Anybody transport their MME on a trailer?

[glenthompson]

I’ll be headed to Florida for the winter in our motorhome and would like to have the Mach-E for local transportation. It’s the ideal situation as most of our trips are less than 50 miles and we can easily recharge at the RV park. I have a Featherlite trailer that I’ve used for other cars. I usually use straps through the wheels to connect to my tie downs. With the near 50/50 weight distribution it should be easy to get the trailer tongue weight correct. Any other comments?

Sponsored

 

[Terence Murphy]

It’s a near 5000 kb car, so double check the limits on your trailer capacity and tow ratings, and keep in mind you’re now towing nearly 7k lbs. I’m currently without a suitable tow car for my RV because I’m a bit nervous about being so close to my rigs tow limits (8k tow, 22k GCWR). My MME on a trailer would fit the numbers, but it’s getting close.

I do wish EV manufacturers considered some way to flat tow.

 

[RickMachE]

Make sure that any straps are also rated properly.

 

[glenthompson]

Thought I would update after towing the MME for 1,500 miles. The GT tires are just slightly narrower than my ramps so positioning the car is critical. Tie down through the wheels was very easy. My straps are rated for 3,500 lbs each. My motorhome has a 10k tow rating so the 6,500 lbs of MME and trailer was not an issue. Got better fuel mileage than I usually get when flat towing my Toyota Highlander. Drove the MME about 1,300 miles while there. Only used one public charging station - at a mall just before Christmas where the ChargePoint spots were the only space I could find. Happily paid $2 for charging for a good parking spot.

 

[KissOD]

I made it from Florida to Texas. Glad you had safe travels. Moderate and steady the whole way.

 

[Darkenmage]

Wow, I am glad to see this pic. We are planning our relocation from FL to TX and was originally thinking of "closed-shipping" the ME and driving our Honda Insight. Since we are planning on a U-Haul truck, We may reconsider shipping the ME and save some $$$.

 

[RickMachE]

For those considering this, note that the two posts are towing with a motorhome and a U-Haul truck. The weight of the car, plus trailer, exceeds the limits of something like an F-150. I looked into towing it behind a Lightning if I picked one up (drive Mach-E to dealer, tow Mach-E behind Lightning home). Way past the limits of the F-150 (500 pounds of tongue weight) to tow without a weight distribution hitch, which the U-Haul car trailer does not have.

 

[glenthompson]

Rick is correct about being cautious with the towing limits of the vehicles. My RV has a Cummins ISC diesel with over 1,000 ft-lbs of torque and a chassis and hitch rated for the load. I’ve towed a Prius with my Highlander which has the factory tow package rated at 5k lbs. Trailer and car was about 4,800 and you could tell it. I would not want to tow the MME with that car.

 

[Maquis]

For those considering this, note that the two posts are towing with a motorhome and a U-Haul truck. The weight of the car, plus trailer, exceeds the limits of something like an F-150. I looked into towing it behind a Lightning if I picked one up (drive Mach-E to dealer, tow Mach-E behind Lightning home). Way past the limits of the F-150 (500 pounds of tongue weight) to tow without a weight distribution hitch, which the U-Haul car trailer does not have.

So the limitation was the trailer available to rent, not the truck itself, correct?
With the right trailer, I’d expect a Lightning with max tow package to easily handle towing the car.

 

[RickMachE]

So the limitation was the trailer available to rent, not the truck itself, correct?
With the right trailer, I’d expect a Lightning with max tow package to easily handle towing the car.

No matter what package, an F-150 of any configuration is limited to 500 pounds of hitch weight / 5,000 pound trailer. Yes, if you have the right trailer with a weight distribution hitch, you'd be fine - but that's not something you can rent from U-Haul. The U-Haul trailer doesn't use a WDH, and when you configure the Mach-E on the trailer, here's what U-Haul's site shows you (see below). U-Haul requires you to specify the tow vehicle and the vehicle being towed. If you decided to put down another vehicle to try and get by this limitation, you'd have some pretty big liability problems if something happened.

 

[Fremont Kid]

I made it from Florida to Texas. Glad you had safe travels. Moderate and steady the whole way.

I am renting the U-Haul tandem axle trailer just as your photo shows. I watched the U-Haul U-tube video of how to load and secure. Only question is what the safety chains attach through under the Mach-e? See video at 2:15 point.
Did you attach the safety chains through anything? I have not yet looked under the Mach-e as my wife it driving it right now.

 

[Fremont Kid]

I am renting the U-Haul tandem axle trailer just as your photo shows. I watched the U-Haul U-tube video of how to load and secure. Only question is what the safety chains attach through under the Mach-e? See video at 2:15 point.
Did you attach the safety chains through anything? I have not yet looked under the Mach-e as my wife it driving it right now.

I realize this is a month later. I wanted to provide an update.
I did move from Central Illinois to Colorado Springs, CO. Hauled the Mach-e on a U-haul car hauler behind a 26' Super Mover truck fully loaded. I followed all the instructions provided both in the video and by U-haul. Even so, this was a LOAD and I was scared and on edge a few times. Primarily due to other drivers. Arrived safely after 1 1/2 days. Here are my admonitions:
First, the U-Haul car hauler is rated to be driven at 55 mph. I followed as best as possible. Really encourage everyone hauling a vehicle to drive at the rated speed. Also, get a car hauler that has brakes connected to the hauling truck's brakes. Really helps control all that extra weight. Just way too much drivers can't control. Faster speeds increase all these risks.
Second, drive with a trailing vehicle which can run interference for you. My wife drove behind me and was able to provide safe access to outer lanes when I needed to change lanes. Increased safety for me and other drivers. She saw the Mach-e suspension move up and down when the car hauler hit pot holes and other bumps. Drivers will feel these weight dynamics.
Third, check the front wheel straps at each stop. The straps and ratchets did shift a bit. I needed to loosen the straps, reposition to the tire center, then tighten again.
Fourth, focus your attention on driving and monitoring the car hauler. This mental focus was tough but helped me correct lane position when I started to tire or not adjust to road slant, construction areas, etc.
Fifth, realize that you will not be other drivers favorite person when driving 55 mph. Just a fact and don't let it bother you. Other drivers will want to drive 65-80 mph. Give them space, even if you need to slow for a time.
Sixth and last, plan fueling and other stops to get into and out of pump/parking areas so your vehicle has the widest turn access possible. Unless you are experienced backing up such a truck and tow setup, you don't want to back up unless you have to. I backed up only once, and that in a very wide open area. I was able to practice driving and turning the truck and trailer before both were loaded. That helped me know its turning radius and how the trailer followed the truck turning path.

Sponsored