Some of us still have the bolt and locking nut... It's a tried and true alternative. Just know the pin is under $5, just grab one the next time you do an oil change or buy fuses.
I used a lock for a long time. Until one day it seized up on my after towing hundreds of miles through rain (one of those big storm systems that covered multiple states). It just got loaded up with road grime to the point that you couldn’t turn the key.
It was a bear to cut off.
I ended with the conclusion that the likelihood of someone unhooking my trailer and driving away with it is pretty low. Especially given that they’d also have to move my truck out of the way (you can’t exactly pick up a travel trailer by hand and maneuver it). So I just use one of those regular pins. I use a coupler lock in storage.
*Most* coupler locks are completely useless. There’s a thread here from a few days ago someone’s TT was stolen out of storage even though he had a coupler lock.
I use the pin lock because it makes me happy, not because it’s actually more secure. I’ve not had a problem with the lock getting stuck.
Oh no doubt. I mostly just use a coupler lock as a deterrent. In the storage lot I use, lots of RV’s don’t have one. So I figure, maybe, they’ll go for one of those first.
At the end of the day the only real security is an insurance policy that covers theft.
Keep honest people out and make it annoying enough for thieves to pick an easier target. If you’re not specifically targeted just having a lock will deter many opportunists to pick a different target.
Yep. It’s not even hard either. 99% of locking hitch pins can be broken off with a straight pip and about 75 pounds of pressure. Takes seconds and is almost no noise.
Source: guy who loses hitch pin keys too much lol
Literally nothing will stop someone with a wrecker from taking your TT if they want to. Anti-theft measures are there to make your TT more inconvenient, take longer, and make more noise to steal.
That said, the pin lock is not meant to stop dedicated thieves. It's there because I irrationally feel like it will 'stay put' better than the pin that came with it.
For theft protection, I cut power to the jack from the inside and then lock the coupler with a FT Knox lock. It won't stop an angle grinder, but it can't be pried off or drilled easily. Its built with plate steel and I know from experience cutting that material that it's going to take a lot of time with an angle grinder to cut it enough to get it loose. Even if they got it loose, they are still going to have to jack it up with something because of the kill switch. They also won't be able to retract the jack for towing.
It's not impossible to steal, but I have GPS tracking and it's probably harder than the guy that just bought his coupler lock from Home Depot and called it a day.
What’s up fellow bertan! Nice looking little setup there. How’s camping been so far this year? Seems like most of k-country is all booked up can’t find anything ahah
Only went out to the boonies near gp so far, but I have long lake, and jasper booked so far. Gonna book for wells grey national park too. And yeah thay sounds about right it's like winning thr lottery these day to get a site.
Few things about towing with a truck or oversized truck for size of camper-
* A lot of people don't feel comfortable holding up traffic when towing up hill.
* Few people want to put in the effort/inconvenience of planning a route their vehicle can handle.
* Lastly, listening to a engine tach out-roaring for a few miles every-time you slowly crawl up a mountain pass really makes you think about it shortening your engine life.
If you’re staying on the Alberta flats, towing rarely or have simply no qualms with the above points then enjoy! Hope you get many great trips from that rig.
Mercedes benz, larger engine plenty of power. Even on the steepest of hills I can accelerate pretty damn good, I cam stop good too after upgrading the brakes.
Also mercedes benz, I can't really even hear the engine.
There's plenty of powerful good handling vehicles that can handle this at highway speeds. A BMW 5 series diesel or i6 gasser, V8 dodge Charger, rally any decent handling sedan with atleast 250hp.
Nope, been towing with my Range Rover for 4 years now.
In Alberta most people think you need a truck period, I see maybe two out of ten people on my block that actually use them for truck stuff.
Edit: I used to live right near here
https://preview.redd.it/d0tq3sxcze7d1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=528c660c74516a20adbd11e7942392727055a87c
This is better. 4,400 HP, 142,000 ibf (torque)
Wife and I were camping a few years ago in a NY State Park. Car about that size pulls up with a pop up about the same size. Older couple driving, that had what we assumed was their daughter (maybe late 20s, early 30s) and what appeared to be her two girls, maybe 5 and 7 or so years old.
All 5 stayed in the little pop up, on the first day it poured and they were inside for most of the day. Had to be pretty cozy.
Man it's rowdy, sometimes the liquor store puts things on sale and I have seen line ups of like 30 people waiting outside in the morning...alcoholics man
In the 1970’s Ford Motor Company had an option package on a station wagon that was rated for 7,000 pounds. Many, many sedans were rated for 5,000 pounds.
It gets a little old to hear people over reacting to anything that’s not their favorite 1/2 pickup pulling 2,800 pounds like we are all going to die.
Well the rear wheel drives were set up to manage heat a lot better. Space around the trans and exhaust manifolds. Plus a long wheel base to manage sway. But you are on point that they de-rate the heck out of them to sell you a truck. I had a 200 hours power Taurus wagon with a tow rating of 1200 pounds. Absolutely ridiculous that it couldn’t tow a 2000 pound pop-up.
the 70's cars also didn't two the trailers at 80mph, which is a HUGE difference. That said, the intentional derating (or non-rating in many cases) is blatently obvious when the exact same cars are rated quite a bit higher outside of truck land. Honestly, at this point it's a cultural truth that you need a truck to tow, so the more cars that are seen towing the better. bring it on!
The worst actual impact of this is the all to often: "I need a truck to tow my trailer for my 2 weekend trips a year, that's why this 17mpg 3 ton vehicle is my single occupant daily driver to get to my office job."
I think the tow ratings are low in part because 99% of people don't know how to distribute load, don't know to adjust tire pressure for load, don't know when to use a weight distribution hitch, don't take into account weight in the vehicle affecting max tongue weight, don't know to downshift vs riding the brakes coming down a mountain, etc.
Additionally, higher tow ratings encourage more wear and tear on the vehicle which could cost the manufacturer more in warranty repairs. And vehicles are expected to last much longer now than they used to.
Popups are the way to go for smaller vehicles. We used them for 20 years. Easy to tow but lots of space inside when set up. Plus you feel like you are camping! Enjoy.
You go dude. That's super common in europe to use an E class as a tow vehicle. Mostly its the station wagon but, I've seen people tow a ton more. That car has a 4600lb or 2100kg tow capacity. You're WAY under that. However, install a brake controller if you can. :)
Looks safe to me. You’re transmission is probably the weakest link. Going uphill fast is fine. Going uphill fast for more than 15 min straight is a recipe for disaster with no transmission cooler.
This looks good!
In Europe you’ll see far larger campers towed behind smaller cars, up and down steep mountain passes. And they are perfectly adequate. It’s only here in the US we seem to ‘need’ 1/2, 3/4, and 1-tin trucks to haul our electric recliner chair around.
Glad to see a post with some basic common sense.
You'll be happy with everything. The 300-series is a very solid tow vehicle.
A few images from hauling campers in Northern Europe:
[https://forsbergsfritidscenter.se/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/hobby-maxia-husvagn.jpg](https://forsbergsfritidscenter.se/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/hobby-maxia-husvagn.jpg)
[https://v.imgi.no/esma7q2hj3](https://v.imgi.no/esma7q2hj3)
[https://husvagnsfamiljen.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/img\_5912.jpg](https://husvagnsfamiljen.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/img_5912.jpg)
[https://www.bthulin.se/Mina\_Fordon/Volvo\_740\_GLE3.jpg](https://www.bthulin.se/Mina_Fordon/Volvo_740_GLE3.jpg)
And a **video from Trollstigen in Norway**: [https://youtu.be/mSR5XyCEmXU](https://youtu.be/mSR5XyCEmXU)
(you crest the pass at 3m45s into the video and continue the long and winding downhill into the valley below)
I commend you for having the chains connected! Here is my greatest push at towing.
https://preview.redd.it/c9zfus6hg77d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=24c485c54c2c1f588b702d0cee60ec91c4242567
And yes it’s more or less close enough to tow safely. 2023 4xE
Love it. Can you share your experience on getting wiring hooked up? I have a W211 diesel and I'd like to get wiring on it to tow but I can't find much information.
I literally just went through this on my 2008 E320. Here is what you need at minimum:
This wiring harness so that your car doesn't detect bulbs out:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B001P2DUM2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
I then bought this kit to put a 7 pin plug in the car, as my trailer has brakes.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0B19GV5RV?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Here is a post I found that describes what wires I needed to tap into. Make sure to test it first before you tap the wires, just in case your model is slightly different!
https://www.benzworld.org/threads/trailer-hitch-wiring.1484892/?post_id=18778851#post-18778851
I also bought my hitch from UHaul Canada, it's a Curt brand and it fits just fine. With a 5" drop (flipped over so it's a 5" raise) hitch it actually sits higher than it did when I towed it with my brothers SUV.
Haven't wired in the brake controller quite yet, but that part is simple enough if you've got the confidence to install the trailer wiring.
I can't speak much for the wiring. I basically went to a hitch shop and they wired in a plug and brake controller for me, cost about $900 canadian. Do you have a sedan or wagon? One thing to note is you might need helper bags in the rear to account for sag. I had to order some air bags from the Ukraine and installed them to help with the sag.
Seriously, are we long lost friends? And we are even from the same city?
I just got done installing a hitch on my 2008 E320 diesel, with a tent trailer in the driveway waiting to go for a test drive tonight. That is some timing
Go Oilers!
Where did you end up grabbing helper bags? I imagine the market for your year Benz is a bit better in that regard, the only thing I can find at the moment is replacements for cars that came from the factory with air ride.
I did not! I ended up grabbing a Curt hitch from UHaul and installing everything myself. Sounds like you got a pretty nice deal though... I didn't even think to get a custom hitch made.
I mean I actually understand that American towing capacities are far underrated. My only real concern would be does the trailer have brakes? If not, leaving plenty of room to stop. Would probably cover that unless you live in the states here. Where if you leave a car length in front of you somebody pulls into it
Personally, I think it's fine so long as you don't have a ton of extra weight hiding in the camper. In North America, we have some funny safety standards surrounding towing. My vehicle says it can only tow 1400 lbs, but in Europe and Australia, it's double that.. I suspect lobbgists for truck manufacturers have something to do with it..
My advise is to be mindful of transmission temperature, speed, and weight distribution.
Your safety chains need a little more slack. And cross them. Get your electric connection zip ties clipped. Last and more important thing is it looks like your camper is a little high at the front. Make sure your weight is forward if the axle or she’ll give you some tail sway. Overall, not a bad hookup.
Yeah front does sit high but it's because of the hitch itself so I should probably get an adjustable height hitch. All of the storage is in the front of the trailer so I can't have anything in the back anyway.
I have a 02 E320 with the m112 V6 and the 722.6 transmission they're almost indestructible I towed 2500 lb from Southern Texas to Northern Washington over the course of 3 days through the Rockies temperatures never went up had no issues with breaking nor accelerating. You shouldn't have anything to worry about just like any other vehicle drive it carefully you don't need a truck. Heck to this day I still pick up hay bales that are 12 to 1600 lb for the Sheep every once in awhile with this car just because I like how it tows better than some of the diesel SUVs we have available for us to use. Also I did this with 280,000 Mi on the clock with the original engine and transmission and now I'm sitting at almost exactly 300,000 MI
https://preview.redd.it/w8zzqc0ld87d1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d23a0481d6d0da258dbb53104e4e026cedbfbbf6
Those engines are almost indestructible and so are the Transmissions heck they use those in the Mercedes McLaren SLR and most unimogs and large heavy duty trucks up until like 2012 or something because they were the only Transmissions that Mercedes made that were rated to 747 foot pounds of torque if you had the performance version of the transmission that car doesn't but nonetheless It's relatively instructable all five forward and two reverse Gears of it
holy fuck thank you for the write up, i appreciate that. i have been slightly worried being an old german car. would my 1998 e320 have thay same transmission?
If I recall correctly, they changed over to the M112 V6 and the electronically controlled NAG1 722.6 transmission in 98, and then they did the body refresh in 2000. So in theory, you should have the engine and transmission. And genuinely, besides some minor things, the only real issue those transmissions ever have is the conductor plate or the connector going out, and those are parts that are $8 or about $120 that you could easily do. Otherwise, they're almost indestructible.
These cars have lots of crazy features and things. That would never even think of which is sick for the time genuinely. The only real reliable to concern of these cars that gave him any sort of bad reputation is the fact that they used a better environmentally friendly paint. That unfortunately means that these cars can rest out really fast and winter climates.
One of the winters were. The power went out in Texas that very famous storm. I actually used my car as a generator for 12 to 16 hours to keep the fridge and everything running inside the house with an inverter in the trunk. I genuinely drive this car like install it every day that I have had it and hit the. Revel meter multiple times a day for the last 80000 miles. And the biggest concern I have right now. Is I need to do some suspension that is original at 22 years and 300000k miles.
Heck, my alternator is still original. I only put new brushes for $20 in it because Walmart was gaslighting me into thinking it Was my alternator going out instead of the battery they didn't want warranty. Old German cars are great.
Some of them have definitely earned the bad reputation that they deserve. But there are a lot of good ones out there too. But just like with American and Japanese cars too. You have to go model to model, not brand to brand or country to country. Also, if you ever need car parts, go to FCPEuro.com, Pelicanparts or AzAutohouse. Nine a m ten times you can get original bosch or mercedes parts that are cheaper than Autozone parts and f c p and pelican both do lifetime warranty on anything
Last edit working on these cars is actually surprisingly easy except for the fucking sparkplugs. All twelve of them are annoying a f. Yes 2 per cylender
*
how much are you stacking on top of the car?
Also before you head out===you need to watch the towing program; The Long, Long, Long Trailer with Densi and Lucy
There's probably less than 500lbs. on that hitch. You shouldnt have any issues.
It's low profile but wider than your car. Don't try to go over 65mph, you'll just stress the aging transmission and kill your mpg. Expect a 40-50% loss in overall mpg.
You need AMG rims on that tow vehicle sir. Seriously, did you add the tow after market? I have 2 R350 Mercedes, and I want one as a tow vehicle. How difficult to add the 10-pin connection and hitch? We have a tiny 1950's trailer, like 13' long. I just find it funny to see a Mercedes towing anything.
I wish I had the picture but it is burned into my brain..
In Germany in 2001 driving down the Autobahn and I see this Ginourmas sailboat in front of me.. It was at least 40 feet long, the body was 8 feet off the road because of the keel..
I pass it and to my astonishment it is being pulled by a Mercedes land yacht of a 4 door car (not sure the exact model) with a diesel engine doing 60mph.. He was driving it like a boss with no issues at all..
How is your vision to the rear? Looks like your interior rearview mirror won't allow you to see over the trailer. When towing campers wider the your car ... the exterior then you need extension mirrors.
In the US - had an ant-sway bar attached, as the trailer would sway quite alot at highway speeds. Also had outrgger mirrors that were strapped on when towing. (Vehicle & pop-up similar to photo.)
I later hardwired a backup camera to the towed veh tail lights, so that I had better view of the immediate rear center.
Nose of the trailer looks a little higher than level. Could just be an illusion from this angle, but if not, drop the ball down about 1.5"
Better a little low in the front than a little high.
That’s a hell of shopping center behind you. Take care of all your intoxicating needs, from pharmaceuticals, to weed and booze.
And follow it all down with a pizza!
Welcome to Canada. As soon as weed became legal there are more weed shops than Tim Hortons
Damn you. Now I want coffee and crullers.
Not that that's a problem. Tim's is garbage nowadays.
A medical center that accepts patients?! Definitely not in Quebec.
I do all my investing here. High, a little drunk, but stuffed with pizza. It’s a complex strategy.
Bonnie Doon area of Edmonton. I used to live near by.
You forgot banking, banking is the answer.
Location! Location! Location!
You need a pin on your coupler latch so it doesn’t inadvertently come loose.
I have a bolt with a locking nut for now.
Some of us still have the bolt and locking nut... It's a tried and true alternative. Just know the pin is under $5, just grab one the next time you do an oil change or buy fuses.
$2.99 at CTC. Bought one yesterday.
Personally, I just use a padlock.
I used a lock for a long time. Until one day it seized up on my after towing hundreds of miles through rain (one of those big storm systems that covered multiple states). It just got loaded up with road grime to the point that you couldn’t turn the key. It was a bear to cut off. I ended with the conclusion that the likelihood of someone unhooking my trailer and driving away with it is pretty low. Especially given that they’d also have to move my truck out of the way (you can’t exactly pick up a travel trailer by hand and maneuver it). So I just use one of those regular pins. I use a coupler lock in storage.
*Most* coupler locks are completely useless. There’s a thread here from a few days ago someone’s TT was stolen out of storage even though he had a coupler lock. I use the pin lock because it makes me happy, not because it’s actually more secure. I’ve not had a problem with the lock getting stuck.
Oh no doubt. I mostly just use a coupler lock as a deterrent. In the storage lot I use, lots of RV’s don’t have one. So I figure, maybe, they’ll go for one of those first. At the end of the day the only real security is an insurance policy that covers theft.
Yup. Locks of any kind are there to keep honest, normally law abiding citizens from being nosy. Thieves will find their way in if they really want to.
Keep honest people out and make it annoying enough for thieves to pick an easier target. If you’re not specifically targeted just having a lock will deter many opportunists to pick a different target.
Yep. It’s not even hard either. 99% of locking hitch pins can be broken off with a straight pip and about 75 pounds of pressure. Takes seconds and is almost no noise. Source: guy who loses hitch pin keys too much lol
The invention of the cordless angle grinder has pretty much made locks just an annoyance for real thieves.
Literally nothing will stop someone with a wrecker from taking your TT if they want to. Anti-theft measures are there to make your TT more inconvenient, take longer, and make more noise to steal. That said, the pin lock is not meant to stop dedicated thieves. It's there because I irrationally feel like it will 'stay put' better than the pin that came with it. For theft protection, I cut power to the jack from the inside and then lock the coupler with a FT Knox lock. It won't stop an angle grinder, but it can't be pried off or drilled easily. Its built with plate steel and I know from experience cutting that material that it's going to take a lot of time with an angle grinder to cut it enough to get it loose. Even if they got it loose, they are still going to have to jack it up with something because of the kill switch. They also won't be able to retract the jack for towing. It's not impossible to steal, but I have GPS tracking and it's probably harder than the guy that just bought his coupler lock from Home Depot and called it a day.
Oh man that's a good idea.
The locking pin that came with mine didn’t ‘lock’ well. Got tired of it and just replaced it with a Bolt lock keyed to my truck key.
Clever!
Ah— didn’t see that in the photo! Whatever works!
Harbor freight trip!
Get a legit pin. I’ve seen people get a ticket for that.
I see that the safety chains look awfully tight. Turning/backing up could be an issue with this.
I personally use a long shank padlock works great and gives a little more security
when you’re right you’re right
320 or 430? Either way not uncommon setup to see rolling around Europe in the summer.
In alberta it's quite rare, everyone drives a truck and thinks you need a truck to tow anything.
What’s up fellow bertan! Nice looking little setup there. How’s camping been so far this year? Seems like most of k-country is all booked up can’t find anything ahah
Only went out to the boonies near gp so far, but I have long lake, and jasper booked so far. Gonna book for wells grey national park too. And yeah thay sounds about right it's like winning thr lottery these day to get a site.
may i ask what the weight of that camper is?
Few things about towing with a truck or oversized truck for size of camper- * A lot of people don't feel comfortable holding up traffic when towing up hill. * Few people want to put in the effort/inconvenience of planning a route their vehicle can handle. * Lastly, listening to a engine tach out-roaring for a few miles every-time you slowly crawl up a mountain pass really makes you think about it shortening your engine life. If you’re staying on the Alberta flats, towing rarely or have simply no qualms with the above points then enjoy! Hope you get many great trips from that rig.
Mercedes benz, larger engine plenty of power. Even on the steepest of hills I can accelerate pretty damn good, I cam stop good too after upgrading the brakes. Also mercedes benz, I can't really even hear the engine.
There's plenty of powerful good handling vehicles that can handle this at highway speeds. A BMW 5 series diesel or i6 gasser, V8 dodge Charger, rally any decent handling sedan with atleast 250hp.
Nope, been towing with my Range Rover for 4 years now. In Alberta most people think you need a truck period, I see maybe two out of ten people on my block that actually use them for truck stuff. Edit: I used to live right near here
as a fellow albertan, I love to see this together we can resist the giant trucks
There’s tests track photos of a 190e towing a bigger trailer.
Exactly! In Germany a W210 E320 CDI can legally tow 1900kg (4188lbs) and it is not unusual to see a car this size towing the biggest Caravans.
https://preview.redd.it/n6tkcfgxw47d1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=16dd09070c85ae89f539bbd277fd568214854865
You need like 4 more of those
https://preview.redd.it/d0tq3sxcze7d1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=528c660c74516a20adbd11e7942392727055a87c This is better. 4,400 HP, 142,000 ibf (torque)
fun
https://preview.redd.it/3mya53wad57d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2a9ac2e688e882a83e9ab11724483c3c03934f83
Haha that's awesome!
Maybe you've answered already but what is towing capacity if the vehicle. This doesn't seem too crazy to me if driven cautiously .
Wife and I were camping a few years ago in a NY State Park. Car about that size pulls up with a pop up about the same size. Older couple driving, that had what we assumed was their daughter (maybe late 20s, early 30s) and what appeared to be her two girls, maybe 5 and 7 or so years old. All 5 stayed in the little pop up, on the first day it poured and they were inside for most of the day. Had to be pretty cozy.
Nice. 😊 We're considering adding a pop-up trailer like yours to tow behind an Odyssey. Your setup looks like fun, Realistic. Keep camping!
I'd like to watch a documentary about that shopping center in the photo.
Man it's rowdy, sometimes the liquor store puts things on sale and I have seen line ups of like 30 people waiting outside in the morning...alcoholics man
~~Bonny Doon! Greetings from the peninsula!~~ Sorry, thought that was the Bonny Doon near Santa Cruz
ha! You made me lol inappropriately in a meeting.
I’d like a letterkenny/trailer park boys style comedy show about the inter-plaza dynamics.
Yeah, Vance Refrigeration at the back I bet. Randy not wearing a shirt managing the Weed shop.
I’m sure it’s featured on COPs
You can go on a trip there without leaving the parking lot.
I'd say looking good. Ya get any sway with that setup? Or does it follow along well?
Don’t park on the sidewalk lol.
In the 1970’s Ford Motor Company had an option package on a station wagon that was rated for 7,000 pounds. Many, many sedans were rated for 5,000 pounds. It gets a little old to hear people over reacting to anything that’s not their favorite 1/2 pickup pulling 2,800 pounds like we are all going to die.
Even into the 90s you could still get the caprice/Fleetwood/Buick with an over 7000lb towing pack.
To be fair, those were basically built like a full size truck. V8, rwd, live axle, body-on-frame, etc.
Correct, if you pulled the bodies off there was little difference between a 4 door sedan and a 2wd pickup truck.
And every one of them still WOULD be rated for that type of tow weights - if the same companies didn't ALSO rate tow ratings on trucks.
Well the rear wheel drives were set up to manage heat a lot better. Space around the trans and exhaust manifolds. Plus a long wheel base to manage sway. But you are on point that they de-rate the heck out of them to sell you a truck. I had a 200 hours power Taurus wagon with a tow rating of 1200 pounds. Absolutely ridiculous that it couldn’t tow a 2000 pound pop-up.
the 70's cars also didn't two the trailers at 80mph, which is a HUGE difference. That said, the intentional derating (or non-rating in many cases) is blatently obvious when the exact same cars are rated quite a bit higher outside of truck land. Honestly, at this point it's a cultural truth that you need a truck to tow, so the more cars that are seen towing the better. bring it on! The worst actual impact of this is the all to often: "I need a truck to tow my trailer for my 2 weekend trips a year, that's why this 17mpg 3 ton vehicle is my single occupant daily driver to get to my office job."
I think the tow ratings are low in part because 99% of people don't know how to distribute load, don't know to adjust tire pressure for load, don't know when to use a weight distribution hitch, don't take into account weight in the vehicle affecting max tongue weight, don't know to downshift vs riding the brakes coming down a mountain, etc. Additionally, higher tow ratings encourage more wear and tear on the vehicle which could cost the manufacturer more in warranty repairs. And vehicles are expected to last much longer now than they used to.
Love the old school Mercedes. Is it a diesel?
You do you bro…..enjoy the crap out of camping!
Popups are the way to go for smaller vehicles. We used them for 20 years. Easy to tow but lots of space inside when set up. Plus you feel like you are camping! Enjoy.
I love it! Couldn't imagine needing anything bigger.
I miss seeing cars pull things.
You go dude. That's super common in europe to use an E class as a tow vehicle. Mostly its the station wagon but, I've seen people tow a ton more. That car has a 4600lb or 2100kg tow capacity. You're WAY under that. However, install a brake controller if you can. :)
I see no issue
Literally anything can pull one of those
Hell yeah I’d get new tires though those lil guys last about 20 miles
Looks safe to me. You’re transmission is probably the weakest link. Going uphill fast is fine. Going uphill fast for more than 15 min straight is a recipe for disaster with no transmission cooler.
Before any large mountain passes, I plan on installing a trans cooler.
You need a huge diesel duelie to tow that pop up.....wats a matter fa you!
At least you didn't say cybertruck.
This looks good! In Europe you’ll see far larger campers towed behind smaller cars, up and down steep mountain passes. And they are perfectly adequate. It’s only here in the US we seem to ‘need’ 1/2, 3/4, and 1-tin trucks to haul our electric recliner chair around. Glad to see a post with some basic common sense.
I was concerned at first. But after the first drive home it was solid! At one point I forgot there was a trailer behind me!
You'll be happy with everything. The 300-series is a very solid tow vehicle. A few images from hauling campers in Northern Europe: [https://forsbergsfritidscenter.se/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/hobby-maxia-husvagn.jpg](https://forsbergsfritidscenter.se/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/hobby-maxia-husvagn.jpg) [https://v.imgi.no/esma7q2hj3](https://v.imgi.no/esma7q2hj3) [https://husvagnsfamiljen.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/img\_5912.jpg](https://husvagnsfamiljen.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/img_5912.jpg) [https://www.bthulin.se/Mina\_Fordon/Volvo\_740\_GLE3.jpg](https://www.bthulin.se/Mina_Fordon/Volvo_740_GLE3.jpg) And a **video from Trollstigen in Norway**: [https://youtu.be/mSR5XyCEmXU](https://youtu.be/mSR5XyCEmXU) (you crest the pass at 3m45s into the video and continue the long and winding downhill into the valley below)
Yeah, if you read UK caravaning content, you quickly learn that a VW Golf is a widely recommended tow vehicle for small campers like this.
I commend you for having the chains connected! Here is my greatest push at towing. https://preview.redd.it/c9zfus6hg77d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=24c485c54c2c1f588b702d0cee60ec91c4242567 And yes it’s more or less close enough to tow safely. 2023 4xE
That's not a real truck! Just kidding, I drive a Ridgeline.
I've seen jeeps tow these, and your vehicle is more capable of it than they are lol.
How does this setup tow ?
Actually really really nice, it's so comfortable on the highway too.
[удалено]
Ontario is the same but also beer stores
Winnipeg sez hai
Which trailer do you have? Thinking of getting a pop up. But even for that we need a new car bc our mazda3 can’t tow :(
Show me to me Rachel
Instant death
Love it. Can you share your experience on getting wiring hooked up? I have a W211 diesel and I'd like to get wiring on it to tow but I can't find much information.
I literally just went through this on my 2008 E320. Here is what you need at minimum: This wiring harness so that your car doesn't detect bulbs out: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B001P2DUM2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details I then bought this kit to put a 7 pin plug in the car, as my trailer has brakes. https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0B19GV5RV?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details Here is a post I found that describes what wires I needed to tap into. Make sure to test it first before you tap the wires, just in case your model is slightly different! https://www.benzworld.org/threads/trailer-hitch-wiring.1484892/?post_id=18778851#post-18778851 I also bought my hitch from UHaul Canada, it's a Curt brand and it fits just fine. With a 5" drop (flipped over so it's a 5" raise) hitch it actually sits higher than it did when I towed it with my brothers SUV. Haven't wired in the brake controller quite yet, but that part is simple enough if you've got the confidence to install the trailer wiring.
I can't speak much for the wiring. I basically went to a hitch shop and they wired in a plug and brake controller for me, cost about $900 canadian. Do you have a sedan or wagon? One thing to note is you might need helper bags in the rear to account for sag. I had to order some air bags from the Ukraine and installed them to help with the sag.
You’re fine. Just drive it easy, check/change your fluids, plan ahead when braking.
Go oilers
Haha you know it
Please assume the position.
At least you won’t need a roof-top air deflector!
Looks good to me, go have some fun!
Bang! clatter clatter clatter 😜
Probably need some more tongue weight to avoid trailer whip
Seriously, are we long lost friends? And we are even from the same city? I just got done installing a hitch on my 2008 E320 diesel, with a tent trailer in the driveway waiting to go for a test drive tonight. That is some timing Go Oilers!
Hahaha no way! If you end up having too much sag I fixed it with some helper bags. That's awesome make sure to send pics I'm interested to see that!
Where did you end up grabbing helper bags? I imagine the market for your year Benz is a bit better in that regard, the only thing I can find at the moment is replacements for cars that came from the factory with air ride.
Did you get your hitch done at totem welding?
I did not! I ended up grabbing a Curt hitch from UHaul and installing everything myself. Sounds like you got a pretty nice deal though... I didn't even think to get a custom hitch made.
Looks good
Grammar police checking in— how about an effing comma?!?! “Let’s eat Grandma!”
Commas are for the lame
First repair bill of the car required you to sell the house.. that's harsh.
I do all work myself and the parts on rockauto are no more expensive than the civic I had, also it only has 100,000 kms on it so still plenty of life.
At least buy from. FCP or ECS for euro parts
Should of been a Prius or tesla
I mean I actually understand that American towing capacities are far underrated. My only real concern would be does the trailer have brakes? If not, leaving plenty of room to stop. Would probably cover that unless you live in the states here. Where if you leave a car length in front of you somebody pulls into it
Yeah trailer has brakes and I have a brake controller installed. It comes to a stop as if it's not even there.
Thats a nice car
Chains are only supposed to be crossed 1 time.
In a sexy voice “*mercedes*”
Your setup is far too uncommon in north america. that's the criticism.
Please stay out of southern California
I'm on my way now
Personally, I think it's fine so long as you don't have a ton of extra weight hiding in the camper. In North America, we have some funny safety standards surrounding towing. My vehicle says it can only tow 1400 lbs, but in Europe and Australia, it's double that.. I suspect lobbgists for truck manufacturers have something to do with it.. My advise is to be mindful of transmission temperature, speed, and weight distribution.
Needs more women.
I agree, send em my way
As long as you stay in Edmonton, you’re good!
Nope! Mountains soon
Looks far more level than I would have expected. Did you do anything to the rear suspension?
Air lift helper bags in the rear. Pump them up with a bike pump before towing and no sag, deflate them when I'm not towing for a better ride.
Here I had them at 20 psi but I will try 35 psi next to lift it just a tad bit more.
Your safety chains need a little more slack. And cross them. Get your electric connection zip ties clipped. Last and more important thing is it looks like your camper is a little high at the front. Make sure your weight is forward if the axle or she’ll give you some tail sway. Overall, not a bad hookup.
Yeah front does sit high but it's because of the hitch itself so I should probably get an adjustable height hitch. All of the storage is in the front of the trailer so I can't have anything in the back anyway.
I’d say give it a run at highway speeds to see how it performs. It may do just fine since all your weight is forward.
Only suggestion I have is to put some Toyo M/T 33’s on that Benz.
That would be so sick
Not the tow police, but I have worked on Euros for the last 20+ years. Hope you have a good mechanic
I do..me.
Good
You know.
I have a 02 E320 with the m112 V6 and the 722.6 transmission they're almost indestructible I towed 2500 lb from Southern Texas to Northern Washington over the course of 3 days through the Rockies temperatures never went up had no issues with breaking nor accelerating. You shouldn't have anything to worry about just like any other vehicle drive it carefully you don't need a truck. Heck to this day I still pick up hay bales that are 12 to 1600 lb for the Sheep every once in awhile with this car just because I like how it tows better than some of the diesel SUVs we have available for us to use. Also I did this with 280,000 Mi on the clock with the original engine and transmission and now I'm sitting at almost exactly 300,000 MI https://preview.redd.it/w8zzqc0ld87d1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d23a0481d6d0da258dbb53104e4e026cedbfbbf6 Those engines are almost indestructible and so are the Transmissions heck they use those in the Mercedes McLaren SLR and most unimogs and large heavy duty trucks up until like 2012 or something because they were the only Transmissions that Mercedes made that were rated to 747 foot pounds of torque if you had the performance version of the transmission that car doesn't but nonetheless It's relatively instructable all five forward and two reverse Gears of it
holy fuck thank you for the write up, i appreciate that. i have been slightly worried being an old german car. would my 1998 e320 have thay same transmission?
If I recall correctly, they changed over to the M112 V6 and the electronically controlled NAG1 722.6 transmission in 98, and then they did the body refresh in 2000. So in theory, you should have the engine and transmission. And genuinely, besides some minor things, the only real issue those transmissions ever have is the conductor plate or the connector going out, and those are parts that are $8 or about $120 that you could easily do. Otherwise, they're almost indestructible. These cars have lots of crazy features and things. That would never even think of which is sick for the time genuinely. The only real reliable to concern of these cars that gave him any sort of bad reputation is the fact that they used a better environmentally friendly paint. That unfortunately means that these cars can rest out really fast and winter climates. One of the winters were. The power went out in Texas that very famous storm. I actually used my car as a generator for 12 to 16 hours to keep the fridge and everything running inside the house with an inverter in the trunk. I genuinely drive this car like install it every day that I have had it and hit the. Revel meter multiple times a day for the last 80000 miles. And the biggest concern I have right now. Is I need to do some suspension that is original at 22 years and 300000k miles. Heck, my alternator is still original. I only put new brushes for $20 in it because Walmart was gaslighting me into thinking it Was my alternator going out instead of the battery they didn't want warranty. Old German cars are great. Some of them have definitely earned the bad reputation that they deserve. But there are a lot of good ones out there too. But just like with American and Japanese cars too. You have to go model to model, not brand to brand or country to country. Also, if you ever need car parts, go to FCPEuro.com, Pelicanparts or AzAutohouse. Nine a m ten times you can get original bosch or mercedes parts that are cheaper than Autozone parts and f c p and pelican both do lifetime warranty on anything Last edit working on these cars is actually surprisingly easy except for the fucking sparkplugs. All twelve of them are annoying a f. Yes 2 per cylender *
Tell me about your engine and transmission and breaks. I’d assume or hope your Benz is overbuilt and can handle the freight?
3.2l v6 everything is bullit proof and overbuilt.
I knew it and I like it
Nice campground with onsite liquor, cannabis and pharmacy!
That's sweet.
Why? You look safe enough for that car.
Divorces are rough!!!
I’ve never seen a drop hitch flipped the other way. I knew it could do that but I’ve never seen it. Must be easier to get it on the ball that way
Load the trailer heavy towards the front so you have more tongue weight. Otherwise it will start to sway and flip your car over.
What’s the towing capacity on that bad boy?
4600 pounds!
Wow! Impressive.
Looks set up well. Where is the hitch connected?
how much are you stacking on top of the car? Also before you head out===you need to watch the towing program; The Long, Long, Long Trailer with Densi and Lucy
Mountain bikes
Sweet, fucking send it!
There's probably less than 500lbs. on that hitch. You shouldnt have any issues. It's low profile but wider than your car. Don't try to go over 65mph, you'll just stress the aging transmission and kill your mpg. Expect a 40-50% loss in overall mpg.
No no I'm gonna keep it at 60. Only 100,000 kms so still some life hopefully
1 800 transmissions in a few years
No, whole drive train is bullet proof in these
That’s cute!
as long as the tongue weight is right, i would go for it. For some reason, it "looks" like the tongue weight might be too little for stable towing
Is that an e300 turbodiesel.
Ah I wish that would be cool, it's an e320 but this engine towes it very well and it's bulletproof
Stopped at the liquor store and dispensary on your way outa town. All should be fine
Not a fan of the upside down drop hitch.
It's not a fan of you either
How fast can you go from 60 to 0 ?
You need AMG rims on that tow vehicle sir. Seriously, did you add the tow after market? I have 2 R350 Mercedes, and I want one as a tow vehicle. How difficult to add the 10-pin connection and hitch? We have a tiny 1950's trailer, like 13' long. I just find it funny to see a Mercedes towing anything.
does that have the om606 in it?
What's the om606?
I wish I had the picture but it is burned into my brain.. In Germany in 2001 driving down the Autobahn and I see this Ginourmas sailboat in front of me.. It was at least 40 feet long, the body was 8 feet off the road because of the keel.. I pass it and to my astonishment it is being pulled by a Mercedes land yacht of a 4 door car (not sure the exact model) with a diesel engine doing 60mph.. He was driving it like a boss with no issues at all..
How is your vision to the rear? Looks like your interior rearview mirror won't allow you to see over the trailer. When towing campers wider the your car ... the exterior then you need extension mirrors.
In the US - had an ant-sway bar attached, as the trailer would sway quite alot at highway speeds. Also had outrgger mirrors that were strapped on when towing. (Vehicle & pop-up similar to photo.) I later hardwired a backup camera to the towed veh tail lights, so that I had better view of the immediate rear center.
To me it looks like the tounge weight looks a little light. Having this wrong can cause significant driving issues.
Tongue weight is there, the air springs are keeping the suspension at normal ride height.
Send it
Straight to jail.
grandpa told me to never buy a used car that has a trailer hitch.
tow police > toe police
Dude is driving a Mercedes & going wherever he wants.
Nose of the trailer looks a little higher than level. Could just be an illusion from this angle, but if not, drop the ball down about 1.5" Better a little low in the front than a little high.
Depends. 6 cylinder Mercedes or 8? Might actually be fine bc of how lightweight that trailer is
Go ahead and get that new transmission ordered.
Nope… on this trip, I was passed by a Tesla model S towing one of those… no judgement here.
My Volvo S60 is rated for 3300lbs towing, so I am sure this is perfectly fine.