Hi, I came back with a few photos. I forgot to mention, I am using a WD hitch but my trailer's official tongue weight is 675 lbs. My ML's manual says maximum 575 (the Touareg TDI allows 660). The CanAm reinforcement is needed only if you do not have the latest version of the OEM hitch that uses a receiver bracket that goes around the main tube, so if the weld brakes the receiver is still attached. As a conclusion, the maximum comfortable length for an ML should be 25 FT (not 27 like mine), not very tall (mine is quite tall but good for forest use like I do), and most importantly it should have a posted tongue weight less than 575 lbs. The gross weight of the trailer should not be more than 6500 lbs. This is for a comfort zone, again. The two biggest problems I have are strong sudden crosswinds if I am traveling at more than 60 miles/hour and being illegal with a full load of water (over the GVWR). My Lite Trail Trek 27 BHS comes at 6000 lbs loaded (no water) (standard suspension, no Airmatic). My top speed was 125 km/h (77 miles/hour) and my lowest in strong storm winds 80 km/h (50 miles/h). A safe average is around 110 km/h (68 miles/hour). Power is jut awesome and I bought an ELM 327 Wifi OBD reader that sends all the temperatures and engine loads to my iPhone on the dash. It helps monitoring the stress on the vehicle. Low rpm torque is king, the ML may not win drag races but for long haul it is just perfect. The rumble of a gas V8 may sound nice from a stop light but when you hear that constant struggle for 6 hours at a time you get sick of it. It also happens to be terrible for fuel economy. I wish they sold the ML 420 CDI here with the 4.0 V8 diesel. It makes no sense selling it to Europe anyway, they have the ML250 Bluetec now with the four banger. There was a guy here asking about horsepower. Horsepower relates to top speed and straight line acceleration, not hill towing. Why do you think some Cat semis are rated at "only" 400HP? Just like a Hemi 1500. Will the Hemi tow a double train with 18 wheels? I don't think so. Gobs of torque they have. Besides, a gas engine puts that power at a high 6500 rpm. How often do you rev it that much? Rarely. The ML bluetec turns out 240 at 3400 rpm instead. More usable horsepower. Long story...Good luck and safe camping!
