towing a caravan

[garfish]

hi guys
i have a Mercedes c200 kompressor auto and i am thinking of having witter tow bar fitted to the car and will be towing a caravan.
do i need to have extra electrics fitted to the car due to having single electrics also do i need a special fitting so it registers on the dash as towing . also what is a rear sam
sorry so many questions

 

[Benzowner]

If the tow bar is fitted bt an experiences installer, when the caravan is connected to the cars electrics, it will register on the dash, even down to blown bulbs.

 

[SilverSaloon]

how easy it is depends on the age of the car.

i wired in my 1994 W124 directly (ie just splicing into the correct wires at the rear lights) and it all works, right down to the fridge (which runs on a new circuit direct from the battery), but i do get the warning lamp display lit up when i switch on the lights due to the extra voltage.

I have a relay to fit but never have got around to it yet!!

never had any problems, and the light lit on the dash is good enough an indicator to say the 'van is attached instead of a buzzer etc. Saying that, this summer i do plan to fit the relay!!

Newer cars will definatly require a more sophisticated solution!

 

[219]

Mercedes and numerous aftermarket suppliers will have an electrical kit for your car .

As my namesake says above , with older cars it is quite possible to just wire directly to the bulb circuits , but this does play havoc with bulb monitoring circuits where fitted . I always fit a multi-relay so as only to take triggering voltages from the bulb circuits with the actual current to the trailer lamps being supplied by a separate , fused circuit . The black 12N connector is for all the obligatory lights and the gray 12S one for 'auxiliary' items such as fridge , battery charging , reversing lights . There is a legal requirement to have a visual or audible confirmation that the direction indicator lights on the trailer are working - in the simplest systems this takes the form of a buzzer built into the relay . I have had other units ( Hella Transflash ) which have an output for an additional warning light in the dash .

Look at Hella and Towsure catalogues for further info . Haynes workshop manuals also do a 'caravan manual' which has lots of useful info and very handy if you are new to caravanning - available in most Halfords .

 

[BTB 500]

You only need 'single electrics' to tow a caravan (or any trailer). 'Twin electrics' includes extra (optional) feeds to run the caravan fridge, charge the battery (slowly), etc. while towing.

 

[bennesspipers]

I tow a caravan & only have single electrics fitted,ok i cant use the fridge on the go,but as long as its been on the mains for a day before it'll manage a 3 hour trip. A car electrician pal of mine wired it up & the only special bit of kit he used was an indicators buzzer. Prob got mates rates but he only charged me £30 quid & took him 30 minutes.

 

[219]

Besides most fridges run on gas too , we used to run a gas only fridge back in the days before 12S or electrical hook-ups .

 

[BTB 500]

Using the fridge on 12V is only for while you're towing. We never bother - we stick everything (pre-chilled in the fridge at home) in a cool box with some ice packs, then transfer to the fridge at our destination after it's been running on gas for a couple of hours.

 

[jaymanek]

I would also think about a seperate oil cooler for the transmission if you are towing.

 

[SilverSaloon]

We always put the fridge on 12v. If we get the chance to put the caravan on the driveway prior to a trip, i put it on electric overnight to get it nice and cool, and then the 12v on the drive keeps it cool for arrival nicely.

i dont have any additional cooling on my W124 E300D estate.

As it sounds like you may be new to towing/caravanning - ensure that whatever caravan you tow is a suitable match for your car.

 

[cass]

hi,i tow a TEC caravan with a E2220 cdi 2002 year & don`t have any extra cooling only standard merc.car i have had no problems with cooling etc.caravan weights 1440 kilos so quite heavy.