towing

[kbekl]

well am thinking of getting a caravan or trailer tent/folding camper and was woundering if the 230te would be a good option for towing or if it not advised

cheers for any help

 

[Druk]

230TE makes a great towcar. We used one for years and towed all over the continent with it.

Have fun.:bannana:

 

[BTB 500]

Look up in your handbook:

1. Car's braked trailer towing limit
2. Car's kerbweight
3. Maximum trailer noseweight

And let us know the figures.

 

[kbekl]

max unbraked is 750kg
max braked towing is 1900kg

curb weight 1520kg (without extras)
gross weight is 2140kg

as any thing in real life it is slightly different

also as i passed test in 1997 i dont get the grandad rule

 

[BTB 500]

So based on 85% kerbweight you are looking at a caravan of up to 1300kg MTPLM (max. allowed weight). Comfortably below the braked trailer limit.

That would give you a total combined weight of under 3.5 tonnes, therefore no need to take a B+E (towing) test

 

[kbekl]

thanx for that did wounder what i could legaly tow

next bit whats is the best tow bar for the merc and is it better to fit the bar yourself or get a garage to do it

 

[219]

Original equipment towbar , probably Oris .

Watling or Witter towbars are excellent aftermarket items . Towsure is a budget brand .

If you are mechanically competent then DIY is fine , otherwise get someone who knows what they are doing to fit it .

Since you have a W124 , with bulb monitoring circuitry , you either have to get the Mercedes wiring kit and connect 'upstream' of the bulb monitoring unit , or use a multi-relay which only takes switching voltages from the light units without affecting loading - again DIY fine if you understand what I'm talikng about , otherwise best pay someone to do the job for you .

Many caravan and trailer centres will supply and fit towbars for you .

You can also save a packet if you are lucky enough to find your model of car ( in your case any W124 estate ) in a breaker's yard and get a secondhand towbar off it . You also see them advertised on eBay .

 

[x332race]

It's not quite that simple and you need to look at this Even then it is not easy to work out what you are entitled to tow on a "B" license without taking the trailer test to get B + E.

Then again, you should be ok with a braked trailer up to 1300kgs MAM with that vehicle (MAM 1900kgs) as combined MAM below 3,500kgs.

However, always worth taking the test just for the experience.

A lot of horsey people tie themselves in knots about what they can and cant tow as horses are heavy creatures and this can lead to confusion.

 

[SilverSaloon]

Since you have a W124 , with bulb monitoring circuitry , you either have to get the Mercedes wiring kit and connect 'upstream' of the bulb monitoring unit , or use a multi-relay which only takes switching voltages from the light units without affecting loading - again DIY fine if you understand what I'm talikng about , otherwise best pay someone to do the job for you .

a W124 doesnt have any marking on it/pre-drilled holes for the towbar aswell that makes fitting a struggle.

i didnt bother with a relay on mine - i just connected direct to light circuit. OK, with the lights on the bulb faliure light comes on with the caravan connected, but i can live with that. i did this on the plan to fit the relay at a later date but i doubt i will bother now to be honest.

good luck. your car will tow any folding camper with ease. none of these will take you over the 85% rule. i towed an old vintage camper with my W124.

now i tow a twin axle with the same car:

 

[BTB 500]

A lot of horsey people tie themselves in knots about what they can and cant tow as horses are heavy creatures and this can lead to confusion.

The 3.5 tonne train weight limit on a B category licence is based on the maximum possible weight of both car and trailer. I guess a lot of horse trailers have a pretty high MAM, even though they might only be used for (say) a little pony.