Good info from the manual, but Ford also certified the Escape for TOAD duty a couple years ago, probably with similar caveats about transmission lubrication, and a lot of folks got a lot of new transmissions. The "run the engine and shift the trans" advice means that parts of the transmission will tend to dry up and go lubeless.

Nothing like a good old stick shift vehicle for a TOAD, a transfer case that goes into a full neutral mode, or a dolly on a front wheel drive vehicle to ensure no problems over the long haul.

George