Buying a trailer hitch for W123 300D
 

Been searching for an hour on the internet and reading here. I want to pull 1500lbs max with my 81 300D. I've only found 1 on the internet with this weight rating and they cost around $161.67 with shipping. The 1000lb hitches only cost $33.00.

Any advice or other options would be appreciated.

Here is the 1500lb one etrailer.com's DaLan Fixed Draw Bar


Also, Why the big increase in price? Is it how they are mounted? Less steel in them? Here is a cheap one .
http://store.yahoo.com/hitches4less/19mer20clasd.html


thansk

Most MB documents I've seen on W123 trailer towing call for no more than 300lbs tongue weight. Most of them bolt to holes you would drill in the rear of the frame.

I built my own hitch. a reciever type I will post pictures when my wife gets home with the car. If you install a fixed tounge hitch you will only smack your shins on it and hate yourself.

Right As I was about to click "Pay Now"
 

Thanks omegaman. Just in the nick of time. I will wait for your pics. my friend made one for his his SD and he said it took a lot of time and 50-60 bucks and a welder. So he advised just buy one. I will wait for pics and also see if there is a reciever kind out there for sale.

thanks

I agree with Omegaman. Make your own. Or at least have it made. I made my own and it was actually fun to do. If you dont have the equip. the money you save by doing it yourself will pay for a welder and then you will have a new toy.
Crawl up under the bumper and take a peek. The bolts holding it on can be un threaded and you can make a paper or cardboard template for a piece of metal to bolt behind the bumper bracket and weld to a cross bar.

Towing 1500lb is a little sketchy. You would have a good chance of cooking your transmission. Ive pulled a 5x8 enclosed full of beach toys which is probably about 800lb gross on a 6 hr trip and the car ran very hot. I was watching the thermostat the whole trip.
Also pulled the same trailer with a 300lb motorcycle and you can definatley feel that the car is working hard.

Somewhere in a search you may be able to find some pics of a guy that loaded up like 4 drums of veggie oil on a trailer for a cross country trip. (probably about 1500lb gross) I dont recall any posts of major mishaps so I assume he made it without trans trouble but the tread did die a quiet death. I was looking forward to hearing more about the trip.

here are some pics.

Thanks Angst. Let me see if I have this right. The Reciever is welded along with reienforcements to the rear facing face of the cross bar. It does not go through it in any way. The reinforcements make the connection strong so the reciever does not get pulled off by the weight of the towing load. The cross bar is made by welding 2 pieces of angle iron together to make a long cube.

What would you guess the weight rating is for your hitch? Over 1500 lbs?
Also, any chance your W116 would be a good start for toward a W123 hitch?
thanks

I have also seen the internet sites with 1000 lb rated hitches for under $50 and have been quite intrigued. I would also be happy with a good drwaing to take to my local welder to make a more substantial receiver style hitch as mentioned by others. Fixed tongue hitches do have a way of attracting shins :)

Yes correct. The reciever part just butts up against the cross bar. You have 4 exposed edges to weld and then you can grind the top and bottom flat before you weld on the reinforcement plates and you end up with more reinforcement surface area than most stuff you would buy. Drill holes in your reinforcement plates to make a place to hang your chains on

Actually no. The cross bar. is a square tube. There are a few things in the picture that are anomolies. Initially I used too thin of a walled cross tube. There was too much flex and I came back later and welded a piece of angle iron to it to reinforcement. This step shouldnt be necessary if your cross bar is thick to start with.

I posted the pic again with an explanation.
1. Ignore the weld bead you see here it is just from adding a extra reinforcement.
2. Another piece of angle iron. Ignore this, it was only necessary because of the original piece of square tube for the cross piece was too thin and I was trying to stiffen the rig up.
3. Not visable in the pic is a flat plate that the bumper bolts through.
4. Receiver section just butts up against cross bar.
5. Plates on top and bottom make it strong like an "I" beam

Also I have a hitch already made that I built for my old 116. Check if you have the 4 hole pattern or 3 hole pattern to bolt your bumper on and it may fit. The extra one I have is the 4 hole pattern.

[QUOTE=angst]Yes correct. The reciever part just butts up against the cross bar. [\Quote]

I was searching for cost of this reciever part to weld on the bar.. What is it called? A reciever adapter? . Also then you need a "ball mount" right?


I have the 3 hole mounting brackets that hold the bumper posts to the chassis. The posts are about 40" on center. Perhaps 2 of the holes would line up?
Or perhaps you would charge more and weld 3 hole mount brackets on it for me :) . Tomorrow I can get the pattern.

If not, I found a 2000lb gtw (gross trailer weight) / 200 lb tounge weight fixed tounge for 80.00 . That will do for now as I need to go pick up my new camping trailer. :) I have another car I can put this one on I dont use as much when I get a better hitch or i m sure someone here would buy it.





According to thread

2000lb gtw hitch $81.00
 

The link is http://search.cartserver.com/search/search.cgi?cartid=s-1547&bool=AND&category=z_DT_fixed&maxhits=1&keywords=dt1061&GO=GO%21

www.hitch-web.com

You can download the installation instructions. Might be able to use the installation sheets as a blueprint to make your own.

Critical also is centering it exactly. Bought an ebay 240D w/trailer hitch installed and the drivers side rear axle was shot. Stood back and examined it closely and noticed it was maybe 1/8" off center.

pics
 

Sorry for the wait on the pics I forgot to take them yesterday.
http://tednorfolk.home.bresnan.net/
check out the link I put 3 pictures on there. I made this from an old bent hitch my friend had. I used to tow a tent trailer with it and had no problems and that trailer was really heavy. In fact it was too heavy move around by myself and the car squated down really far but the hitch was fine!

Nice. Looks simple . Nice to hear it and the car does the job. Soon I will put my car to the test. :) I'm mad at it so I wont be too upset if I blow the tranny. Good excuse to convert it to manual. Although I do enjoy the luxury of not having to shift. I hope the tranny holds up.