Any towing gadgets out there to help a 23 ford Raptor?

[surfdude]

Wonder if anyone found something yet on the gen 3

[Hemmy]

On 5/11/2023 at 8:40 PM, surfdude said:

Wonder if anyone found something yet on the gen 3

Air Lift makes bags for the new Raptor.  Only 1000 lbs but something is better than nothing.  I have Timbrens on mine but my boat loaded is only around 6,000 lbs.  Those are the only two things I know of.  My boat stays in the water so I only tow a couple times a year.  I think I would rather have the Air Lift if I was towing more frequently, but you have to keep a low psi in those and not sure if that would mess up the ride at all.  When I got the Timbrens, I was a guinea pig for them because they didn't have anything made for the Gen 3 yet and the Timbrens were the only option close to being available.  Air Lift just came out with their bags a month or two ago.
https://www.airliftcompany.com/shop/60865/

Edited May 15, 2023 by Hemmy

[surfdude]

Thanks!

[dwc032]

My buddy had a 2022 Raptor and put Airlift bags on, he said it leveled out the truck.  He tows a 2022 23 LSV.  He has already sold his Raptor and went with a 3/4 diesel.  He lives a ways from the lake and said it is a terrible tow vehicle. Ive ridden in it and I didn't think it was that bad, but it was just a short ride.  He said he was white knuckling it the whole way to Shasta last week. He'd pass a tractor trailer and that boat about pulled him off the road. 

[surfdude]

I towed my 2022 23 lsv to the lake today. Tows way better than my gen 2 don’t even think I will get the air bags. It’s really critical on a Raptor to have your ball at the right height. To low or high, equals a bad towing experience! Trailer must be level.

Edited May 22, 2023 by surfdude

[Hemmy]

9 hours ago, surfdude said:

I towed my 2022 23 lsv to the lake today. Tows way better than my gen 2 don’t even think I will get the air bags. It’s really critical on a Raptor to have your ball at the right height. To low or high, equals a bad towing experience! Trailer must be level.

Where did you have your height set?  I have the B&W tow and stow and have mine set at the top spot or no drop to it.  That seemed like the most level but every now and then the trailer wants to get a little loose like it would if it is set too high.  I know your boat is a little heavier than mine so that might make a little difference also for my comparison sake. 

[Surf4FamFun]

I have found the links below very helpful in understanding the dynamics of trailer and vehicle interaction.

Observation, everyones opinion on what feels good and Ok towing is subjective.  Some people that feel good about a setup probably should not, and the opposite as well.

Just because someone has used a particular configuration and did not have problems does not mean it is good to use.  The concept of a statically significant sample applies here as it does for most things.

These links are a bit dry but address the numbers for how things are designed to be used.  Yes lots of safety factor built in but that is not bad.  

Good info on WDH and air bags, towing limits in general.

Tongue weight and trailer sway

Another good look at trailer sway

This one talks about vehicle specifications and gets into the numbers

[jjackkrash]

18 hours ago, Hemmy said:

  That seemed like the most level but every now and then the trailer wants to get a little loose like it would if it is set too high. 

if you haven't already, weigh your tongue and total trailer weight; make sure tongue weight is 10 to 13% of total trailer weight.  

[Hemmy]

4 hours ago, jjackkrash said:

if you haven't already, weigh your tongue and total trailer weight; make sure tongue weight is 10 to 13% of total trailer weight.  

I went to a weigh station last year with my boat to try to get the tongue weight.  I was more concerned about it since I had the Raptor and curious about the tongue weight since like @surfdude said about having the ball the right height.  There is definitely a difference between my last vehicle I towed with and the Raptor.  I feel like things need to be a little more dialed in with the Raptor.  The weigh station gave me totals but were unable to specifically give me tongue weight.  I don't think the operators at the station understood what I was asking for or how to achieve that number.  I don't remember the exact number, but I was just shy of 6,000lbs on the boat and trailer, which I always estimated it being right at 6,000lbs.

[jjackkrash]

3 hours ago, Hemmy said:

I went to a weigh station last year with my boat to try to get the tongue weight.  I was more concerned about it since I had the Raptor and curious about the tongue weight since like @surfdude said about having the ball the right height.  There is definitely a difference between my last vehicle I towed with and the Raptor.  I feel like things need to be a little more dialed in with the Raptor.  The weigh station gave me totals but were unable to specifically give me tongue weight.  I don't think the operators at the station understood what I was asking for or how to achieve that number.  I don't remember the exact number, but I was just shy of 6,000lbs on the boat and trailer, which I always estimated it being right at 6,000lbs.

It might be worth investing in a scale for some piece of mind.  Or a weigh-safe hitch.   If you know the boat weight you are half way there.

https://www.etrailer.com/Tongue-Weight-Scale/etrailer/e99044.html

https://www.amazon.com/Sherline-LM-2000-Trailer-Tongue/dp/B007REK28M/ref=asc_df_B007REK28M/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310828259700&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15651432227459575511&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033430&hvtargid=pla-493401034024&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=65583250281&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=310828259700&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15651432227459575511&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033430&hvtargid=pla-493401034024

https://www.amazon.com/Sherline-LM-1000-Trailer-Tongue/dp/B007REJTGI

 

[Texan32]

a few years ago, i did some testing.  While you can't really "change" the tongue weight of your setup (unless you plan to move the winch stand/bow stop), it IS variable based on hitch height.  Because we have torsion axles, most important thing you can do is make sure the trailer is level!  The difference just 1 inch up/down at the ball mount makes HUNDREDS of pounds of difference at the axles.

 

[justgary]

On 5/24/2023 at 7:24 AM, Texan32 said:

a few years ago, i did some testing.  While you can't really "change" the tongue weight of your setup (unless you plan to move the winch stand/bow stop), it IS variable based on hitch height.  Because we have torsion axles, most important thing you can do is make sure the trailer is level!  The difference just 1 inch up/down at the ball mount makes HUNDREDS of pounds of difference at the axles.

 

And I'll add that a non-level tow is a killer on torsion axles.  The extra force on the front set when you tow tongue low is very hard on the torsion device, leading to early failure.

I'm still a fan of equalized springs for tandem axles.

[oldjeep]

27 minutes ago, justgary said:

And I'll add that a non-level tow is a killer on torsion axles.  The extra force on the front set when you tow tongue low is very hard on the torsion device, leading to early failure.

I'm still a fan of equalized springs for tandem axles.

I'd agree - equalized springs are a better setup mechanically.  But with torsion axles you never have to spend 30 minutes trying to unflip a shackle without losing a hand

[justgary]

23 hours ago, oldjeep said:

But with torsion axles you never have to spend 30 minutes trying to unflip a shackle without losing a hand

The only time I have ever seen that happen is when I couldn't get the correct length springs for replacement.  I wound up cutting two hunks of old tire tread and screwed them to the frame behind the shackles as bumpers to keep the linkage from getting to that position.  No problems ever since.

A little too short is probably better than a little too long, but nothing beats just right.  Even Goldilocks said so!

P.S.  A bit more about the situation:  A dude on the scout troop committee started fussing about the troop trailer that I had built 15 years prior.  He was concerned that we were too close to the rating and wanted us to buy a new heavy-duty trailer.  I offered to save us a bunch of cash and upgrade our axles.  I couldn't find 6,000# springs in the length I had used when I put 3,000# axles on it before, and so began the shackle debacle.

I also changed the coupler from 2" to 2-5/16" at the same time.  When dude fussed about that, I told him that if he was worried about safety, I couldn't leave that coupler on there and still have over a 6,000# rating.

I am convinced that the appliance user dudes would have broken torsion axles many times by not leveling the trailer (or otherwise driving over every curb they can find), and wouldn't know what to do on the side of the road when they broke down.  I'm just glad that I was on the trip when the shackle thing first happened, or they would probably still be sitting on the side of I-10 wringing their hands in despair.

95% of the "men" in the troop think that calling a real man is the way to fix things.  My job in the troop is to teach the scouts that they don't have to be that way. 

[oldjeep]

I've done it a couple times on my car trailers - being stupid about the way that I jacked them up or letting the axle hang with a tire removed.  Never had it happen under normal operation.