Johnrg2 Posted January 2, 2017 Report Share Posted January 2, 2017 My wife has a 2007 Edge 3.6 and No tow package. She wants a trailer to haul her horse. Trailer is around 2000 lbs and the horse is around 1200 lbs so 3200 total before adding riding gear. Trailer has breaks so I'll need to add a trailer break to her car. I am concerned that 3200+ is too much for this car, has anyone increased the tow capacity on their Edge? New/upgraded trans or rear? I would add a trans cooler and I've seen larger radiators and tow fans recommended to those are great additions but they don't increase the capacity, they just make the car more tow friendly. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 2, 2017 Report Share Posted January 2, 2017 First, it's brakes, not breaks. Sorry - huge pet peeve. Second, it's a 3.5L and the factory tow limit with the towing package is 3500 so you'd be real close. I think you'll be ok if you add the trans cooler and larger radiator. They don't increase the tow capacity but they'll prevent you from cooking the transmission. Might be smarter to find a used F150 or Explorer so you're not that close to the limit. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candurin Posted January 3, 2017 Report Share Posted January 3, 2017 (edited) Wow... I had no idea horses weigh over a half ton!!! Edited January 3, 2017 by candurin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma-2 Posted January 3, 2017 Report Share Posted January 3, 2017 Besides the limitations discussed above, there is also the frontal area considerations, to keep in mind. Ford states that the 2007 Ford Edge has a maximum limitation of 25 sq. ft. (Adding a transmission cooler is necessay as well as going with a Class 3 hitch). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnrg2 Posted January 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2017 First, it's brakes, not breaks. Sorry - huge pet peeve. Second, it's a 3.5L and the factory tow limit with the towing package is 3500 so you'd be real close. I think you'll be ok if you add the trans cooler and larger radiator. They don't increase the tow capacity but they'll prevent you from cooking the transmission. Might be smarter to find a used F150 or Explorer so you're not that close to the limit. So sorry on the brakes, I missed that one. I agree on the F150 or Explorer but she loves her Edge and hated my truck. Thanks for the help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnrg2 Posted January 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2017 Besides the limitations discussed above, there is also the frontal area considerations, to keep in mind. Ford states that the 2007 Ford Edge has a maximum limitation of 25 sq. ft. (Adding a transmission cooler is necessay as well as going with a Class 3 hitch). I hate to sound so uninformed but does frontal area consideration refer to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IWRBB Posted January 3, 2017 Report Share Posted January 3, 2017 (edited) You cannot increase the tow rating of any vehicle. It's determined by the manufacturer and cannot ever be changed. If you exceed it, you are opening yourself to liability in an accident. Edited January 3, 2017 by IWRBB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 3, 2017 Report Share Posted January 3, 2017 The front of the trailer. The bigger the frontal area the more wind resistance and the harder the tow vehicle has to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma-2 Posted January 3, 2017 Report Share Posted January 3, 2017 (edited) I'll attach a pdf of the Ford 07 towing guide. 07RVTTguideApr08.pdf Edited January 3, 2017 by enigma-2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnrg2 Posted January 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 You cannot increase the tow rating of any vehicle. It's determined by the manufacturer and cannot ever be changed. If you exceed it, you are opening yourself to liability in an accident. The towing guide shows that the 2007 Edge SEL may be able to tow up to 3500 lbs. How can I tell exactly what my Edge can tow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 12, 2017 Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 If you have the factory towing package you can tow 3500. Without it the limit is 2000. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnrg2 Posted January 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 If you have the factory towing package you can tow 3500. Without it the limit is 2000. We didn't buy it new, it doesn't have a tube hitch receiver so I should expect it does not have the tow package, correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 12, 2017 Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 If it didn't come with a hitch then it doesn't have the factory tow package. 2000 lbs. with an aftermarket hitch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnrg2 Posted January 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 If it didn't come with a hitch then it doesn't have the factory tow package. 2000 lbs. with an aftermarket hitch. Ok, if I add the bigger radiator and fans, the trans cooler and brake controller would that give me the capability to tow around 3500? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 Theoretically yes but the problem is you don't really know for sure if that's the only changes. E.g. there could be frame or drivetrain changes as well that you wouldn't have. Would be better if you could find a Ford engineer who could confirm that's all you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IWRBB Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 Ok, if I add the bigger radiator and fans, the trans cooler and brake controller would that give me the capability to tow around 3500? Physically, yes. Legally, no. Google GVWR, CGVWR, and payload. Understand what tongue weight is and that it counts as payload. You are limited by what numbers Ford assigned to the vehicle as it was delivered. Add anything you want, but those numbers will NEVER change. You could end up being sued if you are overloaded according to those numbers, despite any modifications to help improve things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 Excellent point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma-2 Posted January 14, 2017 Report Share Posted January 14, 2017 I checked the brochure on my 2009 MKX and it states that the class II tow package includes the hitch receiver, wiring harness with connector, engine oil cooler, upgraded cooling fans & larger radiator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
14AWD3.5 Posted August 26, 2022 Report Share Posted August 26, 2022 (edited) On 1/13/2017 at 9:14 AM, IWRBB said: Physically, yes. Legally, no. Google GVWR, CGVWR, and payload. Understand what tongue weight is and that it counts as payload. You are limited by what numbers Ford assigned to the vehicle as it was delivered. Add anything you want, but those numbers will NEVER change. You could end up being sued if you are overloaded according to those numbers, despite any modifications to help improve things. One poster’s pet peeve is the spelling of “brakes”. Mine is people saying that you can/will be sued if you are over gvw/gvwr/gcvwr…. The point is, you can be sued for anything, what really matters is will your liability insurance company defend you and pay any judgements. Having been a casualty/bodily injury claims adjuster for 9 years for a major company I can tell you that they do pay judgements (with the only caveat being you are using the vehicle as a weapon). We paid for drunks, we paid for ridiculously un-maintained vehicles, as long as we could determine that it was owner “stupidity” vs willful actions, we paid. We joked that if there was a “stupidity exclusion” we’d likely not have ever paid anything but that’s not the way contracts were written. So in summary, you can be sued if you have a wreck just because the claimant looked at a highway billboard from a lawyer, it doesn’t matter if you were “overloaded” or not. Edited August 26, 2022 by 14AWD3.5 Typo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLTEdge Posted August 27, 2022 Report Share Posted August 27, 2022 How often does she tow? If not much you could rent a pick up for a day or too. Not all have a hitch or allow towing, so you'd have to check that. Otherwise, get an older pick up just for home depot, landscape, towing... You can even insure some of them at Hagerty as a third car collectable. We had a third car, Mini Cooper Coupe and put it with them and it was very inexpensive since they know you have daily drivers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma-2 Posted August 28, 2022 Report Share Posted August 28, 2022 Not for nothing, this is a five year old thread and the OP has moved on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLTEdge Posted August 29, 2022 Report Share Posted August 29, 2022 Ha! Good catch. So much for clicking on unread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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