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Recently read this thread (14) Maverick Towing Test / Review (without 4K tow package) and my thoughts after a few days of owing | MaverickTruckClub.com - 2022+ Ford Maverick Pickup Forum, News, Info about what kind of tow ratings people think a 2.0 EB AWD with FX4 option should have. An interesting discussion, but a lot of cross-talk mixing and matching descriptions and definitions. Over the last number of years I looked into and learned some things about the J2807 tow test standards. What the Maverick is rated to tow, how the ratings are determined, and what under certain conditions it might be able to tow are different things.
TOW RATINGS
Everything is determined by SAE J2807. Ford (and all other major manufacturers) have voluntarily agreed to adapt this standard wrt how tow ratings are determined. It tests structural, propulsion system, combination handling, and braking. Ford doesn’t get to pick what GCWR or max. loaded trailer weight they want to use, it’s an outcome from J2807 testing verification. During testing, tow-vehicle/trailer combinations are even ballasted to a minimum of the appropriate GCWR. Of course, Ford designed the vehicle, they ‘designed’ GVWR, GAWR’s and payload values (all of which you can see on your doorjamb stickers), and I’m sure targeted some level of tow rating in their design. But you won’t find GCWR or max. load trailer weight (called TWR in J2807-speak) anywhere except in Ford’s trailer tow guides after J2807 verification testing.
If you want to spend $85 you can get the latest version (2020) of J2807, or you can see the previous version (2016) for free tow-test-standards-2016-02.pdf (fifthwheelst.com) . Appears to be only minor changes between the 2, the guts of what testing is undertaken and equations used are in the 2016 version. You can see all the sort of testing involved in arriving at that GCWR and TWR, and various calculations involved.
J2807 is a good thing (it levels the playing field across manufacturers regards their claimed tow ratings so informed comparisons can be made) but it does have some quirks and shortcomings.
One is that GCWR and TWR are tested and calculated numbers, and are the lesser of whatever values were arrived at through testing or calculations.
What J2807 says about GCWR:
Tow-vehicle GCWR is qualified by conformance to the performance requirements following in this section. Should the tow-vehicle be capable of different GCWR values throughout the various tests in this section, the actual GCWR will be the least of the values attained.
What J2807 says about TWR:
Specific tow-vehicle TWR is to be calculated from the lowest GCWR value determined through testing to performance requirements in 4.3, 4.4, and 4.5 and also cannot exceed the value determined in 4.2.
And:
Some quick definitions:
TVTW = weight of the tow-vehicle used for EPA emissions and fuel economy certification including all options in excess of 33% sales penetration plus one 68.0 kg (150 lb) driver and one 68.0 kg (150 lb) front seat passenger, plus the tow-vehicle manufacturer’s available trailering package and/or any required trailering content (if not included in the 33% option penetration weight) plus representative aftermarket trailering equipment as specified in 5.2.
TWR = what Ford calls max. loaded trailer weight rating = the rated value for the maximum allowable weight of a loaded trailer for a specific tow-vehicle model and hitch type, as determined by the tow-vehicle manufacturer. A specific tow-vehicle may have multiple TWRs for weight carrying hitch, weight distributing hitch, fifth wheel hitch and/or gooseneck hitch. A tow-vehicle may also have a TWR for an unbraked trailer.
You can approximate your TVTW as follows:
If you look at the “GVWR constrained” calculation for TWR, you’ll find that it’s much larger than the above calculation. So since it’s not the lesser value it can’t be used.
I’m not 100% sure how you calculate the “rear GAWR constrained” case for TWR. You know the wheelbase, you can measure the CPOH distance, but I don’t know what exactly is meant/what the value is for “TVTW rear axle load”. This case may or may not be less than the “GCWR constrained” value.
If you do quick & dirty looks using base curb weights (from Ford literature):
So, if you add the FX4 option to a 2.0 EB AWD vehicle, is that an “on at least 33% of Mavericks” item? It’s certainly not considered an ‘available trailering package’ nor is it ‘required trailering content’. I don’t know for sure why Ford didn’t test/rate an FX4 variant but they didn’t, and that’s why it falls under/is rated at the same tow rating as a 2.0 EB AWD without it.
TOWING PACKAGE EQUIPMENT
People have pointed out the only significant towing-related distinction between an FX4 Maverick and one with the 4K tow package is that the 4K tow has an aux. trans oil cooler and the FX4 does not. Both “appear” to have the same upgraded radiator and cooling fan. I checked the Ford parts site and it seems that’s true. What I found:
A lot of different elements go into tow packages offered across Ford’s model lines, and they change from year to year. Take a look at page 17 of the 2021 Ford Towing Guide (and all related footnotes) *2021 Ford RV & Trailer Towing Guide, it tells you what “extras” each model supposedly has wrt towing equipment and packages. But the descriptions aren’t complete or perfect. A couple of things jump out:
Go back to 2019 and 2018 and more small differences arise.
The point being, as models change/improvements are made, it can and does change year-to-year what you get with tow packages. And just because it’s not listed as being part of a tow package doesn’t necessarily mean your vehicle doesn’t have it as standard equipment.
At some point in this Maverick forum questions will be asked about “can I/should I use a weight-distributing hitch (WDH)”. And people will swear you can/should or can’t/shouldn’t. From what I’ve seen so far in the owner’s manual and prelim. 2022 tow guide, Ford is silent on this. If I had to guess, it would be that if Ford ever does actually say anything concrete about WDH use for the Maverick it will be that it’s ‘not recommended’, mainly because it’s a smallish unibody vehicle. But who knows….?
INFORMATION WHILE TOWING
In towing/heavy load hauling, heat is the main enemy. Bad things can happen to powertrains. Overheating and going into limp mode while towing is no fun.
Something I wish Mavericks had from the factory is a way to monitor temperatures (coolant and transmission temps mainly). The instrument clusters I’ve seen have an analog coolant temp gauge, but that’s it, no trans temp gauge. 5th Gen Rangers have the same issue. On some Ford models (F150’s for sure) you can use FORScan to enable these displays for digital temp readouts above the analog gauges. In my 2018 F150 I can call up trans temp on one of the info screen displays. I’m not software-savvy so can’t say with 100% certainly you can’t do this on Mavericks, but pretty sure FORScan alone can’t get you there (it can’t with Rangers).
There are ways to do this using Ford parameter ID’s (PID’s), OBDII / OBD2AA devices and apps like Torque etc. Beyond my ability. In future some bright folks will enlighten us what to do here.
FRONTAL AREA
Ford is one of the few manufacturers that actually mentions Frontal Area considerations for towing. GM doesn’t mention it at all in any of their owner’s manuals or towing guides. I found on this forum (and all other truck forums) that many people are confused about what it really means.
Anything Ford says about Frontal Area and all the values they list are directly related to SAE J2807 and exactly correspond with how the vehicle was tested and what it was tested with. That’s it in a nutshell.
Ford did not come up with these frontal area values. They are not ‘ratings’ per se. They directly and exactly correspond with Table 1 – Standard Trailer Requirements of J2807. Mavericks were tested according to rows B (< or = to 2000 lb TWR requirement) and D (< or = 5000 lb TWR requirement).
Take a look at page 16 of the 2021 Ford Towing guide. Every frontal area value listed can be directly compared with rows A through K. From Mustang to F-600 Super Duty.
What Ford says:
The chart shows the maximum trailer frontal area that must be considered for a vehicle/trailer combination. Exceeding these limitations may significantly reduce the performance of your towing vehicle.
What Ford is telling you is this: “Hey, your Maverick was tested against J2807 standards, that’s why you have a xxxx lb max. loaded trailer weight rating and a yyyy lb GCWR rating. And as part of that testing it towed a trailer with a zzzz ft2 frontal area. The Maverick as configured passed the tests and didn’t blow up or stop dead in its tracks or overheat and go into limp mode. Now, if you’re thinking of trying to pull a much larger parachute (i.e. travel trailers way bigger than the ones we used to test it with), your powertrain will have to work harder (more aero drag), things will probably get way hotter, bad things like overheating could happen, because we don’t know your actual towing conditions, we just know what criteria we tested it against. So, you’ve been warned, Buyer Beware.”
There is no way to quantify how much “above” listed frontal area limitations you can go w/o actually encountering a problem other than trial and error. So, most people don’t try to “greatly” exceed listed limits when buying a travel trailer. I doubt any experienced travel trailer tower with a Maverick 2.0 EB AWD 4k tow package will lose any sleep if their TT has a 45 ft2 frontal area. Maybe not even with 50 ft2. Maybe more. Throw in a long trip up with high winds and/or down mountains in 100 deg. F ambient temps and maybe you’ll have to seriously adjust your driving habits.
WHAT CAN I ‘REALLY’ TOW?
It depends. At one time or another, everyone will overload their tow vehicle and/or tow trailer. If/when you do this, just make sure you have an idea how much it’s overloaded and what the effects of doing it may be.
My favorite ‘what can I really tow’ is this guy I am pulling a 3200lb hi-lo popup with my 2019 niro HEV, and I will be doing the SAE J2807 tow rating tests with it. | Kia Niro Forum . This Niro Hybrid’s tow rating per KIA (they didn’t do J2807 testing) is…zero. “Not recommended”. But he didn’t just hitch up his trailer and hit the road. Lots of clarifiers:
Another somewhat common example is this guy Recent Towing Success Story! - Ford F150 Forum - Community of Ford Truck Fans . 2020 F150 with 3.5 EB, big travel trailer, truck bed full of toys, 1500+ miles trip from north to south British Columbia, mountain passes, hot (he claimed up to 116 deg. F ambient), “this truck pulled so smoothly and effortlessly there were times I had to look in my mirror to make sure my trailer was still there!” And then someone asked him “hey what’s all that crap in the bed of your truck and what does it all weigh?”. He guess-timated his overall payload at 2200 lbs, but replied he thought he was OK because Ford’s literature said When properly equipped, expect to haul up to 3,230 lbs. of payload capacity in addition to the trailer you're towing. Then he was asked “what’s your yellow payload sticker say?”. 1800 lbs. Oops. His truck didn’t blow up or stop in its tracks. But in future he’ll watch his payloads, and he now understand what “when properly equipped” means.
So what you can ‘really’ tow is relative. I’m sure over time there will be Maverick owners that do their own experiments and share their results with us.
Happy trails.
TOW RATINGS
Everything is determined by SAE J2807. Ford (and all other major manufacturers) have voluntarily agreed to adapt this standard wrt how tow ratings are determined. It tests structural, propulsion system, combination handling, and braking. Ford doesn’t get to pick what GCWR or max. loaded trailer weight they want to use, it’s an outcome from J2807 testing verification. During testing, tow-vehicle/trailer combinations are even ballasted to a minimum of the appropriate GCWR. Of course, Ford designed the vehicle, they ‘designed’ GVWR, GAWR’s and payload values (all of which you can see on your doorjamb stickers), and I’m sure targeted some level of tow rating in their design. But you won’t find GCWR or max. load trailer weight (called TWR in J2807-speak) anywhere except in Ford’s trailer tow guides after J2807 verification testing.
If you want to spend $85 you can get the latest version (2020) of J2807, or you can see the previous version (2016) for free tow-test-standards-2016-02.pdf (fifthwheelst.com) . Appears to be only minor changes between the 2, the guts of what testing is undertaken and equations used are in the 2016 version. You can see all the sort of testing involved in arriving at that GCWR and TWR, and various calculations involved.
J2807 is a good thing (it levels the playing field across manufacturers regards their claimed tow ratings so informed comparisons can be made) but it does have some quirks and shortcomings.
One is that GCWR and TWR are tested and calculated numbers, and are the lesser of whatever values were arrived at through testing or calculations.
What J2807 says about GCWR:
Tow-vehicle GCWR is qualified by conformance to the performance requirements following in this section. Should the tow-vehicle be capable of different GCWR values throughout the various tests in this section, the actual GCWR will be the least of the values attained.
What J2807 says about TWR:
Specific tow-vehicle TWR is to be calculated from the lowest GCWR value determined through testing to performance requirements in 4.3, 4.4, and 4.5 and also cannot exceed the value determined in 4.2.
And:
Some quick definitions:
TVTW = weight of the tow-vehicle used for EPA emissions and fuel economy certification including all options in excess of 33% sales penetration plus one 68.0 kg (150 lb) driver and one 68.0 kg (150 lb) front seat passenger, plus the tow-vehicle manufacturer’s available trailering package and/or any required trailering content (if not included in the 33% option penetration weight) plus representative aftermarket trailering equipment as specified in 5.2.
TWR = what Ford calls max. loaded trailer weight rating = the rated value for the maximum allowable weight of a loaded trailer for a specific tow-vehicle model and hitch type, as determined by the tow-vehicle manufacturer. A specific tow-vehicle may have multiple TWRs for weight carrying hitch, weight distributing hitch, fifth wheel hitch and/or gooseneck hitch. A tow-vehicle may also have a TWR for an unbraked trailer.
You can approximate your TVTW as follows:
- Take the GVWR value from your white door sticker. Subtract from it the vehicle-specific payload value from your yellow door sticker. The result is what your Maverick weighed when it left the factory with a full tank of gas. This is NOT the “base weight” we see in Ford literature, it’s what your unique Maverick weighs before you slap on all those aftermarket things.
- Add 300 lbs of passenger weight (as per how the Maverick was tested per J2807) to the above result. That should be an approximation of TVTW. I say “approx.” because we don’t know all option content details on what the Maverick actually used for J2807 testing was.
If you look at the “GVWR constrained” calculation for TWR, you’ll find that it’s much larger than the above calculation. So since it’s not the lesser value it can’t be used.
I’m not 100% sure how you calculate the “rear GAWR constrained” case for TWR. You know the wheelbase, you can measure the CPOH distance, but I don’t know what exactly is meant/what the value is for “TVTW rear axle load”. This case may or may not be less than the “GCWR constrained” value.
If you do quick & dirty looks using base curb weights (from Ford literature):
- 2.0 AWD w/4K: 8145 lb GCWR – (3731 lb + 300 lb pass. weight) = 4114 lb TWR (close to 4000 lb max. trailer weight rating Ford has in the 2022 Tow Guide).
- Hybrid: 6010 lb – (3674 lb + 300 lb pass. weight) = 2036 lb (close to 2000 lb Ford value).
- 2.0 FWD: 5900 lb – (3563 lb + 300 lb pass. weight) = 2037 lb (close to 2000 lb Ford value).
- For a 2.0 AWD with FX4: as per Ford you have to use the plain 2.0 AWD GCWR, so 6145 lb – (3731 lb + 300 lb) = 2114 lb (close to the 2000 lb Ford value).
So, if you add the FX4 option to a 2.0 EB AWD vehicle, is that an “on at least 33% of Mavericks” item? It’s certainly not considered an ‘available trailering package’ nor is it ‘required trailering content’. I don’t know for sure why Ford didn’t test/rate an FX4 variant but they didn’t, and that’s why it falls under/is rated at the same tow rating as a 2.0 EB AWD without it.
TOWING PACKAGE EQUIPMENT
People have pointed out the only significant towing-related distinction between an FX4 Maverick and one with the 4K tow package is that the 4K tow has an aux. trans oil cooler and the FX4 does not. Both “appear” to have the same upgraded radiator and cooling fan. I checked the Ford parts site and it seems that’s true. What I found:
- Radiator: Maverick w/4K Tow, or with FX4, seem to have same radiator the 2021 Escape 2.0 EB with Tow Package has - RAD266(8005). A Maverick 2.0 EB w/o 4K or FX4 seems to have a different radiator – RAD289(2005).
- Rad. cooling fan: Maverick w/4K Tow, or FX4, appear to have the same cooling fan as all 2021 Escapes with 4 cylinders – RF437(8C607). A Maverick 2.0 EB w/o 4K or FX4 seem to have a different fan – RF436 – which is also what is on the Hybrid.
- Transmission cooler: I’m still not 100% sure on this. All Mavericks (and Escapes) appear to have the same “regular” trans. oil cooler (the one in front of the radiator) – 7A095A (3.5 lbs). The “auxiliary” trans. cooler for Maverick 4K (on the side of the 8F35 transmission) though is confusing; there’s one listed for ‘Tow Pack 1’ – 7869 (1.95 lbs) and one listed for ‘Less Trailer Towing’ – 7869 (2.45 lbs). Doesn’t make sense to me. For comparison, the 2021 Escape 2.0 EB with Tow Package says the 2.45 lb aux. cooler is what you get. Go figure.
A lot of different elements go into tow packages offered across Ford’s model lines, and they change from year to year. Take a look at page 17 of the 2021 Ford Towing Guide (and all related footnotes) *2021 Ford RV & Trailer Towing Guide, it tells you what “extras” each model supposedly has wrt towing equipment and packages. But the descriptions aren’t complete or perfect. A couple of things jump out:
- Aux. trans oil cooler – only the Escape and F150 Raptor have them listed. And we know the 2022 Maverick 4K package has it (whichever one it is). To get the max. 3500 lb Escape tow rating, it has to have the 2.0 EB (single scroll turbo) AWD package.
- Radiator upgrade – only the Expedition and F150 Raptor have them. The Escape doesn’t have one listed – however – when you go into Ford parts, there’s 5 different radiators listed, and only one of them (RAD266) is for the Tow Package.
- Upgraded cooling fan – it’s not even listed. As noted above, for the 2021 Escape, all 4-cylinder models have the same cooling fan assembly.
- The Edge (another unibody with 2.0 EB) tow package does not have an aux. trans oil cooler, nor “upgraded” radiator/cooling fan. To get the max. 3500 lb. tow rating however, it has to be the 2.0 EB (twin scroll turbo) AWD package. I "think" an Edge with that package has a different tranny (the 8F57 vs. the 8F35 found in the Escape or Bronco Sport or Maverick) but not 100% sure on that.
- Engine oil cooler – not listed for any model as part of tow package. But different Ford engines do have as standard (the 2.0 EB or 2.5 Atkinson does not have a standard engine oil cooler).
Go back to 2019 and 2018 and more small differences arise.
The point being, as models change/improvements are made, it can and does change year-to-year what you get with tow packages. And just because it’s not listed as being part of a tow package doesn’t necessarily mean your vehicle doesn’t have it as standard equipment.
At some point in this Maverick forum questions will be asked about “can I/should I use a weight-distributing hitch (WDH)”. And people will swear you can/should or can’t/shouldn’t. From what I’ve seen so far in the owner’s manual and prelim. 2022 tow guide, Ford is silent on this. If I had to guess, it would be that if Ford ever does actually say anything concrete about WDH use for the Maverick it will be that it’s ‘not recommended’, mainly because it’s a smallish unibody vehicle. But who knows….?
INFORMATION WHILE TOWING
In towing/heavy load hauling, heat is the main enemy. Bad things can happen to powertrains. Overheating and going into limp mode while towing is no fun.
Something I wish Mavericks had from the factory is a way to monitor temperatures (coolant and transmission temps mainly). The instrument clusters I’ve seen have an analog coolant temp gauge, but that’s it, no trans temp gauge. 5th Gen Rangers have the same issue. On some Ford models (F150’s for sure) you can use FORScan to enable these displays for digital temp readouts above the analog gauges. In my 2018 F150 I can call up trans temp on one of the info screen displays. I’m not software-savvy so can’t say with 100% certainly you can’t do this on Mavericks, but pretty sure FORScan alone can’t get you there (it can’t with Rangers).
There are ways to do this using Ford parameter ID’s (PID’s), OBDII / OBD2AA devices and apps like Torque etc. Beyond my ability. In future some bright folks will enlighten us what to do here.
FRONTAL AREA
Ford is one of the few manufacturers that actually mentions Frontal Area considerations for towing. GM doesn’t mention it at all in any of their owner’s manuals or towing guides. I found on this forum (and all other truck forums) that many people are confused about what it really means.
Anything Ford says about Frontal Area and all the values they list are directly related to SAE J2807 and exactly correspond with how the vehicle was tested and what it was tested with. That’s it in a nutshell.
Ford did not come up with these frontal area values. They are not ‘ratings’ per se. They directly and exactly correspond with Table 1 – Standard Trailer Requirements of J2807. Mavericks were tested according to rows B (< or = to 2000 lb TWR requirement) and D (< or = 5000 lb TWR requirement).
Take a look at page 16 of the 2021 Ford Towing guide. Every frontal area value listed can be directly compared with rows A through K. From Mustang to F-600 Super Duty.
What Ford says:
The chart shows the maximum trailer frontal area that must be considered for a vehicle/trailer combination. Exceeding these limitations may significantly reduce the performance of your towing vehicle.
What Ford is telling you is this: “Hey, your Maverick was tested against J2807 standards, that’s why you have a xxxx lb max. loaded trailer weight rating and a yyyy lb GCWR rating. And as part of that testing it towed a trailer with a zzzz ft2 frontal area. The Maverick as configured passed the tests and didn’t blow up or stop dead in its tracks or overheat and go into limp mode. Now, if you’re thinking of trying to pull a much larger parachute (i.e. travel trailers way bigger than the ones we used to test it with), your powertrain will have to work harder (more aero drag), things will probably get way hotter, bad things like overheating could happen, because we don’t know your actual towing conditions, we just know what criteria we tested it against. So, you’ve been warned, Buyer Beware.”
There is no way to quantify how much “above” listed frontal area limitations you can go w/o actually encountering a problem other than trial and error. So, most people don’t try to “greatly” exceed listed limits when buying a travel trailer. I doubt any experienced travel trailer tower with a Maverick 2.0 EB AWD 4k tow package will lose any sleep if their TT has a 45 ft2 frontal area. Maybe not even with 50 ft2. Maybe more. Throw in a long trip up with high winds and/or down mountains in 100 deg. F ambient temps and maybe you’ll have to seriously adjust your driving habits.
WHAT CAN I ‘REALLY’ TOW?
It depends. At one time or another, everyone will overload their tow vehicle and/or tow trailer. If/when you do this, just make sure you have an idea how much it’s overloaded and what the effects of doing it may be.
My favorite ‘what can I really tow’ is this guy I am pulling a 3200lb hi-lo popup with my 2019 niro HEV, and I will be doing the SAE J2807 tow rating tests with it. | Kia Niro Forum . This Niro Hybrid’s tow rating per KIA (they didn’t do J2807 testing) is…zero. “Not recommended”. But he didn’t just hitch up his trailer and hit the road. Lots of clarifiers:
- It has a 6-speed DCT (not a CVT ‘slush-box’ as he calls it), used only Sport mode while towing
- He fully instrumented it (loads, energy draws, temps, etc.) with Bluetooth OBD module and Torque Pro software
- Installed a hitch receiver (and may have used a weight-distributing hitch he bought, not clear), installed air bags (to prevent rear ‘squat’), installed trailer brake controller (TBC) (his pop-up has trailer brakes)
- A controlled route, a couple hours max. tow distance, 55-60 mph max. tow speed
- He’s an automotive engineer
Another somewhat common example is this guy Recent Towing Success Story! - Ford F150 Forum - Community of Ford Truck Fans . 2020 F150 with 3.5 EB, big travel trailer, truck bed full of toys, 1500+ miles trip from north to south British Columbia, mountain passes, hot (he claimed up to 116 deg. F ambient), “this truck pulled so smoothly and effortlessly there were times I had to look in my mirror to make sure my trailer was still there!” And then someone asked him “hey what’s all that crap in the bed of your truck and what does it all weigh?”. He guess-timated his overall payload at 2200 lbs, but replied he thought he was OK because Ford’s literature said When properly equipped, expect to haul up to 3,230 lbs. of payload capacity in addition to the trailer you're towing. Then he was asked “what’s your yellow payload sticker say?”. 1800 lbs. Oops. His truck didn’t blow up or stop in its tracks. But in future he’ll watch his payloads, and he now understand what “when properly equipped” means.
So what you can ‘really’ tow is relative. I’m sure over time there will be Maverick owners that do their own experiments and share their results with us.
Happy trails.
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