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5:14 pm
September 27, 2011
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wjburch
| | Akron, OH | |
| New Member | posts 2 |
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Post edited 12:16 am – September 28, 2011 by wjburch
Anyone use a Jeep Liberty? I have a 19SB and fell for the sales pitch of a Ford Escape's 3500# capacity being able to handle it. The Escape can pull it but really has a tough time on the hills. I don't tow that much but would like to take it to the Smokies and the NE but fear it would die in the mountains let alone if I took it out west. The Liberty is rated to 5000# so I figured it might do a little better. I don't really want a pickup truck and would like to stay with a SUV. Anyone have experiences that they would like to share?
Thanks,
Joe
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2003 Ford Escape + 2010 Sportsman Classic 19SB
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8:33 pm
September 29, 2011
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Mike Magee
| | near Tulsa OK | |
| Member | posts 204 |
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Post edited 3:36 am – September 30, 2011 by Mike Magee
Myfirst concern would be the hitch weight. I believe the 19sb is about 320 lbs dry tongue weight, but add LP and water and gear… have you tried weighing the tongue when loaded for camping? A bathroom scale will work if you put one end of a pipe or something across the scale, support the other end firmly, add the hitch weight to the very middle of the cross pipe, read the weight and multiply by 2. If it exceeds the (350 lb?) vehicle hitch rating, you could harm the suspension or – worst case scenario – rip the hitch off during travel. 
My Highlander is only a few horses greater (at 270 hp) than the Escape. I have a 5 speed auto. It does fine, but the key is that I don't expect my tow vehicles to maintain top highway speed in high gear when going up steep grades. I always travel in 4th rather than OD, and in the mountains I don't hesitate to downshift to 3rd or even 2nd when necessary, and I am not too self-conscious to slow down. The lower gears apply more torque and pull the trailer up the steepest of grades without harming anything. Of course if the grade is that steep it's probably too curvy to go fast!  So I might be traveling 35-40 mph in 2nd, where even cars could only go 45 around those curves. A 5 or 6 speed tranny will do wonders if used judiciously. My Highlander would go 60 mph in 3rd gear all day without a problem, if it came to it… and in 3rd it has plenty of pulling power. Have you tried downshifing the Escape that way?
I don't know how the newest Libbys are, but I did test drive an '06 Liberty pretty recently (thought about looking for a CRD, but the one I drove was the 2.7 gasser) and wasn't all that impressed with the ride or the acceleration. Only a 4 speed, too… give me 5 or more any day for towing. My old 2000 Mountaineer (Explorer twin) has a V8 but only a 4 speed, and the Highlander puts it to shame because of the gearing.
Maybe you want to look at the '08 and newer Highlanders. 5K lb tow rating, 500 on the hitch. Will ride better than the Escape too.
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2008 Toyota Highlander – 2011 Escape E14RB
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6:44 am
October 1, 2011
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DonD
| | Hudson, WI | |
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My 2008 Liberty usually pulls the 14RB well, but steep grades and high winds can slow it down. That is something you put up with if you don't want a bigger vehicle.
I considered the Escape, but opted for the Liberty because of the higher towing capacity and the fact that it seems to be built more like a truck. If I were not towing, I would have bought the Escape.
My setup includes an Equal-i-zer weight distributing hitch and anti-sway bar. The Jeep does not need the WD hitch, but it does not hurt. The anti-sway feature is important to me. Towing became much nicer when I added it. I think a heavier tow vehicle would be better, but I prefer a smaller SUV for other uses. Winds still can move the Liberty-14RB combination a little bit at times, but the anti-sway bar reduced that problem so I barely notice it now.
We just returned home from a trip from Wisconsin to New Mexico and only a few times in the mountains did we need to slow down from the 60 mph I tried to maintain (better fuel economy at that speed than going the speed limit). The Liberty averaged 12 mpg towing and 22 mpg without the trailer.
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1:45 pm
October 1, 2011
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wjburch
| | Akron, OH | |
| New Member | posts 2 |
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Thanks guys. I appeciate the input. I would like to maintain 50-55 in the hills if possible. I may just need to go with a V8 Grand Cherokee/Dodge Durango or something. Having the better MPG for the 50 weeks I am not towing would be nice but I don't want to kill a tow vehicle because It won't handle it. Most of my trips will travel over the WV turnpike or through PA and NY. Oh well I'll have all winter to ponder this. Any further input by anyone else would be apreciated.
Thanks,
Joe
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2003 Ford Escape + 2010 Sportsman Classic 19SB
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7:11 pm
October 1, 2011
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Mike Magee
| | near Tulsa OK | |
| Member | posts 204 |
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For those kinds of hills, the Liberty should pull it fine. Most of the really tough grades are in the Rocky Mountain range. When I mentioned steep grades, I was referring to places like Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado… 7% and 8% grades, topping out at 10,800 feet. But the GC would have a longer wheelbase, which can be helpful with a 19 footer.
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2008 Toyota Highlander – 2011 Escape E14RB
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3:27 am
December 14, 2011
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lancing
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In a similar situation here, girlfriend and I are talking about getting a Sportsmen 170 next year. We going to be using a 2011 Ford Escape as our tow vehicle.
I've been looking around on the net and getting wildly different answers and opinions on it. Part of confusion on the issue seems to be on which revision of Escape is being used, apparently Escapes built after 2009 have a new engine/transmission which help a bit.
Previous to 2009 apparently the Escapes had a 200HP engine and a fault prone 4 speed transmission. The 2011 we have has 240HP and a 6 speed transmission and seems to be getting better reviews. Both have a 3500lb towing rating with the dealer tow kit.
The closest comparison I've been able to find is the minivan people who are towing with similar HP ratings and they seem to be ok with similar sized trailers.
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6:58 pm
December 15, 2011
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Chicoman
| | Guelph, ON, Canada | |
| Member | posts 9 |
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We tow our 20 ft sportsman with a Honda pilot, and while we can tell it is there, we feel safe and don't push it too hard. It is a V6, and probably around the same horsepower. Hitch rating is the same.
Definitely rcommend a weight distribution hitch and sway bars. For $400.00 extra, it is extra peace of mind if you are pushing the limits with toungue weight and horsepower.
I also put on aftermarket power steering cooler and tranny cooler. Wouldn't tow without it.
To help with the extra tow weight, I also beefed up the suspension a bit. Installed Airlift 1000 on the rear. this also really helps with towing.
I suspect that the escape would be fine for your towing, if you just spend a little extra to properly equip/upgrade your vehicle. The Jeep would likely tow no problem and better than the Escape, but I don't have a lot of experience with them.
Good Luck!! Can't wait for the spring so we can get back out there. Only had one trip with our new trailer last year and can't wait to get it out of storage!!
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