Ford Edge Towing

[Tanspieler]

Hello all! I have been an avid camper & hunter for my most of my life, but I am very new to the owning a PUP experience. I am currently looking into getting a pop-up camper as we want to travel camp this summer with the kids. As this is my first time, I will not be spending big bucks on one. I have been window shopping online, and I have seen some used PUP's in good shape, even some from the late 90's.

My main question for you all right now is towing capabilities. I own a 2013 Ford Edge Limited AWD with a 3.5L V6 engine. I had a tow kit installed at farm & fleet when I first got the SUV. So I called the Ford dealership and asked what were the towing capabilities on my Edge, but they were unable to assist with that because they were unable to find anything older than 2019 on that information (sounds like a load of crap). So google tells me mixed towing capacities of either 2,000 lbs. or because it has a 3.5L V5 engine AWD trim, it has a capacity at 3,500 lbs. I have had no issues towing anything in the past like motorized boats, or trailers full of furniture helping someone move. But I never really went far distances like I plan to this summer.

So most of the used PUP's I have seen on the market in my area have an average weight of 1,200 - 2,100 lbs. I believe that is the dry weight. I know I must also look into the Cargo Carrying Capacity of the pop-up trailer, so would you add the CCC with the dry weight to get the overall gross weight of trailer? & does the "payload weight" of my car (passengers and gear packed) need to get added into the towing capacity of my Ford Edge? Any assistance on this matter is greatly appreciated. I will be looking at a PUP this weekend, and I cannot find exact specs on this camper online. I hope the owner has the manual still. For perspective, it is a 1998 Jayco Eagle 12 SO. Would this pop-up be to large for me? Thank you guys!

 

[Dingit]

Looks like 3500 is your max trailer weight but you'll probably exceed payload of the car first. Take about 15% of the weight of the trailer and guestimate that as your tongue weight. Add that to the curb weight of your car plus passengers and stuff in the car, and see if you exceed the max weight of the car (GVWR).

I've towed a 12' long '70s popup with an Edge--it was okay! But it was under 2000 lbs and had a much smaller frontal area than the Jayco probably does. That Edge also has a factory tow package (an '08 model Edge). You should install a brake controller if you don't have one...and be sure you have a trailer with brakes to go with it, whatever you end up with.

 

[Tanspieler]

Thanks for the input, it is very appreciated. So is curb weight the actual weight of the vehicle without gear & passengers? I also did not think to add the tongue weight to the total. I'll have to check to Edge's owners manual, but google says it has a GVWR of 5,000 - 5,600 lbs. So is this weight completely separate from the Edges towing capacity? Or does the towing capacity include payload & tongue weight?

I do not have a brake controller installed. I assume that would be needed if I do find a pop-up with brakes?

 

[Johneliot]

The payload capacity is part of the 3500lbs. So if you were to add 909 lbs. in the vehicle, you would then subtract that from the 3500lbs.

 

[davido]

What is typical here, is for a manufacturer to publish one tow capacity WITH factory tow package, and a different capacity WITHOUT the factory tow package. You could add a Class-V hitch of your own, but if the vehicle's VIN doesn't indicate a tow package, you're still officially limited to the lower capacity.

Why:

The official factory tow package usually includes more than just a hitch:

• HD or high capacity radiator.
• Possible transmission cooler (maybe integrated with the higher-capacity radiator).
• Tow package only available on engine configurations deemed acceptable for towing.
• Factory wiring harness for towing.
• Possible enhanced suspension.
• Probably a "tow mode" switch of some sort, that changes the characteristics of the transmission's shifting, and possibly other parameters within the engine's computer.
• Certainly a difference in the warranty coverage.
• Possibly a difference in YOUR OWN liability in the event of an accident
  • Towing beyond the vehicle's rated tow capacity will increase your risk of being found responsible for damages in an accident.
• Possibly different brake components.
• ...and of course a hitch suited specifically for your vehicle. This part is the least of your worries.

If your Edge has an aftermarket tow package, there are some bullet points up there you probably could address but haven't (transmission cooler, and tow mode, for example), and some you could never address (warranty and liability). This is silly, in a way, but imagine an accident where the decision would be shared responsibility between two drivers. But then one driver can assert that you're towing 1000 pounds beyond your vehicle's rated capacity. Even if the towing wasn't *really* a factor, it could change the sharing of responsibility, shifting more of the cost of that accident to you. An even worse-case would be that your insurance company realizes you were over the vehicle's towing capacity, and denies coverage altogether, leaving you to foot the bill yourself.

So start with that 2000 pounds as being your limit. Subtract the weight of your passengers, except for the first 150 pounds, subtract cargo weight. Your real towing capacity might be 1400 pounds. Then take a 1200 pound trailer, add a propane tank, battery, camping gear... it's coming in at 1600 pounds. You're 200 pounds over already. And that's if you're lucky enough to start with a 1200 pound trailer.

 

[Raycfe]

Welcome from the Connecticut shoreline.

 

[Tanspieler]

What is typical here, is for a manufacturer to publish one tow capacity WITH factory tow package, and a different capacity WITHOUT the factory tow package. You could add a Class-V hitch of your own, but if the vehicle's VIN doesn't indicate a tow package, you're still officially limited to the lower capacity.

Why:

The official factory tow package usually includes more than just a hitch:

• HD or high capacity radiator.
• Possible transmission cooler (maybe integrated with the higher-capacity radiator).
• Tow package only available on engine configurations deemed acceptable for towing.
• Factory wiring harness for towing.
• Possible enhanced suspension.
• Probably a "tow mode" switch of some sort, that changes the characteristics of the transmission's shifting, and possibly other parameters within the engine's computer.
• Certainly a difference in the warranty coverage.
• Possibly a difference in YOUR OWN liability in the event of an accident
  • Towing beyond the vehicle's rated tow capacity will increase your risk of being found responsible for damages in an accident.
• Possibly different brake components.
• ...and of course a hitch suited specifically for your vehicle. This part is the least of your worries.

If your Edge has an aftermarket tow package, there are some bullet points up there you probably could address but haven't (transmission cooler, and tow mode, for example), and some you could never address (warranty and liability). This is silly, in a way, but imagine an accident where the decision would be shared responsibility between two drivers. But then one driver can assert that you're towing 1000 pounds beyond your vehicle's rated capacity. Even if the towing wasn't *really* a factor, it could change the sharing of responsibility, shifting more of the cost of that accident to you. An even worse-case would be that your insurance company realizes you were over the vehicle's towing capacity, and denies coverage altogether, leaving you to foot the bill yourself.

So start with that 2000 pounds as being your limit. Subtract the weight of your passengers, except for the first 150 pounds, subtract cargo weight. Your real towing capacity might be 1400 pounds. Then take a 1200 pound trailer, add a propane tank, battery, camping gear... it's coming in at 1600 pounds. You're 200 pounds over already. And that's if you're lucky enough to start with a 1200 pound trailer.

Thank you very much for your input. I appreciate the details. I may have to reconsider even getting a trailer now

 

[CamperMike]

Thanks for the input, it is very appreciated. So is curb weight the actual weight of the vehicle without gear & passengers? I also did not think to add the tongue weight to the total. I'll have to check to Edge's owners manual, but google says it has a GVWR of 5,000 - 5,600 lbs. So is this weight completely separate from the Edges towing capacity? Or does the towing capacity include payload & tongue weight?

I do not have a brake controller installed. I assume that would be needed if I do find a pop-up with brakes?

You would need a brake controller if the popup has electric brakes. Some older Jaycos have surge brakes, which don't require a controller... but you would want to confirm if they actually work because on a trailer this old they may not unless they've been maintained.

 

[Dingit]

The car should have a sticker inside the driver's door frame that says what the payload is. It's the one with a yellow stripe that lists tire info. If you don't know the curb weight (which is the actual weight of the car before you do anything to it) you can use the payload to decide how much it can carry (and what it can carry will include the tongue weight). There is another sticker nearby that has the GVWR and axle ratings. It's kinda bluish. It'll vary based on drivetrain--I think the AWD is beefier than the 2WD so it has a higher rating, but I dunno for sure.

My '08 Edge has a payload of 909 lbs. So the weight of the spouse, dog, kids, and stuff in the car plus the tongue of the trailer have to be less than that. It has a GVWR of 5540 lbs. If I subtracted one from the other, I should get the curb weight, at least the curb weight as delivered. Things like sunroof will affect these numbers a little.


Towing capacity is usually kind of bogus. Most vehicles will cap out the payload before getting to the max tow capacity. But check both.


So, don't go over the payload (which is essentially same as don't go over GVWR), don't go over the 3500 lbs for the trailer, and don't let the combined weight exceed whatever number is published as the GCWR. (And less is better, especially if there are hills involved.) Also don't go over the capacity of the hitch, which should be stamped on it.

And look at this if you haven't: https://www.fleet.ford.com/content/...eet/towing-guides/Ford_Linc_13RVTTowGuide.pdf

It shows what a "tow package" adds. If you don't have a tow package, you might not have 3500 tow capacity. Lots of good general info in that PDF...

 

[Tanspieler]

thank you very much for the input and explanation. I understand much clearer now!

 

[Snow]

Contact another Ford dealer, or contact the Corporate offices and give them the Vin of your vehicle, they should be able to give you all sorts of info.. Hell they were able to do it for my 54 Meteor Niagara. They should be able to do it for a 2013..

 

[Tanspieler]

Contact another Ford dealer, or contact the Corporate offices and give them the Vin of your vehicle, they should be able to give you all sorts of info.. Hell they were able to do it for my 54 Meteor Niagara. They should be able to do it for a 2013..

I'll do so!

 

[Dingit]

Good idea!

There used to be a Ford VIN lookup available online from Ford which was handy if you forgot what color your car is. It had everything about the vehicle build because it looked up the car and didn't just interpret the numbers. I think it has been taken down for us civilians, though, so a friendly dealer is probably your best bet.

 

[Rusty2192]

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Thank you very much for your input. I appreciate the details. I may have to reconsider even getting a trailer now

You’re good. If it required the tow package there would be a footnote stipulating that in the official 2013 Ford Towing Guide. Notice the Explorer and Escape charts vs the Edge. All 3.5 Edges that year are rated 3500 lbs.