Another Newby

Congrats! Enjoy the journey!!!

Thanks all....have take ours in for a slight repair in the fiberglass just under the garage door. Also noticed some really crappy silicone patching at the seam over the garage door. Guess I'll stroll over to another thread to see if that is typical.

Hello:  

I was using a 2016 Escape SE 2L Ecoboost with factory tow package to tow our RP-179. We had an accident in Wyoming with ice and wind. The Escape is still in Wyoming being repaired. We purchased a used Nissan Frontier to complete our trip after patching up the R-Pod.

The Escape is quite a capable vehicle. I would recommend getting a wind deflector, either the Purpleline USA's AeroPlus or Icon's AeroShield. It will help with the aerodynamics. Other than that, the 2L Ecoboost engine will need premium gasoline when towing. The plus of the Ecoboost is that when you tow at any significant altitude, the engine does not lose power like a naturally aspirated engine does (the Frontier, for example). With the AeroPlus and limiting our top speed to 60 mph, we were getting as much as 16 mpg on the lower elevation, relatively flat terrain of the eastern US. In the mountains of the west, especially when we had significant climbs, the mileage was more like 10 or 11 mpg.

I also recommend getting an OBDII device and using the Torque app to monitor the Escape's performance. Engine and transmission temperatures are two of the critical things to monitor. While not strictly needed, it is good to know what is going on with the vehicle.

You will also need to get a brake controller. I used the Hopkins InSIGHT Flex-Mount controller (see etrailer.com). You will need to get the universal wiring harness since Ford did not install a connector for a wiring harness. That will add the round, Bargman connector you will need. It isn't the easiest thing to run the wire from front to back and then to work under the dash to get things connected. It is easier if you have some way to lift the car so that you have more room to work under it. I don't have access to the Escape to take pictures, but if you have questions, I would be happy to answer them if I can. Since we don't need two vehicles, the Escape will be for sale once repairs are done. However, if you look for my review of the Hopkins InSIGHT Flex-Mount controller on etrailer, you will see a picture of my installation locations for the three in-cab components. I have since moved the controller to the Frontier, where it is more plug-and-play as the Frontier only required an adapter wiring harness. It was much simpler and took much less time to mount.