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#1
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GLK question
Are GLK's set up to tow? I have never seen one with a town hitch but I don't know if it is an option.
thanks Fred Emmerich
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#2
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I believe so. You could probably find the tow rating on M-B's website.
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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... ![]() 1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod ![]() 2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die." |
#3
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Yes. The rating for either engine is 3,500 pounds.
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#4
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You may know this, but.... Be careful when towing with such a small truck. It is easy to lose it in a sweeping corner or when entering the freeway.
All it takes is a bit of caution. I know a guy that thought his Land Rover Discovery could tow a 2,200 pound trailer with a 911 strapped to it. It could pull it, but when he drove like a maniac a simple lane change led to a spin out. Nice and easy does it every time. |
#5
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I used to tow my 6.9 with at least a 1500lb steel trailer with and old Jeep Cherokee. Driving was fine, stopping was exciting until I got surge brakes installed.
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#6
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I dunno. A small trailer with a pair of jet skis perhaps...or a Smart car. But nothing much larger.
Especially if you are trying to keep up with everyone else doing 75-80 mph on the expressway!
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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle 2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car 2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver 2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car |
#7
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Towing is no big deal, even towing very heavy. The trick is to drive like you're towing heavy. A lot of people don't seem to get that. I used to run about 130,000 lbs on five axles* with only a 350 Cummins to pull it and non-spectacular air brakes to stop it. I had no problems** because I knew the vehicle's limits and stayed within them.
*Generally not legal in the U.S. I wasn't in the U.S. ** Ok, there was this one time I got bogged down in gravel and snapped the jackshaft trying to get out. I got pulled out by a D7 and replaced the jackshaft with a spare we kept for just such occasions.
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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar. 83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 401,xxx miles 08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 26,xxx miles 88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress. 99 Mazda Miata 183,xxx miles. |
#8
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Depends on what you are going to tow...
The factory received is of the (small) 1 1/4 inch variant. An aftermarket 2 inch receiver is going to allow a much wider variety of implements or trailers to be used. As stated above the 3,500 pound rating is there for a reason. The GLK is a crossover, NOT a truck. The biggest limitation in towing is not engine power but frame design and braking capability as well as the towing vehicles own weight. When seeking my own trailer I looked for months until one that was 'just right' came along. (This one for example has shocks and tows perfectly level with my G-Class) Also even when fully lloaded it is still well within my towing capacity so I still have a good margin for error. ![]()
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1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out 1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out) 1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481) ![]() "The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care." |
#9
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Hey Emmerich,
My dad bought a new GLK 250 around this time last year. It does have a factory two hitch option but its a small 1.5" receiver. I would have preferred bigger. Its towing capacity is 3500 lbs limited by the suspension. Torque is not a problem with the diesel engine. We have towed a small UHaul Trailer to Sonoma Raceway from house in the bay area and it was fine. I also moved the race car and trailer weighing about 4200 lbs across the paddock at Thunderhill. (Needed to move pit stalls and the real tow vehicle was away getting parts) It worked but the suspension was near to bottomed out. Steering was exceptionally light as the tongue was way overloaded. Would not recommend but we got a few laughs as we trundled across the paddock.As as mentioned by previous posts the short wheelbase isn't as stable at speed as a longer truck. So on/off ramps need to be negotiated with caution if you are nearing towing capacity. Braking while towing was surprisingly good. Very few times was I acutely aware I was towing save for the couple of times I needed to really stand to avoid rear ending lane divers trying to make a late freeway exit. Hope this helps, Gregory EDIT: Ceked the Splelling
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#10
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How was that trailer able tow your 6.9????
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