First RV - needing some sound advice please

alangolding25 wrote:
So I did know that the max towing capacity is 3500pounds. However to me that means what ever I am towing cannot exceed 3500 (excluding the weight of the car)
Is that right?
Or is the 3500 max towing capacity including the car weight itself.

What ever you are towing (trailer weight only) should not exceed 3500 lbs, minus the weight of people, pets, tongue weight, and cargo in the Escape. Maybe, that's 2500, maybe that's 3000, only you can calculate that.

Your Escape has multiple ratings that are all interralated:

Hitch rating -- Max weight the hitch is rated to carry. Your is probably 500 lbs. If you hang 500 lbs here, it takes 500 lbs away from max tow capacity, and also takes 500 lbs away from availabe payload.

Max tow rating --- Max weight the vehicle is rated to tow (what it can pull). It can't pull this and carry more than 150 lbs of people and cargo at the same time.

Payload --- Max weight capacity for people, pets, cargo, and trailer tongue weight (what it can carry). It's the difference between actual weight and GVWR. It can't carry more than 150 lbs of this and pull it's max tow weight, at the same time. Adding pounds here, takes pounds away from max tow capacity.

GVWR -- Max weight rating for the Escape. (includes everything and everybody in, or on the Escape)

GCVWR -- Max combined weight of Escape and trailer (includes everything and everybody inside both). This should be in your owners manual.


Look at the door post (inside drivers door). Should be a sticker that shows your GVWR, tire loading, and payload.