Haul car trailer, but I would like to be able to tow an enclosed in the future.

Some upsides to the raptor option: they mostly come with the 6.2l V8, which sounds good and hauls plenty. Both I and my kids think raptors are cool.

Some downsides: I have no actual need for the raptor's off road abilities. Apparently the shocks need rebuilding every 10-50k. I'd be spending about twice as much than I would if I was buying a lower trim F-150. Given the off-road biased suspension, a raptor probably doesn't tow quite as well as an otherwise comparable F-150. Probably would spend less on gas with an ecoboost truck vs. the 6.2l.

Your words of wisdom or bad advice welcome!

I think you've come to the wrong place to have a bunch of people who don't own your money talk you out of spending your money for us. 

But, I'm partial to towing with turbo motors now. Gas or diesel. The surge you get off the line from the turbo(s) helps take slack out of the trailer coupling gently, avoiding unnecessary jolts that an over-caffienated, too-early-in-the-morning-to-do-this-stuff right foot might make with a V8. Full power in the Ecoboost F-150, getting onto the interstate at an on-ramp that took me up a hill with a big steel trailer and my overweight Audi onboard got me to 70 mph almost as fast as the Audi can get itself to 70. The Ecoboost Raptors, I'm sure, have more power than that. This was in a 2014 F-150, so it has the steel body, and we saw 11.2 mpg towing that fat car with it. Engine braking with the Ecoboost isn't great, though, and I wonder if the V8s do it better.

I don't know anything about the Raptor except that they're awesome. I'm not sure how they tow.

Did you look at the sticker on the door frame to see it's payload and towing capacity?  I don't know if this article is correct, but it looks like about ~1000 pound payload and ~6000 trailer.  Pretty light for an enclosed.

https://www.motortrend.com/features/ford-f150-raptor-towing-capacity-by-generation/

I am sure there are many people towing more, personally I like a buffer for my towing.

They made the 6.2 in the regular F150 of that same generation. I believe the 2011-2012 Harley Davidson F150 all got the 6.2. All of the power + more tow friendly suspension

The 6.2 tows just fine. Older raptors with more then 50K miles and without the suspension being rebuilt are not good tow rigs at weights above 6K. Budget for the suspension rebuild if it has not been done. 

I tried this and my 5.0 truck with towing gears and standard suspension is much better above that weight. The 3.5 trucks I do not have much info one but the 6.2 is a solid motor.  

I have a 2014 and tow a tractor occasionally. Somewhere around 5k pounds loaded and it does fine. Much more than that and you'll get a lot of sag, depending on how the trailer is loaded. 
shock rebuild is around $1k if you take them off and put them back on. I'm at 20k miles on my rebuilt shocks and haven't noticed any degradation. 
 

it really is a fun, playful truck but keep in mind horrible MPG, 16 spark plugs and all the annoying f150 problems of that era. 
I've had to fix the rear door harness because it was always showing door adjar. Replaced a failed back up camera. You'll need to do the fuse 27 relocation if it hasn't been done yet. Lead frames are a known issue in the 6r80. I just had to replace the suction side ac hose after it failed at 90k miles. 
 

all in all I do love the truck and recommend owning one 

I think you've come to the wrong place to have a bunch of people who don't own your money talk you out of spending your money for us. 

yeah, that was kind of the idea...

I forgot to mention that I'm just looking at the SuperCrew models, which are good for 8k max towing and another 100lbs payload... which, now that I look closer, is still not that great at just over 1000lbs, vs. the 3000lbs payload possible for non-raptors. We may be hauling 3 guys, their gear, tools, and spare parts along with the tongue weight, so probably the payload on the raptor is a deal-breaker.

Well, more money to blow on the racecar!

rb92673 said:

Did you look at the sticker on the door frame to see it's payload and towing capacity?  I don't know if this article is correct, but it looks like about ~1000 pound payload and ~6000 trailer.  Pretty light for an enclosed.

https://www.motortrend.com/features/ford-f150-raptor-towing-capacity-by-generation/

I am sure there are many people towing more, personally I like a buffer for my towing.

I came to say the same thing. It can barely tow more than a Tacoma when you look at payload. But, it *does* have more payload rating than a Tacoma, and I've been quite happy with my Tacoma pulling an 18' aluminum trailer. Just something to consider when doing the math. 

I'd be surprised if mileage while towing is appreciably worse with a 6.2 Raptor vs. an EB Raptor.  Unladen?  Yeah.  The EB will win easy.  But towing I highly doubt it.

I've towed with a Raptor a few times. Honestly... it's a terrible tow vehicle. Tons of sag and pretty miserable even towing an early Integra in a 16' enclosed trailer. They're super cool, but not what I'd pick to tow with. 

That suspension is going to hold you back. If you want a tow rig, get a tow rig. There are better options than a Raptor, particularly as you say you're uninterested in their primary strong point (off roading). 

Yeah, from everything I've read a Raptor is about a 3 out of 10 for towing.  I would (and did) go with an F-250 instead, it's the tool that's made for the job.

pyrrhicvictory said:

 I'm a cheapskate & would be street parking in a so-so neighborhood, so getting a nicer or newer truck isn't going to happen.

Among the other reasons mentioned, I think this one is the biggest. Even an old, beat Raptor is going to command a price premium over a regular F-150 in similar condition. So why spend the money for capability that you have admitted that you don't need, and that will make the truck worse for towing, which is what you actually do need?

Also, I can't imagine that street parking a Raptor would be too much fun. They are very wide.

codrus (Forum Supporter) said:

Yeah, from everything I've read a Raptor is about a 3 out of 10 for towing.  I would (and did) go with an F-250 instead, it's the tool that's made for the job.

 

This solution is sounding better and better to me. I see a local '14 with the 6.2l, might have to check it out.

pyrrhicvictory said:

codrus (Forum Supporter) said:

Yeah, from everything I've read a Raptor is about a 3 out of 10 for towing.  I would (and did) go with an F-250 instead, it's the tool that's made for the job.

 

This solution is sounding better and better to me. I see a local '14 with the 6.2l, might have to check it out.

Fords answer was the tremor in the 150/250/350 if you needed to go offroad. 

A solid 4.6 motor truck will haul well enough depending on the weight and with a FX4 package and coolers they are great for the price. 

Do what I'm doing. Get a tow van. With the money you save that I'm just making up on the spot right now with some faulty logical handwaving, you could go buy a Raptor, too!

If you're not using the offroad capabilities go for a regular F150. I've towed with my dad's 2020 F150 3.5 and I can say it's miles above anything 15+ years older that I've towed with. And it got 20mpg towing my e36 on a Uhaul trailer!

You got 20 mpg TOWING with that? My gosh, I guess that Aluminum body really helps out!

While the 1st gen Raptor offers a powerful 6.2L V8 and an appealing aesthetic for you and your kids, its off-road suspension may hinder towing performance compared to a standard F-150, especially for long distances with an enclosed trailer. Additionally, the potential for expensive shock rebuilds and higher fuel consumption should be considered against the cost-effectiveness of a lower trim F-150, which may better suit your towing needs without the unnecessary off-road capabilities. Ultimately, a lower trim F-150 would likely provide better towing efficiency, reliability, and lower overall ownership costs for your intended use.

Ethan02 said:

While the 1st gen Raptor offers a powerful 6.2L V8 and an appealing aesthetic for you and your kids, its off-road suspension may hinder towing performance compared to a standard F-150, especially for long distances with an enclosed trailer. Additionally, the potential for expensive shock rebuilds and higher fuel consumption should be considered against the cost-effectiveness of a lower trim F-150, which may better suit your towing needs without the unnecessary off-road capabilities. Ultimately, a lower trim F-150 would likely provide better towing efficiency, reliability, and lower overall ownership costs for your intended use.

Tell me you're an AI chatbot without telling me you're an AI chatbot...

All I know is that Gas Monkey Garage towed with a Raptor for a while, but got rid of it because it was not a great tow vehicle. The Raptor is too tall, too wide, too loud, too thirsty, and too silly, and that's why I want one. 

Appreciate everyone's input, even the robots. F250 shopping at the moment.

buzzboy said:

If you're not using the offroad capabilities go for a regular F150. I've towed with my dad's 2020 F150 3.5 and I can say it's miles above anything 15+ years older that I've towed with. And it got 20mpg towing my e36 on a Uhaul trailer!

Was this one way, downhill, starting in Denver? or using UK gallons, perhaps?

It was on flat land with the cruise set at 55mph.

I have learned a bit about F250s and the local market.

One assumption I'm making is that I want the gas engine. Never had a diesel, won't be driving it often, and don't want to spend $20k. 

Also want the crew cab, so we have the chance to bring most or all of the team in one vehicle on 14+ hr trips.

These trucks are enormous and I live in a city, so leaning towards the shorter of the two bed options, though I don't think that's a deal breaker. 

Avoiding trucks with lifts, I assume that's counterproductive for hauling.

Given all that, seems like there are a few clusters of candidates:

1. 2011+ trucks with around 200k miles, seeing these go for $10-15k unless they've got something wrong with them

2. 1st gen trucks I'm seeing tend to be lower mileage, and a few thousand less expensive. Maybe all the high mileage 1st gens are all dead by now...

Leaning towards trucks in the first category. Also wondering if an F150 with the Heavy Duty Payload Package would suffice. It would be nice if it was easier to tell from a sale listing which trucks have that.