Ford Escape and Scamp 13: Is Class II hitch ok?

[CampyTime]

Hi Everyone,
I'm in the planning phases of getting a newer/used tow vehicle, and am thinking about the Ford Escape, 6 cylinder. Of the newer/used ones I've found with hitches, it's a Class II hitch with a 1-1/4" receiver opening, max tow 3500 pounds.

As far as weight is concerned, my Scamp 13 should be fine for trailer weight, but I'm not sure about the 1-14" opening. I currently tow with an S10, class III hitch. Also concerned about payload, as it will be me, dog, one or two other adults and camping gear.

I never tow above 55 to 60 mph, but am concerned as I wonder if the Class II hitch with 1-1/4" is OK? Not too knowledgeable here...just a learner. Does the 1-1/4" hitch require a special drawbar or something?

What are others' experiences with the 6 cylinder escape?

Thank you,
Wendy

[floyd]

Hi Wendy!
The factory Class II hitch on the Escape will work perfectly for your needs.
The Escape is a perfect match for your Scamp13.
Good mileage, plenty of power and very comfortable with the trailer.
As you may know, I have towed my Scamp13D with an Escape 4CYL for eight years now.
The Escape has great reliability, stability, and visibility and it is down right pleasant to drive, both when towing and as a daily driver.
Your trailer weighs less than half of the tow rating of the Escape.
You will need a new drawbar. get one which puts the top of the ball at or about 18" off the ground on level ground before hook-up.
A ClassII drawbar is readily available and should cost about $20
The S10 was a good choice, but you are going to LOVE the Escape by comparison as a companion to your Scamp.

[CampyTime]

Hi Floyd! Thanks for replying so swiftly. I see you tow with the 4 cylinder and I mentioned 6. Your thoughts on which to choose?

I will most likely have the dog and another passenger. Always seem to load my truck bed up too: cooler, camping supplies, grill and bags for clothes, chairs , etc. I don't put too much in the scamp to be honest, was always afraid to do so. Just what will fit in cupboards and closets and hatches, but not much probably in overall weight. Should I put more junk in the trailer?


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[rdickens]

Hi Wendy!

We have a 2014 Ford Escape Ecoboost 2.0L 4 cyl.

With the factory tow package, it is also rated for 3500 lbs and 350 lbs tongue weight.
It is rated at 240 hp and around 273(?) ft/lbs of torque. As you probably know, it is torque
that is pretty important in towing.

With our Scamp 13 in tow, we get 21+ mpg when towing at 60 - 62 mph. We bought the
Escape new and it currently has just over 7000 miles on it.

Ray


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[CampyTime]

Thank you Ray! How is your escape for cargo space? Can you give me an idea of what kind if stuff you get in there?


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[Carol H]

Wendy I would not be at all concerned with using a class II hitch and a 13' Scamp either. Its rated well over the trailers weight. I pulled a 16' with one with no problems. There are people here who think the 1 1/4" opening is an issue but often it is because they already have other components they use such as bike racks or receivers designed for a 2" and don't wish to buy new ones. Just watch the limits stamped on the receiver and the ball you buy to go with it as they can vary.

[Pam Garlow]

I tow with a 2011 6cyl Ford Escape. I love the additional power from the 6, and yet I still get 26mpg for driving back and forth to work.
I have the 1 1/4 hitch receiver. Works fine. It is within the capacity of my trailer.

[CampyTime]

Wow! 26 mpg in a 6! I get a lousy 17 if I'm lucky with the s10. Do you think your escape suffers a lot more gas mileage while towing your scamp? Trying to decide between the 4 or 6. The 4 is probably great for gas mileage, but I plan on camping in some more mountainous areas as I become more skilled at towing. We have campgrounds here in the Adirondacks I'd like to check out someday.


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[floyd]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

Hi Floyd! Thanks for replying so swiftly. I see you tow with the 4 cylinder and I mentioned 6. Your thoughts on which to choose?

I will most likely have the dog and another passenger. Always seem to load my truck bed up too: cooler, camping supplies, grill and bags for clothes, chairs , etc. I don't put too much in the scamp to be honest, was always afraid to do so. Just what will fit in cupboards and closets and hatches, but not much probably in overall weight. Should I put more junk in the trailer?


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The 2009 4CYL went up to 2.5L and increased HP by 20 over my 2008.
Still if you want an automatic and/or 4WD, a 6CYL will be easier to find and the price will be about the same either way. Both are reliable, but before 2012, it is only the 6CYL which has the 3500# tow rating and can be found with the factory tow package. Even though the 6 and the 4 share an identical chassis.

Best choice for you??... 6CYL automatic 2008 to 2011. That is the sweet spot for price, mileage, reliability and choice.After that the 6CYL is no longer offered and although still a good choice, the new style will mean a higher price.


The 4WD is going to be more common where you live and likely more useful.
It is based on a limited slip system which is simple, both in design and operation. There will be a fuel penalty compared the 2WD but it will be very small and probably worth it.

[Pam Garlow]

Despite great gas mileage on my commute, my Escape loses a lot of mpg when towing It drops to around 17-18 mpg.
I drive approx. 35miles each way to work, on 50% rural roads (55mpg) and the rest in light commuter traffic. This helps my mpg immensely. (Not a lot of stop/start driving).

[rdickens]

Wendy,

The 2014 Ford Escape is a little bigger than our 2011 Honda CRV. I have not measured the exact cargo space. So far, it has been more than adequate.

Without the Scamp, the Escape gets 30 - 34 mpg on the highway at just over 60 mph.
Combined city/highway, without the trailer, is usually 25-26 mpg.

Returning from Silver Dollar City (Branson, Mo) to the KC Metro, we got over 23 mpg towing
the Scamp. (but we did have a bit of a tailwind .... still, with all of the Ozarks hills down there,
not bad 😊 ).


Ray






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[rdickens]

Oh .... I guess that I should add that the Escape is a FWD and not a 4WD


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[rdickens]

Sorry, Wendy!
You asked what kind of stuff we put on the Escape.

Depending on the trip, we put a 40qt 5-day cooler to hold ice and any overflow cold stuff that won't fit in the refrigerator. We also have a couple of lounge chairs that we usually set up in the Clam 1660 screen room/tent. There is also often a folding plastic picnic table, a small table that we use in front of the Scamp sofa for eating, and a clothes drying rack. The Clam 1660 can either travel on a blanket/pad on the bottom sofa cushion of the Scamp or else it can lay diagonally (with the back seats folded down) in the cargo area of the Escape. We also usually carry at least 2 bag-chairs in the Escape for going to camp fires, etc.

Not all of that stuff goes every time. On the Silver Dollar City trip, the Clam 1660, lounge chairs, and picnic table stayed home. Ditto for the Pella (Ia) Tulip Time festival. For rallies, it all goes. It just depends on the trip.

Ray




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[CampyTime]

Thank you Ray. Sounds about like my packing. Just saw a beautiful 08 escape limited, 6 cylinder on car gurus.com, then went to dealerships website and it must have been sold. Darn! Was a great price too.

I really am starting to love these little escapes and am thinking that it will be the way to go, when I can find one with the factory tow package used. Limited amount in the 6 cylinder used market.

Thank you again for helping me Ray. Much obliged!


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[rdickens]

Glad to help, Wendy.

One more thing. ......
The 2.0L Ecoboost is a turbo engine. That should mean that it will do well in the Adirondacks, the Rockies, the Smokies, etc.

With non-turbo engines, even our non-towing autos and vans bogged down on Colorado snow skiing trips.

The steep grades around Branson hardly phased the 2.0L Ecoboost Escape. 😊

Ray


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[peter]

We towed our 13' Boler for 6 years with our 2008 Escape. The 1 1/4" hitch is no problem. Our gas consumption only increased by 2 litres per 100 km ( you do the math to convert to mpg) from 10 without trailer to 12 towing. We covered Vancouver Island down to Southern California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada so all terrains and weathers. Only thing to check is to make sure you have a proper tranny cooler. Ford used to include it when you ordered the tow package on the v6, but I am not familiar with the new Escapes. I wouldn't be concerned using the Class ll hitch for your Scamp.

[Roger C H]

We drove a 2014 Escape but we bought a 2014 Subaru automatic.

We drove Washington to Arizona and back, 5524 miles, towing Homelet, January to March and averaged 22.1mpg.

The Subaru is roomier inside and has standard AWD.

The fact we had bad experience with the local Ford dealer in the past and good with the Subaru dealer also influenced our decision.

We use the same 1¼" draw bar from our 2000 Outback. No problems.

[rdickens]

Roger - We have friends who have spoken quite highly of their Subarus
and they were definitely on the short list of vehicles that I investigated.

Unfortunately, when I started considering replacing my older "work car",
my wife's request was that we select a vehicle that could easily tow the
next size larger trailer (i.e. a 16ft Scamp or other similar FGRV).

We knew that our Scamp13 was at the top end of our 2011 Honda CRVs
rated capacity. See the following thread:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ght-67206.html

Like Annette, we knew that we might like a bathroom in our trailer, but
we decided that it would not be possible to meet our other requirements
and also have a bathroom in a 13 foot trailer. See the following:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...oom-67198.html

When our kids were living at home, we had criss-crossed the country
in a StarCraft popup trailer and we weren't sure if we eventually might
want to travel 7 months out of the year (like Norm & Ginny). Although
we really like our 54" bed Scamp13L1, longer distance/duration travel
might make us want a slightly larger trailer.

We have extended family and friends who are working at (or who have
retired from) Ford and we were able to buy the 2014 Escape at the
model year end for invoice minus several thousand dollars in rebates
and incentives.

I tried to use Edmunds.com and the manufacturer's websites to research
the hp, torque, tow/tongue weight ratings, and mpg of several types of
reasonable(?) candidate SUV tow vehicle choices (my wife did not want
another minivan). Although I might have made a mistake or two, this
is what I think that I found:

2014 Ford Escape 2.0L I4 A6 240hp@5500rpm 270ft/lbs@3000 3500lbs tow 22/30mpg
2014 Subaru Outback 2.5L I4 M6 170hp@5800rpm 174ft/lbs@4100 2700lbs tow 21/28mpg
2014 Subaru Forrester 2.5L I4 M6 170hp@5800rpm 174ft/lbs@4100 1500lbs tow 22/29mpg
2014 Honda CRV 2.4L I4 A5 185hp@5800rpm 163ft/lbs@4100 1500lbs tow 23/31mpg
2014 Honda Pilot 3.5L V6 A5 250hp@5700rpm253ft/lbs@4800 2000lbs tow 18/25mpg
2014 Toyota Highlander 2.7L V6 A5 185hp@5800rpm184ft/lbs@4200 1500lbs tow 20/25mpg

I think that FWD vs AWD might have a fairly noticeable effect on mpg.
I have talked with other friends who have "stickies". They've told me
that, if they travel over 150-200 miles, their poor fuel economy makes
it cheaper to just "motel it". I've hoped that we might be able to travel
the country without too much thought about fuel expenses.

Wendy - you might want to try to do similar research on both used and
new vehicles and then get actual owners impressions of build quality,
customer service, and towing experience.

Our 2014 Ford Escape is probably just now getting broken in and our
experience may change over the next years and thousands of miles.
For now, we are pretty satisfied with most aspects of the 2014 Escape
(and our current Scamp13 probably weighs less than half of the Escape's
rated tow capacity.)

We also still currently have the option of towing our Scamp13 with
either the 2011 Honda CRV or the 2014 Ford Escape.

In this case, both figuratively and literally, YMMV!

Best of luck with your decision, Wendy!

Ray

[Uplander]

UIMHO when it comes to towing more is better so my vote is for the 6cyl engine.
When buying used check to see if the Escape is set up with a tow package. That will give you a trans-cooler and a higher amp rated alternator. All this is important. Even with the factory installed tow package you will have to have a trailer brake controller installed. Even if the dealer does not show the used Escape on his web site call directly and check. Many dealers do not keep up with their web listings.

If you find an Escape without the tow package factory installed you can have any good transmission shop install a Trans-cooler and get by with the stock alternator.

If you do head for the Adirondacks to camp do not miss the best campground as rated by campers every year....Fish Creek Ponds up near Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. Just about every site is on the water of one of several interconnected small lakes...as with most New York campgrounds you will not have any hookups at your site but plenty of water faucets throughout the campgrounds, plus bathrooms and showers also scattered about the campground. Be sure to reserve your site early as this campgrount is 100% booked in July and August. IMHO best times to camp is before school vacations and in September and October as there are fewer campers then and you can just about pick your site.

Escape vs Subaru.....latest consumer reports data....Subaru beats Ford in quality.....Subaru second only to Toyota in overall quality and dependability. I am a loyal Toyota owner and feel their quality and dependability is number 1.
I own and tow with a 2007 Toyota FJ Landcruiser, V6, 4X4, automatic. 80,000+ miles...all trouble free and it will go just about anywhere...road or no road! My wife drives a Toyota and plans on keeping it forever! Look at the RAV 4 in 6 CYL (also available in 4 cyl) or the very roomy Highlander. Above all never limit your possible choices and do a lot of research before you spend your hard earned money!

Best of luck and Happy Camping!

[RogerDat]

Towing a Scamp 13 ft. No air conditioner or holding tanks with an Escape V6 (2005) the camper tucks in behind the Escape and tows like a dream. Very aerodynamic and the weight is hardly noticeable when accelerating or driving.

Plenty of surplus power, I have to watch my speed or it will creep up toward 70 mph without me noticing. I tend to drive 62 mph highway and get 20+ mpg. Stop and go it drops to the upper teens. Saw that on a recent trip on M-59 here in Mich. Goes through several larger suburbs, lot of lights.

The one complaint I have is the brakes on the Escape seem too soft for my tastes, with the trailer I notice it more. Does not feel like I can stop as fast as I would like. Added trailer brakes and am guessing that will be the end of that issue.

Not sure if the Escape will commonly have a tow package, don't find instructions for Escape brake controller hookup to factory plug on E Trailer web site. If in the used market it is unlikely you will find that option. Tow package would generally be a pre-wired plug for a brake controller, trans cooler, fuse box location for trailer battery charge line, possibly larger amp alternator.

These are all things easily done after market. Alternator being the only one that may require dealer to confirm what model will fit correctly.

On the smaller receiver, those hitches as I recall use a solid bar rather than a tube, works fine for the Scamp when we used a loaner vehicle that had one. Since you will need a draw bar with a drop, and the smaller draw bar is a little less common in stock (at least at our local stores) you may end up having to order one that puts the ball at the right height, but that is no big deal. Can order right in the store at a lot of places. They have them they just don't sell as many so they carry less stock.

I know the Escape has gone through some re-designs since 2005, it has a lower profile body style if nothing else. Not sure of other changes but figured our experience might help if looking for used Escape.