Conflicting information about "Dolly" towing a 2023 FWD Hybrid.

[TDM6157]

I would prefer to dolly tow. I have towed a Jeep (flat tow) for several years, so I am very familiar with the process. My big concerns with Flat Towing are - Installation. I have had so many things "half-assed" recently, I'm not sure about turning someone loose on a new vehicle, and 2) I'm not sure about the running the engine every six hours and shifting the transmission.

1. I am getting conflicting information from Ford's own documents and my dealer.
   1. RV & Trailer Towing Guide - says that both the Hybrid and Standard FWD are dolly & flat towable.
   2. My dealership told me that it was not Dolly Towable, see image, and provided this information. My window sticker says I have the 2.5L engine but does not mention Atkinson-cycle anything. You can see my confusion.
      
      

Can someone please point me in the right direction here?

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[GPSMan]

I have heard, but not tried it...

That the tilt angle makes the truck think it is on a hill and the parking brake comes on.

But, I wonder what happens if you put it into Neutral tow mode WHILE it is on a Dolly? Strap it down well! (Use trucker chains.)

 

[GPSMan]

If what I guessed works out to be true, you'll need to disable the brakes. Maybe put the truck into brake service mode when on a dolly.

Just a guess. But in theory; should work.

Or figure out if disconnecting the battery works. Maybe. But you need some extra steps with these complex vehicles.

 

[BostonMaverick]

The hybrid 2.5L is an Atkinson cycle engine.
Personally, I would rely on the 2023 RV & Trailer Towing Guide:
https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/conten...pdf/2023-Ford-RV-and-Trailer-Towing-Guide.pdf

Per the Owner's manual:
https://www.fordservicecontent.com/...A&div=f&vFilteringEnabled=False&buildtype=web

 

[MakinDoForNow]

I have heard, but not tried it...

That the tilt angle makes the truck think it is on a hill and the parking brake comes on.

But, I wonder what happens if you put it into Neutral tow mode WHILE it is on a Dolly? Strap it down well! (Use trucker chains.)

I believe I read where after 30 minutes neutral tow is turned off and park is engaged.

 

[GPSMan]

I believe I read where after 30 minutes neutral tow is turned off and park is engaged.

No. That is simple neutral mode. Aka "car wash".

Neutral Tow Mode is for unlimited time in Neutral but takes extra steps.

 

[Johnkn]

I would prefer to dolly tow. I have towed a Jeep (flat tow) for several years, so I am very familiar with the process. My big concerns with Flat Towing are - Installation. I have had so many things "half-assed" recently, I'm not sure about turning someone loose on a new vehicle, and 2) I'm not sure about the running the engine every six hours and shifting the transmission.

1. I am getting conflicting information from Ford's own documents and my dealer.
   1. RV & Trailer Towing Guide - says that both the Hybrid and Standard FWD are dolly & flat towable.
   2. My dealership told me that it was not Dolly Towable, see image, and provided this information. My window sticker says I have the 2.5L engine but does not mention Atkinson-cycle anything. You can see my confusion.
      
      

Can someone please point me in the right direction here?

There have been some recent (searchable) horror stories here about flat towing a Hybrid and the truck continually not coming out of tow mode requiring multiple dealer's service along the vacation trip as well as disconnecting the +12V battery. And, rather than attempting to cobble up a workaround for dolly towing (which is not recommended by Ford) why not just rent a proper U-haul vehicle transport trailer? They are well built and designed and very easy to use. I for one would much rather avoid the worry and potential headaches along the trip....

An added bonus, with the transport trailer you (at least) have surge brakes on that additional trailered load. With a dolly and flat tow, you have zero braking for that ~4000-4500lb load....

Good luck

.

 

[TDM6157]

I contacted Ford Mo Co. customer service. According to them the 2023 Maverick Hybrid 2.5L FWD may be towed either by Dolly or Flat Tow. When flat towing the Neutral Tow must be engaged, and the engine started every six hours (I assume because Neutral Tow requires battery power).

So, it appears that with 2023 Hybrid you have both options available. Now we have to decide which way to go as the 1K price difference makes both affordable.

Thank you all for the comments and information - I hope this information will help someone else down the road.

TDM6157 ~

 

[Johnkn]

I contacted Ford Mo Co. customer service. According to them the 2023 Maverick Hybrid 2.5L FWD may be towed either by Dolly or Flat Tow. When flat towing the Neutral Tow must be engaged, and the engine started every six hours (I assume because Neutral Tow requires battery power).

So, it appears that with 2023 Hybrid you have both options available. Now we have to decide which way to go as the 1K price difference makes both affordable.

Thank you all for the comments and information - I hope this information will help someone else down the road.

TDM6157 ~

Ummmmm,

I would put little trust in what someone at Ford CS told you that 100% contradicts the published manuals for both 2022 and 2023 Hybrid Mavericks... Did they state the manual is incorrect? Did they provide their name and put their assertions in writing? If there is an issue, Ford will default to what is stated in the manual and towing guides not what some junior person may or may not have told a customer. There is a likelyhood that the person you spoke with doesn't know the difference between a Hybrid Maverick and an F450... LOL


See my post #7 above. There have been multiple documented issues here flat towing hybrid Mavericks.. Do yourself a favor and completely read this flat towing thread below. This gentleman certainly had more patience than he should have had, what a nightmare of a vacation....

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/neutral-tow-mode-help.36221/

Good luck....

.

 

[Bigbill27]

I had mine dolly towed for about 140 miles and there were no problems. The truck did throw some alerts about the ABS but that was sorted out when the truck was started and driven. I think the back wheels turning while the front ones were still confused the computer.

 

[GPSMan]

I had mine dolly towed for about 140 miles and there were no problems. The truck did throw some alerts about the ABS but that was sorted out when the truck was started and driven. I think the back wheels turning while the front ones were still confused the computer.

For a short trip, what a PITA.

For a long trip, may be better to disconnect the 12v battery.

 

[AF Blue]

I contacted Ford Mo Co. customer service. According to them the 2023 Maverick Hybrid 2.5L FWD may be towed either by Dolly or Flat Tow. When flat towing the Neutral Tow must be engaged, and the engine started every six hours (I assume because Neutral Tow requires battery power).

So, it appears that with 2023 Hybrid you have both options available. Now we have to decide which way to go as the 1K price difference makes both affordable.

Thank you all for the comments and information - I hope this information will help someone else down the road.

TDM6157 ~

I'm glad you found/seem to be comfortable with the answer given.
= = =
Question to the masses:

Common denominator to playing it safe for any Maverick is to tow with all wheels off the ground:
Flatbed tow truck or car hauler trailer.

Let's ignore the above info and stick to FWD only Mavericks: Hybrid or Ecoboost FWD Only.
Let's ignore Emergency towing.
Let's skip 4-wheel down towing ... assume we don't need/want permanent base plate on a hybrid.

I want to use my existing tow vehicle + a two-wheel dolly to go from GA to CA to drop off my 2023 hybrid.
I want to use my existing tow vehicle + a two-wheel dolly to go from CA to GA to bring home a new 2023 FWD only Ecoboost.

The chart shows i'm good with the Ecoboost.
The chart doesn't mention the same for the hybrid.

I should be good with the hybrid as well ...so whats the procedure to set up a hybrid to be dolly towed? Just like the FWD only Ecoboost (i can only assume so).

 

[swtiming8]

I would prefer to dolly tow. I have towed a Jeep (flat tow) for several years, so I am very familiar with the process. My big concerns with Flat Towing are - Installation. I have had so many things "half-assed" recently, I'm not sure about turning someone loose on a new vehicle, and 2) I'm not sure about the running the engine every six hours and shifting the transmission.

1. I am getting conflicting information from Ford's own documents and my dealer.
   1. RV & Trailer Towing Guide - says that both the Hybrid and Standard FWD are dolly & flat towable.
   2. My dealership told me that it was not Dolly Towable, see image, and provided this information. My window sticker says I have the 2.5L engine but does not mention Atkinson-cycle anything. You can see my confusion.
      
      

Can someone please point me in the right direction here?

The only reason I purchased the Hybrid was because I had to have a vehicle that was 4 wheels on the ground towable. For years I purchased Sport Trac’s with electric Neutral tow starting in 2003 model year. None of them had any issues and they all worked great up until Ford discontinued model in 2010. I still have a 2010 with the Neutral Tow feature that still works great but is rusting away. So fast forwarding to present day and the Hybrid I am convinced that no one at Ford know’s what the printed directions in the manual mean and all of us are totally confused. Ford referred me back to the dealer who when contacted said they had no clue and would have to research it. That was months ago and I still haven’t heard back from them to this day.
I will say this I’m convinced running the vehicle for a few minutes before hitting the road will not charge the battery plus they tell us to add a charge line that the RV is connected to the Maverick to keep the battery charged so is it a lubricant issue but putting the vehicle in neutral tow is supposed to disconnect the drivetrain from the power train making it free wheeling. So what is it lubricating and why?
Like I said I’m convinced Ford doesn’t have the answers that we ALL need to have or someone is going to be very upset when they cause damage to the hybrid because they interpreted Fords instructions incorrectly.

 

[Bigbill27]

For a short trip, what a PITA.

For a long trip, may be better to disconnect the 12v battery.

I didn't have much choice since my DC\DC converter had gone bad. As far as disconnecting the battery, I'm afraid to touch it and risk the deep sleep problem. That reset seems to be a problem for some.

 

[GyroRon]

Might be of no help to you, but I recently bought a Jeep wrangler out of state, 6.5 hour drive each way and had no help to get the jeep home. So I rented a tow dolly from uhaul and towed the dolly from my place up to Kentucky with the maverick hybrid.... then once there I switched the dolly to the jeep and put the maverick on the dolly.

I didn't do anything special with the maverick... Just drove it up on the dolly and strapped the wheels down, left the truck in park and took the key out and put the key in the jeep with me.

Towed the maverick home from Kentucky. When I got home and went to drive the maverick off the dolly, the power steering wasn't working, and the dash had a ton of check lights lit up. Drove the maverick off the dolly and decided to drive it around the block to see what happens. After about a mile of driving the steering came back on and all the lights went out. Truck drove normally after that without issue.

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