Anyone hauled a uhaul car trailer with the 4cly ?

stuartm

Member
Looking to see if anyone has hauled a car trailer uhaul or otherwise with a 4cly sprinter. I know mercedes says no more than 5000 pounds because of the unibody or something has anyone been on this threshold?

I've got a 8 hour drive to do with a car hauler and a 4000 pound suv.

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Kajtek1

2015 3500 X long limo RV
Whole Europe tows travel trailers with 4-cylinders and MB sedans are rated in Europe for 2.5 tons towing when wagons are often designated tow vehicles.
I would more worry about the hitch. What base you have on your Sprinter? Make sure the trailer has good brakes.
 

stuartm

Member
I have the cargo crew with the basic towing package, hitch says 6000 pounds without weight distribution

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sailquik

Well-known member
Why not put the car on a dolly?
Cuts the overall weight down significantly and really lowers the tongue weight.
You obviously DO NOT have the Mercedes Benz towing cross member (installed by the factory when
your Sprinter was assembled).
No such thing as a 3 series (316 with the 4 cylinder/7 speed)/2500 Sprinter with a 6000 lb towing capacity.
Adding a weight distribution hitch is a really bad idea.
WD hitches/load bars etc. work great on pick em up trucks and SUVs that have a fore and aft frame to "distribute"
the weight forward. Unfortunately Sprinters have sheet metal box beams to support the uni-body, instead of actual frames.
If you use a dolly your OM-651 4 cylinder engine and 7G-Tronic 7 speed transmission will have no problems if you can keep the
weight down around 5,000 lbs. and the tongue weight ~ 500 lbs..
I've towed a 5,000 + cargo trailer extensively with the 4 cylinder/7 speed and it did better than the V6/5speeds I had in the
past, but the fuel mileage suffered with a GCVW of 12,150 lbs. on a 2014 516 series (3500) with DRW and the 4.187 rear axle
ratio.
Hope this helps,
Roger
 
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stuartm

Member
Unfortunately you cant dolly tow a awd suv without getting creative or that would have been my first choice

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sailquik

Well-known member
stuartm
Why not?
Can't you simply disconnect the rear drive shaft and tie it up out of the way?
The rear axle should have enough lubricant in it to allow it to be towed.
Does it have independent rear suspension with half shafts?
Maybe check around to see if anyone makes hubs with separate bearings/wheels/tires that fit in place of the wheels
like the big rig delivery folks use.
Lock up the rear wheels, put on the Auxiliary hubs/wheels/tires, and off you go.
Roger
 

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