Trailer Hitch?

[WRS]

Hello,

I'm wondering if anyone here has installed a hitch on their W124. Am I asking for trouble?

I'm just looking to pull a jet ski.

DaLan and Draw-Tite claim to make hitches that will fit on the vehicle; however, they both seem to take up trunk space.

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Will

[Robert Goodwin]

I have looked all through the owners manual for my wifes 124 and I find no mention of trailer towing. Since it is not mentioned, I would say that Mercedes does not recommend it.

I have seen at least one Benz towing a boat. It was a 420SEL that looked like it was up to the task. I have 300SDL that would probably do it but I won't.

If yours is a particularly nice car there is a definite down side. If, as a prospective buyer of your car when you are done with it, I discovered that it HAD a trailer hitch, I would pass it up or deeply discount it based on percieved abuse.

Seems like a mini pickup truck with a step bumber would cost about the same as a trailer hitch plus reduction in value of the Benz. Just an idea.

[flyingfrankie]

back in the old countries across the pond you'll see tons of w124 and other mb with hitches especially diesels. great work horses. this is one of the reasons they buy a mb there. my dad had a w123 240td and needed it for towing a trailer but it was a manual( like almost every car in europe) the only problem in the usa is the automatic tranny (gets hotter). i dont think a jetski will do much harm but heavy stuff definetly takes their toll on a transmission and the brakes if the trailer has none (like jetski). it makes a handy hookup for a bike rack etc as well. i am still looking for an original (no drilling!) 300te hitch. frank

[Maxbumpo]

Frank,

I'm in the same boat (pun intended), looking for a hitch for my '87 300TD. I'm about to 'crack the code' - have a POC in Europe who can make the purchase for me, I just need to figure out the shipping.

Send me a private message if you're interested in pooling resources/ideas.

FYI, 124 wagons with original MB hitch are rated for 1900 kg, ~ 4200 lbs. That's huge amount of weight for a car, and there was a beefier radiator to go with that.

[Robert Goodwin]

Seems to me that I looked into this for someone a long time ago and found that you can order a hitch from the dealer (wherever you are).

Has to be cheaper than buying in Europe with the unfavorable exchange rate plus shipping.

Maybe the dealer can't get them for all models. Don't know, but it's worth a try.

[flyingfrankie]

yes robert you replied to my post last year and i'll quote your message with link here:

<You might also try http://www.curtmfg.com/app%20guide/mercedes.htm

They make a hitches for the E, G and ML class Mercedes.

Based on my experience with trailer hitches, I think "no holes" is the impossible dream. Years ago, we could mount a hitch to the bumper. which was directly bolted to the frame.

Today's cars have bumpers that are attached to a uni-body with hydraulic cylinders. I suspect this is what requires that holes be drilled.>

they do have a hitch but i wanted to keep searching for a no drill hidden solution. i found on ebay years ago a hidden solution that was made in massachusets ,but had no luck so far to find it. btw the european hitches have a fixed ball and i dont think the size is the same as here. so there is no switching ballsizes and other accessories hook up like here in the usa.

[Maxbumpo]

Frank,

Oris made hitches for MB (others might have as well) that were either fixed ball or detachable ball. Ball size is 5 cm, which is close enough to 2 inches to not matter. I had a detachable 5cm ball hitch for my 123 Euro wagon, used it to pull a 2500 lb sailboat with no problems. When the ball was removed, the hitch was nearly invisible under the rear bumper.

Robert,

I haven't tried yet to order through dealer, but may give that a shot. I have called MBUSA and gotten a 'No - only ML class hitches are sold'.

[flyingfrankie]

thx i'll be looking on the net for oris