E class towing

[Bobby Dazzler]

Any suggestion to what the best approach on having a tow bar installed? Should I just go to a MB dealership and ask. Anything to be careful of?

Definitely use a trusted independent specialist towbar fitter, not your main dealer. If you ask your main dealer to install it then they will simply subcontract it to a towbar specialist.

I would recommend a Westfalia towbar, as this is exactly what you get if you buy a Mercedes-Benz tow bar from a Mercedes Benz parts counter, but will be cheaper.

 

[Benzmanc]

Don't some models also have an extra or larger oil cooler fitted to the gearbox for towing purposes??

 

[BTB 500]

Twin axle caravans typically offer a little more interior space, are more stable than single axle caravans, less likely to snake, less susceptible to side winds, and are easier to reverse. Drawbacks are rhat they’re almost impossible to manouvere “by hand”, you need to be hooked up to the car or have motor movers fitted.

Other potential drawbacks ...

Higher service cost (twice the number of brakes)
Twice the number of tyres to replace
A bit trickier to level (you need to raise 2 wheels rather than 1)
More likely to to be stolen (in the UK, anyway).

 

[cezar]

I put my eyes on an Eriba Touring Troll. I knew them since long time and seen some in camps. I literally love them. I might be able to even see one at a dealer soon just to make a better idea. It’s not that big I know but should be more than enough. Anyway I have another big family tent with all the accessories if really needed. They’re quite expensive though so I might look for a used one as well. In terms of match for the car, given the size of it, is just perfect.

@BTB 500 stolen? Like really? I imagine in case you have it parked in the street or something.

 

[BTB 500]

@BTB 500 stolen? Like really? I imagine in case you have it parked in the street or something.

Here in the UK they get targeted by 'travelers', who generally want big twin-axle caravans as they live in them permanently. I used to keep my caravan in a secure storage compound - one night they cut the gates off at the hinges and took 5 or 6 caravans ... all twin-axle ones. Mine (single axle, 4 berth) was quite new at the time and wasn't touched.

 

[219]

I put my eyes on an Eriba Touring Troll. I knew them since long time and seen some in camps. I literally love them. I might be able to even see one at a dealer soon just to make a better idea. It’s not that big I know but should be more than enough. Anyway I have another big family tent with all the accessories if really needed. They’re quite expensive though so I might look for a used one as well. In terms of match for the car, given the size of it, is just perfect.

@BTB 500 stolen? Like really? I imagine in case you have it parked in the street or something.

Eriba Touring are lovely vans , and of course Eriba are part of the Hymer group .

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Eriba Touring are lovely vans , and of course Eriba are part of the Hymer group .

I quite fancy an Eriba next.

 

[BTB 500]

Here in the UK they get targeted by 'travelers', who generally want big twin-axle caravans as they live in them permanently. I used to keep my caravan in a secure storage compound - one night they cut the gates off at the hinges and took 5 or 6 caravans ... all twin-axle ones. Mine (single axle, 4 berth) was quite new at the time and wasn't touched.

Just found out that some friends of ours had their 2018 Sprite Quattro EW twin-axle stolen from a storage compound yesterday They were warned by the dealer they ordered it from that it would be high risk for theft.

 

[219]

Of course, if you are into one upmanship, Airstream at least used to make triple axle caravans .

 

[219]

And there were others

 

[cezar]

reviving this one as i got back on track with the caravan which of course was not bought last year. now i'm back on the topic and with a bit more of knowledge (or at least I'd like to think so)

i keep looking for caravans and change my mind several times. now i'm focusing a lot on the weights. My car has a two limit of 2000kg and towball vertical load limit of 84kg. when searching for caravans, the only resource i have to check the fit is towcar.info.

now comes the question: the caravan that would suit my needs would be (with all equipment and some user payload) roughly 1600 kg which even fits in the 85% theory, BUT my towball load (as per towbar.info) would be 90 kg (6 kg over the limit). can drop caravan load from 200 to 150 and it shows towball load as 85 kg (only 1 kg over the limit)Is that an issue or not? How is that calculated? I know I can balance the caravan but having no experience in this I'm not quite sure how it works in real life. Yeah I'm aware of static load vs dynamic load, so definitely when driving this will be much higher. In the end I want to enjoy the ride and be safe.

and the other question is related to airmatic: is airmatic ok for towing? will there be to much of a stress on the airbags?

any feedback is much appreciated and sorry if the questions are stupid :\

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

reviving this one as i got back on track with the caravan which of course was not bought last year. now i'm back on the topic and with a bit more of knowledge (or at least I'd like to think so)

i keep looking for caravans and change my mind several times. now i'm focusing a lot on the weights. My car has a two limit of 2000kg and towball vertical load limit of 84kg. when searching for caravans, the only resource i have to check the fit is towcar.info.

now comes the question: the caravan that would suit my needs would be (with all equipment and some user payload) roughly 1600 kg which even fits in the 85% theory, BUT my towball load (as per towbar.info) would be 90 kg (6 kg over the limit). can drop caravan load from 200 to 150 and it shows towball load as 85 kg (only 1 kg over the limit)Is that an issue or not? How is that calculated? I know I can balance the caravan but having no experience in this I'm not quite sure how it works in real life. Yeah I'm aware of static load vs dynamic load, so definitely when driving this will be much higher. In the end I want to enjoy the ride and be safe.

and the other question is related to airmatic: is airmatic ok for towing? will there be to much of a stress on the airbags?

any feedback is much appreciated and sorry if the questions are stupid :\

The only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask, but wish you had

Airmatic should be fine for towing.

You can measure your towball weight using a device which you rest the caravan’s tow hitch on. You don’t need to do it every time, just do it the first few times to make sure that you are loading safely. Thereafter you’ll put things in the same places.

Generally loads should be as low down as possible, and as close to the axle as possible, or if not forward of the axle as long as this doesn’t exceed the weight rating for your tow bar. Try to secure loads, or wedge them - swimming pool “noodles” or floats, and even pipe lagging are invaluable for this!

Try not to put anything heavy behind the axle, even if this helps to reduce the weight on your towbar. This will make the caravan handling wayward, not dissimilar to a pendulum swinging. One tip is to put your clothes and other heavy items in your car - this aids stabilty.

 

[BTB 500]

now comes the question: the caravan that would suit my needs would be (with all equipment and some user payload) roughly 1600 kg which even fits in the 85% theory, BUT my towball load (as per towbar.info) would be 90 kg (6 kg over the limit). can drop caravan load from 200 to 150 and it shows towball load as 85 kg (only 1 kg over the limit)Is that an issue or not? How is that calculated?

For good stability a caravan is meant to be loaded to give a noseweight of 5-7% of the actual laden weight ... i.e. 80-112 kg for a 1600 kg one. So if you use the 84 kg maximum for your car it should be ok, particularly if you are within the 85% guideline.

 

[cezar]

So asked my local dealer for a quote for a tow bar. Are you ready? Over 3000 euros!!!!! I mean WTF. I was expecting expensive, but not 10 times more expensive.

 

[BTB 500]

So asked my local dealer for a quote for a tow bar. Are you ready? Over 3000 euros!!!!! I mean WTF. I was expecting expensive, but not 10 times more expensive.

99% sure they would outsource that work anyway. Ask them for a cost breakdown ...

 

[cezar]

They just said something about retrofitting original equipment. It ain’t worth it to even get into details. I think it’s that kind of price like to make you go some other part. They can’t say no to your request, but this way you’ll say for sure. And if you don’t, the margin is huge.

 

[Benzowner]

In the UK, we have independent tow bar installers who have the equipment to instal dedicated wiring to suit your car, I would guess there must be something similar in your country. At most I would guess not much more than 1000 euros for a fully fitted tow bar unless you live in an expensive country like Luxembourg

Watch the 85% advice, its 85% of the kerb weight of the car not 85% of max towing capacity.

 

[SG94]

Very few AMGs are homologated for towing, but some are. My comments regarding AMG bodykit was with respect to cars which are AMG line, AMG Sport or similar (eg E220 “AMG”), but which are not AMG (eg E63 AMG). Each of those trim levels the E220 is available in must homologated for towing, and Daimler AG don’t submit tr AMG line, AMG Sport or similar for homologation.

This was an issue when I ordered mine.
I wanted a C300DE Estate AMG Line Premium Plus.
Can’t, and it isn’t plated to tow.
Had to take a C300DE Estate AMG Line Premium, which is.

The weight of the batteries and the sunroof means the plus can’t tow. The rear axle weight limit is insufficient.

The AMG Line body kits are less of an issue these days. Most tow bar manufacturers have now got kits that fit. Mine didn’t even need a number cut this time.

 

[SG94]

#bumper
Not number.....

 

[cezar]

Reviving this one... Got an offer for a westfalia original equipment as they said. It includes can electrical kit and needs programing. For the programing they ask me to pay for a token. A Yone knows what that about?
In other words... Anyone know if this programing means also activitating trailer stability assist? Or that requires other hardware in the car?