I put a Reese on my 'O8 3.0 V-6.
But I am only towing a small utility trailer, 1000 lbs max', once in a while, max, about 40-odd miles.
If you just want to put a bike carrier on the reciever, that should be fine.
But if you want to tow anything big, you might want to reevaluate.
You might see pics of people towing boats and campers, but I would not recommend that on these little engines they are putting in there...
Not 100% sure, but, if I have this correct, for a while, they had an option for a slightly higher displacement engine, using the same block, just bored out, like a millimeter...the problem is that means the distance acroos the lands between cylinders is 2 millimeters less, and it wasn't all that wide to begin with, so you significantly increase the likelihood of the head gasket failing there...
Even without any flaws in parts, sub-optimal assembly, or overloading the engine...
Do a little more research on your model's engine.
Why not the Curt hitch? The only mods required were to grind a bit off the heads of the bolts-the instructions said to enlarge the holes, but I did the bolts instead. Check the install video on etrailer.
I assume you're talking about the Draw-Tite hitch. Can you clarify what is meant by "did the bolts"?
As to why I'm hesitating about it: There are mixed reviews on whether it fits the PHEV, although the majority of people say it does. One mentioned they had to move an evap canister out of the way. I don't want to risk over-modifying anything on the car and possibly doing damage. The OEM seems to require less cutting.
I have the OEM hitch sitting in my garage waiting to be installed. I'll probably work on it next weekend and can post back about how it goes.
I bought the OEM in order to avoid having to modify (cut) into the car in anyway and no aftermarket hitches are compatible with the PHEV version.
Here is the link to the install guide from Ford as well.
https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/accessory_files/2020_CMY_Escape_Trailer_Hitch_INSTALLATION_INSTRUCTION.pdf
Install went fairly well. Took about 3hrs from start to finish. I purchased the 24hr workshop manual access to detailed instructions from Ford. They helped quite a bit. I did skip the step which removes the plastic crush bumper under the bumper cover. It didn't need to be removed. The hardest part was getting the bumper cover off as it's a number of fasteners.
Yes it is. Just make sure to remove all the fasteners and dont be afraid to pull hard. You'll want to loosen the rear light housings in order to pull at the bumper cover. Check your DM's.
2022 Ford SE PHEV; Ive ordered the OEM hitch from Ford and installed it myself. Pretty straightforward. I say most time consuming part was figuring out how to pop off the body panels carefully.
You need a torque wrench with an extension since the left side is difficult to access; theres a component on the PHEV located there that obstructs the way. You also need some tin snips to cut the heatshield; maybe garden shears will work, it was pretty thin)
Didn't have to jack up the vehicle, enough clearance under it to work with. You can park the back wheels on a curb for additional clearance.
Didnt touch the exhaust at all.
I put a Reese on my 'O8 3.0 V-6. But I am only towing a small utility trailer, 1000 lbs max', once in a while, max, about 40-odd miles. If you just want to put a bike carrier on the reciever, that should be fine. But if you want to tow anything big, you might want to reevaluate. You might see pics of people towing boats and campers, but I would not recommend that on these little engines they are putting in there... Not 100% sure, but, if I have this correct, for a while, they had an option for a slightly higher displacement engine, using the same block, just bored out, like a millimeter...the problem is that means the distance acroos the lands between cylinders is 2 millimeters less, and it wasn't all that wide to begin with, so you significantly increase the likelihood of the head gasket failing there... Even without any flaws in parts, sub-optimal assembly, or overloading the engine... Do a little more research on your model's engine.
You should have just gotten the tow package if you ordered escape
Why not the Curt hitch? The only mods required were to grind a bit off the heads of the bolts-the instructions said to enlarge the holes, but I did the bolts instead. Check the install video on etrailer.
I assume you're talking about the Draw-Tite hitch. Can you clarify what is meant by "did the bolts"? As to why I'm hesitating about it: There are mixed reviews on whether it fits the PHEV, although the majority of people say it does. One mentioned they had to move an evap canister out of the way. I don't want to risk over-modifying anything on the car and possibly doing damage. The OEM seems to require less cutting.
By “did the bolts”, I mean I ground a flat on two sides of the bolt head so it would fit through the hole.
I have the OEM hitch sitting in my garage waiting to be installed. I'll probably work on it next weekend and can post back about how it goes. I bought the OEM in order to avoid having to modify (cut) into the car in anyway and no aftermarket hitches are compatible with the PHEV version. Here is the link to the install guide from Ford as well. https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/accessory_files/2020_CMY_Escape_Trailer_Hitch_INSTALLATION_INSTRUCTION.pdf
If you installed it - any update on how it went?
Install went fairly well. Took about 3hrs from start to finish. I purchased the 24hr workshop manual access to detailed instructions from Ford. They helped quite a bit. I did skip the step which removes the plastic crush bumper under the bumper cover. It didn't need to be removed. The hardest part was getting the bumper cover off as it's a number of fasteners.
Getting the bumper cover off is step 1, right? Any tips? Thanks in advance
Yes it is. Just make sure to remove all the fasteners and dont be afraid to pull hard. You'll want to loosen the rear light housings in order to pull at the bumper cover. Check your DM's.
Ford has no link posted for this pdf. Thank you. I just installed my oem hitch this afternoon. Glad I saw this thread before I dug in.
2022 Ford SE PHEV; Ive ordered the OEM hitch from Ford and installed it myself. Pretty straightforward. I say most time consuming part was figuring out how to pop off the body panels carefully. You need a torque wrench with an extension since the left side is difficult to access; theres a component on the PHEV located there that obstructs the way. You also need some tin snips to cut the heatshield; maybe garden shears will work, it was pretty thin)
Did you have to lower exhaust or jack up the vehicle?
Didn't have to jack up the vehicle, enough clearance under it to work with. You can park the back wheels on a curb for additional clearance. Didnt touch the exhaust at all.