Recreational Towing (behind a motor home)

[Bill-N]

Bill-N,,,, Wab,, Thank you for the reply. I didn't know there was a plug in the back. I will used your suggestions and get an extension cord for the rear plug. Now I need to go find it :) . Thank you again

 

It's here:  http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/gallery/image/1176-carabiner-on-plastic-strip1/

[wab]

Bill-N,,,, Wab,, Thank you for the reply. I didn't know there was a plug in the back. I will used your suggestions and get an extension cord for the rear plug. Now I need to go find it :) . Thank you again

 

Here's the one we have.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pyle-PL12V1-Cigarette-Lighter-Port-Extension/17242489?action=product_interest&action_type=title&item_id=17242489&placement_id=irs-106-t1&strategy=PWVUB&visitor_id&category=&client_guid=263be560-b2ee-482f-8a0d-e42a48bd7915&customer_id_enc&config_id=106&parent_item_id=29029305&parent_anchor_item_id=29029305&guid=ee2f7999-99ce-4e89-a527-4b9c141bd8b0&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&beacon_version=1.0.1&findingMethod=p13n

It pulled apart once because of the spiral cable, our Patriot notified us that the battery was low.

Saved us from a dead 12v cmax battery.

 

Here's the one we should use.

http://www.amazon.com/RoadPro-RP-203EC-Extension-Cigarette-Lighter/dp/B000Z0HVHA/ref=sr_1_27?ie=UTF8&qid=1441107567&sr=8-27&keywords=12+volt

Edited September 1, 2015 by wab

[Woolyone]

I had mine connected to the tow plate as I did not want to hang from the grill without reinforcement.

I just bought a 2015 Energi and an RVI2 breaking system. What settings are you using. I have not towed as yet. The RVI book says one thing about Hybrids and the RVI tech service says that customers are using the Vacuum Brake settings as it has a dead pedal (breaking assist with the engine off).

[RedLdr1]

After reading this thread I went the tow dolly route.  We purchased an Acme "Eze-Tow" Dolly with surge hydraulic disc brakes.  While a flat tow has some advantages I did not want to modify our C-Max or deal with the dead battery issues.  I had enough dead batteries with our first C-Max!  :rant:

 

We tow our C-Max with a 2016 Forest River Sunseeker 2400W MBS.  In short that is a 24 foot Class C on a Sprinter 3500 chassis.  ;)    No issues to date other than as previously mentioned it can be a hassle moving the dolly around.  Since we don't take the C-Max on every trip that isn't a big issue for us.  And I can use the dolly to tow other vehicles if necessary.

 

Since some of our trip involve long distances and bad roads I wanted to have a spare tire for the C-Max.  To do so first I had a Curt trailer hitch installed on our C-Max.   I then added a MaxxTow Receiver Adapter 1-1/4" to 2" with a 4-1/2 inch rise to allow mounting a Curt Spare Tire Carrier.  A little more digging around and I found a used matching wheel.  A visit to a local tire shop for a new tire and I now have a easily removable, correctly sized spare tire installed on the C-Max. :)  A set of magnetic mount tow lights, and a magnetic "Vehicle In Tow" sign, and I'm Fifty state legal and also meet the Canadian requirements.  

Edited October 10, 2015 by RedLdr1

[fbov]

... mounting a Curt Spare Tire Carrier.  ...

Nice work; this is one spare option that actually works!

 

So here's the question... Did you need the 4.5" rise from the adapter? I have a 2" hitch and a set of snow tires...

 

Have fun,

Frank

[RedLdr1]

So here's the question... Did you need the 4.5" rise from the adapter? I have a 2" hitch and a set of snow tires...

 

 

Not all of the rise is required.   But since I'm using a dolly that effectively lowers the rear of my C-Max I like having it.  Since you have a 2" hitch I'd try the Spare Tire Carrier without any riser first.   You can always buy a riser, if needed, later....

[keeper]

I bought a 2015 c-max a couple of months ago as a primary vehicle and toad for my motorhome.  I'm using a Blue Ox base plate / tow bar and  also installed a toad charger.  After over 48 hours of towing both highway and city, I can report no problems - no starting problems, no wobble, or any other problems for that matter.  The longest single day tow was 9 hours straight and the car started without hesitation.   

 

I'll admit I was apprehensive about towing a c-max after reading some negative posts about this car as a toad but I can honestly say that it's a keeper for everyday use and towing behind my motorhome.  

 

 

[Salwolfe]

OK, I haven't read all of the threads, yet, but I'll go ahead with this.  We just got a used 2013 hybrid and are taking our first trip towing it four wheels down.  We experienced two cases of dead battery within 200 miles of towning after following the owner manual for how to set it up including the final step of putting the ignition into ACC mode (keyless system, punch the button once without a foot on the brake).  [Can anyone tell me why we need to go into ACC mode?].  Guess I'll install a battery charge system.  Now, my main question:  The odometer adds miles when the battery is charged, but apparently stopped recording miles once the battery dies.  Are your C-Maxes recording miles or not?  Don't really want to run the extended warranty down if I can find a way not to add miles while towing.  Would appreciate any advice.  Thanks. 

[wab]

Greetings Salwolfe

You will kill your battery without a charge wire from your MH.
Here's the one we use.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004RCXB8A?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00

Make sure you have 12v coming from your MH, you can get a cheep easy to use volt meter at auto supplies, walmart etc.

Check pg7 of this thread for for your runing odometer, the cmax should be off not in ACC, in neutral, parking brake off, unlocked and the fob in your MH.
http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/374-recreational-towing-behind-a-motor-home/page-7

[Salwolfe]

Wab, thanks for the help.  My owner's manual says to put the switch into Accessory mode, but I will simply turn it off and see what happens with the odometer.  OK on the 12v and I will look at the Amazon product or something similar to keep the battery charged up when towing.

[jmckinley]

OK, I haven't read all of the threads, yet, but I'll go ahead with this.  We just got a used 2013 hybrid and are taking our first trip towing it four wheels down.  We experienced two cases of dead battery within 200 miles of towning after following the owner manual for how to set it up including the final step of putting the ignition into ACC mode (keyless system, punch the button once without a foot on the brake).  [Can anyone tell me why we need to go into ACC mode?].  Guess I'll install a battery charge system.  Now, my main question:  The odometer adds miles when the battery is charged, but apparently stopped recording miles once the battery dies.  Are your C-Maxes recording miles or not?  Don't really want to run the extended warranty down if I can find a way not to add miles while towing.  Would appreciate any advice.  Thanks. 

 

You didn't really have it in the ACC mode.  You were in the run mode with the little green car lit up at the bottom of the speedometer.  That's the only way it will add miles when towing.  I'll bet you showed some fabulous MPGs on that tank though.

[Salwolfe]

JM, LOL.  Mileage was good.  My green light is not on when I depress the start button without foot on the brake, by the way.  But, this tow after turning the "engine" off after shifting to neutral, waiting for dash lights to go off, then exiting the CMax and towing, I showed no additional miles added on the odometer AND I stayed fully charged.  Gosh, didn't expect that after reading these threads.  Will continue to monitor this and see if that was a one-off occurrence or not.

[Instr-Tech]

Hello all, I thought I'd post an up-date to my "Death Wobble" post on March 22, 2015. Made the trip back south to Arizona in Oct. 2015 and had no wobble problems. On the trip back north to Oregon in Feb. 2016, the wobble occurred full force once where I had to come to a complete stop and a couple other times I was able to see the C-Max front tires starting to wobble (because I was turning left and I could see them in the mirror) and was able to slow and stop the progression of the wobble. So far it has only happed during left turns when on un-even pavement. Keeping the C-Max's tires at 45PSI seems to help.

 

I see in the Feb. edition of FMCA Magazine (page 36) that the new Jeep Cherokees have been having a "death wobble" problem also. Fiat Chrysler USA has announced a fix. The FCA statement said: " Under certain operating conditions, such as traveling excessively bumpy or poorly maintained roads, the flat-towed vehicle may not consistently track in line with the tow vehicle. "

 

The cause, according to the statement: "The vehicle's Electronic Power Steering (EPS) system is inactive while the vehicle is being flat-towed with the ignition in the "OFF" position. Accordingly, the vehicle does not benefit from the systems function." A Jeep official said the company knows of several dozen Cherokee owners who have experienced the problem. They will be contacted and FCA will "Provide a complimentary jumper wire harness and switch to ensure the vehicle's EPS system has power to function while it is being flat-towed."  "These components have been engineered and validated by FCA US LLC and will be made available to all customers though MOPAR as early as January 29th, 2016."

 

This makes me wonder. Do we need to leave the ignition "ON' when towing so the EPS is active, or is it active when in the "ACC" mode. I have an SEL with the push-button start and have a "Toad Charge" circuit to the C-Max, so running the battery down is not a concern.

 

How about it Ford Representatives? Any thoughts on the need to keep the EPS active when towing to eliminate the "death wobble" problem?

[plus 3 golfer]

...

 

This makes me wonder. Do we need to leave the ignition "ON' when towing so the EPS is active, or is it active when in the "ACC" mode. I have an SEL with the push-button start and have a "Toad Charge" circuit to the C-Max, so running the battery down is not a concern.

 

How about it Ford Representatives? Any thoughts on the need to keep the EPS active when towing to eliminate the "death wobble" problem?

 

 

Here's what the Service Manual says about the EPAS:

 

"To activate, the EPAS system needs to be connected to battery voltage at the hot at all times input and at the ignition/run input of the Power Steering Control Module. In addition, the system must communicate with other modules over the High Speed Controller Area Network (HS-CAN)." 

 

You can check Fuse F26 to see if it is hot in ACC mode as F26 supplies power to the PSCM.  I can't tell from the wiring diagram what position the ignition switch has to be in for the ignition relay to energize F26.

 

I'll look further at the HS-Can and ignition switch when I return.  It appears that all CAN  networks are hot at all times. Also, the rear window wiper is fed from the ignition relay contact that feeds F26.  I tested the rear wiper on my push button start SEL  In the "ON" mode, the rear wiper works (OFF, ON, and Ready to Drive modes with push button start).  But, there really is no ACC mode with the push button start ignition as there is with a keyed ignition.   The owner's manual says all circuits are operational in the "ON" mode.

Edited February 28, 2016 by Plus 3 Golfer

[Instr-Tech]

Thanks for the comments, Plus 3 Golfer. I did some seat-of-the-pants experiments today, coasting the C-Max down a hill with the ignition pushbutton in the "ON" position. (Push button once, no foot on brake). EPS was not active.

 

It only becomes active when in the "Drive" position. (Push button once with foot on brake, green "car" icon illuminates). I have to assume that it is not practical or safe to tow when in the "Drive" position just so the EPS is active, so I'm back to square one.

 

Maybe I'll try to contact Ford for their comments. Sure would be nice if they would engineer a fix to keep EPS active when towing as rapidly as Jeep has and make available to owners soon.

[plus 3 golfer]

Interesting.  Did your speedometer work when coasting in "ON"? because EPAS needs data from other modules like speed from the ABS module and ignition mode data from the BCM.  I wonder if one can communicate with the modules in ON.  I will try that later with ForScan when I return from golf.

 

In the "ON" position, I can scan modules with ForScan.  In the ON mode, the PSCM shows the ignition switch mode status as ON.  When I push the start button to turn the car off, the ignition switch mode changes to POST.  In the Ready to Drive mode, the status shows "running".  So, it does appear that the PSCM algorithm likely only activates EPAS when in Ready to Drive mode as your test indicates.  So, my guess is the "fix" will likely not be as simply as the Jeep fix but will require software updates perhaps to many modules.

Edited March 1, 2016 by Plus 3 Golfer

[Instr-Tech]

Thanks, P3G. I e-mailed Ford last night with my story and mentioned the Jeep fix. I'll post any reply I get (if I get one at all)

[Jayders]

We have a 2015 C-Max and plan to pull it behind our motor home on a tow dolly. Our owners manual is vague on the subject and so we went to the dealer just to find out if it is okay to do, if we need to do anything special before we tow it on a dolly, etc. but they couldnt seem to come up with an answer. Have any of you been pulling a 2015 C-Max Hybrid on a tow dolly? If so...is there anything a person needs to do to prepare it for being towed that way? Have you encountered any problems? We just want to make sure we don't get to where we are going and have a car that has problems because we didn't do it right. Thanks!

[dicko]

Do you guys ever bother to read the owner's manual?  The C-Max tows just fine and requires no special preparation.

     -Dick-

[jmckinley]

Direct from the Owner's Manual:

 

Recreational Towing

Note: Put your climate control system in

recirculated air mode to prevent exhaust

fumes from entering the vehicle. See

Climate Control (page 104).

Follow these guidelines if you have a need

for recreational (RV) towing. An example

of recreational towing would be towing

your vehicle behind a motorhome. We

designed these guidelines to prevent

damage to your transmission.

You can tow your vehicle with all four

wheels on the ground or with the front

wheels off the ground by using a tow dolly.

If you are using a tow dolly follow the

instructions specified by the equipment

provider.

 

What else would you need to see from Ford?

 

By the way, the instructions continue and provide the method for flat towing.  This car works great in flat towing.  I've towed mine over 20,000 miles with no problems.

[wab]

We have a 2015 C-Max and plan to pull it behind our motor home on a tow dolly. Our owners manual is vague on the subject and so we went to the dealer just to find out if it is okay to do, if we need to do anything special before we tow it on a dolly, etc. but they couldnt seem to come up with an answer. Have any of you been pulling a 2015 C-Max Hybrid on a tow dolly? If so...is there anything a person needs to do to prepare it for being towed that way? Have you encountered any problems? We just want to make sure we don't get to where we are going and have a car that has problems because we didn't do it right. Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UH... Greetings and Welcome Jayders

 

We used a tow dolly the first couple of trips for the cmax.

Nothing special just park it on the dolly JUST DO NOT set the parking brake.

Because the cmax is front wheel drive the back wheels are free wheeling if the parking brake is OFF!

 

#1 reason we bought (and still have ) the cmax was so we could tow it 4 wheel down, NO problems at all except chipmunks seem to like the wire I ran for the extra lights I added to the rear light housing.

[Craig]

Update on towing cmax behind motorhome, car now has 46000 miles, just replaced tires, which had very bad flat spots on them, the noise was terrible, I spoke to a blue

Ox rep. He confirmed the shaking problem, said the power steering needed to be on all the time, he said jeep had the same problem with the electric power steering.

We are pulling the car dead level. I have made sure there is no excess movement in the hitch attached to the motor home. We are using Airf Force One for a braking system and

It seem to work well.

We our leaving Fla for home in a couple of days and I hate to run a new set of tires.

I wonder if we could tow the car in the run position. So the electric power steering would be active.

Has anybody tried this?

Thanks

[kcwood]

Keeper, what braking system are you using for your Cmax?  REadybrake, BO Autostop or Patriot for something else?  If Readbrake or Autostop where did you put the cable hole thru firewall?  Would like to see picture if you have one. 

Thanks

Ken

[wab]

Update on towing cmax behind motorhome, car now has 46000 miles, just replaced tires, which had very bad flat spots on them, the noise was terrible, I spoke to a blue

Ox rep. He confirmed the shaking problem, said the power steering needed to be on all the time, he said jeep had the same problem with the electric power steering.

We are pulling the car dead level. I have made sure there is no excess movement in the hitch attached to the motor home. We are using Airf Force One for a braking system and

It seem to work well.

We our leaving Fla for home in a couple of days and I hate to run a new set of tires.

I wonder if we could tow the car in the run position. So the electric power steering would be active.

Has anybody tried this?

Thanks

 

A few people have accidently left their cmax in the "ON" position their odometer runs, not good for your warranty.

We have a little over 10K towed miles with no problems but I did have a 4 wheel alignment (it needed it).

You might want to get a 4 wheel alignment before towing in the on position. 

 

[kcwood]

Regarding the "tire wobble" issue. Seems like it is more prevalent with Blu Ox and not other vendors products? I just purchased a new CMax and looking at Blue Ox products. Are there any RVers experiencing tire wobble and not using Blue Ox products?