Ford put tow hitch on the Mach E and it can be seen here.

[Billyk24]

A photo is worth a thousand words. That looks like the European hitch. Can't tell how it is wired (4 or 6 ?) For towing. Need some help here. Video is from Everman Driver.

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[Billyk24]

That is Everyman Driver.

 

[winbatch]

'Is that a tow hitch or are you just excited to see me?'

 

[ChasingCoral]

It has an M plate. Ford frequently runs EU-spec mules and test cars around Detroit.

 

[mkhuffman]

What is the question you are trying to answer? That definitely looks like the EU hitch.

 

[Mach-Lee]

@21st Century Pony @I.Adams you installed this European hitch right?

There is a trailer module that has to be installed that the trailer wiring connects to.

 

[MachGT]

@21st Century Pony @I.Adams you installed this European hitch right?

There is a trailer module that has to be installed that the trailer wiring connects to.

Do you know anything about the trailer module? Part number?

 

[21st Century Pony]

@21st Century Pony @I.Adams you installed this European hitch right?

There is a trailer module that has to be installed that the trailer wiring connects to.

Yes there is a Ford CANBUS- integrated towing module in the Ford-authorized, Ford-labeled, Ford-sold Euro tow kit.

Based on info from several sources, there are three Mach E "OEM prep" levels for mounting this Ford-labeled tow system:

1. All Mach Es, sold worldwide including the North American versions, have a future tow wiring loom prep hole in the very bottom of their trunk floor, below the styrofoam insert. This prep hole is factory-plugged with a white throwaway rubber plug and is sized exactly to accept the Ford-authorized tow wiring loom. This is the basic prep level in every Mach E... but because the power connection to the tow wiring loom and the plug-&-play CANBUS connection are missing, this basic level needs the most amount of installation work to make the tow wiring fully integrated.

2. The middle level of factory prep on the Mach E adds the power CANBUS system connection in the rear left corner. Thus middle level of OEM prep leaves only the CANBUS electric power connection wiring to be added by the owner / installer.

3. The highest level of factory prep has both the power pigtail and also the plug-&-play CANBUS connector already present in the left rear corner. This prep level, AFAIK built onto the Europe-bound Mach Es (just like the famous trunk front cargo ring brackets grrr...) makes installing the Ford-labeled, Ford-authorized tow wiring loom installation very easy.

Of course, after the tow kit mechanicals (from whatever source) and the tow wiring loom are installed, an FDRS session needs to turn on the new tow control module for full integrated system and Synch functining.

The instructions that come with this Ford Tow kit describe how to deal with all three levels of factory prep.

Hope this is useful info.

 

[21st Century Pony]

A photo is worth a thousand words. That looks like the European hitch. Can't tell how it is wired (4 or 6 ?) For towing. Need some help here. Video is from Everman Driver.

I have this Ford-labeled, Ford-authorized tow system on my Mach E.

My tow kit came with the (newer) 13 plug socket. After I installed it, I bought a 13-to-7 plug socket converter made by the same manufacturer. Just to have all possibilities covered, I then bought a nice 7-to-4 plug converter from ProPride. I mean... why be stuck, right?

 

[mkhuffman]

Yes there is a Ford CANBUS- integrated towing module in the Ford-authorized, Ford-labeled, Ford-sold Euro tow kit.

Based on info from several sources, there are three Mach E "OEM prep" levels for mounting this Ford-labeled tow system:

1. All Mach Es, sold worldwide including the North American versions, have a future tow wiring loom prep hole in the very bottom of their trunk floor, below the styrofoam insert. This prep hole is factory-plugged with a white throwaway rubber plug and is sized exactly to accept the Ford-authorized tow wiring loom. This is the basic prep level in every Mach E... but because the power connection to the tow wiring loom and the plug-&-play CANBUS connection are missing, this basic level needs the most amount of installation work to make the tow wiring fully integrated.

2. The middle level of factory prep on the Mach E adds the power connection in the rear left corner. Thus middle level of OEM prep leaves only the CANBUS connection wiring to be added by the owner / installer.

3. The highest level of factory prep has both the power pigtail and also the plug-&-play CANBUS connector already present in the left rear corner. This prep level, AFAIK built onto the Europe-bound Mach Es (just like the famous trunk front cargo ring brackets grrr...) makes installing the Ford-labeled, Ford-authorized tow wiring loom installation very easy.

Of course, after the tow kit mechanicals (from whatever source) and the tow wiring loom are installed, an FDRS session needs to turn on the new tow control module for full integrated system and Synch functining.

The instructions that come with this Ford Tow kit describe how to deal with all three levels of factory prep.

Hope this is useful info.

So it is safe to assume no NA models have anything other than prep level 1, right?

I think I remember a thread you created that goes through the installation process in detail. Do you mind posting a link for reference?

 

[Billyk24]

Yes there is a Ford CANBUS- integrated towing module in the Ford-authorized, Ford-labeled, Ford-sold Euro tow kit.

Based on info from several sources, there are three Mach E "OEM prep" levels for mounting this Ford-labeled tow system:

1. All Mach Es, sold worldwide including the North American versions, have a future tow wiring loom prep hole in the very bottom of their trunk floor, below the styrofoam insert. This prep hole is factory-plugged with a white throwaway rubber plug and is sized exactly to accept the Ford-authorized tow wiring loom. This is the basic prep level in every Mach E... but because the power connection to the tow wiring loom and the plug-&-play CANBUS connection are missing, this basic level needs the most amount of installation work to make the tow wiring fully integrated.

2. The middle level of factory prep on the Mach E adds the power connection in the rear left corner. Thus middle level of OEM prep leaves only the CANBUS connection wiring to be added by the owner / installer.

3. The highest level of factory prep has both the power pigtail and also the plug-&-play CANBUS connector already present in the left rear corner. This prep level, AFAIK built onto the Europe-bound Mach Es (just like the famous trunk front cargo ring brackets grrr...) makes installing the Ford-labeled, Ford-authorized tow wiring loom installation very easy.

Of course, after the tow kit mechanicals (from whatever source) and the tow wiring loom are installed, an FDRS session needs to turn on the new tow control module for full integrated system and Synch functining.

The instructions that come with this Ford Tow kit describe how to deal with all three levels of factory prep.

Hope this is useful info.

Wonderful reply. Going to print it out and get what is needed.

 

[Garbone]

Towing, that is crazy talk. Who would do such a thing?

Travesty..

 

[HuntingPudel]

Towing, that is crazy talk. Who would do such a thing?

Travesty..

Noty me. That's what teh K/5 with a manual tranny is for. Well, that and driving over import cars.

 

[21st Century Pony]

Folks,

Attached are the instructions for the tow bar kit installation and separate instructions for the tow wiring kit installation, from Ford of Europe.

The tow bar is a Ford-authorized tow bar made by BRINK of the Netherlands. I think the tow CANBUS module might be separately made by Ford or by some other sub-contractor. Ford dealers all over Europe sell these as accessory kits specifically for the Mach E (guess where I bought mine from?).

Parts numbers for both kits are at the bottom of the PDF pages.

FYI - the wiring kit trailer connection is a "13 pin" connection. I also ordered a 13-pin -- to 7-pin adapter from Brink.

NOTE: the tow CANBUS module is an additional part with an additional part number separate from the wiring kit part. I located my tow CANBUS module in the far left rear, wrapped in HDPE foam for shock protection and under other electronics that live there, although I understand from several Euro members here on the forum that their dealers followed instructions available at the time and mounted their tow CANBUS modules flat in a hole cut in the rough middle of the inner (lower) floor of the trunk, which I did not like.

IMHO, as I had mentioned on another thread, it seems to me that the wiring kit + tow module should work with another, non Ford-authorized towing mechanical kit... and in that case, let the buyer beware about stuff like vertical and towing loads etc. on a non-Ford-authorized mechanical tow connection. Also, it bears mentioning that the dangers of towing a load are magnified by inappropriate speeds of the driver / tow car. The Euro tow kit mentions something around 62 mph eq. as the max tow speed limit.

The Ford-authorized Euro kit has specified hitch and vertical loads, albeit in EU's "D-number" and "S-number" nomenclature. Explanations for the Euro-spec "D-number" and "S-number" calculations are available via the Internet. My Euro Ford-authorized towbar system's D and S numbers translate to a horizontal hitch tow load of about 3,300 lb and a vertical hitch load of 175 lb (these numbers are from memory as I write them... I'll check and correct this post tomorrow if my memory is faulty).

IMHO the actual physical limits for the Mach E tow capacity are bound more by the cooling capacity of the Mach E under a tow load in adverse conditions and speeds, and by its braking capacity under a tow load, more than by any potential tow hitch mechanical component strengths, whether Euro spec or US spec. For example, my installed Euro Ford physical tow bar and assorted fasteners are made "mongo-strong", and I testify to this as a former US Army tanker who's broken a few Abrams tank suspension parts back in the day ;-)

As an overall reference, here is the BRINK video URL of how their assembled tow system works... although the car in the video is not a Ford.

Final note: the Euro tow ball on top of their "swan neck" tow system has a diameter of 50 mm, which is 0.8 mm less than the North Amertican 2-inch tow ball diameter. I did try my Euro tow ball on several US trailers and it fit. I understand (just my understanding here) that the systemic incompatibility is more going the other way, i.e. trying to use the North American 2-inch tow ball on Euro-spec trailers, which often do not quite fit as the US ball might be just a smidgen too large to fit into their apertures. Also, my understanding is that Euro-spec trailers mount with a slightly different locking mechanism than North American trailers, whose locking mechanism braces against the rounded surface of the lower spherical shape of the tow ball. There are interesting discussions on Australian towing blogs about this for those who really want tech details.

Hope this is helpful. Let me know how it works out.

 

[Billyk24]

Ford EU wiring kit number is 712324
Ford EU towbar kit number is 40143

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