TrailManor Owner's Forum - View Single Post - Ford Flex w/ Tow package, a 3023 and 575 # tongue weight

03-01-2014, 10:57 PM

I have the Fastway e2 WDH FA92-00-0600 (etrailer.com) which is rated up to 6k and 600# tongue weight. It works admirably. I have bounced around on the 'net looking for upgrades to the Flex but, thus far, I have located nothing that I am confident in actually working. The trailer doesn't sag the car, two separate trailer places have looked at my hitch setup and say it is flat, doing its job, but both said my weak point is the weight on the hitch itself. I'm not sure how to beef that up on a unibody plaftorm like the Flex.

You hit it on the head about downgrading the trailer though. My CEO (ie. the wife) has, to quote her, "grown attached" to the 3023 which is code for "we aren't getting rid of it" :-) so I am keen to learn of upgrades to the Flex that could get me to almost 600 lbs on the tongue.

I have read, I believe, all of the towing forum comments and two camps emerged, the "it'll work even if one is over, just drive cautiously" camp and the "limits are put in place by engineers and you want a vehicle that will, ideally, give a buffer to those limits". The argument for the former is "as long as one drives carefully all is well" (presuming 575 lbs on my tongue will do no harm, I'm do not know if that is true or not on the Flex) and for the latter tis "might as well be safer than sorry, tow with excess capacity (versus on the edge) and you'll have a better experience". I think I'd be ok even if it was 490 lbs on a 450 lb weight but 575 is just so much over it scares me.

I was shocked at the tongue weight, is that normal for a 3023? It is about 18% of the total trailer weight.

Thanks again everyone!

03-01-2014, 10:57 PM	#5
Sauropod Guest Posts: n/a	I have the Fastway e2 WDH FA92-00-0600 (etrailer.com) which is rated up to 6k and 600# tongue weight. It works admirably. I have bounced around on the 'net looking for upgrades to the Flex but, thus far, I have located nothing that I am confident in actually working. The trailer doesn't sag the car, two separate trailer places have looked at my hitch setup and say it is flat, doing its job, but both said my weak point is the weight on the hitch itself. I'm not sure how to beef that up on a unibody plaftorm like the Flex. You hit it on the head about downgrading the trailer though. My CEO (ie. the wife) has, to quote her, "grown attached" to the 3023 which is code for "we aren't getting rid of it" :-) so I am keen to learn of upgrades to the Flex that could get me to almost 600 lbs on the tongue. I have read, I believe, all of the towing forum comments and two camps emerged, the "it'll work even if one is over, just drive cautiously" camp and the "limits are put in place by engineers and you want a vehicle that will, ideally, give a buffer to those limits". The argument for the former is "as long as one drives carefully all is well" (presuming 575 lbs on my tongue will do no harm, I'm do not know if that is true or not on the Flex) and for the latter tis "might as well be safer than sorry, tow with excess capacity (versus on the edge) and you'll have a better experience". I think I'd be ok even if it was 490 lbs on a 450 lb weight but 575 is just so much over it scares me. I was shocked at the tongue weight, is that normal for a 3023? It is about 18% of the total trailer weight. Thanks again everyone!