Towing the Mach-E from the rear

[PA Bob]

I have posted about towing before since Ford had provided us with many reasons we might need a tow (flat tire, HVBJB, etc). Ford has also only provided tow points in the front of the car, not the rear (yes I put "tow" stickers there). I am interested in buying a tow hitch mainly to create a way to allow my car to be towed from the rear. I searched the site for this and see a lot of posts about tow hitches. Is it legit to install a tow hitch and use it to tow the car? Or at least use it to pull the car into a position so that it can be towed from the front (like out of a garage)?

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[RickMachE]

I have posted about towing before since Ford had provided us with many reasons we might need a tow (flat tire, HVBJB, etc). Ford has also only provided tow points in the front of the car, not the rear (yes I put "tow" stickers there). I am interested in buying a tow hitch mainly to create a way to allow my car to be towed from the rear. I searched the site for this and see a lot of posts about tow hitches. Is it legit to install a tow hitch and use it to tow the car? Or at least use it to pull the car into a position so that it can be towed from the front (like out of a garage)?

In short, no.

Why?

Because the rating of the hitch is no where near the weight of the car.

Can it be done? Sure. But the tow truck operator probably would make you sign a waiver, and when he ripped off the bottom of the car, you would have no recourse.

When they tow from the rear, they put the front wheels on a dolly, and they put the rear wheels on a support that hangs from the tow truck. That's fine. The only challenge is if they can't get the vehicle out of the garage because it won't go into neutral, and they have to put the vehicle on dollies and pull it out of the garage.

 

[dtbaker61]

In short, no.

Why?

Because the rating of the hitch is no where near the weight of the car.

what does that have to do with the rating of the hitch? the hitch doesn't have to carry the full weight of the MME. you'd be pulling on the hitch with only a couple hundred pounds of force to roll it out of a garage and up a truck ramp (at an incline). even a class 1 hitch rated for 1500# can handle that if it's mounted correctly to the chassis rails

My opinion is that a better response is:
"not officially since the US MME is not rated for towing and thus has no official rear tow points"

In theory, if a tow truck ripped off your rear bumper, they would be responsible regardless... just as they would be if they pull a car out of a ditch sideways and yank off your wheel. If they accept the tow, they accept responsibility.

regarding warranty (which always comes up), your overall vehicle warranty remains intact UNLESS AND UNTIL specific actual damage is proven to have occurred as a result of your "un-blessed" modification of a vehicle.

 

[RickMachE]

The hitch is attached to the frame. If they pull it off, you have lots of damage. I don't care about liability, I care about my car being ripped apart and needing repair.

I would never let anyone pull me out of anything by the tow hitch, especially a light-rated one such as people put on the Mach-Es.

 

[PA Bob]

what does that have to do with the rating of the hitch? the hitch doesn't have to carry the full weight of the MME. you'd be pulling on the hitch with only a couple hundred pounds of force to roll it out of a garage and up a truck ramp (at an incline). even a class 1 hitch rated for 1500# can handle that if it's mounted correctly to the chassis rails

My opinion is that a better response is:
"not officially since the US MME is not rated for towing and thus has no official rear tow points"

In theory, if a tow truck ripped off your rear bumper, they would be responsible regardless... just as they would be if they pull a car out of a ditch sideways and yank off your wheel. If they accept the tow, they accept responsibility.

regarding warranty (which always comes up), your overall vehicle warranty remains intact UNLESS AND UNTIL specific actual damage is proven to have occurred as a result of your "un-blessed" modification of a vehicle.

I wish there was something definitive on this. I don't want to back in to my garage every day. I am lucky there is a downslope to my driveway as soon as you clear the garage door. It wouldn't take much to pull it out. I just don't want to be caught needing a tow, and my car is parked head in.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

The hitch welds and seams on the low-end receiver will most likely fail before any damage is done to the vehicle's frame itself. But, of course, during that failure, many many things could and likely would go catastrophically wrong.

I would not use my rear class 2 bicycle hitch to tow my Mustang. And I wouldn't install anything bigger.

 

[dtbaker61]

I wish there was something definitive on this. I don't want to back in to my garage every day. I am lucky there is a downslope to my driveway as soon as you clear the garage door. It wouldn't take much to pull it out. I just don't want to be caught needing a tow, and my car is parked head in.

dont worry about it.
It's unlikely you will need a tow now that we have the 'soft failure' Alert....
and, even if you DO need a tow, a decent tow truck driver has lots of options. Just don't let them hook into the battery rails!

 

[Hammered]

In short, no.

Why?

Because the rating of the hitch is no where near the weight of the car.

Can it be done? Sure. But the tow truck operator probably would make you sign a waiver, and when he ripped off the bottom of the car, you would have no recourse.

When they tow from the rear, they put the front wheels on a dolly, and they put the rear wheels on a support that hangs from the tow truck. That's fine. The only challenge is if they can't get the vehicle out of the garage because it won't go into neutral, and they have to put the vehicle on dollies and pull it out of the garage.

If a hitch is present it's going to be used 19/20 times because more goes into the hitch design than the weight of the vehicle / towing limits. LCAs are another spot used to hook vehicles. If you think a static winch puts pressure on a vehicle, just imagine the force that goes into the components when braking. There's less force in a static vehicle winch than there is braking with a loaded trailer. You'd need to hang the vehicle by the hitch to attain heavy braking forces with a trailer.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

I wish there was something definitive on this. I don't want to back in to my garage every day. I am lucky there is a downslope to my driveway as soon as you clear the garage door. It wouldn't take much to pull it out. I just don't want to be caught needing a tow, and my car is parked head in.

If you're super concerned about it, you can get a set of skates that are rated enough to hold the car. They should cost about $200 for set of 4. You'll need to be sure they won't raise your car up high enough to hit the garage on the way out, but it's not too likely with the Mustang. You can get wheeled dollies or flat, gliding skates.

Any half-way decent towing company will have a set on each of their trucks, but it might be worth your peace of mind to get yourself some.

 

[PA Bob]

Thanks everyone. That is very helpful.

 

[scoopman]

Thanks everyone. That is very helpful.

I have a hidden hitch on my car after a sub-optimal Ford Roadside towing experience.

My plan should I ever need to get the car out of the garage is to use that hitch with very light stress on it. My driveway is sloped down, and the garage itself is very slightly sloped as well (for drainage I bet). It won't take too much of a tug to get my car moving and winched (or positioned to be winched) if done slowly.

I'm not planning for this to happen, but it's good to have more options if I need them.

 

[Mach-Lee]

I'd like to say a few things here:

• It's very easy to push a disabled Mach-E in neutral out of a garage by hand. I've done it. You don't really need to worry about this.
  • Only a concern if driveway slopes up right from your garage
• The metal body the aftermarket hitches bolt into on the Mach-E is fairly thin, not anywhere close to a truck
  • I'd be concerned about the frame bending with more than 2000 lbs of pull
  • The hitches are MUCH stronger than the sheetmetal they bolt into
• I have engineering concerns winching a 5000 lb vehicle with a hitch that is only rated for 2000-3000 lb loads.
• The tow truck driver is going to do his own thing with a wheel lift or dollies which won't involve hooking up to your hitch anyway.

In summary, don't buy a hitch just to pull the vehicle out. You'll be wasting your money on something the tow operator won't use, and possibly damaging your vehicle if you do use it.

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