Anyone towing with a ford escape

[station71]

Hi All

Just wondering if anyone is using a ford escape for a TV. If so what are you towing and what is the weight of the trailer when fully loaded. I have a 2001 F. Escape, V6 4X4. Plan on getting the aux trans cooler. Is there anything else I may need to reduce the chances of problems with the TV. My trailer will have brakes for sure. Looking at the Niagra or Chyenne

Have a agreat summer and thanks for the input

Al Gilliand

[mike4947]

Since at best with an unloaded Escape you have a fantasy tow rating of 3500 pounds the Niagara is over to start with before you put the family in the van.

The tow rating is the difference between an unloaded Escape and it's GCWR. Anything you load in the van other than a 150 pound driver comes off the tow rating.
Also do not look at dry weights of trailers. No one ever towed at dry weight. Until you can get an actual scale weight loaded for camping you have to assume that the trailer weighs it's GVWR not the dry or empty weight.

[station71]

mike

many thanks for the info. sure would love one of those niagra's. Can anyone out there tell me of a fleetwood/coleman that would give me an inside toilet and shower, front storage and be able to be towed by a ford escape

Al

[Mike Johnson]

We just got rid of our 2002 Ford Escape. Here is our story: we bought the car specifically because we wanted to tow a pop up and we liked the 3500 pound towing figure. We went out and bought our third popup, a 2002 Coleman Yuma--an eight foot box which weighs around 1500 pounds, since it is just the wife and I. Plenty of towing power in reserve, right? And the Escape did tow the camper, with ease, up and down mountains and through the woods and dale. Three years later, with absolutely meticulous maintenance (our Ford dealer told me we really maintain the car too well but it is kinda' a hobby with me), and driving the vehicle only on highways, the vehicle was literally falling to pieces sitting in our garage. I was stunned. I went on Edmunds and looked at the recalls and TSBs on the Escape--at the time I looked the 2002 had 113 TSB notices to its dealers about problems...and as we know, the 2001 is even more problem prone. Just for my own education I looked at the same year 2002 Toyota 4Runner--it had 11 TSBs. In math we call that an order of magnitude--the Escape has an order of magnitude more problems than, for example, the 4Runner. And the manufacturer knows about them but has chosen to let the customer pay for them once the warranty lapses. Here is the plain fact: the Escape is not an SUV, it is a car dressed up to look like an SUV. And it is a bad car at that, with literally hundreds of known and serious problems. If you tow at all with it, you will take significant years off the vehicle--it simply was never made for towing. It can tow, but it wasn't designed to tow. So think carefully about how much this camper is really going to cost you in terms of both the camper and the car....

[jpreiser]

We just turned our escape in as the lease was up.... It had been in the shop so many times for recalls,I was more then happy to get rid of it.

[beacher]

I liked the idea of the Escape Hybrid!  An SUV with fantastic mileage!  Untill I found out that the non-hybrid vehicle is designed to only tow 1500 lbs!  The V6 3500 lbs.  And, the Hybrid, well......they advise against towing altogether.  Useless!

My neighbors bought a new V6 Escape one for their 17 year old son, (high school graduation present).  Within 6 months he was driving a new Jeep Liberty.   I was very curious since I once had dreams of the Escape being the tow vehicle of the ages.  They mentioned that the Escape was a nightmare, in the shop all the time.  They wanted the dealer to take it back as a lemon.  It essentially took them six months to find a poor sap to buy it from them, at a loss!

[AustinBoston]

Sounds like everyone wants to escape from the Escape!

(Sorry, I had to)...

Austin

[hoppy]

Can anyone out there tell me of a fleetwood/coleman that would give me an inside toilet and shower, front storage and be able to be towed by a ford escape

 None of the Coleman models with these two items comes to mind that could be towed using a Escape with a 3,500 tow rating.

 Currently the smallest 2005 Fleetwood model with these items in it is the Victory with a 10 foot box. But it still weighs in at 2,160 # dry weight, and a max weight of 3,000 #. A few options in this unit, and it will be over your limit.

 Maybe  Palomino, Jayco, or Forrest River might have a model that may.

[station71]

wow did I pick the wrong vehicle. Looks like its time to trade it in for something else. Thanks everyone for your words of wisdom

Cheers

Al

[zamboni]

For what is is worth, my coworker (highly paid computer programmer) has an Escape that he loves and drives it 30 miles each way to work - never had a problem.  He does tow his waverunner with it, but nothing "heavy-duty"...

As for towing, my parents bought their Coleman Niagara (that I'm now selling) and towed it for the first year with their Chrysler Town & Country minivan - including from Texas to California to give it to us.  No problems with the mountains, etc.

They now tow a TrailManor with that minivan (what they decided the wanted instead of the Niagara... my wife wants a JayFeather 23B now, hence the "for sale" below).

[Azusateach]

To respond to the PU question, I have a 2005 Rockwood Freedom 1950 -- 10' box, shower/toilet,heated mattresses, Fantastic Fan, AC, all for a dry weight of ~1800 lbs.  I know that dry weight doesn't mean much, but still I'm certainly not overweight using my '03 Explorer as my TV.  Not much seen out here in the way of Rockwoods, but given the warranty on the lift system & roof, I sure wouldn't trade it fot anything.  Hope this helps.

Laura

[mahelinski]

I have a 2002 Escape with almost 60,000 miles, never has it left me stranded, and there has been out of warranty repairs.

We have been towing a 1999 Coleman Santa Fe for the last two summers, not one problem there either.

The Niagra's are tanks compared to the Santa Fe however.