Ford Mustang Mach-E Gets Towing Capacity Boost In Europe

21st Century Pony

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Yes, they can only tow at <62 MPH and have a max tongue weight of only 88 lbs.
Based on the Ford-labeled documentation in my Ford (Europe) MME tow hitch kit, the tongue weight for the gooseneck is
60 kilograms (132.xx lb) for towing, and
75 kilograms (156.xx lb) for hanging bike racks, tow hitch platforms etc.

...and yes, the Brink-manufactured tow hitch kit has a blue Ford oval on the gooseneck.
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Based on the Ford-labeled documentation in my Ford (Europe) MME tow hitch kit, the tongue weight for the gooseneck is
60 kilograms (132.xx lb) for towing, and
75 kilograms (156.xx lb) for hanging bike racks, tow hitch platforms etc.

...and yes, the Brink-manufactured tow hitch kit has a blue Ford oval on the gooseneck.
Yeah the tongue weight seems to vary according to which country manual you look at.
 

su-ch+mache

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I assume the reason is that the tow weight got inreased over time from 700kg at the beginning over 1.000kg for MY22 and finally now 1.500kg for the MY23 models. When you increase tow weight the tongue weight requires an increase as well otherwise the increase makes no sense.
 

21st Century Pony

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I assume the reason is that the tow weight got increased over time from 700kg at the beginning over 1.000kg for MY22 and finally now 1.500kg for the MY23 models. When you increase tow weight the tongue weight requires an increase as well otherwise the increase makes no sense.
...or perhaps the manufacturer's (Brink) installation manual I am looking at describes the physical weight-bearing limitation of the tow hitch equipment (the swan neck with tow ball, the receiver mount and the tow bar + all the welds). Physical strength-under-stress limitations are an engineering calculation. The DMV / MOT / local government country-by-country legal limits, albeit based on engineering factors, limit the driver's (operator's) behavior rather than describing the physical material limits of the equipment. That's my understanding of the differences of documentation specifications in the manufacturer's installation / owner's manual vs. the legal operation limits.

For context, my Ford Europe-endorsed, Brink installation-and-owner's manual for this tow hitch kit is printed in 18 (!!) languages, has Ford blue oval logos on every page, is listed as "for the E11 Mach E 2020" automobile, and has a print date of 11 October 2021. The tongue weight listed in my previous post comes from this installation manual, and IMHO reflects the material strength limits of this equipment. With 18 target countries (not all in the EU - Russian and Turkish are two of the 18 languages) it's obvious that this manual booklet cannot even pretend to address 18 legal operator authorization variances... thus my conclusion that the tongue and trailer weights listed above speak to the material strength limits (only).

Hope this helps. Reminds me of days before the Euro came into effect, when being stationed in Europe meant carrying a bag of wildly varied coins and banknotes in the car for occasional use in all the nearby countries.
 
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21st Century Pony

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...thinking all this through, perhaps the DOT / DMV / MOT user authorizations might also take the MME's drive system's cooling capacity while under load, and also the car's braking capacity, for their operator limitation calculations, which (of course) would likely be beyond the purview of the tow hitch kit manufacturer, in this case Brink.

For my occasional tow hitch use in North America, I'll rely on the Brink specs for tongue weight as the starting point as I plan my adventures:
- max 60 kilograms (132.xx lb) for towing, and
- max75 kilograms (156.xx lb) for hanging bike racks, tow hitch cargo platforms etc.
 
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21st Century Pony

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The Mach-E Euro hitch on the car - partial installation of the hardware - the heavy stuff is on.

Pics show the inside of the frame rail with the tow hitch rail insert with bolts in place, and an outside shot of that side of the tow hitch, and the whole tow hitch assembly + future electric connector mount (the electric connector mount swings up to the left for storage) with the removable tow goose swan neck towball inserted in position.

I might leave the inside control module installation for another day - depends on how much reassembly I get through tonight.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Ford Mustang Mach-E Gets Towing Capacity Boost In Europe 20221024_191040


Ford Mustang Mach-E Ford Mustang Mach-E Gets Towing Capacity Boost In Europe 20221024_192133


Ford Mustang Mach-E Ford Mustang Mach-E Gets Towing Capacity Boost In Europe 20221024_191113


Ford Mustang Mach-E Ford Mustang Mach-E Gets Towing Capacity Boost In Europe 20221024_192144
 
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su-ch+mache

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Hi Martin, looks like you've made a clean job, even my dealer couldn't do it better. 👍
 

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I still have to connect the inside electrics and electronics. All the outside stuff is now on the car, including the electric fold-away connection.

It turns out the U.S. Mach Es have a tow hitch electric cable-ready knockout in the trunk floor underneath the styrofoam tire inflator container and the carpet. It's exactly where the Ford Europe instructions said it would be and of the exact size to receive this tow kit electric cable with its rubber weather-sealing grommet, so the car is at least partially ready for this tow hitch. For others readers' information, it's the hard-surfaced white knockout and not the adjacent black plastic diaphragm vent.

Thanks for the installation compliment. My helper and I got into the Bourbon only after we zipped up the outside of the car, so as to avoid installation mistakes 🤣
 
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21st Century Pony

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Ford Europe tow hitch - daylight post-installation pictures.

Bottom bumper cover cutout pictures show the Euro tow hitch + electric connector in their stowed position, with dirt cover on the hitch mount, and in their Use position, the connector swung down and the hitch mount without its dirt cover. Pics are vertical, oblique looking up and horizontal.

I also attached two pics of the bumper plastic cover with its cutout, before I mounted it back onto the car. One view is from its inside looking out, and the other is from the outside looking in. Please note that the bumper cover cut is asymmetric (not centered) because of the swiveling electrical connector. Also, the cut space is all internal to the bumper cover... it does not extend to any edges and thus it preserves the bumper cover's edge structural integrity where it ties into the car's underbody cover.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Ford Mustang Mach-E Gets Towing Capacity Boost In Europe 20221025_093307


Ford Mustang Mach-E Ford Mustang Mach-E Gets Towing Capacity Boost In Europe 20221025_093252


Ford Mustang Mach-E Ford Mustang Mach-E Gets Towing Capacity Boost In Europe 20221025_093324


Ford Mustang Mach-E Ford Mustang Mach-E Gets Towing Capacity Boost In Europe 20221025_084622


Ford Mustang Mach-E Ford Mustang Mach-E Gets Towing Capacity Boost In Europe 20221025_084556


Ford Mustang Mach-E Ford Mustang Mach-E Gets Towing Capacity Boost In Europe 20221025_093139


Ford Mustang Mach-E Ford Mustang Mach-E Gets Towing Capacity Boost In Europe 20221025_093234


Ford Mustang Mach-E Ford Mustang Mach-E Gets Towing Capacity Boost In Europe 20221025_093213
 
 




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