Any suggestions on attaching a tow bar to a 240D so it can be pulled, 4-wheels on the ground behind a motor home? Anybody ever seen a towbar on a MBZ?

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

Hmmm Leo, I remember this being asked recently. Can't remember that suggestions. I'd stick with a manual or plan on removing the driveshaft.

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85 300CD
83 300TD
78 240D (daughter)

The previous poster finally gave up on this idea, after apparently checking with the dealership among other sources. This is not a recommended practice for many cars, but seems particularly so for Benzes. Use of a 2-wheel dolly can be fraught with disaster as well, from what I've seen of a 36 or 37 Cord badly damaged last year.

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1961 190Db retired
1968 220D/8 325,000
1983 300D 164,150

What you are needing is something like a reversed spindle which will bolt to the wheels.... then the weldment should be curved enough to allow reasonable turning of the wheels without contacting the front sheet metal.... each arm should pivot independantly so the suspension function is retained.

I had an '86 190E 5spd that had been set up to tow behind a huge Class A. They had welded the pivot mounts onto the tubes for the bumper shocks. They ran electric to the taillight assembly (very poor job). Guy said he towed it to and from Florida all the time. Looked like it would work ok. Just the wiring was fouled up. Oh, he did manage to soften and slightly melt the left front marker light (yellow) with the exhaust from his coach.

i think it had to do with getting a cer that did not run or was it the car that only had reverse? the heavy opinion was to car trailer the vehicle with all 4 wheels off the ground. it had rto do with the rearend tightening up or something if towed on 2 wheels.

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currently
[1981 300 td tdidi 165500 dark brown/palamino-Brownie-mine-3k miles of ownership
1983 240d 162+++ Anthricite grey w/ henna red interior and hella lights-wifes car-Red

the above two cars are for sale
and can be seen on the cars for sale thread here. pix also available.


240d-144+ Manilla Yellow w/ palmino interior-greasecar kit-Blondie-the college kids car

23" gt 21 speed still on original tires-still got the nubs
21" khs tandem

I think most RVers prefer not to use a trailer as it's bulky and makes manuvering in campsites and tight areas really hard. A tow behind car can be disconnected and hooked up as needed. That being said, I still prefer a car trailer for hauling vehilces.

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85 300CD
83 300TD
78 240D (daughter)

R Leo hates automatic transmissions, so I think we can assume that he's talking about a manual.

Randy, you'll probably need to check with an RV specialist about this. Someone like Lazy Days. Hmm, now I'm getting an idea. You drive your tow vehicle to Tampa, buy Perfesser Leaky with the blown engine for $500 and we'll have LazyDays set it up for you to tow home. How's that?

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Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

Even if it's a manual, towing without disconnecting the driveshaft will damage the transmission. Turning the tailshaft in neutral will not splash adequate lubrication onto all the parts that are rotating under those conditions.

Good luck,

I looked at an 80 SD that had been towed behind an RV a lot by one of the PO's. If I remember right the towbar was attached to the front bumper with some bolts on each side (it wasn't there anymore but the holes and scratches were). I drove it and it drove well engine and transmission wise, I expected that the transmission would be toast but it was ok. The suspension was trashed and the interior was pretty bad along with other problems so I passed (almost laughed when they said they wanted $3,000 for it!)

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1985 300D Turbo ~225k
2000 F350 (Powerstroke) 4X4, SWB, CC, SRW, 6spd ~148k
1999 International 4900, DT466e (250hp/660 ft/lbs), Allison MD3060 ~73k

Thanks for the info, Larry. Long time no see - hope everything's ok with you.

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Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

Backing a short trailer behind a long vehicle is very touchy.

I have wondered about attaching a tow bar to a 123 by pulling the rubber strip off of the bumper and drilling holes to bolt mounts for the tow bar near the bumper mounts. Never checked it out and I don't think it would be adequate for towing on a regular basis. May work for a one shot tow, especially for a parts car.

Thanks for the comment Rick. I'm doing fine, but I have found a few more forums on which I spend much of the time I have available for surfing. On those forums, so far, there has not been an individual disputing about half of what I say and being very direct about it so it makes for more pleasant discussion forum time.

I finally came back here and just put the person that was getting under my skin so bad on this forum on my ignore list and I will try to reengage here.

Thanks again,

larry thanks for returning i have miised your in put
JOHN MADSEN

I was the one that had asked about towing a 240D 4 down. According to REMCO Ind. out of Omaha and Mercedes Benz 800 service folks, it was a resounding NO. Mine is a manual 4 spd. I bought an 03 Beetle 5 spd manual diesel and that will work in many ways for me. The 240D is for sale.
This forum will be extremely well served with Larry coming back. Let's make sure he enjoys being back.