What are your real world experiences with towing? What are the biggest loads you have pulled with your MB diesel? I'm not looking for "owner's manual" ratings or such.

Can the engines and transmissions handle #3000+, assuming you have a good solid hitch. 60 mph is certainly acceptable to me.

I have towed about #1500-2000 with my 1982 300TD. Custom made frame mounted hitch. The load was a 5x8 utility trailer and motorcycle.

I suppose I could hook up my Lesharo and try pulling it. That's about #4000. I had to tow it home with my Jeep once at about 45mph. Jeep is only rated for #1500.

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1987 300TDT
1981 VW MKI Caddy 1.6 diesel, waiting on engine swap
1983 D-50 Power Ram 4x4 "Mitsubishi" 2.3 turbo diesel
assorted gas powered crap and motorcycles

RIP: 1984 300TDT, 1982 300TDT, 1984 190D 2.2, 1992 300D 2.5, 1987 300TDT, 1982 Maxima LD28, 1983 Maxima LD28, Isuzu C223 P'ups X3, 1983 Holiday Rambler 6.2 Banks turbo diesel, 1984 Winnebago LeSharo 2.1 TD, 1985 Allegro 6.5

I wouldn't try towing anything over a snowmobile or motorcycle. 1000 lb or so tops. If it were to start swaying bad going down a hill you would be Fd. Even if the load pulled ok, stopping it would be another thing. The jeep would probably do ok if you put a trans cooler on it but short wheel bases aren't the greatest for towing.
my .02

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1959 Gravely LI, 1963 Gravely L8, 1973 Gravely C12
1982 380SL
1978 450 SEL 6.9 euro restoration at 63% and climbing
1987 300 D
2005 CDI European Delivery
2006 CDI Handed down to daughter
2007 GL CDI. Wifes

Buy a truck you will beat the crap out of the driveline towing 3k pounds.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Last fall, I pulled one of my parts cars about 200 miles. 240D (3600lbs) + tow dolly (350lbs) = 4thousandsomething lbs.

Marlene the wonder wagon handled it in grand style...no wobbles with the towed car, tracked great at 65mph, the superior Benz brakes dealt with everything just fine. Of course, you must drive defensively and plan waaay ahead and I took great care to make sure that I didn't lug the engine. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again either...

Read all about it here: Tow job

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

I pulled a 1000 lb uhaul with about 700 lbs of stuff in it from Florida to DC in a 1982 300SD. We drove 60 all the way and it did beautifully. Averaged about 17 mpg if I remember. There was reasonable power and the brakes are awesome. The temp gauge was up by about 7 degrees (this was in the winter). The biggest problem was the rear-end sag. Maybe air shocks are in order.
I've also pulled about 2500 lbs (firewood) for about 3 miles. That's too much in my opinion.

FWIW, our car had a new MB rebuilt trans put in it before we bought it.

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1984 300Sd 210k

Former cars:
1984 300D 445k (!!) (Strider) Original (and not rebuilt) engine and transmission. Currently running on V80 ( 80% vegetable oil, 20% petroleum products). Actually not, taking a WVO break.
1993 300d 2.5 275k. Current 120/day commuter
1981 300SD 188k (Hans) Killed by a deer

Speaking of towing...

Odie, have you thought any more about offering your hitch as a kit, or even a set of drawings? I'm interested in a hitch for my wagon, I don't have 400$, and I've got a machinist friend who owes me a favor and would be happy to help with welding, but I'm not sure what the mount points are, and would hate to spend a lot of time duplicating someone elses good work.

Let me know if you had any ideas. Heck, I'd probably be willing to pay you a few bucks for a set of drawings. We could even do them up in autocad and make them available on ebay. Or just make them available to the forum.

Anyway, think about it and let me know, like I said, there's no sense in me duplicating your fine work if you've got a good way to share it.

peace,
sam

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"That f***in' biodiesel is makin' me hungry."

1982 300TD Astral Silver w/ 250k (BIO BNZ)
2001 Aprilia SR50 Corsa Red w/ 5.5k (>100 MPG)

Proper tongue weight is critical for towing...

example...The Jeep ain't too good for towing. Short wheel base has a big negative impact. The jeep tows my #2000 motorcycle & trailer just fine. But it had swaying problems with my 22ft sailboat of the same weight. But the sailboat had almost no tongue weight. When I pulled the #4000 Lesharo it had swayed above 45mph. but I used a tow bar so there was no tongue weight there either.

I could tow my porshce 914 and Geo Metro at high speeds with the short wheel base Jeep with no tongue weight either. But I think it the load being much lighter than the tow vehicle helped out with the lack of tongue weight.

Consider all the commercials for trucks towing twice their weight...but those loads have the correct tongue weight ratio.

Thus, I would think the Benz chassis is capable of towing loads at least equal to it's own weight safely provided you maintain 10% tongue weight and use a solid hitch. The issue of the engine and trans being overloaded is a seperate issue, but no less important factor.

My hitch has made 2 high speed runs to New Orleans and back with the #2000 rig. If I have a chance this weekend I'm going to try flat towing the #4000 RV with a tow bar. No tongue weight so it's more a test of pulling ability of the Benz and strength of the hitch and not a speed check.


I keep thinking about producing my wagon hitch. Probably as a kit for shipping and production ease. The real issue is time to do it. Plus I'm going to Iraq in a couple months. Too many other projects and such to wrap up before I go. I really wish I made templates and all the first time around.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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1987 300TDT
1981 VW MKI Caddy 1.6 diesel, waiting on engine swap
1983 D-50 Power Ram 4x4 "Mitsubishi" 2.3 turbo diesel
assorted gas powered crap and motorcycles

RIP: 1984 300TDT, 1982 300TDT, 1984 190D 2.2, 1992 300D 2.5, 1987 300TDT, 1982 Maxima LD28, 1983 Maxima LD28, Isuzu C223 P'ups X3, 1983 Holiday Rambler 6.2 Banks turbo diesel, 1984 Winnebago LeSharo 2.1 TD, 1985 Allegro 6.5

You would have to be a certified nut case to tow 3,000 lbs with a 300TD. Mercedes published max towing limits for a reason!! Anyone will thinks that the thin non-vented brakes on a W123 will safely stop 7,000 lbs is delusional. Some posters may have gotten away with it but think of the legal ramifications if your overloaded rig rearends a minivan filled with kids.....no thanks. Uhaul or Ryder will rent you a truck and trailer for heavy loads.

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Bill Reimels
Now down to one:
1972 300SE 3.5 W109 (Euro delivery)

Yes I am certifiable (I can't speak for Odie); I still have scars from the shock therapy to prove it too.

Anyway, this is Texas. Around these parts you're expected to overload your vehicle's towing capacity, exceed the speed limit and tail-gate minivans full of pre-teen soccer players. Jeez, life any other way would be dull and uninteresting. And, you better start clearing the streets up there because I'm contemplating a W126 parts car in Goshenville and I'll definitely be towing it home with my wagon. BTW-I really hope your house isn't at the bottom of a steep hill.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

I'm nucking futs

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1987 300TDT
1981 VW MKI Caddy 1.6 diesel, waiting on engine swap
1983 D-50 Power Ram 4x4 "Mitsubishi" 2.3 turbo diesel
assorted gas powered crap and motorcycles

RIP: 1984 300TDT, 1982 300TDT, 1984 190D 2.2, 1992 300D 2.5, 1987 300TDT, 1982 Maxima LD28, 1983 Maxima LD28, Isuzu C223 P'ups X3, 1983 Holiday Rambler 6.2 Banks turbo diesel, 1984 Winnebago LeSharo 2.1 TD, 1985 Allegro 6.5

I'm almost certian that I read somewhere in an official MB publication that the 300td was rated to pull 1500lbs unbraked and 3000lbs braked.

In Europe it is routine for people to tow large RV's with these vehicles. Granted, the Europeans build their RV's lighter than the US does, but even so, I've seen tiny cars pulling RV's in Europe that most Americans would never think could be done.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Barristers running rampant have scared us into being a bunch of hand-wringing alarmists. We'll be lucky to survive.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

I wanted to get an ML to tow stuff but the smaller one (V6) I didn't want. Besides the wife doesn't think much of towing with an MB, any MB. So, if I want to sleep well and not worry about her castrating me at night, I'd better not put a hitch on her MB. That is why she said we should get a V8 truck or SUV. Those are tow vehicles not the MB. I'd gladly trade my tow vehicle and hers in on a diesel ML, or is it the R-Class that is supposed to come out but it would have to get a few years of road test before I like it. Anyways, even if I did, I am not sure she would like to see an MB as a tow vehicle. Especially if it is her primary vehicle.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Soon, I'm going to retrieve another parts car with my wagon!!! This one's a W115 so there will be some serious German iron out on the roads on the 13th of this month...the faint-of-heart may want to head for cover early.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

Of course if you listed your location that would be helpful.

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Bill Reimels
Now down to one:
1972 300SE 3.5 W109 (Euro delivery)