Towing w/ Mercedes 3500

j-d wrote:
Thanks for the towbar info. Extra thanks for telling me the fixed arm towbar didn't somehow become a folding one! I would like my folding one to become a coach-mounted one, though...

Welcome, anytime :)

Thanks for the towbar info. Extra thanks for telling me the fixed arm towbar didn't somehow become a folding one! I would like my folding one to become a coach-mounted one, though...

We haven't towed yet with our Serenity but will once we determine what toad to buy. Nice to hear from folks with actual experience .

j-d wrote:
April- I noticed the toad-mounted towbar on the Clubman. Does it affect the vehicle when you're driving it around not in tow?

We had a little Toyota Tercel and the bar gave it a front-heavy feel. Mitsubishi mini pickup and our current Nissan Frontier don't seem to be affected. But I'm considering putting it on a late model Corolla. It's a lot more car than the Tercel, but it's not a truck. Neither is Clubman, so I wondered how it works out with the towbar in place.

We've been to some of those AK vistas and driven through Yukon. Ya got us jealous!

You can tell it's there but it's not a problem. When we're in a place for more than just overnight, we take the towbar off and store it in the RV. Only takes two pins to lift it off.

But here's another picture of when we bought the little Sprinter. We bought it on Ebay, then had to drive from NV to MO to pick it up. Drove all that way with the tow bar on the front of the Clubbie.



Later, we bought the folding tow bar, so even less of a problem.

April- I noticed the toad-mounted towbar on the Clubman. Does it affect the vehicle when you're driving it around not in tow?

We had a little Toyota Tercel and the bar gave it a front-heavy feel. Mitsubishi mini pickup and our current Nissan Frontier don't seem to be affected. But I'm considering putting it on a late model Corolla. It's a lot more car than the Tercel, but it's not a truck. Neither is Clubman, so I wondered how it works out with the towbar in place.

We've been to some of those AK vistas and driven through Yukon. Ya got us jealous!

Dakzuki wrote:
Some Sprinter hitches are only rated for 3500# and some are 5000#. A fully laden Sprinter RV (11,000#) will only be rated to tow about 4000# anyway due to the combined weight rating. My toad weighs about 3000# (with gear) and we have no issues. We are always going faster than the tractor trailers. Our local pass is 5% at the steep part and I am down to 50-55 which is a non event. I've done steeper (Utah 12 and the hogsback). I never disconnected the toad.

+1

We drove the Sprinter based View in my sig to Alaska last summer, towing the Clubman. Our Clubbie is approximately 2700 lbs and we had it loaded with a safari rack and 25 gallons of diesel. Went over the Canadian Rockies, across Top of the World highway, and up and down so many times I thought the Sprinter would get a nosebleed. ;) During the whole trip, we kept up with the diesel pushers and left the gassers eating dust. :B

And, as everyone know, no picture = didn't happen, here's some pictures:

Some Sprinter hitches are only rated for 3500# and some are 5000#. A fully laden Sprinter RV (11,000#) will only be rated to tow about 4000# anyway due to the combined weight rating. My toad weighs about 3000# (with gear) and we have no issues. We are always going faster than the tractor trailers. Our local pass is 5% at the steep part and I am down to 50-55 which is a non event. I've done steeper (Utah 12 and the hogsback). I never disconnected the toad.

I have a Sprinter as well. During last season final average was 16.7mpg. As for towing, the Sprinter went up the grade at about 45mph and it didn't matter if the grade was 6 or 9% it just kept going.

Be careful, depending on the Jeep you could be exceeding the frame's tow capacity. NOTE: I said frame capacity, not the engine. Frame extenders and tack ons reduce the total tow weight from 5000 to 3500. It will definitely pay to know what your max weights are.

Does a little 25'er really need a tow? IMHO yes if the stay is long and there are lots of places to see/do/be. Even if its just a scooter, the ability to remain hooked up and still get around is pretty much priceless.

We routinely get 16 to 17 mpg in our 25 ft. Sprinter Class C.

Are you sure you really need to tow? There have been recent threads on this issue, and you may find that it isn't really necessary.

This is very good to know. Every time I look at a Sprinter-based "C", the salesperson touts 20-22 MPG, but doesn't write it down.