I’ve driven a lot on icy and snowy mountain roads. I use an AWD vehicle with great winter tires.

This winter I’ll be pulling a trailer occasionally it will be on icy and snowy roads. Am looking for tips on this.


TIA

I'd guess I've got maybe 20-30K miles of towing experience under my belt but I've only towed in snow/ice one time and it made a powerful impression on me. It was a very scary experience and if I'm ever in that situation again I'll pull over and get a room.

I was towing with an open car trailer (loaded with a car) and when the trailer starts to slide you've got to immediately correct it or things will get out of control very quickly. Then of course there are the issues of motive traction, AWD and good tires will help but you'll still have to overcome ALL the dead weight of the trailer to get things moving and keep them moving.

So in short my advice would be 1) don't do it 2) if you have to tow keep the trailer as light as possible 3) maybe up the tongue weight a bit to improve traction but keep in mind that doing so will lighten the front end and degrade steering performance 4) Keep the weight of the tow vehicle much higher than the trailer and 5) slow way, way down.

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98 Dodge-Cummins pickup (123k)
13 GLK250 (135k)
06 E320CDI (323K)
16 C300 (62K)
82 300GD Gelaendewagen (54K)

Thanks, these are all great points. Unfortunately, the possibility of transporting stuff during times of snow/ice may be unavoidable. It depends on the road conditions during the times I need to transport. At least the cargo weight is not all that great.

Has anyone rigged a W163 iteration ML for use with a trailer brake? I read some articles that imply this capability is built in and others say it is not. How can i find out? Would I go to a dealer for this or a 3rd party?

some of you RV dealers will wire you up cheaper than a dealer

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

Thanks. Before now, RV dealers is something I never thought about and it’s a good suggestion.

But the question remains: how can I find out if this capability is already integrated into the ML? The vehicle has the factory tow hitch and electrical wiring.

Being unfamiliar with it ... the best suggestion is to wait til spring.

Is the contents of your trailer worth your MB or your health ?

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1985 300D 198K sold
1982 300D 202K
1989 300E 125K
1992 940T

"If you dont have time to do it safely, you dont have time to do it"

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

I wouldn't attempt it without a trailer brake.

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68 280SL - 70 280SL - 70 300SEL 3.5 - 72 350SL - 72 280SEL 4.5 - 72 220 - 72 220D - 73 450SL - 84 230GE - 87 200TD - 90 190E 2.0 - 03 G500

Nissan GTR - Nissan Skyline GTS25T - Toyota GTFour - Rover Mini - Toyota Land Cruiser HJ60 - Cadillac Eldorado - BMW E30 - BMW 135i

> Is the contents of your trailer worth your MB or your health ?

I take it there's not much snow in your neighborhood?

While your question is valid, the risk is far from insurmountable if done properly. Around here people pull trailers into snow country regularly. There are many that pack snow mobiles and quads into long trailers and then take them up and down roads of all types without major problems. Of course trucks of all sizes pull trailers over all kinds of conditions. Respect for the environment is crucial. If this were a high risk, there would be lots and lots of carnage. There is some.

> I wouldn't attempt it without a trailer brake.

Agreed, and I’m thinking that studded tires for the trailer might be practical as well.

I’d like to know if a 2 axle trailer is more stable than a 1 axle trailer on icy roads. I’d think the bigger contact area would be a plus. Of course the downside would be higher fuel consumption. It's also posible that the traler brake may be overkill for the load with 2 axles. I wouldn't want the trailer to lock the wheels easily if the designers assume a full load when setting the stopping force.

I'm not going to be hauling that much weight. The weight of the trailer + maybe 1000 lbs of load so probably about 2500-3000 lbs total.

People certainly do tow in bad conditions, however I don't see many people trying to tow things like RVs, car trailers, ect in bad conditions around here. You do see the standard 18 wheel truckers out there in the worst of conditions but keep in mind many of these people have literally millions of miles of experience and their trailers are designed so that a significant portion of the weight is directly over the drive wheels.

Couple of other observations.

1) trailer brakes are required by law when you get to a certain weight point with the weight of the trailer. Limits vary by state but its typically between 2K and 4K pounds. Virtually all 2 axle trailers are equipped with brakes, cheaper trailers will have brakes on only the front axel but most 2 axle setups will have brakes on both axles.

2) Based upon my experiences it would be suicidal to attempt to tow a 3K pound trailer in snow/ice without trailer brakes. I can almost guarantee that you will have big problems in a very short time unless you live in a totally flat state and don't exceed 20 mph.

3) A larger contact patch in snow/ice is exactly what you don't want, larger contact patches will decrease the available traction, I've never driven a single axle trailer in bad weather but I'd guess they would be more stable.

4) The braking force delivered to the trailer is infinitely adjustable and must be 'dialed-in' by the operator based on the amount of weight the trailer is carrying AND the available traction. The procedures for setting the brake bias are detailed in the instruction manual for the brake controller. This 'feature' can be a real issue, for example you have to be aware that if you set the braking force when the pavement was dry that it needs to be adjusted when the road gets wet or icy. Same deal if you've offloaded a car and are now running empty - the first time you hit the brakes on an unloaded trailer they will all lock-up.

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98 Dodge-Cummins pickup (123k)
13 GLK250 (135k)
06 E320CDI (323K)
16 C300 (62K)
82 300GD Gelaendewagen (54K)

Thanks for your comments.

I contacted the dealer where my vehicle was bought and serviced and they said that the factory trailer hitch and wiring also includes the stuff needed to activate trailer brakes.

I also contacted a group who installs this kind of wiring and they said that they have a system that includes adjustment for trailer brakes, which the factory install does not.

I have driven a lot in snow and ice for decades. The riskiest part of these conditions are when one encounters slush or black ice. The 2nd riskiest part is if one does not allow a lot of following distance. Black ice and slush virtually eliminate directional stability. Studded tires help a lot on black ice, as do chains, but nothing helps much on slush as it can cause the vehicle to essentially hydroplane.

I’m thinking that a trailer with 2 axles and 2 sets of studded tires will put more studs on the road and that will help with directional stability overall

The alternative would be to rent a U haul or similar truck and that opens the door to a wide number of other problems due to all the lifting that would be involved getting things in and out of the truck. Then there is the part that one doesn’t typically find good winter tires on U-Haul vehicles.

Use the right tow vehicle and practice steering before hitting the highway. Remember that when backing up, the trailer turns the opposite way you turn your wheel. Experts suggest placing your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel and moving it the way you want the trailer to go when in reverse. Make slow, easy steering adjustments.

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