2005 Ford Escape Owner Guide 3rd Printing (Spanish) - Page 503

Tires, Wheels and Loading Maximum Loaded Trailer Weight - is the highest possible weight of a fully loaded trailer the vehicle can tow. It assumes a vehicle with only mandatory options, no cargo (internal or external), a tongue load of 10-15% (conventional trailer) or king pin weight of 15-25% (fifth wheel trailer), and driver only (150 lb. [68 kg]). Consult your dealership (or the RV and Trailer Towing Guide provided by your dealership) for more detailed information. Tongue Load or Fifth Wheel King Pin Weight - refers to the amount of the weight that a trailer pushes down on a trailer hitch. Examples: For a 5,000 lb. (2,268 kg) conventional trailer, multiply 5,000 by 0.10 and 0.15 to obtain a proper tongue load range of 500 to 750 lb. (227 to 340 kg). For an 11,500 lb. (5,216 kg) fifth wheel trailer, multiply by 0.15 and 0.25 to obtain a proper king pin load range of 1,725 to 2,875 lb. (782 to 1,304 kg) Do not exceed the GVWR or the GAWR specified on the certification label. Do not use replacement tires with lower load carrying capacities than the originals because they may lower the vehicle's GVWR and GAWR limitations. Replacement tires with a higher limit than the originals do not increase the GVWR and GAWR limitations. Exceeding any vehicle weight rating limitation could result in serious damage to the vehicle and/or personal injury. Steps for determining the correct load limit: 1. Locate the statement "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed XXX kg or XXX lbs." on your vehicle's placard. 2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will be riding in your vehicle. 3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from XXX kg or XXX lbs. 4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and luggage load capacity. For example, if the "XXX" amount equals 1,400 lbs. and there will be five 150 lb. passengers in your vehicle, the amount of available cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs. (1400-750 (5 x 150) = 650 lb.). In metric units (635-340 (5 x 68) = 295 kg.) 177 2005 Escape (204) Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt) USA_English (fus)