The 2013 Ford Escape surprisingly had a decent overall towing capacity and when I started doing the research into these vehicles, I noticed that they also had a tow package that was available, so I wanted to find out what was included in one of these packages.
After doing a little bit of research, I was able to find out that not a whole lot of extras were included in these 536 packages and they were limited to certain models that had specific engines equipped, but the information I found out was quite interesting and I wanted to share it.
What's Included in the Tow Package for the 2013 Escape?
The 2013 Ford Escape only have three items that were listed in the tow package for these vehicles and these were a trailer wiring harness, which was a 4 pin connection, a hitch receiver and a trailer sway control feature that was exclusive to the vehicle itself.
It is important to note that the available tow package was only an option for the models equipped with a 2.0L EcoBoost engine and was available as a dealer accessory if you had the 2.5L or 1.6L EcoBoost engine.
(1) Available with 2.0L EcoBoost® I4 only. Available as dealer accessory with 2.5L I4 engine and 1.6L EcoBoost® I4 engine.
Trailer Wiring Harness (4 pin): The trailer wiring harness that came included with the package has four pins and is essentially what connects your vehicle's lights to your trailer's lights.
When this connection is made, all of the signal lights on your vehicle are transferred over to the trailer and operate in unison with your vehicle's lights. This includes the turn signals, the hazard lights, the brake lights and the running lights. This is what a 4 pin connector is designed to do.
A Class II Hitch Receiver: A hitch receiver was also included in the package and was definitely the most important element out of all three components. If you're unfamiliar with what a hitch receiver is, it is basically a metal tubing that is welded together with thick metal plates that gets mounted onto the frame of your vehicle and is what allows you to pull heavy loads behind your vehicle or attach other accessories like a bicycle rack.
A Word On Hitch Classes: I also wanted to mention that the hitch receiver that comes with the package is actually a Class 2 receiver, and this basically is referring to how much weight the receiver hitch can handle.
A Class 2 hitch is rated up to 3,500 pounds, which is perfect for the 2013 models because the towing capacity for the 2013 Ford Escape maxed out at about 3500 pounds for certain models, so this was right on the mark as far as the weight limit goes for both the vehicle and the hitch itself.
Your Hitch Receiver Dimensions: On a side note, you will also want to pay attention to the internal dimensions of your hitch receiver tube, as different receiver hitches can have different internal dimensions.
Probably the most common hitch receiver tube dimensions these days measure in at around 2 in., but a Class 1 and Class 2 hitch usually have a smaller internal measurement, so you will need to check your specific hitch to make sure accessories are properly matched to your hitch.
Last Up, The Trailer Sway Control: The trailer sway control feature of the vehicle was just that, a feature of the vehicle and not a component like the other two elements that were included in the package. This is an automatic feature that helps to reduce trailer sway, when it is sensed by the vehicle and will help to reduce the speed of the vehicle, which in turn, reduces trailer swaying.
This is done by reducing the engine's torque output, while at the same time applying the brakes to individual wheels of the vehicle, which essentially slows your speed. Remember, this feature is only designed to help reduce or mitigate trailer swaying and will not completely stop it from happening.
Below are the Two Sources I Used for this Article...
All of the information you see in this article was gathered from only two resources that I found online and these two resources had all the information that I was looking for, when it came to the towing packages that were available.
Granted, there wasn't a whole lot included in one of these packages, so it made writing this article a lot easier, but there were a couple of things that I was able to locate in these two resources that allowed me to dive a little bit deeper into the information, so I highly recommend that you check these out for yourself.
Last updated on July 19th, 2022 at 09:42 pm