What is the transmission cooling setup on the Escape? I'm not very much sure
There are two types of transmission coolers:
1) In Radiator - this type is most common with automatic transmissions. The radiator will have a built in pocket with two metal lines running to the end cap of the radiator. The way this type works is two fold: Because the engine warms up the coolant fast, the transmission fluid being circulated through the radiator is warmed up quicker as well. This comes in handy in the winter months as an in radiator cooler brings your transmission fluid up to temp faster. The cooling function works in a similar matter but in reverse. Once the transmission has built up enough heat, the fluid carries it to the radiator pocket where it's dispersed by the cooler. The nice feature the in radiator system have is they can manage heat spikes. Say you're off road and you've cooked your transmission fluid. Well that hot fluid is sent to the radiator, which is a fairly large cooling surface, and the heat can be dissipatedly across a large surface for better cooling.
2) Auxiliary Mounted - These are stand alone units. I don't know if Ford uses them on any of there vehicles as the primary means of cooling. Unlike the in radiator versions, the aux units do not get heat soak from the coolant but they take longer to warm up and can not dissapate heat spikes like a in radiator cooler can.
If you have the in radiator version, I would look at adding an additional Aux cooler to get the most cooling potential out of the Escape transmission. If you have both already than you should be OK towing. Just remember that heat is what kills the fluid, which then kills the transmission and the 4speed transmission can be fickle if not looked after rightly [so I've read.]