what size caravan for a W124 300 D?
 

Geday from Australia

well I'm off. For 3 months or so my wife, 2 1/2 year old son and I are going to drive around the country.
The roads are good here.
The Merc's good. 1987 300d Diesel W124 white auto 200,000 miles
Hot weather.

I've seen a 14.5 foot pop top
and a 16 foot caravan.

I know absolutely nothing about what I am about to do...

Any suggestions???

The lighter and less frontal area, the better. Pop tops have an advantage in both those.

In hot weather towing a trailer with an automatic, you should consider adding an external air cooler for the transmission fluid.

I believe that the upper limit for a trailer without brakes will be 750Kg, and that is with the factory tow bar. If your trailer has brakes, then 1500Kg.

I don't know the final-drive ratio on the Austrailian version, but here it is 2.65:1, which is a bit tall for trailering on anything but flat-lands. I'd consider a shorter diff if yours is the same. Is it turbo? Turbo would be good for towing also.

Consider an extrnal transmission cooler.

Sixto
87 300D

Probably a stick.

I took this to mean automatic transmission.

Sixto
87 300D

I thought mine (87 300D turbo) had a trans cooler (drivers wheel well). Or is that an oil cooler?

Ive towed a 500kg trailer with mine, and it didnt like it much. Ran hot, didnt really have enough power. They say the trans and driveline are built like a brick ***** house, but I wouldnt stick my wife and kids in and drive very long trailering much.

Coolers
 

Oil Cooler's in the Left Front.
ATF Cooler's one of those "Heat Exchanger Tank ,Built into the Radiator".

Doh!

Ahhh, I see. Pretty nice oil cooler on there. Wonder if I could grab another 1 at a scrap yard and hook it to trans lines (clean it well ofcourse...)

If your a decent solderer you can tap into the AT cooler lines and add another heat exchanger or make some kind of water jacket out of copper pipes that is cooled by the radiator.

how it turned out towing 1200kg
 

Well I bought the 15 foot caravan - it weighs 1200 kg or so - it IS a bit too heavy - on the flat I can do 90 km/h. Up hills - a very embarrasing 40 km/h - I think that's 25 mph.
Oh well

from a 3 litre diesel
603 motor in a W124

You need a trans fluid temp gauge.

Sixto
87 300D