2012-2014 Ford Focus 4 wheels down tow ?

[Studiovette]

I am about to purchase a 2014 Ford Focus automatic to tow behind our 2018 GH 31FS. Is anyone towing a One with 4 wheels down?
Can you let me know your thoughts and what equipment you use, and the process you use. Remove battery cable , shift to neutral etc... it seems like the battery needs to be disconnected so what are you using for rear lights?

Price on equipment? Is installation pretty straight forward or should I have dealer do it ?

I found this info in the manual on Ford website.


Vehicles with an Automatic Transmission but No Push Button Start
System
Note: There must be battery power to properly move the transmission’s internal components to position N in Step 3. In addition, moving the gearshift to position N without first turning the ignition to the on (II) position limits the towing capability to 35 mph (56 km/h) and 50 miles (80 kilometers).
1. Release the parking brake.
2. Turn the ignition to the on (II) position.
3. Press the brake pedal, then move the gearshift to position N.
4. Wait for TRANSMISSION READY to appear in the multi-function
display, then turn the ignition to the off (0) position and release the
brake pedal.
5. Disconnect the negative (black) cable from the battery. (The
anti-theft system does not function until the battery cable is reconnected.) See Changing the vehicle battery in the Maintenance chapter when disconnecting and reconnecting the battery cable.
• The maximum towing speed is 70 mph (113 km/h).
• There is no limitation on towing distance.
When done towing, start the engine within 15 minutes of reconnecting the battery cable. When reconnecting that cable, tighten it until it is snug against the terminal. Be careful not to over-tighten.

TIA

[WinnieView]

Found these previous discussions hopefully they help;

2014 Ford Focus Battery disconnect - Page 2 - iRV2 Forums

2014 focus tow set up - iRV2 Forums

[Studiovette]

Originally Posted by WinnieView

Found these previous discussions hopefully they help;

2014 Ford Focus Battery disconnect - Page 2 - iRV2 Forums

2014 focus tow set up - iRV2 Forums

Thank you I'll chk it out!

[xmtraveler]

I tow from Redhawk a 2017 Ford Focus SE. The direction for setup on Ford on the 2017 are the same listed in other post. The tail and directional signals come from the wiring on the motorhome. In other words the power come from the chassis battery in motorhome. I have the Blue Ox tow equipment and when installed by the shop a cable was installed on baseplate for connection to hitch wiring on motorhome. Works great. Have towed across country east to west coast. The Focus is a light weight vehicle and sometimes I almost forget it behind me.

[Studiovette]

Thank you. Very helpful. Might reach out when I'm getting ready to set it up. Picking up the Focus tomorrow.

[xmtraveler]

I had the Blue Ox base plate and patriot braking for the Focus. You could probably do it yourself but for me it would have been a little too much to handle. The Focus is a subcompact and in order to install base plate I went into shop when baseplate was being installed and saw the installers had to remove the remove the entire front end of the car to access the connection points on chassis. To try and install without the removal of the front end would be extremely difficult because there is very little space to move around. It is so tight inside hood compartment. So installers said to do a good job one would need to have full access to make connections properly for safety.

[Jaytalk]

Originally Posted by xmtraveler

I had the Blue Ox base plate and patriot braking for the Focus. You could probably do it yourself but for me it would have been a little too much to handle. The Focus is a subcompact and in order to install base plate I went into shop when baseplate was being installed and saw the installers had to remove the remove the entire front end of the car to access the connection points on chassis. To try and install without the removal of the front end would be extremely difficult because there is very little space to move around. It is so tight inside hood compartment. So installers said to do a good job one would need to have full access to make connections properly for safety.

Who did or where did you get your base plate installed?