I would like to know if a 1984 190E can haul a 28' trailer with 2" ball and surge brakes holding a 3,000 lb. boat. The car engine was repaired a few years back after the timing chain broke, and the transmission was serviced recently, so the major components should be ok. If the car is indeed rated for this weight, I would like to know what kind of electrical interface is required to handle the trailer lights and brakes, and how the trailer ball receiver should be mounted. The car is currently located on the West Coast, and I was thinking about driving it to Miami with the boat and trailer. Does this sound like something feasible, or is it asking for trouble?

 

seems the boat is heavier than the car.

does it got the "B" shift on the transmission?

 

I wouldn't do it.

You'd be okay until the first time you had to make a quicker-than-normal stop or had to swerve around something, then all Hell would break loose--and you might die.

If you even made it to FL your trans would probably be trash. You'll have overheating issues along the way. Maybe insurmountable ones.

If you insist on doing this, get a heavy duty trans fluid cooler installed if there isn't one already. Get the cooling system serviced, as in power flushed and new coolant. Make sure the tires you have are rated for this weight or they'll blow out when you least expect it, and you might die.

 

The automatic trans doesn't have a B setting. I agree that the trailer is heavy, but it has its own brakes and is carrying most of the load on its wheels rather than on the car frame. But I am not familiar with how trailers work. I guess the major concern is transmission overheating. Maybe it is better to haul trailers using a vehicle with a manual transmission.

 

If you want to pull huge trailer using a benz, maybee u should get a unimog or a M class. The baby benz is just too nice to ruin and put stress on. Unless its a diesel.

 

here's 3 of 46 pages for towing installation on your car.

about the brake, was that hydraulic or pneumatic?

[IMG]local://upfiles/1/628FB71E7F4B4B94AC6061BEF0F71B94.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/1/FB675100083E464B9768C8F6C68F6848.jpg[/IMG]

 

.

[IMG]local://upfiles/1/E52F2BBF65694C61813CD7D7DAD67F49.jpg[/IMG]

 

Thanks very much for the info. It looks like that much weight would be over the Mercedes recommended limit. I am not completely sure, since the models given in the manual page don't correspond to the American series for 190E, but the 190E is a small and relatively light car. I suspect that the weight limit has more to do with the strain on the transmission than with any stopping considerations, since the trailer has its own brakes. But I have concluded that I will not try this particular towing trip. I appreciate the advice.

 

only on regulations.