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2020 Ford Raptor Owner Channels Duke Boys For Durability Testing

The 2020 Ford Raptor was developed with off-road usage in mind. So, the Ford Raptor is a capable off-roader right off the shelf. As such, it has been known as the off-road pickup truck king for several years. New competition to the Raptor is coming soon in the form of the Ram 1500 TRX. Still, …

The 2020 Ford Raptor was developed with off-road usage in mind. So, the Ford Raptor is a capable off-roader right off the shelf. As such, it has been known as the off-road pickup truck king for several years. New competition to the Raptor is coming soon in the form of the Ram 1500 TRX. Still, it will need to accomplish a lot to surpass the current 2020 Ford Raptor’s durability. One owner recently tried to find out just how durable one is.

2020 Ford Raptor dream truck purchase

A red 2020 Ford Raptor runs through the desert.
2020 Ford F-150 Raptor | Ford Motor Company

Last week, YouTuber Mike from the Street Speed 717 channel bought a brand new 2020 Ford Raptor. His current stable of vehicles is a mix of cars, trucks, and even a Lamborghini Urus belonging to his girlfriend. But, the Ford Raptor has always intrigued him. So, last week he finally pulled the trigger and bought a new one.

Mike has never been known to be gentle on his fleet of vehicles. Even if the vehicles are new, he is quick to find out how well they can perform donuts and hard launches. While he does wait for break-in periods to be surpassed, he is quick thereafter to put vehicles through their paces or throw them into the shop for modifications.

Last week, the brand new 2020 Ford Raptor purchase was a bit of a dream truck purchase for Mike. His friends and fellow YouTubers, Jonathan Turner and Troy Sowers, have had their own Raptors, which has served to stoke the fires for Mike’s own purchase. Yet, he waited until now to purchase one, and he was eager to put it through his own brand of fun, which equates to harsh durability testing.

Fun in the field with the Ford Raptor

Mike took his brand new 2020 Ford Raptor out to a field that has a creek going through the middle of it. While there, it seems he channeled his inner Duke Boys and let loose with the pickup truck. Donuts were made, mud flew, races with a Jeep were had, and some water fording experience was garnered. Then the ultimate Duke Boys opportunity presented itself. A ram on one side of the creek beckoned him.

Mike took the time to scout out the jump before trying anything. But, eventually, the Duke’s of Hazzard theme song must have been playing in his head because he went for it. With friends filming him, Mike took the one week old 2020 Ford Raptor back and then charged the ramp. The video is below.

It was a hard landing for the Ford Raptor, the kind that you would expect Cooter to have to come and tow the truck out from. The jump made the truck have a significant nose-down attitude on impact. That downward angle looked major enough that one would expect the airbags to go off or for the chassis to bend on impact. However, the landing caught the skid plate just right. So, the truck soldiered on.

After the jump, a review

After the jump, Mike takes the Ford Raptor to the manual car wash and begins to gush about how great the truck was. He was impressed that the pickup truck did not break. In fact, the alignment still held true and there was also no evidence of suspension damage on the highway trip after the jump. The truck handled fine.

The front of a black Ford Raptor.
2020 Ford Raptor | Streetspeed717 via YouTube

Those who have followed the development of the Ford Raptor over the years are probably not surprised by the outcome. The Ford Raptor was durability tested in desert races prior to ever debuting to the public. So, Mike’s video only solidifies just how well the truck has been upgraded from the factory to handle such harsh conditions. The Ford Raptor is a beast, and Mike is probably hearing uncle Jesse telling him to cut it out and play nice-like. Somebody queue the Waylon Jennings music. Needless to say, don’t try this at home.

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