TrailManor Owner's Forum  

Go Back   TrailManor Owner's Forum > TrailManor Technical Discussions > Towing and Hitching
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 03-28-2006, 11:17 AM   #1
sinjin
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default BMW X5 as TV?

Would a BMW X5, 3.0 with manual transmission be big enought to tow a 2027sl? According to the towing specs it can haul 6000#, but it seems from reading this board there are other considerations to take into account.

Thanks for you input.

Pat
  Reply With Quote
Old 03-28-2006, 03:19 PM   #2
sinjin
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

The owners manual says it's good for 6000# if the trailer has brakes, 1650# without trailer brakes. I was just concerned because of all the posts about insufficient capacity or barely sufficient capacity. If we get one, we plan to take it out west for 8-9 weeks and I didn't want to wreck my car or the trailer. We camped in a tent last year for 9 weeks, and thought this year we'ld try it again in better style!

I've since read on a bimmer board that one guy routinely tows an airstream and another tows a car with the same model as ours. So it does look as if it will be ok.

I was just looking for a little reassurance, that I was getting the facts straight.

Pat
  Reply With Quote
Old 03-28-2006, 07:14 PM   #3
Bill
Site Team
 
Bill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
Posts: 10,088
Default

"Out west" covers a lot of territory. Do you have some specific destinations or routes in mind? I-70 through Denver woldn't bother me much. I-70 through the Eisenhower Tunnel, just a few miles west, would terrify me.

Bill
__________________
2020 2720QS (aka 2720SL)
2014 Ford F-150 4WD 5.0L
Bill's Tech Stuff album
Bill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-28-2006, 08:13 PM   #4
sinjin
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Bill;

We haven't decided on our route this year. Last year we basically did Rt 66 to Ca (with stops at GC and Sante Fe), north to SF, Yosemite, Jackson Hole/Tetons, Glacier, Badlands, Oshkosh (Eaa Flyin), back to Stl. (In a Costco tent ).

We missed all of Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Wa. That's what we want to pick up this year, and go back to Yosemite and Glacier if we can. I would not take the trailer on the Going to the Sun highway. We would park it on one side or the other and just drive our SAV. I know nothing of the Eisenhower Tunnel!! Is this a really scary thing?
  Reply With Quote
Old 03-29-2006, 03:33 PM   #5
sinjin
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Texas camper;

Quote:
search, using the word "eisenhower"
Done

Thanks for the warning Bill.

Pat
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2006, 03:54 PM   #6
rickst29
yes, they hunt lions.
 
rickst29's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 1,318
Default I don't know why, but Tekonsha/Draw-Tite doesn't like 'em

for their brake controllers. Every brake controller in the 2006 catalog says "Note: Not recommended for use with BMW X5 Sports Utility Vehicles". I can't imagine why they say this... about the only things I can think of are (a) somehow, Beemer has made it IMPOSSIBLE to make those 4 wiring connections. Or (2) if Beemer's brakes are wired backwards (hot versus cold) from everyone else's, then it would probably blow up the BC electronics the first time you touch it. But in these days of widely standardized and subcontracted parts, I'd be amazed if BMW didn't do their brake systems more or less the same as everyone else's.

(Once, I had an Italian Death Cart^h^h^h^hSports Car with "backwards" wiring for everything. When I left it out in the rain, sometimes the lights would go on "all by themselves" and run the battery down. And when someone saw how I was gonna attach their jumper cables, they usually FREAKED OUT. "You're pu-pu-putting the gu-gr-gu-ground wire goes WHERE?!?!?!?" But maybe it never rained in Italy, back then...)

You've obviously capable of configuring for adequate towing weight capacity. But, because a good brake controller is CRITICAL to avoid all the things you're afraid of, and the Prodigy (Tekonsha "Prodigy" == Draw-Tite "Intela-Stop Ultra") is perhaps the most highly regarded of all BCs among the posters in this Forum, I suggest checking into this possible issue immediately.
__________________
TM='06 2619 w/5K axle, 15" Maxxis "E" tires. Plumbing protector. 630 watts solar. 450AH LiFePO4 batteries, 3500 watt inverter. CR-1110 E-F/S fridge (compressor).
TV = 2007 4runner sport, with a 36 volt "power boost".
rickst29 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2006, 05:56 PM   #7
Bill
Site Team
 
Bill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
Posts: 10,088
Default BMW X5 and Prodigy controller

I don't know why the Prodigy (etc) won't work, either. But you are right, if the brake light switch is in the cold side of the brake light wiring (quite possible), that would do it. A wiring diagram for the X5 is needed.

If you can't figure it out, there is another good solution. Consider a Jordan Ultima 2020 controller. I've had one since 2001, and I love it. It has a three-wire connection (rather than four) because it does not require a connection to the brake lights. For my original setup, that was necessary.

See a picture and read about it at http://jordanbrake.com/ You can see a U-shaped bracket in the lower left corner of the picture. This bracket is clipped onto the brake pedal arm, so when you depress the pedal, it pulls the cable which activates the brakes in direct proportion to how hard you push the pedal. About as simple and foolproof as you can get.

RockyMtnRay mentions this controller in his brake controller tutorial in the TM Reference Library.

Just a thought.

Bill
__________________
2020 2720QS (aka 2720SL)
2014 Ford F-150 4WD 5.0L
Bill's Tech Stuff album
Bill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2006, 06:03 PM   #8
pbuck1
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Others have been there before (not me) and indeed it seems the X5 is more tricky than most for brake controller installation, but it can be done.
A quick google search brings up the links below for instructions on how to install a Prodigy in a BMW X5:

http://www.bmwmotorsports.org/pdf/BM...er%20Brake.pdf

http://www.bmwmotorsports.org/pdf/X5...stallation.pdf

Hope these help.

Paul
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2006, 07:21 AM   #9
sinjin
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Thanks for the input guys. I did do a web search to find out about installing the brake controller as well. Just about everything I turned up said it was a nightmare. I also saw that the Prodigy was not recommended for the BMW. I think this has to do with how BMW's are wired with everthing multiplexed together. For these reasons I decided to let BMW handle the installation of the hitch and the controller. (I'm too to put down how much that cost!!)


I took it back to the dealer I bought it from and after about 45 minutes with the service manager, a senior service guy, and the parts manager they decided that my car was wired for a brake controller and they could attach a hitch and hook it all up. I mentioned what I'ld seen on the web, but they assured me it was no big deal. ("Tut, tut, little woman let the big boys take care of this for you" )

So, I come back the next day, and guess what; it was a much bigger deal than they thought. It took them 6.5 hours to put it all together and they had to call BMW HQ to get it right. We're picking up a 2027sl this weekend so I hope they really did get it right.

BTW, they installed an Activator II brake controller, not the Prodigy. Wish us luck
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2006, 10:20 AM   #10
Bill
Site Team
 
Bill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
Posts: 10,088
Default

Arghh!!! The Activator is a cheap 'n' crappy time-cycle/time delay controller! You didn't read RockyMtnRay's tutorial on brake controllers in the TM Reference Library, did you? My advice is to go back to the dealer and DEMAND that they remove the Activator and replace it with any proportional controller (such as a Prodigy) or with a Jordan Ultima. You will pay another $100, but this is not a place to skimp and save a few bucks.

Bill
__________________
2020 2720QS (aka 2720SL)
2014 Ford F-150 4WD 5.0L
Bill's Tech Stuff album
Bill is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:03 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright 2022 Trailmanor Owners Page.