elrey Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 My wife has a 2016 platinum with all the bells and whistles. She wants to get a trailer hitch for a bike rack. Dealer told me I'd have to buy a new cover with the cut out for the hitch. Dealer wants $200+ for the cover, I can get it online for $75. Wondering if it is hard to change myself. Her truck has the foot swipe thing and park assist. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) From the factory you can't get the trailer hitch and still have the hands free liftgate. You might run into a problem there. Maybe the hitch interferes with the sensors that sense your foot. Anyway, maybe look into aftermarket that protrudes under the bumper. Then you won't need new bumper trim. Edited June 8, 2016 by Pioneer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 You can add an aftermarket hitch very easily without interfering with the bumper cover. It will block part of the sensor but not all of it. I put one on a 2014 Titanium and you could still activate it by kicking right next to the exhaust tip. Can't remember if it was a Curt or Hidden Hitch but etrailer.com has all the details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92merc Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 You can add an aftermarket hitch very easily without interfering with the bumper cover. It will block part of the sensor but not all of it. I put one on a 2014 Titanium and you could still activate it by kicking right next to the exhaust tip. Can't remember if it was a Curt or Hidden Hitch but etrailer.com has all the details. How hard was doing the trailer wiring? I have a 2013 and have contemplated putting a hitch on. I won't give up my kick sensor though. BTW, I think it was Job 2 of the 2014 that Ford changed the sensor so you can start getting both the liftgate sensor and hitch. So they've been doing it a few years now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 BTW, I think it was Job 2 of the 2014 that Ford changed the sensor so you can start getting both the liftgate sensor and hitch. So they've been doing it a few years now. Didn't know that. I thought they still weren't compatible. Maybe the wife will get the tow package on her 2017 after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92merc Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Yeah, I did a build and price on a 2017 for the hell of it when it first came online. It let me do both the liftgate and tow options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 How hard was doing the trailer wiring? I have a 2013 and have contemplated putting a hitch on. I won't give up my kick sensor though. BTW, I think it was Job 2 of the 2014 that Ford changed the sensor so you can start getting both the liftgate sensor and hitch. So they've been doing it a few years now. It was only for carrying bicycles so I didn't do the wiring, but I probably will on the MKX to use a utility trailer. Basically you just pull off the rear bumper (2 screws believe it or not) - I did this to install the hitch on the MKX and it was really easy once I found the 2 screws) and maybe remove the taillamps and the wiring plugs in. Doesn't look too hard. Etrailer.com has the instructions if you want to check it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92merc Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Doesn't look too hard. Etrailer.com has the instructions if you want to check it. I've seen the instructions before. Just was hoping to hear from someone with some first hand experience. I still have a 2003 SCrew I'm using for any towing. But thought it might be nice to use the Escape once in awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suncitybob Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 Can I put just a ball on The bumper of my 2010? AND HOW DOES THE PLASTIC COVER COME OFF, IS THERE A REAL BUMPER UNDER IT? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 No and no. Add an aftermarket hitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khyros Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 I've seen the instructions before. Just was hoping to hear from someone with some first hand experience. I still have a 2003 SCrew I'm using for any towing. But thought it might be nice to use the Escape once in awhile. I just installed a Curt receiver on my 2013 Escape this past weekend. I didn't bother with a wiring harness since it is for a bike rack (I got tired of always taking the front tires off and putting them on the roof). I specifically bought the Curt receiver since you don't see the cross bar at all, just the receiver. This did mean though that there was some additional work as I had to drop the muffler to install it. It wasn't particularly hard, it took me and the wife about an hour and a half to install it, but probably 30min of that was looking around for the right tools. From the best of recollection, it was basically: 1) Lift the Escape to provide additional clearance - though I'm not entirely sure that was necessary looking back at it. 10min 2) 2 bolts on both sides drops the exhaust hanger mount. The instructions tell you to remove the pin from the mount, but I didn't bother, which may have made it a bit harder to navigate the hitch into position. 5min 3) Cut off some of the heat shielding. I spent 10min effing around with trying to get the nut off of the driver side that had basically rusted through before just cutting it all in place. 20min total, but should have been 10min if I just went straight for the cutting. 4) Grind the hole in the frame slightly. I don't have a grinder and wasn't expecting this. I spent awhile trying to figure out what I was going to do before I finally settled on just using my Dremel as an adhoc grinder. With the right tools this shouldn't be more than 5-10min, but for me was probably more like 30min. 5) Fish 3 bolts through on either side. 5 min 6) Get the hitch into place. We struggled with this quite a bit. You have to slide it in from the passenger side on top of the muffler, which is fine until you get to the driver side "frame rail" (for a lack of a better term). The hitch mounts to the bottom and the outside of it, so you have to drop it ~6 inches from where it naturally wants to be. This requires a lot of finagling with the muffler and the hitch in order to get it into place. But otherwise it's pretty simple. It took us probably about 20min to figure out how to get it into place. 7) Secure the 6 bolts for the hitch 5min 8) Reinstall the exhaust hanger with new longer bolts 5min 9) Ensure everything looks good 2min 10) Torque everything 5min The sensor is still working, but really only in one specific spot. I have to kick right AT the sensor on the bumper. But hey - I have a target now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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