Take a look at this customised Ford F-150 Raptor, which wears tank tracks instead of tyres, making it feel like a post-apocalyptic machine
Pickup trucks are extremely popular in the US, and Ford F-150 is the best-selling vehicle in that market. In fact, the Blue Oval’s current plan for the US market involves focussing on trucks and SUVs, and most of its hatchback and sedans have been discontinued there. The Ford F-150 has a performance version as well, called the ‘Raptor’, which is capable of heavy-duty off-roading straight from the factory.
Needless to say, off-road enthusiasts love the Ford F-150 Raptor. We’ve also seen plenty of modified examples of it online, some aesthetic and some mechanical. While a stock Raptor is an extremely capable machine, there are many who change or upgrade parts on it to increase its off-road capability, and here, we have one such example.
This particular Ford F-150 Raptor exchanges its tyres for tank-like tracks! In the video, shared by Westen Champlin, we see the installation of the tank tracks on the pickup truck. The process wasn’t too complicated or time-consuming, and the end result looks absolutely badass. We also see the vehicle drive on public roads in the video, turning heads wherever it went.
We even see a policeman admire the truck! After that, the vehicle is put to the test on an off-road section, and its performance is quite brilliant. The F-150 Raptor still manages to hit impressive speeds on the faster sections, and on the technical bits, the tracks provided much better traction than tyres!
The tank tracks provide a larger surface area on the ground than tyres, thus distributing the weight of the vehicle over a wider area. Apart from the benefits in terms of traction, this also prevents the vehicle from sinking into soft ground. The downside, however, is the tracks fling around much more dirt than knobby tyres, and as the wheel arches aren’t designed for these tracks, the trucks end up dirty even during shorter drives.
The Ford F-150 Raptor is powered by a 3.5-litre, twin-turbo, V6 gasoline engine, which can generate 450 HP and 691 Nm of maximum power and torque, respectively. It comes paired to a 10-speed automatic gearbox, which sends power to all four wheels.