Towing 27FB Globetrotter with Mercedes GL450

[BruBen]

Hi - I’m a newbie here.

I’m seriously considering buying a 2019 Globetrotter 27FB and need some towing advice.

I own a 2015 Mercedes GL450 - 3.0L twin turbo - 369 ft-lbs. @ 1800 rpm and 362 hp @ 5500 rpm. (More torque would be better but I don’t really want to change vehicles)

Some time ago I added a hitch to my GL450 to tow an enclosed car trailer. The hitch is made by Curt specifically for the GL450 with a rated tongue weight of 900 lbs and trailer weight of 7,500 lbs. The GL450 tows my enclosed trailer and car (5,700 lbs) with no problem.

The 2019 Globetrotter 27FB has a hitch weight of 871 lbs and base weight of 6,258 lbs.

As we seem pretty set on the 27’ floorplan, I have a couple of questions:

Does the tongue hitch weight of 871 lbs for the Globetrotter vs 900 lbs for the GL seem ok?

Should I be considering a weight distribution anti-sway hitch and if so, which one?

Has anyone towed a 27’ or above with a GL450? What’s the towing experience like?

Any help on towing a 27 AS with a GL or GL450 and any advice on load and hitch weight would be appreciated.

Thanks a ton!

[out of sight]

Even though your hitch may be rated for 900 lbs tongue weight your car's rear axle may still become overloaded. If you know the axle base weight and you measure the distance from the axle to the hitch ball then you can easily calculate what the axle load will be. If the load is less than the GAWR indicated on the driver door placard then you're good to go.

[thewarden]

Originally Posted by BruBen

Hi -

The 2019 Globetrotter 27FB has a hitch weight of 871 lbs and base weight of 6,258 lbs.

As we seem pretty set on the 27’ floorplan, I have a couple of questions:

Does the tongue hitch weight of 871 lbs for the Globetrotter vs 900 lbs for the GL seem ok?

Should I be considering a weight distribution anti-sway hitch and if so, which one?

Has anyone towed a 27’ or above with a GL450? What’s the towing experience like?

Any help on towing a 27 AS with a GL or GL450 and any advice on load and hitch weight would be appreciated.

Thanks a ton!

Hi BruBen! Welcome to the forum!

AS brochures indicate that the hitch weight is 871 lbs. This is rarely, if at all, the real world hitch weight of these trailers empty, let alone loaded for a trip. Our 27 FB HW is 1050 lbs +/- depending on the load.

What will be important for you is to know your vehicles axle weight ratings, cargo capacity and overall GVWR and ensure that you stay within those weights to be safe. This will require a trip to the scales to verify.

Yes, you will need a WD hitch with some sort of sway control. Personally, I use a Reese Dual Cam weight distribution hitch that has built in sway control. There are several other brands that will also work well. Just make sure whatever hitch you choose, that it is set up properly for your particular trailers tongue weight. These hitches can weigh 100 lbs or more, depending on the style, so this weight also needs to be considered when calculating the weight on your rear axle and overall cargo capacity of your Mercedes.

Cargo weight is easily calculated. It includes the weight of you, all passengers, any gear stowed in the vehicle and the hitch weight of your trailer, including the WD hitch.

I tow our 27 FB with a Cayenne Turbo, but I fill only 1 propane tank, relocated the batteries to inside the trailer, ditched the spare tire,(I run new Michelin 16" LT tires), all to lower my TW as much as possible, and do not put anything of significant weight in the Cayenne in order to stay within all my rated weight capacities.

[mikeinca]

As mentioned above, your hitch weight is likely to be significantly higher when loaded in the real world. Our 25' FB Twin Globetrotter has a listed hitch weight of 882lbs yet even with several tricks such as storing tools, heavy flats of water and a 50lb solar panel inside at the very rear of the trailer the hitch weight was still close to 1000lbs as measured with a Sherline tongue weight scale.

[jeffmc306]

BruBen, welcome to the forums!

We had a similar situation starting with a 2016 VW Touareg TDI and a Airstream Flying Cloud 23FB. The diesel pulled like a champ and got 16 MPG towing. We loved the Airstream experience but decided we needed more room. That led us to the 27’ Globetrotter. Tongue weight and payload were not enough (770# hitch limit and 1168# payload on the Touareg).

We decided to upgrade to a 2019 Ram 1500 with 1840# payload (or so we thought). Actual on the door sticker was 1220# - ouch. Dealer and FCA finally made good and bought back the truck.

I did have time to go to the CAT scales and check the 1500’s axle limits before trading up to a Ram 2500 with 2940# payload. The 1500 was over the rear axle limit with a loaded Globetrotter. Actual measured tongue weight was 1100#.

Andy at Can-Am in Canada sets up Mercedes, BMW and VW/Porsches to handle the tongue weight but you’ll be short on payload. Lots of threads on the topic.

Here’s my story if you want to check it out: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...-a-198633.html

Good luck with your decision - you will love the Globetrotter, we do!

[mefly2]

Originally Posted by out of sight

Even though your hitch may be rated for 900 lbs tongue weight your car's rear axle may still become overloaded. If you know the axle base weight and you measure the distance from the axle to the hitch ball then you can easily calculate what the axle load will be. If the load is less than the GAWR indicated on the driver door placard then you're good to go.

On the mark!

We towed a 25' with a 3/4 diesel and all was fine.
Then we thought that our Yukon should handle the hitch weight and the AS tongue and gross weight ... don't forget to factor in the weight of the EQ hitch as well.
... very sad and white knuckles for us towing with the Yukon and the actual tongue weight of our EB 25.
Yukon is now gone and we have a new Silverado ... no more tail wagging the dog!

[megster]

Originally Posted by BruBen

Hi - I’m a newbie here.

I’m seriously considering buying a 2019 Globetrotter 27FB and need some towing advice.

I own a 2015 Mercedes GL450 - 3.0L twin turbo - 369 ft-lbs. @ 1800 rpm and 362 hp @ 5500 rpm. (More torque would be better but I don’t really want to change vehicles)

Some time ago I added a hitch to my GL450 to tow an enclosed car trailer. The hitch is made by Curt specifically for the GL450 with a rated tongue weight of 900 lbs and trailer weight of 7,500 lbs. The GL450 tows my enclosed trailer and car (5,700 lbs) with no problem.

The 2019 Globetrotter 27FB has a hitch weight of 871 lbs and base weight of 6,258 lbs.

As we seem pretty set on the 27’ floorplan, I have a couple of questions:

Does the tongue hitch weight of 871 lbs for the Globetrotter vs 900 lbs for the GL seem ok?

Should I be considering a weight distribution anti-sway hitch and if so, which one?

Has anyone towed a 27’ or above with a GL450? What’s the towing experience like?

Any help on towing a 27 AS with a GL or GL450 and any advice on load and hitch weight would be appreciated.

Thanks a ton!

I have the same Globetrotter and I love it immensely! I think it’s the best model out there. I tow it with a Landrover LR4 with no problem. I did not however use the standard hitch receiver as it is substandard. I took my car up to the CanAm dealership because they make custom reinforced hitches and receivers. They hooked me up good! I ended up buying the Globetrotter there as well because their price and service cannot be beat. Andy takes the time to discuss your tow vehicle capability at length and advise you if he thinks it will work. Good luck!

[JCWDCW]

Is the max hitch weight on the TV not the max without WD??? (which shifts some weight forward and back to the Trailer.) There are a ton of owners out there towing 25 and 30s with this vehicle. HP and Torque are just fine. The hitch might need to be eefed up a la CanAm retrofit. OP is unlikely to go to CanAm from California but there must be good spring and hitch shops out there!!!

[cicho69]

Originally Posted by BruBen

Hi - I’m a newbie here.

I’m seriously considering buying a 2019 Globetrotter 27FB and need some towing advice.

I own a 2015 Mercedes GL450 - 3.0L twin turbo - 369 ft-lbs. @ 1800 rpm and 362 hp @ 5500 rpm. (More torque would be better but I don’t really want to change vehicles)

Some time ago I added a hitch to my GL450 to tow an enclosed car trailer. The hitch is made by Curt specifically for the GL450 with a rated tongue weight of 900 lbs and trailer weight of 7,500 lbs. The GL450 tows my enclosed trailer and car (5,700 lbs) with no problem.

The 2019 Globetrotter 27FB has a hitch weight of 871 lbs and base weight of 6,258 lbs.

As we seem pretty set on the 27’ floorplan, I have a couple of questions:

Does the tongue hitch weight of 871 lbs for the Globetrotter vs 900 lbs for the GL seem ok?

Should I be considering a weight distribution anti-sway hitch and if so, which one?

Has anyone towed a 27’ or above with a GL450? What’s the towing experience like?

Any help on towing a 27 AS with a GL or GL450 and any advice on load and hitch weight would be appreciated.

Thanks a ton!

I purchased an AS 2020 25FB. My tow vehicle was to be my F150 Platinum with the 3.5 eco - 430 lbs of torque and a 4:10 rear end. Included I have the Equal-I-zer 1000 tongue weight hitch.
Loading the trailer the truck dropped 6".
I towed and 70% of the time I remain in the 5th gear out of 6.
I just ordered a new 250 diesel.

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by BruBen

Hi - I’m a newbie here.

I’m seriously considering buying a 2019 Globetrotter 27FB and need some towing advice.

I own a 2015 Mercedes GL450 - 3.0L twin turbo - 369 ft-lbs. @ 1800 rpm and 362 hp @ 5500 rpm. (More torque would be better but I don’t really want to change vehicles)

Some time ago I added a hitch to my GL450 to tow an enclosed car trailer. The hitch is made by Curt specifically for the GL450 with a rated tongue weight of 900 lbs and trailer weight of 7,500 lbs. The GL450 tows my enclosed trailer and car (5,700 lbs) with no problem.

The 2019 Globetrotter 27FB has a hitch weight of 871 lbs and base weight of 6,258 lbs.

As we seem pretty set on the 27’ floorplan, I have a couple of questions:

Does the tongue hitch weight of 871 lbs for the Globetrotter vs 900 lbs for the GL seem ok?

Should I be considering a weight distribution anti-sway hitch and if so, which one?

Has anyone towed a 27’ or above with a GL450? What’s the towing experience like?

Any help on towing a 27 AS with a GL or GL450 and any advice on load and hitch weight would be appreciated.

Thanks a ton!

You have a choice to make, look for a smaller trailer to fall in love with or purchase a more suitable tow vehicle. Special Hitches and Custom this and that do not make up for a marginal tow vehicle and payload capacity.
As to towing it you could do it with a Fiat 500 , towing it safely without anxiety is altogether a different issue.

[BruBen]

So it seems like towing a 27 GT with the GL is possible (but a bigger truck would definitely be better).

The GL's have a GVWR of 7,165 pounds and the vehicle curb weight is 5,401 pounds leaving 1,764 pounds left over for people, cargo and tongue weight. Assuming a GT tongue weight of 1021 lbs (870 quoted + 150 extra) that leaves 743 lbs for my wife and I, chairs, small generator etc in the rear of the vehicle.

Does this seem about right?

What else needs to be taken into consideration? Or is 27FB Globetrotter just too big for a SUV, no matter how you do the numbers?

[nvestysly]

Originally Posted by megster

I have the same Globetrotter and I love it immensely! I think it’s the best model out there. I tow it with a Landrover LR4 with no problem. I did not however use the standard hitch receiver as it is substandard. I took my car up to the CanAm dealership because they make custom reinforced hitches and receivers. They hooked me up good! I ended up buying the Globetrotter there as well because their price and service cannot be beat. Andy takes the time to discuss your tow vehicle capability at length and advise you if he thinks it will work. Good luck!

As mentioned above, Andy at CanAm is definitely the right person to tell you if your Mercedes is capable of towing your trailer. He has setup dozens, probably hundreds, of atypical tow vehicles. He has a sound rationale for doing so and will tell you if the vehicle is not suitable. Ontario, Canada is not right around the corner for you. After a phone call to Andy I suspect he can put you in touch with the appropriate installers in your area.

[new2trailer]

I agree with the responses that direct you to Can/Am. We looked at a 26U that the owner towed with a Benz. He said the first couple of trips, before Can/Am, were not pleasant.

After Can/Am he was completely satisfied. He was so happy he didn't have to tow, with a truck. He felt sorry for anyone who had to drive a truck.

Mike

[jcl]

Originally Posted by BruBen

So it seems like towing a 27 GT with the GL is possible (but a bigger truck would definitely be better).

The GL's have a GVWR of 7,165 pounds and the vehicle curb weight is 5,401 pounds leaving 1,764 pounds left over for people, cargo and tongue weight. Assuming a GT tongue weight of 1021 lbs (870 quoted + 150 extra) that leaves 743 lbs for my wife and I, chairs, small generator etc in the rear of the vehicle.

Does this seem about right?

What else needs to be taken into consideration? Or is 27FB Globetrotter just too big for a SUV, no matter how you do the numbers?

It is very possible with that type of cargo in the tow vehicle, and it would be the sort of trailer I would put behind that vehicle, but you will have to manage your expectations around additional cargo. If you expect to start carrying tool sets, boats, motors, etc, then a heavier truck starts to make more sense.

Of the tongue weight (which is likely to be around 1000 lbs IMO) not all of it will be carried by the tow vehicle in terms of impacting axle loads; some will be shifted back to the trailer. Maybe 150-200 lbs. However, what is important to keep in mind that all of the tongue weight is carried by the standard hitch receiver. This is why it is worth asking about whether it needs reinforcement. Call Can Am, they are very helpful.

[jcl]

Originally Posted by franklyfrank

You have a choice to make, look for a smaller trailer to fall in love with or purchase a more suitable tow vehicle. Special Hitches and Custom this and that do not make up for a marginal tow vehicle and payload capacity.
As to towing it you could do it with a Fiat 500 , towing it safely without anxiety is altogether a different issue.

What an absurd comment.

The Fiat 500 has a payload of 800 lbs, which includes the driver and any passengers. Now think about the 1000 lb tongue weight. You can not tow a 27 foot Airstream with the Fiat 500. It isn't a matter of anxiety, it is a matter of physics.

[bono]

Andy has / had Mercedes GL in his fleet, so he should know very well its capabilities. This trailer should be easy job for MB GL. Good WD hitch and possibly a hitch reinforcement are crucial.

[mikeinca]

I would have thought that payload capacity would be your main shortcoming using the GL for towing but am surprised to read that it's almost 1800 lbs. I suspect that turbo 3.0L will be spooled up pretty good most of the time when towing and you will be close to your limits on hitch weight and towing capacity but you just might be able to make it all work.

[Andrew T]

Hello

There is a great shop in LA that we can refer you to for the hitch reinforcement. He has done a couple of hundred now and from the pictures I have seen his work is very nice. It is a pretty simple process compared with what they usually do. They do not get involved with configuring the weight distribution etc.

Configuring the weight distribution system is not overly difficult to do but you won't get it done properly at any dealer in California that I know of. However if you are a little bit handy it is something you can do yourself with hand tools and a 2-3 hours. If you like send me an email andy@canamrv.ca and I can send you the information sheets on how to configure the hitch system.

I can give you the hitch components to order there is one part of our hitch system (the shank) that we have made locally which we can ship to you. If you like we can send you the entire system configured for you but this is quite a bit more expensive.

The hitch configuration is likely more important on pickups than it is on the GL as it is a much more stable tow vehicle. One other advantage is it is also considerably more maneuverable when getting into campsites gas stations etc. Our 2007 GL has 160,000 miles on it and you would not believe the abuse it has had yet it keeps on ticking.

Connected properly you have no payload concerns. The GL chassis components are very robust (110 MPH solo on the autobahn all afternoon is much more demanding than 65 towing). Interesting in Europe if you are towing and keep your speed down to 100 KPH 62 MPH your rear axle GAWR is increased 250 KG's 500 pounds.

Two things when towing with it you should use premium fuel and you will find the performance and fuel economy better if you shift manually on the highway and keep the engine RPM slightly higher than the programming would. This is pretty easy with the paddle shifters.

You can likely use the same hitch system on your Cargo trailer which would be a very good idea.

I hope this helps.

Andy

[panamerican]

Hi BruBen. If it were me, I'd not tow a 27' Airstream with the GL450 for several reasons.

The GL450 has too short of a wheelbase for a 27' trailer. Possibly good for a 23'. I am not one to endorse modifying structural members of a vehicle. My take is if you have to do structural modifications to a tow vehicle, that ought to tell you something right there.

The 27' can have a GVWR that exceeds the capacities of the GL450, additionally, passengers and cargo deduct from the manufacturer rated tow capacities. As has been pointed out, the published hitch weight is a guideline, not a matter of fact. How you load plays a significant role here. Most owners will find at least a few hundred pounds more hitch weight than is published.

My take is if you like riding on the edge, a modified GL450 with a 27' trailer is your rig. If you want to have ample capacity, control and safety, my vote would be to get a smaller trailer, or upgrade to a different tow vehicle that will NOT require structural changes/reinforcements.

I know there are folks that swear by these methods, I am not one of those people, but to each their own.

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by jcl

What an absurd comment.

The Fiat 500 has a payload of 800 lbs, which includes the driver and any passengers. Now think about the 1000 lb tongue weight. You can not tow a 27 foot Airstream with the Fiat 500. It isn't a matter of anxiety, it is a matter of physics.

It was meant to be absurd.
Just as absurd as the idea of towing with a marginal SUV that needs to be modified to do job.
Most serious accidents that I have seen posted involved Airstreams being towed by and SUV.