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Old 07-30-2006, 08:07 AM   #1
aaronm17
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Default 3023 and 03 Ford Escape wih Class II hitch WDH or not?

Hello,
I just bought a 95' 3023 and brought it home on 3 hr drive with my Ford Escape (V-6, Factory two package). It towed great compared to my boat. The vehicle rides nice and level, should I get a WDH or not? Will a class II hitch transfer the weight to the frame properly? We are driving from NY to CA with it, a one time deal, we are shipping it to Hawaii to live in while we work in some impoverished areas. So after this few month journey it won't be traveling very far.
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Old 07-30-2006, 09:18 AM   #2
Bill
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I don't mean to be a wet blanket, but Ford describes the Escape as a "subcompact SUV". This suggests that it is perhaps not the best tow vehicle for any camp trailer, including a 3023.

You are running really close to the edge, if not over it. The Ford web site says that for the 2003 Escape V-6, the max trailer weight is 3500 pounds. Note that this means LOADED-FOR-THE-ROAD weight, which is nowhere near the dry weight (in fact, you should use this board's ADVANCED SEARCH function to look for our extensive discussions of dry weight).

Similarly, a Class II hitch is mighty light - but it is the heaviest offered by Ford as part of the factory Towing Package. Again, the Ford web site says that the max tongue weight for a 2003 Escape with a Class II weight-carrying hitch (not weight distributing) is 300 pounds. The tongue weight of your loaded-for-the-road TM will be almost double this.

And finally, the Ford web site suggests that the Escape will not accept a WDH. Again judging from the Ford web site, this is apparently because the Escape does not have a traditional frame - towing loads are carried by the body. And the body (unlike a traditional frame) will not tolerate the torque (twisting loads) imposed by a WDH.

I haven't done the calculations on Gross Combined Weight for the Escape. But you should do them. GCW is the weight of the Escape itself, plus all passengers, plus all the cargo you put in it, plus the total loaded weight of the trailer. The GCW rating for the Escape is 6880 pounds. The trailer will run at least 3500 pounds, probably a bit more. You add the weight of the Escape itself, plus the weight of any options that were added to the Escape, plus the weight of passengers and cargo. As a separate calculation, you should determine the gross weight you will put on the rear axle, and compare it to the GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) for the rear axle. My guess is that your rig is well overweight on both counts.

The Escape's Factory Towing Package does not include a transmission cooler, so unless you have an aftermarket unit installed, this situation is likely to cause some expensive problems.

Finally, the Escape's Factory Towing Package includes only a 4-pin electrical plug, which means you can't run the electric brakes on the trailer. This is a really REALLY bad thing, and is also illegal. Unless you had a non-factory 7-pin electrical connector retrofitted, along with an electric brake controller?

I think you need to study your vehicle a bit more. Start with the trailer towing guide for your vehicle, found at https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/...ng/default.asp
It covers all of the above issues in non-technical easy-to-understand language.

Bill
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Old 07-30-2006, 09:39 AM   #3
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The Ford Escape V6 has a short wheelbase, (103" with 36.4" rear overhang), 196lb ft. torque but at high rpm (4700rpm), tow capacity of 3500lbs, a no-option curb weight of 3181/3346 (2WD/4WD)and a GCWR of only 7040lbs, Most people would say to use another TV. But, if you are going to tow with the Escape then you should at least do the following:

- Yes, definitely get a WDH and a class III hitch (but check your vehicle user manual). At 494 lbs tongue weight (14.1% of 3500 lbs) you are well over the 350 lb limit for the hitch. Also, according to my WDH calculator, with the TM attached and only 50lbs in the trunk, you will be unweighting your front wheels by nearly 250lbs and adding nearly 800lbs extra load to the rear axle without a WDH, so you need to redistribute this (I'm surprised you say the TV towed level, maybe you meant compared to the boat?). At least the 3023 is the TM with the most load margin on the axle/tires and so can take a good deal of redistributed load.
- You will find it really tough, and probably impossible, to keep within the Gross Combined Weight Rating of 7040lbs with a 3023 loaded for overnight camping, and the TV loaded with gear and even just two people. So keep the wieght down as much as possible by transporting minimum gear and emptying the water tanks before towing.

- Find a route across the country which will keep you away from the steepest inclines and highest elevations. With your short wheelbase and relatively long rear overhang you want to avoid steep downhill curvy roads, and with your torque/rpm figures you want to avoid high elevations and long steep climbs. Don't use overdrive on the hills.

You can download the 2003 Ford Towing Guide from this link:
http://www.meadowlandford.com/ford-towing-specs.htm
It has a lot of good information.

-Paul
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Old 07-30-2006, 02:00 PM   #4
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Default Ford Escape Towing

Paul and Bill,
Thanks for all the good advice. Based on what Bill says it sounds like I can't upgrade to a class III hitch and use a WDH, would you both agree on that? It sounds like a transmission cooler and keeping my weight down would be the best things that I could do.

My truck weighs 3,500 the trailmanor weighs 3,200 and my gross weight is 7,000 so I am right at the border, after you add two people and some clothes. I'll tow with the tanks empty and take it easy. The tongue weight is supposedely 390 for the 95 3023 and my truck is rated for 300, which is a little over, but when the trailer is set on the hitch the truck doesn't drop much and sits pretty level.

I had a brake control and the 7-way wiring installed and everything passed inspection.
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Old 07-30-2006, 07:36 PM   #5
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I could not find anything in the 2003 Ford Towing Guide which states that a WDH should not be used with a Ford Escape, even in the sections which explain weight-carrying and weight-distributing hitches. The document only says that the largest OEM tow package offering for the Escape is a class II hitch. Does this imply that a class III hitch and a WDH should not be used? I don't know, but I think that implication would be a stretch. Certainly, all the major aftermarket hitch manufacturers produce a class III device for the Escape which has weight distributing capability (note that few, if any, class II hitches have a weight distributing capability). Here's an example of some hitches:
http://search.cartserver.com/search/...scape&GO=GO%21

I think the 390lb tongue weight figure is for a stripped down, no-option, dry 3023 and in reality it will be well over 400 lbs and more than "a little" over the 300lbs class II hitch rating.

So, it is not cut and dried either way, but you can probably tell that if it were me, I would want to try an aftermarket class III with a WDH. This is because it is clear that the tongue weight spec is being violated without one and also because the Escape is primarily a front-wheel-drive vehicle. I would probably err on the light side of WDH use, i.e. not adjust it to take out all the rear end droop, just a lot of it.

First, though, I would see what my manual says, and I might even check around on the web, e.g. Ford forums, etc. for other clues.

As for the oil cooler - doesn't this come with the tow package (I don't know, I'm just asking) ?

-Paul
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Old 07-30-2006, 08:25 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pbuck1
I could not find anything in the 2003 Ford Towing Guide which states that a WDH should not be used with a Ford Escape, even in the sections which explain weight-carrying and weight-distributing hitches.
I am looking at the middle of page 13 of https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/...3/2003_All.pdf, describing a "Weight-Carrying (Non-Weight-Distributing) Hitch" where it says "... Use a good weight-carrying hitch that uniformly distributes the trailer tongue loads through the bumper and frame (through the body with Escape)"... Note that this is a weight CARRYING hitch - but the mention of weight being distributed through the body of the Escape, as opposed to the frame as in every other Ford vehicle, together with the entire lack of info on a WDH, suggests that this vehicle will not properly accept a WDH. Your interpretation may vary, of course.

Quote:
As for the oil cooler - doesn't this come with the tow package (I don't know, I'm just asking) ?
Doesn't seem so. Page 17 of the same document shows that the factory tow package for the Escape includes an engine oil cooler, but that a trans cooler is not available. You could add one aftermarket, of course ...

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Old 07-30-2006, 11:36 PM   #7
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Hi Bill,
Yes, I saw that. I have to admit, though, it read to me that they singled out the Escape not to make a point about its body versus frame, but rather to make the point that the bumper can't be loaded like some of the other vehicles with an available bumper hitch.

-Paul
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Old 07-31-2006, 01:27 PM   #8
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Default Escape after market Hitch

To all,

Is everbody in agreement that a class III after market hitch, a WDH and an aftermarket transmission cooler would be good choices to make? I guess my issue was that since I don't have a traditional frame I wasn't sure if a class III hitch and a WDH would make much of a difference.
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Old 07-31-2006, 02:07 PM   #9
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Exclamation Compare Escape to Honda Pilot??

I use an '04 Honda Pilot with a class III hitch, WDH, trans cooler, and p/s cooler to pull a 2720SL. Having just returned from ~2500 mile 13-day trip from CA to WA and back I have concluded that the Pilot is about the minimum TV I would like to use. With two in the TV and not loaded down excessively I did drop to 45MPH on the 7% x 3 mile long grades in southern OR; I expected, and accepted, this as one drawback to a smaller TV. On curvy roads I would have been a bit more comfortable with a "beefier" TV but did not believe that I was a danger to myself or others by using the Pilot. There were no over-heating issues, though I did chose the coast route through CA both ways rather than the 100+ degree heat of the Sacramento Valley and part of OR.
Braking on the long down-grades was not a problem; I adjusted one boost (B1) into the Prodigy and all went well. Towing on flat ground, well, I did not know the TM is back there most of the time.
You may want to compare the Escape specs to those of the Pilot to get a feel for what you may, or may not, be up against. IMHO, the Pilot is now a "demonstrated minimum" TV, at least for my peace of mind.
Best of Luck,
Mark
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Old 07-31-2006, 02:12 PM   #10
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After reading this thread I would think the answer to towing with a sub-compact SUV like the Escape would be clear. I would not endanger the lives of my family, myself and others on the road with this combination. I tow a 3023 with a Ford Ranger (GCVW 9500lbs, rate to two 5660) and consider myself to be right at the limits of my vehicle. Not in terms of power, but in terms of stability, safety and braking. My parents own an Escape and I would not want to attempt to tow our TM with it. Put simply, there is not enough TV to control the TM.

Now if you'll consider a scenario similar to something that I experienced a couple of years ago:

You are passing a on-ramp on the right in heavy traffic at 60 mph when a semi-trailer forces the vehicle next (2 lane on-ramp) to your passenger door to sharply cut into you. You have a choice to take the hit, panic brake, or swerve. In my case there was a opening large enough for my rig to my left and I was able to move over a half a lane and brake very hard at the same time. I could really feel the trailer push on the truck, and had the road been wet (it was sunny that day) I think we might have needed a couple of wreckers to clean up the mess. Yeah, it was that close. The trucker that caused it never slowed down. My point is that if I were driving any smaller a TV the outcome might well have been less pleasent.

Even with saftey issues aside, consider the mechanical strain on an Escape. In NY most speed limits are still 55. Now once you get out to Ohio and beyond speed limits increase to 75. I cruised at 70 and barely felt that I was not a roadblock, and that is over 3 years ago. Form your own opinion. Your TV will be working very, very hard. And don't forget the mountains, both up and down. How much do you trust your brakes?

I would consider having the TM shipped to the west coast, and pick it up there if you don't have the option of a different TV, or even ship right to Hawaii.

If you must tow, get a quality class III WDH such as an Equalizer or Reese dual cam, and a good brake controller (Prodigy). Try to load only what you need and consider shipping the rest ahead of you. And never, ever tow in OD with that Escape. Drive ahead, anticipate stops, etc. Take the rig to a trcuk scale and weight it, loaded to travel.

My apologies, I'm being harsh and very critical. I simply don't believe you have a safe combination. If you seach for posts from RockyMtnRay you can read about his experiences with a Jeep Cherokee, which is somewhat larger than the Escape. Very insightful.

Peace, and safe travels to you.
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