Mercedes Diesel

[mary.ehrlich]

i have a Mercedes Diesel, 320 CDI. I am thinking about buying a 28ft Airstream International. The weight rating is o.k, I'm just wondering about the wheelbase. Is this o.k, or do I really need something like a Suburban?

[AirsDream]

I've owned several Benz S series, including a S350 diesel. I would not try to pull an Airstream with one. For one thing, Unibody construction doesn't lend itself to the sort of robust weight distributing hitches neede for this sort of towing. Consult with a Benz dealer before getting too far into this!

[SmokelessJoe]

Mary:

You can have a hitch put on your Mercedes car at Canada’s largest Airstream dealer. Check them out here.

Can-Am RV Centre (London, Ontario) – Canada’s RV dealer for Airstream, Crossroads, DoubleTree, Forest River, Keystone, R-Vision, Nu-Wa, and SunnyBrook.

There are a lot of Rah Rah American diehards on this forum who believe you need a Big Truck to pull an Airstream and poo poo the notion that Can Am customers can safely pull one with a passenger car.

Can Am however has HUNDREDS of customers that do it all the time.


Sergei

(I pull with a Mercedes but it IS a truck)

[mary.ehrlich]

Sorry, I should have included "GL". This is Mercedes Suburban.

[henw]

"Rah Rah American diehards."
You really don't want to get us started with observations about Canadians.

[Wayne&Sam]

I pull a 20' with an ML500 which is about a foot shorter than a GL. The GL is not unibody, it retains the frame of my '05 ML. The ML has a 111" wheel base. The GL has a 121" wheelbase.

The rule of thumb I've heard is a 110" wheelbase is good for a 20' trailer. Every 4" of wheelbase over that gives you another 1' of trailer. Going by this, a GL should be Ok with a 25' trailer.

[mary.ehrlich]

EEk! I'm looking at a 28. I love my Gl. Is there anything I could do to make it safer to pull a 28ft?

Thanks for all the info Canadian or Amercan

[safari 28]

Well lets take a deep breath. Our 28 weighs approx 5800 lbs empty. Not much more than a 25. If you love your benz I would consult Andrew in Ontario and find out what past history they have on your vehicle. It is amazing what they can do and worth looking into.

[mustang]

I would like to throw my 2 cents in. Alot of towing capacity depends on conditions. Flat ground or mountains. I dont know much about Mercedes.
so, I would reccomend talking to a service dept mechanic. Not the salesman or person behind the counter, an acctual person who sees these vehicles from the inside out or from the underneith. They will be able to advise. I am also a bit intrested in if a hitch company makes one to tow your airstream, or how much weight it can actually tow. You can always get a vehicle to tow , the question is will you get life out of it or will it leave you stranded. As far as the comments from our friends to the north... hahahaah wanna hookum up? I will bet on my Superduty.
Good luck on this issue with Mecedes I am also intrested in what comes of it so please let me know if you do it and how the experience is.
Mike

[Tim A.]

We bought our Hensley hitch in part because of wanting towing safety and comfort using a shorter wheelbase vehicle. Check out the Hensley or Pro-Pride hitches if they are in your budget. You can find LOTS of information about them on this forum.

[Andrew T]

Hi Mary

My sister tows her 34' Airstream with her GL Diesel, the performance is fantastic, it will play with a 28'. We also have several other customers towing with ML and Jeep Diesels.

We do strengthen the Mercedes hitch by lengthing the centre bar forward to the rear suspension base. Other than that it works great right out of the box.

Fuel mileage runs 17 MPG towing and with 390 ft lbs. of torque with the 7 speed transmission there are no power issues. I think engines like this are the future of towing.

Handling is very stable due to independent rear suspension, a very solid body structure and precise steering. In an emergency maneuver it will out perform most trucks and SUV's.

Andy

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by AirsDream

I've owned several Benz S series, including a S350 diesel. I would not try to pull an Airstream with one. For one thing, Unibody construction doesn't lend itself to the sort of robust weight distributing hitches neede for this sort of towing. Consult with a Benz dealer before getting too far into this!

Unibody is considerably stronger than body-on-frame. The best towing vehicles of the 1960's and 1970's were full-size Plymouth, Dodge, Chrysler and Imperial automobiles, ALL of which were unibody. The Imperials were so overbuilt they were banned from demolition derby competition. These cars also constituted the majority of fleet purchases for police forces nationwide. The Benz is not a disposable economy car, cheaply-made, which is where confusion apparently resides in re unibody construction.

Yes, attaching a hitch to one is different, but only by little. Can Am can set you up.

[Road Ruler]

Many years ago I had a Mercedes 450 SEL. I always did my own service and recall how rigid the body was. I lifted the one corner with a car jack and almost had the wheel of the ground. Amazingly the car doors could still be opened and closed as if it were down equally on all 4's. Unibody or full frame the Mercedes structures are very rigid.

[2airishuman]

hi mary and welcome to the forums...

you've provided VERY few details and they are needed for useful answers...

-what generation g wagon? the new model is VERY different from the last version graymarketed, stateside...

-what year a/s? the term international has been used for years in various models....

-do u have ANY trailer towing/rv experience?

-how much travel and where and how fast do ya expect to drive?

-who, what, and HOW MUCH stuff do u plan to carry while rving?

-are u gonna LIVE AND TRAVEL AND INSURE THIS RIG in the usa or upnorth?

imo it is just manure to suggest "maneuvers" are a measure of safety while towing....

stopping ability and the capacity to remain IN YOUR LANE matter...

so does not getting pushed around by the trailer when bad stuff happens.

there are countless threads here about the 'canadian' modification of under-capcity, under-sized vehicles for towing...

but be clear virtually NO DEALER, HITCH MANUFACTER, or VEHICLE MAKER in the usa will do or support this type of work anymore...

because of liability issues...

also be very wary of 'high mileage' claims while towing, because physics suggests something else...

and to get 'better than average' mpg u will need to travel SLOWLY (50-55 mph) which is part of the 'canadian magic package'...

so how much do you wanna risk just to try mating a too large trailer with an underrated tow vehicle?

sure there are 'ways' to make this happen...

but the best approach might be to find the trailer u really want and then purchase an ADEQUATE vehicle for towing...

trucks DO work nicely for towing, but there ARE also longer wb suvs and beefier suvs or vans that can do the job...

some of these suggestions DO include nationalist views and political subplots, that is a byproduct of human nature...

i tow mostly in the lower 48 and pull a big trailer,

i also am unwilling to accept the EXTRA liability, place others on the roadways in jeopardy,

or risk personal assets just to try towing with a marginal vehicle.

having towed nearly 60,000 miles in the last 3 years, many things can and do happen (flat tires, weather, road hazards)

i prefer to feel relaxed while towing, enjoy the experience,

and NOT get pushed around by a trailer that is too much for the tow vehicle...

i also don't wanna rely on "maneuvers" when the manure hits the fan...

you will have to decide what matters most 4 you...

cheers
2air'




-

[Wayne&Sam]

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

-what generation g wagon? the new model is VERY different from the last version graymarketed, stateside...
-

GL is the new version, G Wagon was the old one.

We tow everywhere with our ML. The power is totally adequate. I'm on my second ML and my next TV will be a BlueTEC GL.

And remember, I said "rule of thumb". Not everybody's thumb is the same.

[85MH325]

While I share 2Air's concerns, it appears that the 320GL is tow rated at 7500 lbs. That's certainly in the range of the 28' trailers. I prefer a higher tow vehicle to trailer weight ratio because I like every advantage I can have not to be pushed around by the trailer. But the factory tow rating is certainly in the ballpark.

Roger

[mary.ehrlich]

Wow, this is an amazing site. You all really know your stuff. Thanks so much for all the information. Yeah, it is a new Mercedes. The dealership installed the tow hitch. Evidently there has been a recall and a specialist is coming in today to check the hitch and we will talk to him about the trailer. The trailer is an International CCD, 2006. We have - I should say, my husband has towed just about everything. Thirty years ago he was towing a 24ft pop up with a diesel Rabbit, so he has no concerns. He has a motorcycle and on the rare occasion he wants to take it, I'll be doing the driving, so, I want to be as safe as possible. A 23 or 25 would probably be a better route, but I fell in love with this model and there will be occasions a couple of our teenage kids might join us, so the biggest unit, that is towable with what we have seems the best option. We actually are doing everything backwards. We use to live in Florida and had a 40ft motorhome. We have retired and moved north. My husband has motorcycles and wanted a toy hauler. I couldn't find anything I liked, but fell in love with the Basecamp. I love it but it isn't his cup of tea. Also, we took the kids (16 and 18) and they slept in a tent and refused to ever go again (That is was August and 95 didn't help). So, now we are trying to find a compromise. I think Airstreams are just awesome. I've always wanted one. If it were just me I would keep my little Basecamp. So, anyhow, we are trying to find a compromise that will make everyone happy. We have camped just about everywhere, but I imagine these days we will stick to the East coast. We probably won't go more than 6 times a year, because we still have the 16 year old at home. In two years when she heads to college I can see us going all the time. We love Canada and I'm sure we will be heading to the Cabot trail quite a bit. So, I am glad to hear there are those of you with the vehicle I have and think it will be fine. I will meet with the Mercedes hitch guy today. Thanks again, and I'm sure I will have a million more questions once(if) we get this unit. Mary

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by 85MH325

...it appears that the 320GL is tow rated at 7500 lbs. That's certainly in the range of the 28' trailers...

right roger, so it is in the same range as the t-rex and cayenne for towing capacity...

and the sane folks here using those to tow, max out at 25 or so for modern 'streams....

BUT the published payload for the NEW GL appears to be around 1000lbs which isn't much.

with 4 passengers and a 250 lb hitch (the haha) that figure is quickly reached...

without even including the trailer tongue weight which will be 800 lbs or more...

so very quickly they are at 1,800 lbs + for payload, well OVER the vague ratings available...

the GL has a gvwr of around 6800lbs and a curb with of 5300lbs approximately...

so even using the difference as a more generous payload of 1500 lbs, they will be over this...

in some ways this tv is like many of the 1500 series sub-urban based suvs only with a SHORTER wheelbase...

it's heavy to begin with which doesn't leave much for capacity.

yes the diesels has good torque, but combined with a modern 28 ft trailer this rig could weigh 13-15,000 lbs...

good background info mary...

the details are useful and so is the rv'ing history.

it reads like u need another moho pulling the basecamp with the motorbike INSIDE it...

that might cover all bases (basecamp, kids, hubby and all in an rv)...

but with only 6 trips a year, that 100,000$ merc' can be made to haul...

so whatever u decide to try, go safely and enjoy the travels!

2air'

[NevadaGeo]

Maybe there needs to be a "push" rating, instead of a "tow" rating.

[easyride]

Just a question,with load on rear and independent suspension,doesn`t the alignment go out of whack,wearing out inside of tires. I had an old Vette with hitch,decided I couldn`t tow anything with it. Dave