2011 Escape...Q's before buying

7171 Views 23 Replies 10 Participants Last post by stone, Jan 20, 2011

Rakerburn

Discussion Starter · Jan 12, 2011

Hello,

I want to downsize from our 2008 Grand Caravan into a 2011 Escape (XLT 3.0L 4WD) as the van proved to be just to big and cumbersome for everyday use. However, my family and I are avid campers and I know that the Escape will not be big enough to carry our gear on its own, so we will definitely need a good rooftop carrier and perhaps a cargo carrier for the hitch.

I know the Escape will be perfect for everyday use, but I do have a few questions that I would like to pose to you experts before we make our purchase (I will also ask my salesman, but he is obviously biased):

1. The factory roof rack supports 100lbs...if I buy some better cross-rails from Thule/Yakima can I increase this number, or is it actually limited by the Escape's roof?

2. The factory hitch is 1.25" and I would prefer to get a 3rd party 2" hitch...are there any reasons why I should not be doing this?

3. We have 2 kids (3 & 6 yo) who will fit comfortably in the back with no problems, but we may want to squeeze a 3rd kid into the back from time-to-time...has anyone had any luck fitting 3 booster seats into the back safely?

I appreciate any answers you can provide, they will definitely make my decision easier!

Save

1 - 5 of 24 Posts

tang

· #2 · Jan 12, 2011

Hello and welcome! I can't answer #3... so I'll give my best at #1 and #2. Hopefully others will see this and answer where I can't. (Being only 22 going-on-23, I have yet to experience the baby seat thing.)

1. The factory roof rack supports 100lbs...if I buy some better cross-rails from Thule/Yakima can I increase this number, or is it actually limited by the Escape's roof?

I've stood on my Escape's roof before. I'm 200+ pounds (kind of a fatty), and I obviously didn't stand in the middle of the roof... but more along the stronger points, like feet along the roof rails. My best estimate is that it's limited by the crossbars. The standard bars are pretty tough. We have a couple members who opted for the Thule setup (and maybe a few with the Yakima) who would probably know better.... so to answer your question, I think it's limited by the crossbars. But... how often are you going to be putting stuff heavier than 100 pounds on top of your car? Just curious.

2. The factory hitch is 1.25" and I would prefer to get a 3rd party 2" hitch...are there any reasons why I should not be doing this?

You'd lose out on some rear ground clearance, but if you're not doing anything that would require it, then probably not. I can say that my OEM hitch might've saved me some extra trouble when I got low-speed rear-ended 2-3 months back by a Jeep Liberty because it kinda provides another crossbar in the rear. If you opt to get an Escape sans hitch package, you also don't get the wiring, but that's not a difficult modification to do later.

See less See more

Save

tang

· #6 · Jan 12, 2011

Rakerburn said:
[Have you had any issues with it only being 1.25" hitch? Do you happen to tow anything from time-to-time?

No problems yet... as for towing, I don't do a whole lot of it. The only time I have towed was when I moved from my friend's house to my current place of stay (which is about seven miles of driving) last summer. I rented the 5'x8' U-Haul trailer and filled it to the top with my junk/stuff. I purchased an OE Ford 1.25" hitch adapter and then a 3,500 ball from a nearby autoparts store. No drama during the tow, which included a highway stretch. I don't have the towing assist software on my Escape, but I'm sure it'd be pretty nice to have.

In my previous experience with Escapes (dad works for Ford and often leased them since he thought they were a good fit for the family), the nice thing about the hitch setup is that I've used the rings to tow a few people out of ditches.

Save

tang

· #12 · Jan 13, 2011

My dad has a 1.25" to 2" adapter back at home that he used when we had an Edge and a 2" bike holder. Something to think about, I guess.

Save

tang

· #14 · Jan 13, 2011

wptski said:
The Trailer Sway Control is enabled "somehow" with the OEM trailer package, probably enabled with the additional wiring/harness. There's nothing in the manual about how to enable it later.

It's probably car computer software related. I bet you could have it added for $$ at the dealership for programming. But, yes, I was talking about TSC... TSC... TCS... RSC... goodness.

Domain said:
Tang, are you referring to Trailer Sway Control? And that's an interesting use for the hitch. Kind of makes me want to put one on my Escape just for that, despite never having to tow anything.

The hitch comes with some hooks that come pretty handy on occasion.

Save

tang

· #18 · Jan 13, 2011

Rakerburn said:
Tang said:

My dad has a 1.25" to 2" adapter back at home that he used when we had an Edge and a 2" bike holder. Something to think about, I guess.

Click to expand...

I imagine there would be a little bit of "play" between the hitch and adapter, does this compromise tongue weight at all?

IIRC, there was a little bit but my dad folded newspaper around the hitch so that it wouldn't bounce around. And, as far as I know, he only used the adapter once or twice before we returned the vehicle (he's on a management-based lease program which means he switches cars every 7-14 months, depending on the program's cycle) and I've already mentioned that we aren't a big towing family... haha. He used it for a bike rack, so, well, I couldn't tell you at all. But someone mentioned earlier that the 3,500 limit exists for a reason so 1.25" or 2", I'd still only tow 3,500...

Save

1 - 5 of 24 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month