Sanity Check. Input Wanted.

[pinstriper]

[quote source="/post/7214/thread" timestamp="1424954403" author="@whoofit"]Must resist the snack counter at all these stations....lol
[/quote][p]
[/p][p]You will DEFINATELY need a bigger tow vehicle if you don't avoid the snacks at the Quickie-Mart ![/p][p]
[/p][p]I'd love to know what she weighs at the scales. I'm glad its working for you so far.[/p][p]
[/p]

[tinkeringtechie]

Does the escape have a "tow/haul" mode for the transmission? If not, you'll probably want to avoid cruise control to save your transmission. Without it, the computer is way too optimistic about what the transmission is capable of to try and save gas. Instead it ends up shifting too much and staying in a high gear can overheat the transmission. You'll want to stay one gear down from the top. So if it's a 5-speed, then stay in 4th on the flats. It would seem like it might hurt your MPG, but when you're towing it doesn't really have an impact... you'll be hemorrhaging gas no matter what :-)

Also... make sure that you know what the torque converter feels like when it locks (and note the RPM change). You'll want that torque converter locked when you're at cruising speed. If it's not, you'll blow up your transmission in no time because it generates a lot of heat when it's not locked. That's another reason to avoid cruise control. It might use your overdrive gear with the torque converter unlocked and that's pretty much the worst thing for the transmission.

[gnies]

[quote source="/post/7230/thread" author="@tinkeringtechie" timestamp="1424969359"]Does the escape have a "tow/haul" mode for the transmission? If not, you'll probably want to avoid cruise control to save your transmission. Without it, the computer is way too optimistic about what the transmission is capable of to try and save gas. Instead it ends up shifting too much and staying in a high gear can overheat the transmission. You'll want to stay one gear down from the top. So if it's a 5-speed, then stay in 4th on the flats. It would seem like it might hurt your MPG, but when you're towing it doesn't really have an impact... you'll be hemorrhaging gas no matter what :-)[/quote]
There is no tow/haul mode but there is a sport mode and I use it while towing since it deactivate the O/D and I believe it says in the owner manuel (or I saw that somewhere else) to use the Sport mode while towing with the Escape. Also on the sport mode you can choose what gear to use manually or leave it automatic. I never tried the manual mode

[tinkeringtechie]

[quote source="/post/7231/thread" timestamp="1424969603" author="@paul"]There is no tow/haul mode but there is a sport mode and I use it while towing since it deactivate the O/D and I believe it says in the owner manuel (or I saw that somewhere else) to use the Sport mode while towing with the Escape. Also on the sport mode you can choose what gear to use manually or leave it automatic[/quote]
This is exactly what I did when we towed with a Subaru Outback. I put it in sport mode and made all the gear selections myself. It worked alright, but I still had to be really light on the gas to make sure the torque converter stayed locked.

[whoofit]

Yup djsamuel there is no mistaking it. There is no benefit to having a tiny tow vehicle from a fuel savings standpoint. Proof positive yesterday. There needs to be a time of healing for the coffers. Then I will approach this from a towing specific standpoint. And thanks, I too am relieved that we can at least be able to change the scenery enough to enjoy our new purchase. The past several years have been like watching TV stuck on Nick At Night, unless we went backpacking hammocking or tenting along the way, which quickly becomes Man vs Wild enough time given.

This is our new mini basecamp for such trips.

Paul, there must be a better way to go! (as I bang my head on the dash)...lol Think of all those miles searching for a gas station. I recall a friend of my Dad rigging an aluminum keg to his old pickup truck when his gas tank rotted through. Let me tell ya' after yesterday the wheels are turning in my head. None of them are sound ideas of course. Or are they? Time for another Sanity Check post on that one...kidding of course.

I dunno, Paul. Sounds like you did the right thing to me. Do you think you could pack more fun into a 14 or 16 vs a 13? I doubt it. that family of yours wouldn't have any more fun at all. I am convinced of that. Would only offer the you need not fear the 16 within reasonable loads.

David, I'll give this a shot for sure. A 10% gain would be welcomed. I do have a lot to learn and like to experiment. I was considering bring my Suunto Ambit2 watch for data logging purposes. Track the terrain so I could understand a little better what we travelled. But truth be told I didn't want to have to jettison it from the vehicle as the old sinking sailors did with ballast. Alright, that was a stretch. I forgot it at home....

[whoofit]

Pinstriper, those 69 cent 69oz fountain drinks at Irving are well spaced. About right for a pit stop every 140 miles or so. Fill er up in more ways than one! I bet they had this tow combo in mind....lol. I am seeking a scale in my area. The scrap yard I deal with won't do it. Every time they weigh it generates a ticket and each ticket is a $100 minimum dump fee. Still working on this. Any ideas?

[mitch]

Garbage transfer stations or landfills have scales as do some truck stops near interstates.

[solds88]

 Something to keep in mind, a lot of the newer vehicles state in their owners manuals not to let your fuel level drop below a gallon or two remaining in the tank as it could destroy fuel system components.

[whoofit]

Good to know about the tranny. I did feel it lugging a bit at times when I felt it should be revving faster but it still maintained speed so I didn't worry. I don't want to break anything. I'll start using Sport mode now. Have never even tried it before. Thought you needed to shift it manually. This is good news. Looks like we may try to get a night or two in it this weekend weather permitting. I'll be sure to run it like you guys say to.

[tinkeringtechie]

[quote source="/post/7249/thread" timestamp="1424992500" author="@james"] Something to keep in mind, a lot of the newer vehicles state in their owners manuals not to let your fuel level drop below a gallon or two remaining in the tank as it could destroy fuel system components. [/quote]If that's the case, they should consider 1-2 gallons "empty" and advertise the tank capacity accordingly. Otherwise they'd just be asking for people to damage their fuel system.

[tinkeringtechie]

[quote timestamp="1424994170" author="@whoofit" source="/post/7250/thread"]Good to know about the tranny. I did feel it lugging a bit at times when I felt it should be revving faster but it still maintained speed so I didn't worry. I don't want to break anything. I'll start using Sport mode now. Have never even tried it before. Thought you needed to shift it manually. This is good news. Looks like we may try to get a night or two in it this weekend weather permitting. I'll be sure to run it like you guys say to.[/quote]Sounds like you're doing fine. Another thing you might want to consider is getting a OBDII monitor to keep an eye on your transmission temps (if it has a sensor there). There are cheapo bluetooth adapters that you can monitor with a smartphone. The dedicated monitors are also relatively inexpensive.

[whoofit]

Thanks Mitch I'm gonna check into those. The transfer station one is like what I bring my scrap to. They generate a cost per measure and would be happy to charge me $200. One for the truck and one for the trailer. Need to find a public scale I think. The dealer I bought the trailer from offered to weigh the tongue but we forgot to do it. When the snow started flying we were a bit hurried to get out of there.

[spot1]

[quote source="/post/7248/thread" timestamp="1424991150" author="@mitch"]Garbage transfer stations or landfills have scales as do some truck stops near interstates.[/quote]We used our local county landfill to weigh the CampLite/TV rig, TT axle, and TV with occupants to to find rig, tongue, TV, and camper weight. No charge and the folks running the scales wanted to learn more about CampLite TTs.

[whoofit]

James, I wonder why? I mean I wonder if it has to do with air being drawn or head pressure maybe? I need to look into that. Thanks!

Tinker that would be ideal. I'll call ford and see if the sensor is there. This and the exhaust gas temp sensing David was speaking of would bring peace of mind especially in the warmer months and climates. Fitting the exhaust sensor could be a challenge though. It seems almost required to be safe with such a small TV.

It's too easy to think just because there is a warranty on the TV that it's no biggie. Until you break down.

[tinkeringtechie]

[quote timestamp="1424996567" source="/post/7256/thread" author="@whoofit"]Tinker that would be ideal. I'll call ford and see if the sensor is there. This and the exhaust gas temp sensing David was speaking of would bring peace of mind especially in the warmer months and climates. Fitting the exhaust sensor could be a challenge though. It seems almost required to be safe with such a small TV.

It's too easy to think just because there is a warranty on the TV that it's no biggie. Until you break down.[/quote]When we towed with our Outback we actually added a auxiliary transmission cooler (like a tiny radiator) to help keep the tranny cool. You might need to do the same if you find that the temps are getting too high. We did it preemptively, so it may not have even been necessary, but I always say "better safe than sorry".

Murphy's law would make sure that it will be fine during the warranty period and break the week after it expires.