I went to the Vibe website, but I'm not sure I got to exactly the right page? In the web address, there was the #4559, if that was the trailer model #, I missed it.
Anyway on the the lightest trailers I did find, the 6502, 6503 & 6504, their shipping weights are all below the 3,500# mark, but remember the shipping weight means the trailer is completely / totaly empty. No clothes, food, water, pots & pans, toilet paper, laptop, propane, lawn chairs, a case of beer, etc. Of these three, the 6502 weighs 3,164# which leaves you only 336# that you can add to it before hitting the 3,500# mark.
When I wrote the above paragraph, I skipped over the 6501 model because the gross weight on it was 4,070#s. It's interesting to look at it because its GVW is higher than the other three because it's cargo capacity is twice the other three. BUT, it's shipping weight is only 2,789#s. Usually a trailer with a higher GVW and a higher carrying capacity is built heavier to carry the additional load and therefore the shipping weight is also higher. This should be looked at a little further.
Another item for you to look at on the Escape is how much weight can the rear end handle? All of these trailers have a 310 to 340# hitch weight. With a weight distribution hitch with sway control and the reciever with the trailer hitch weight will probably put 500# on the rear of the Escape. That plus whatever weight you put in the rear of the Escape should also be looked at.
The larger of a tow vehicle you go to, the less important each of these small items will be, but if you're pushing right up against the maximums, they all become important.
Bill
