We have a 1998 Mercedes E320 wagon (2 wheel drive). We are moving to California and it would be great if we could tow a small uhaul trailer behind the car but I'm not sure if it is capable of this. The owner's manual doesn't mention towing at all. Alternatively we would drive two cars out, the wagon and a moving van with our stuff in it. Does anyone know whether it is safe to tow with the wagon?

I have a 4x8 ft utility trailer that my 190e 2.6 pulle quite nicely. I don't expect you would have a problem. A hitch and wiring might get a little interesting though...

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5 speed '91 190E 2.6 320,000 mi. (new car, fast, smooth as silk six, couldn't find any more Peugeots)
5 speed '85 Peugeot 505 2.5l Turbo Diesel 266,000 mi. (old car, fast for a diesel, had 2 others)
5 speed '01 Jetta V6 (new wifes car, pretty quick)
5 speed '85 Peugeot 505 2.2l Turbo Gas 197,000 mi. (wifes car, faster, sadly gone just short of 200k )
5 speed '83 Yamaha 750 Maxim 14,000 mi. (fastest)
0 speed 4' x 8' 1800 lb Harbor Freight utility trailer (only as fast as what's pulling it)

For whatever reason, MBZ does not sell tow hitches nor endorse towing here in the USA. I chalk it up to fear of litigation, since in Europe they'll let you tow your house with a diesel 4-banger!

Depending on what the trailer's tongue and overall weight are (NOT something I know much about), your wagon will pull a good-sized trailer just fine. If I were you, I'd see if you could get capacity info from the German MBZ website. In Europe, you can get a trailer hitch installed at a Benz dealer

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"If God had meant for us to walk, why did he give us feet that fit car pedals?" Sir Sterling Moss

Michael
2014 E63S Estate
2006 SLK55
1995 E500
1986 Porsche 944 turbo

Thanks very much for the replies. It would be really great if we could pull a trailer!!! Do you happen to know the web address of the German MBZ site?

Interesting if it's just fear of litigation. It's hard to think of any other reason it couldn't pull a trailer. Maybe I'll check with the local U Haul people and see if they can install a hitch and if they have experience with this. It will be nice if I can get some confirmation from MBZ too.

Dan

Yes Its True the Legal EXPERTS ?wont put a hitch on a USA wagon BUT in EUROPE its the NORM for a wagon to Tow a HORSE TRAILER
so A SMALL UHAUL Trailer wont be a Problem!

BTW have you had the TRANSMISSION SERVICED ?
Yeah I Know the (lifetime fluid) A JOKE!
I WAS a EX Factory MERCEDES TECH And I own A 2000 E class wagon (for my dogs)

I would say GO FOR IT!

And Where are You Moving to in CALIFORNIA?

Good Luck on The MOVE!

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the note. We're moving to Monterey, California for my wife's grad school. I expect rent will be so high that we won't have anything left to fix the wagon if towing a trailer breaks it . Actually, it's supposed to be really beautiful there so we're both looking forward to the move.

Would you recommend having the transmission serviced before or after we pull a trailer to california (or both?).

What kind of dogs do you have??

Dan

Mounting a hitch is really pretty basic. Cars are unibody so all you have to do is connect to enough of the body to support the weight. There’s always customization involved and trailer mounting shops have no problem doing a nice job on anything, the place I went to had pictures of their work that included Mercedes and a Rolls Royce even. My hitch cost about $175 and all you see is the square receiver peeking through the cladding under the bumper.

Dan,Montery is Very Nice You WILL LIKE it! You did Not say how many miles on the wagon..The Fluid change is NOT cheap as the filter is so I would do it after the Trip out (PLEASE make sure they who ever does the trans service DRAINs the Torque Converter Also......................Have a Nice/safe trip out!
Btw I have two ROTTWEILERS that I take to the office every day
Had a ML...But what a P.O.S .....The wagon is the ticket..SUVs are on the way OUT!


Jim,Who did your Hitch?Sounds like a CLEAN Install !

Mark

Wow, I've been on the phone all morning. Most trailering businesses just tell me a hitch is not available for the "98 wagon. Finally, it seems that only one company (Deland) makes the appropriate hitch and it costs $275. Then there will be installation and wiring! I'll keep looking but I've pretty much exhausted all the resources I can come up with. If anyone has any other ideas, please let me know!

I agree that SUV's are on the way out and wagons are in. I just sold my Tahoe (but at least it had a trailer hitch!!)

My Mercedes hitch was done by a place called Accurate Trailer Hitch & Weld here in Saugus. My Peugeot was done by Hitch Masters in Van Nuys. Based on my experience with the Peugeot I knew I got lucky with the Mercedes, I put a lot of miles on the Peugeot looking for a place. Some people laughed, some said there’s no frame so they couldn’t, which is a bunch of bull. No car today has a frame, you just weld a bracket that covers enough of the body to distribute the weight. Both cars have independent rear axles so there’s more metal back there anyway. When I found Hitch Masters they said no problem, big suprise compared to my previous experience. They had a template for the Peugeot and it fit quite nicely.

DanG, keep looking. Most trailer places work on RV’s and trucks so they not have much car stuff. Try U-Haul, some do hitches or may have a place they can recomend, or a welding place. Or you car drive out here and go to the same place I used

Just to give you a bit of towing confidence, one of the members of my sister's pony club uses a 1998 E200 wagon (136bhp, 140lb/ft) to pull a horse trailer and up to two 500kg ponies! So your E320 should be fine. The only tips I'd give you are: look way ahead and keep your speed down so you don't have to brake hard, and use the gears as well as the brakes to slow you down. It is especially important to go down hill slowly.

Also, make sure the laden weight of your trailer is 75% or less of the laden weight of your car (stops the tail wagging the dog).

As for tow bars, MB manufactures a removable tow bar for the E-Class wagon. They are abut £150. Try part numbers Q3 90 11210, Q3 90 12210, Q3 90 13210, Q3 90 14210. You'll also need a wiring kit.

Whether or not you can get the parts in the US, this means the holes are already there for you to mount the tow bar: you should not need to do any welding or anything drastic (like cutting your bumber).

The MB Germany website (avaliable in English) is http://www.mercedes-benz.com/e/default.htm but I don't think you'll find tow bars!

All this said, you can't drive very fast when towing and may be easier and cheaper just to hire a van one way.

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JJ Rodger
2013 G350 Bluetec
1999 SL 500
1993 E300 diesel T
1990 190