Anybody planning on winter towing?
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I was only asking because I do a bit of towing during winter months but have not don so with FWD. I have however, towed a lot over the years with FWD during summer months with no issues ever. Makes me contemplate if I really need AWD.....
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What will you be towing? Where do you live to understand your winter?
For frame of reference:
Hybrid and 2.0 without 4k towing has a 2,000# limit with a tongue weight of 200
2.0 with 4k towing package will be #4,000 limit with a tongue weight of 400
For frame of reference:
Hybrid and 2.0 without 4k towing has a 2,000# limit with a tongue weight of 200
2.0 with 4k towing package will be #4,000 limit with a tongue weight of 400
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I'm in Michigan, so winter can be rough or easy...just depends on the year. I mostly would tow snowmobiles or a small trailer with a lawn tractor etc. 2000# would probably work, but FWD with no LSD concerns me.
At least with 2WD RWD trucks you can get a locker....
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Sorry. I cant help you with that decision. Ive only seen 4 inches of snow total in the last 10years and its gone the next day. Nor have I seen a snowmobile since they had racing on ESPN
Instead of AWD you could go FWD and put a winch on the front as insurance
Instead of AWD you could go FWD and put a winch on the front as insurance
Just out of curiosity, where did you find the tongue weight limit for the hybrid? The Ford Towing Guide (link below) only shows 400 lbs *when properly equipped. I've been trying to keep up with all of the spec sheets and I haven't seen that 200 lbs figure anywhere.
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ill look for it. Ive read and listened to so much information that ill have to look
The properly equipped for 400 refers to the tow package from what I read or listened
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it was on this forum. Do a search for “tongue weigjt hybrid”. The poster has a like to car and driver showing specs at 200#
The calculations make sense because 400# tongue weight on 2000# would be 20% of trailer weight. That would be a tough tow
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I highly doubt the mounting points for the hitch are any different(nor the suspension) to make the max hitch weight any different. The max tow is due to the gearing, trans cooler, etc.
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I agree. The suspension isn't changing and at the end of day the Maverick could handle it since 4k is giving 400#. Ford is probably following safety guidelines for liability etc. The guideline recommends that no more than 9-15% of max tow weight is in the tongue.
I would be hesitant to go past 10-12% of total weight in tongue. From living in Charleston for 10 years I have been stuck in parking lot traffic way too many times because someone came down to the coast with the hitch and coupler almost touching the ground and thinking they actually had control of the vehicle from too much of the trailer weight on the tongue. Now that I live in the mountains it is scary to watch the RVers come down the mountain with all the extra stuff tied or secured on the tongue because there is extra room.
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I don’t know if it’s a good idea to use a weight distributing hitch on a unibody vehicle.
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Nonsense. Why not? My Jeep Grand Cherokee with a Hemi V8 towed 7000 lbs. with a weight distributing hitch without issue for years. Today's unibody vehicles are stronger than ever and should not be compared to engineering challenges that plagued unibody cars from years gone by.
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you should have traction control, that's kind of like an LSD in a way. And all Mavericks will have snow mode, which seems like you'd want to use in snowy conditions, otherwise tow mode would probably do fine.
True for your Cherokee, not necessarily true for Ford or some other modern unibodies. It depends. Ford chooses to address WDH's by saying they're "not required" for their 2021 unibodies (because none have above 5000# max. loaded trailer tow ratings except Explorer at 5600#, and even Explorer is "not required" for WDH). And for the Transit (the bigger one, not the Connect) they say "WDH use not recommended" (don't know why). And there are some manufacturers (Land Rover, Subaru) that still don't recommend WDH for their current models.
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While not required, they are helpful in managing the distribution of weight for any vehicle except those where is is expressly written to not utilize. This is a lot different than throwing out a blanket statement that unibodies should not use a weight distribution hitch.
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The grand Cherokee is designed to tow heavy loads. Most unibody vehicles either say not to use, or not required. I would not want the kind of forces generated by a WDH that is bolted into nothing more than bent sheet metal.
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While many unibody vehicles may not be designed to use a WHD, it would not be factually correct to say unibody vehicles, in general, should not use a WDH.
The internet is full of misinformation for those seeking guidance. I do my part to neutralize broad-brush statements that misrepresent truth.
In summary to the following question:
"Should I use a weight distribution hitch with my unibody vehicle?"
Correct Answer: Maybe. Check your operators manual for guidance.
Incorrect Answer: Unibody vehicles should not use a weight distribution hitch.
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