Is 240BH overwhelmed for my vehicle?

[Danny_J.]

I have a Mercedes GLS450. I rented and towed a TT(around 6000lb GVWR, 30 feet) from PA to FL a couple months ago and it worked well. After doing some research, I'm planning to get my own 240BH or 239ML if 240BH is overwhelmed for my vehicle. The vehicle payload from official website is not clear.

Curb Weight (lbs)
5,412
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (lbs)
7,275
Towing (lbs)
7,700
Max. total payload (lbs)
TBA

I'm going to travel with 4 adults + 1 baby (800lbs). It gives me like 800lbs (GVWR-CURB Weight - 200lbs cargo - 800lbs people) left to tongue weight. This is really close to 240BH GVWR 7,000lb (Shipping Weight 4911lbs + Carrying Capacity 2089lbs). I'd probably not carry more than 1000lbs cargo during my trip. Can anyone help to see if it's safe to tow?

The 239ML has Shipping Weight 4307lbs and Carrying Capacity 1093lb which gives me plenty of room for the tongue weight.

Thank you

[Logan X]

Welcome to the forum!

The short answer to your question is yes, that trailer is too much for your Mercedes.

To find out your payload capacity, look at the yellow sticker on the B pillar inside of your driver’s door. The payload capacity is listed “all cargo and occupants shall not exceed xxxx pounds.”

Also, look at your hitch. It should have a sticker on it saying it’s max tongue weight and max towing capacity.

Post those numbers for your vehicle and we can give you more help.

[Danny_J.]

Thank you Logan. Here is what I found from the vehicle.

[Canonman]

Hi Danny, Welcome! Doing the right thing asking questions before purchasing. Is there any chance you know the model or specs from the TT you rented for comparison to the 240 BH?
Once you get your TT loaded, the tongue weight is likely to be north of 700#. We all intend to only load (1,000#) a minimum but then the DW starts adding the gotta-haves and then the extra stuff for the kids and there you go. Your max payload for the 450 is GVWR 7275 minus curb weight 5412 = 1863# Figuring a realistic 700# tongue weight and your remaining payload is 1,163# for people/stuff. So, yes, not much head-room left over.
This seems to match up with the 7700# towing max and your 240 BH GVWR of 7000#
IMHO the 240 BH might be too close to the limits of your 450.
Let's see what others have to say:)

[Danny_J.]

Thank you Canonman! The TT I rented is Jayco 264BH. We didn't actually load more than 500lb during that trip and It's just my wife and myself.

Unloaded Vehicle Weight (lbs) View Definition 4,610
Cargo Carrying Capacity (lbs) View Definition 1,390
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (lbs) View Definition 6,000



Hi Danny, Welcome! Doing the right thing asking questions before purchasing. Is there any chance you know the model or specs from the TT you rented for comparison to the 240 BH?
Once you get your TT loaded, the tongue weight is likely to be north of 700#. We all intend to only load (1,000#) a minimum but then the DW starts adding the gotta-haves and then the extra stuff for the kids and there you go. Your max payload for the 450 is GVWR 7275 minus curb weight 5412 = 1863# Figuring a realistic 700# tongue weight and your remaining payload is 1,163# for people/stuff. So, yes, not much head-room left over.
This seems to match up with the 7700# towing max and your 240 BH GVWR of 7000#
IMHO the 240 BH might be too close to the limits of your 450.
Let's see what others have to say:)

[Logan X]

Thanks for posting the pictures, it’s very helpful.

The max tongue weight your hitch can handle is 600 pounds.

Your payload capacity is 1213 pounds.

These will be the limiting factors for what you can tow. The main consideration is what the hitch weight will be. To estimate hitch weight, take the loaded weight, GVWR, of the trailer and multiply by .12 - or 12% of the trailer’s GVWR.

To keep the hitch weight at 600 pounds, you cannot tow a trailer with a GVWR over 5000 pounds. 5000x.12=600

If you do choose to put 600 pounds of hitch weight on that hitch, and I wouldn’t, that only leaves you 613 pounds for the rest of the cargo and occupants in the Mercedes. With 4 passengers, that 613 pounds will go away pretty quickly.

I would be looking at trailers in the 4000 or 4500 GVWR range.

[wiredgeorge]

Geesh... this one is easy enough for me to comment. Payload is 1213 lbs. You estimate 800 lbs of folks in the car. Add a few lbs for the hitch. You have about 350 lbs to accommodate the tongue weight of any trailer. The Passport bunk house you are looking at will have AT A MINIMUM over 700 lbs tongue weight and probably more. Buy a truck designed to haul a trailer.

[Danny_J.]

Thanks for your quick response! I was confused by the payload from their website. Now it's more clear.

[Danny_J.]

:lol::lol:

Yep. I should think about getting a truck now.

[Logan X]

For the size trailer you mentioned in your first post, you will be right at the limit of a well equipped (for towing) 1/2 ton truck. I tow a trailer about that size and I would not tow with anything less than a 3/4 ton.

Never use the dry or empty weights. Don’t trust the numbers from a brochure. Always do your calculations using the loaded or GVWR weights.

Payload is pretty much always the limiting factor with a travel trailer. Now you know how to find the payload capacity (each individual vehicle is different) and how to calculate tongue weight.

Edit- tongue weight (or hitch weight) plus the weight of all of the cargo and occupants can’t exceed the payload number on the door sticker.

Good luck with whichever trailer and or truck you choose.

[wiredgeorge]

Thanks for your quick response! I was confused by the payload from their website. Now it's more clear.

Website payload numbers are kind of meaningless unless you have configured your vehicle identically to the website model. I own an F350 and payload can range many hundreds of pounds from the stripped model to the luxury model plus 2wd vs 4wd, cab configuration, etc. The only real number is the 1213 on your sticker as that number relates to your specific car. When my wife and I travel and want to be comfy, we take her Crown Victoria. When I want to drag my camper, the F350. If you can afford a newer and nicer truck, they ride almost car-like BUT your payload suffers so if you decide to go the truck route, make sure you open the driver door on any prospective purchase and check out the payload number. Then look at the camper's listed tongue weight and figure the real weight will be at least 15 percent of the gross trailer weight when loaded, perhaps as high as 20 percent if you camp with four folks and a kiddo as you will have more stuff in the trailer. Too much truck isn't a thing; too little truck is too little truck and makes dragging a camper a chore at best and dangerous at worst.

[sourdough]

:lol::lol:

Yep. I should think about getting a truck now.

Yes, before purchasing a trailer of any size I would be thinking about a truck if I were you. The Merc will not tow either of the trailers you mentioned safely. With a receiver max of 600 lbs you will be limited as was pointed out to less than 5000lbs. Remember that about 125lbs. comes directly off that 600 for the hitch leaving about 475. At a 12% tongue weight you will be looking at a trailer weighing under 4000 lbs. gvw. Payload is a no go as well.

You are wise to double check before the purchase. Take your time, do your homework and get the combo right so you aren't putting you and yours in jeopardy.

[NH_Bulldog]

I have a Mercedes GLS450. I rented and towed a TT(around 6000lb GVWR, 30 feet) from PA to FL a couple months ago and it worked well. After doing some research, I'm planning to get my own 240BH or 239ML if 240BH is overwhelmed for my vehicle. The vehicle payload from official website is not clear.

Curb Weight (lbs)
5,412
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (lbs)
7,275
Towing (lbs)
7,700
Max. total payload (lbs)
TBA

I'm going to travel with 4 adults + 1 baby (800lbs). It gives me like 800lbs (GVWR-CURB Weight - 200lbs cargo - 800lbs people) left to tongue weight. This is really close to 240BH GVWR 7,000lb (Shipping Weight 4911lbs + Carrying Capacity 2089lbs). I'd probably not carry more than 1000lbs cargo during my trip. Can anyone help to see if it's safe to tow?

The 239ML has Shipping Weight 4307lbs and Carrying Capacity 1093lb which gives me plenty of room for the tongue weight.

Thank you

I have a 240BH and published weights are not accurate. My tongue weight comes in around 900+ lbs. loaded for a trip. You would be better served looking at a trailer with a GVWR closer to 5,000 lbs max

[Danny_J.]

Do I include the weight distribution hitch weight when calculating the tongue weight? @12%~15%? or 100% since it's close to the hitch.

[Canonman]

Yes, just think of it as additional "payload"

[sourdough]

Do I include the weight distribution hitch weight when calculating the tongue weight? @12%~15%? or 100% since it's close to the hitch.

The receiver (hole in the back that you plug a hitch into) has its rating: 600 lbs. The hitch weighs approx. 125lbs and plugs straight into it....it comes right off the receiver rating.

[NH_Bulldog]

Published tongue weight of the trailer is “dry”. It does not include weight of the battery/batteries or the weight of filled propane tanks or the weight of the hitch portion attached to the trailer. It also doesn’t include the weight of anything loaded in the trailer forward of the axles. Based on my real-world numbers my 240BH is about 6,200 lbs. loaded for a trip, and my tongue weight is about 930 lbs. Add that 900 lbs. +/- to the weight of the hitch system (about 100 lbs.) and then add the weight of anything in your vehicle that it didn’t come from the factory with (people, pets, full fuel tank, etc.). Unless you have a cushion of 10-15% between that total and your cargo capacity, stop there.

If you have some room in those figures, next consider your vehicle’s wheelbase. The first 110 inches of wheelbase allow for a 20-foot trailer. For each additional four inches of wheelbase length, you get one foot more in trailer length. So for the length of the 240BH (27.5 ft. but lets call it 28 ft.) you will need a wheelbase of at least 142 inches of wheelbase on your towing vehicle for that trailer. If you are under 142 inches of wheelbase, stop there.

If you are still reading, we now have to consider frontal area (wind resistance) and side area (like a giant sail to push you around). The shorter the wheelbase, the more the tail will wag the dog. We also can’t forget about tires. Sidewall strength is key and you really only get that with a Load Range E tire. Basically if max inflation pressure is anything less than 80 psi, the tires won’t be sufficient.

A Toyota pulled the space shuttle, a Ford pulled a freight train, a Tesla pulled a Ford, etc. etc. Many vehicles are physically capable of towing the weight of any number of trailers, but doing so safely is another story.

It takes a good person to ask for advice but it takes a better person to listen to the advice for the sake of the health and safety of themselves, their loved ones and the general public.

The 240BH is a great unit and we love ours. But unless you are willing to change vehicles you will need to find a different model.

[rlh1957]

Sometimes the numbers ‘just barely’ work. Question is just because you ‘can’ tow it, Should you?
Running too close to the numbers is too easy to go over the numbers.
You will always get different opinions and sometimes different ‘facts’. But when the decision is made it is all up to you no matter what opinion and facts may say.

[MrEnto]

Better to have gone overboard on the tow vehicle capacity than skirting the edge of the limits. When something happens (swerve flat quick stop etc) you’ll appreciate it.