Change of plans! Now I want a teardrop!

GaiaGoddess wrote:

beemerphile1 wrote:
You think that is a tow package?
what will control the trailer brakes?
what will control the trailer lights?
what will provide extra cooling to the engine?
what will provide extra cooling to the transmission?
what will provide extra heavy duty braking on the Escape?
what will provide the heavier load capacity springs on the Escape?
what about a heavy duty power steering pump?
what about a larger output alternator?

Those are just a few of the upgrades likely to be in a tow package and do not include small things like heavier grade bolts that might be included in a tow package.

A trailer hitch receiver is NOT a tow package.

You're not listening and have already made up your mind based on erroneous information and assumptions. I'm going camping.

As you know I have no idea the answers to those questions (except I know my Escape already has a transmission cooler)...but what i'm wondering is why does this exist if it doesn't do the job then? I mean why have this at all if it's nowhere near what you need to tow? What purpose do these after market "towing packages" serve?

You are correct the your car has an engine cooler and a transmission cooler. Every car with an automatic transmission has both of those coolers installed from the factory. What you are missing is that your car will possibly have SMALLER coolers than one that was built with a tow package. We have no way knowing what the Ford factory changes on a car when they put a tow package on. Read Beemerphiles response above again, I added some red highlighting to help reinforce his point.

Here's a different way to look at it that may or may not help.
Think about your car as a piece of kite string. You can lift 10 pounds with this piece of string before it breaks. Now grab an aftermarket tow package rated at 50 pounds that consists of a piece of rope. You tie this rope to the end of your piece of kite string. If you now try to lift 50 pounds the rope will be fine but the string will break. So in effect you have not changed the rating of your string by adding a rope to the end, the string is still the weak point.

In one sense both a string and a rope are the same thing consisting of woven fibers, just one has thicker fibers than the other.

When Ford sells your car without a tow package it is a piece of kite string. You can tie a rope on it but it's still a string.

When Ford sells your car with a tow package they sell you a piece of rope. You can tie another rope onto this rope and you will be able to tow more.

Best advice anyone can give you is to call a Ford dealer and ask them if they can add a tow package (not a trailer hitch but a tow package as the car would ship with) to your car. Tell them you want to change your tow rating up from whatever it is now to 3,500 lbs. They might be able to look it up and it's easy. Or they might look it up and it's cost prohibitive. You won't know unless you call them.