Raptors having frame issues
- Thread starter Hilldweller
- Start date
Buliwyf
Viking with a Hammer
Yes, some F150's have it as well. So far it's the most obvious with the Raptors, which are being a bit overdriven by some of thier owners. Good truck, but it's a fixed up F150, not a Baja Prerunner.
It's nothing that a sledge hammer, plate steel, and a welder can't fix. Similar to the Toyota Taco and Tundra aftermarket weld on plate kits for pretty much preventing the same thing.
I'd expect a recall kit soon. It's very easy for a body shop to weld up the plates, way easier than frame replacement.
It's nothing that a sledge hammer, plate steel, and a welder can't fix. Similar to the Toyota Taco and Tundra aftermarket weld on plate kits for pretty much preventing the same thing.
I'd expect a recall kit soon. It's very easy for a body shop to weld up the plates, way easier than frame replacement.
lstzephyr
wanderer
Not really surprising. Any time a manufacturer says something is "high performance" people will go out and use it. Some will push it to its limits, some past its limits. This does sound like a component wasn't built strong enough however I am not shocked in any way that people have quickly found the truck's weakness.
Regcabguy
Oil eater.
What I'm reading on some of the 4x4 sites is that external reservoir shocks would have gone a long way toward preventing this damage by limiting bottoming out. Apparently the shocks are getting hot and losing their dampening efficiency. That upgrade and a little more metal on the frame would have helped.
Buliwyf
Viking with a Hammer
Something like this for the Ford would fix it.
http://www.lowrangeoffroad.com/index.php/95-04-tacoma-front-frame-plate-reinforcement-kit.html
Better shocks may help as well.
http://www.lowrangeoffroad.com/index.php/95-04-tacoma-front-frame-plate-reinforcement-kit.html
Better shocks may help as well.
The Raptor already comes with external reservoir shocks. Different valving might help the issue but it's not the solution. The solution is not getting overly-excited and doing something stupid. It's all fun and games until someone bends their $50,000 pick-up.
It's just as Buliwyf said. The trucks are being over-driven. Raptors are damn cool and work exceptionally well for a factory truck, but they are still FACTORY trucks and not full blown prerunners. Those wanting to push them to the limits need to cage them front to rear to provide the necessary support. A good bed cage terminating in the right spots would easily keep the frame from bending there.
By the way, truck frames were bending this way for years before the Raptor came about. Push anything hard enough and it will bend and/or break
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
In defense of the hard-drivers, the ads and videos on Ford's site tell you to beat the truck. They very explicitly imply that it was built to take it.
Now I, personally, wouldn't do that. I believe in the old "as slow as possible, as fast as necessary" mantra and drive a Power Wagon. And, since it was my money that bought it, I don't launch it skyward over gopher mounds.
But the Raptors are all getting air in the ads and I can see why they'd at least think it was the right thing to do...
Now I, personally, wouldn't do that. I believe in the old "as slow as possible, as fast as necessary" mantra and drive a Power Wagon. And, since it was my money that bought it, I don't launch it skyward over gopher mounds.
But the Raptors are all getting air in the ads and I can see why they'd at least think it was the right thing to do...
spressomon
Expedition Leader
That's what they're going with for upper shock mounts?!
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
There's a piece over the notorious hole, different bump-stops, different shocks....
...what else is in there?
...what else is in there?
colodak
Adventurer
so wait, let me get this correct, I spend $50,000 + on a truck that is supposed to be driven hard, from the factory, and I have to spend another $1,500 +/- to have a special aftermarket piece installed to fix what is technically a factory defect? Um, NO!!!!!
Note to Ford, if your claiming this isn't a factory defect, then stop advertising a stock Raptor driving a desert road like it's competing at Baja, oh and stop showing an F-350 being loaded to the gills with building supplies and pulling weights beyond it's capacity claiming it can do it.
Note to Ford, if your claiming this isn't a factory defect, then stop advertising a stock Raptor driving a desert road like it's competing at Baja, oh and stop showing an F-350 being loaded to the gills with building supplies and pulling weights beyond it's capacity claiming it can do it.
Regcabguy
Oil eater.
My error. External bypass is what has been suggested for an improvement in dampening. Ford does push these as Ford Tough.
Buliwyf
Viking with a Hammer
Don't the commercials have a disclaimer at the bottom?
The owners manual has a disclaimer that clearly states that the Raptor is designed for more abuse than a standard F150 blah, blah, blah, but excedding those limits will damage, shocks, axles, frame, etc. etc. I'll let one of the Raptor owners quote it word for word.
The only way to bend that frame there is by hitting the bump stops hard. There really isn't any way to hit those bump stops that hard, that isn't obvious as excessive offroad abuse to most drivers.
If the shocks were cooked on a previous run.............then maybe you have a legit claim. I despise Fox shocks. I won't even run them on my mountain bike. Fox has allways let me down.
Even still, a slightly bent frame is regular wear and tear for the off roading these are pictured doing. It's still a bada$$ truck for more responsible owners. If ford or an offroad shop strengthens the frame, then something else is going to break, if that part is strengthened then the next weakest link is going to break, and so on, and so on. I wouldn't exactly call this truck weak.....
If you were to drive on the same jump as the commercial, and land as well as the pro driver driving, then your Raptor would likely survive just like the one in the commercial. But one crooked landing is all it takes....... I think someones driving isn't up to par. And obviously it's perfectly normal for a part to only last 10% of it's normal expected life when the words " high speed offroad" or "air time" are invloved.
My box stock Mach1 deos 12.9 in the 1/4 mile just as Ford advertised. But it'll only do that so many times before it starts tearing itsself up. Autocrossing it requires me to get it up off the ground and tighten every singe bolt under the car. Highperformance driving equals highperfomance wear and maintenance. No way is a bent frame warranty.
It would be cool if they offered a stock F150 XLT regular cab, long bed, FX4, with the Raptor body, wheels, and tires. "Raptor light" would be an even bigger seller and they could probally get them out the door for $32,000.
Honda advertises thier dirtbikes jumping 100+ feet. That deosn't mean you can warranty a bent fork or frameset.
Ps: I noticed Top Gear has a Henessey Raptor review. Don't buy Henessey, they have a habit of just rebadging an engine and not doing half the work they claim to on Vipers.
The owners manual has a disclaimer that clearly states that the Raptor is designed for more abuse than a standard F150 blah, blah, blah, but excedding those limits will damage, shocks, axles, frame, etc. etc. I'll let one of the Raptor owners quote it word for word.
The only way to bend that frame there is by hitting the bump stops hard. There really isn't any way to hit those bump stops that hard, that isn't obvious as excessive offroad abuse to most drivers.
If the shocks were cooked on a previous run.............then maybe you have a legit claim. I despise Fox shocks. I won't even run them on my mountain bike. Fox has allways let me down.
Even still, a slightly bent frame is regular wear and tear for the off roading these are pictured doing. It's still a bada$$ truck for more responsible owners. If ford or an offroad shop strengthens the frame, then something else is going to break, if that part is strengthened then the next weakest link is going to break, and so on, and so on. I wouldn't exactly call this truck weak.....
If you were to drive on the same jump as the commercial, and land as well as the pro driver driving, then your Raptor would likely survive just like the one in the commercial. But one crooked landing is all it takes....... I think someones driving isn't up to par. And obviously it's perfectly normal for a part to only last 10% of it's normal expected life when the words " high speed offroad" or "air time" are invloved.
My box stock Mach1 deos 12.9 in the 1/4 mile just as Ford advertised. But it'll only do that so many times before it starts tearing itsself up. Autocrossing it requires me to get it up off the ground and tighten every singe bolt under the car. Highperformance driving equals highperfomance wear and maintenance. No way is a bent frame warranty.
It would be cool if they offered a stock F150 XLT regular cab, long bed, FX4, with the Raptor body, wheels, and tires. "Raptor light" would be an even bigger seller and they could probally get them out the door for $32,000.
Honda advertises thier dirtbikes jumping 100+ feet. That deosn't mean you can warranty a bent fork or frameset.
Ps: I noticed Top Gear has a Henessey Raptor review. Don't buy Henessey, they have a habit of just rebadging an engine and not doing half the work they claim to on Vipers.
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Let's face it, guys. If you believe what you see TV... well, I'll let you fill in the rest. I think rather than the frames being "technically a factory defect", some Raptor owner are technically dumb. I've damaged plenty while out playing and it's always been my own fault. Not the manufacturers or fabricators.
I wonder if owners of the then new 97 F150 complained that their trucks broke when they did this:
Any shock no matter how well designed, built and tuned can be cooked. People need to keep in mind that this truck was designed to be used primarily on the street. Dirt-use is secondary. Not the other way around.
Fox makes good shocks.
Exactly. Some Raptor owners think because they spend a butt load of money on something then it should hold up to anything they put it through. They're learning the hard way that this isn't true.
Maybe Trophy Truck owners and drivers should also complain when they yard sale their $300,000 truck? It can't possibly be their fault.
24HOURSOFNEVADA
Expedition Leader
C'mon Spresso,
You act like a single shear mount can be a problem given a proper flogging. Oh wait... I seem to remember a trip to Death Valley where a top of his game Trophy Truck builders' single shear mount WAS a problem.