Any advice on trailers and hitches? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

bodypainter · 06-26-2005, 02:14 PM

Does this make any sense? I'm looking for a small trailer and a hitch for that trailer. All this needs to work with our little SLK which is now officially our 'big' car.

Here's the trailer.

Here's the hitch.

What has me confuzled is that the hitch is $150 more than the trailer. I do like that it's designed for the car (and recommended by other SLK owners) but dang, $324 for a hitch and then another $60 for a wiring harness when the whole trailer is $279? Seems like that could be done cheaper.

Now, I'm not cheap and if this is The Right Way to do it, I guess I'll write the check, but I thought I'd ask around first. I want a hitch setup that doesn't require welding and this one fills the bill. I'm just looking to be able to go to Home Depot and pick up plywood, fence posts, etc and don't want to be dependent on my pickup truck owning neighbors. Any advice is appreciated.

merkerguitars · 06-27-2005, 06:16 AM

Hmm that does seem to be a bit steep of a prices for a hitch. But then again it's not to common for people to put a hitch on a newer Benz. Plus you have to remember the hitch is probably american made and the trailer is probably made oversees seeing its a harbor freight one. All of the website I have checked seemed to be just as pricey as the one you showed me.

cyrnel · 06-27-2005, 11:19 AM

Is the hitch graphic accurate? Considering large, class III hitches that go for $100, this one is worth... much less. Certainly, they're making up for low quantities to a market that'll accept it.

I would one-off the pictured hitch for $150-200. $75-100 once I had a pattern.

Neither Hidden-Hitch nor Reese seem to make SLK hitches.

Call U-haul. I'm not a fan of theirs but they do sell a wide variety of hitches by different makes and might have something more reasonable.

catback · 06-27-2005, 08:49 PM

Not really advice on trailers and hitches but if it means that much to you to haul crap why not trade the slk for a pickup rather than adapting the slk to pickup duties.

mvassek · 06-27-2005, 09:14 PM

IMHO by a beater truck and if you still need a trailer get one that is worth owning. The trailer from harbor freight is a piece of junk. $28- and you still have to put it together and buy the plywood for it and the hardware to attach the plywood. All for a 4X8 trailer with a 990 lbs capacity. I prichased a trailer at the local farm supply store 5X10 with a loading ramp for $700 that will haul 5000lbs. And putting the hitch on your car will only make you mad when you decide later to add a bike rack that fits in the hitch and find that no one makes bike racks for a 1 1/4 inch hitch but only for the 2 inch hitch which would detract from the car.

Get an old beater truck and you will have all you need when you need it and no mess or fuss with trailers etc.

bodypainter · 06-28-2005, 01:43 AM

Re: Trading the SLK for a truck. Sounds good to me, now let's work on convincing my wife who drives the SLK every day. Ain't gonna happen.

We don't want a 3rd car/truck rusting in the back yard and taking up space. A 3rd car needs tags, insurance, maintenance, etc even when it's not being used.

So maybe I should look at a better quality trailer? I know Harbor Freight has cheap stuff but 900 lbs seems quite adequate for my needs. I mainly want to be able to get my own landscaping supplies for our house.

A big plus for me is that this trailer could fold up and hang on my fence out back. Throw a tarp over it and it's out of the way and not a rusting eyesore.

I hear your advice however. I will make sure I lay eyes on this cheap trailer to determine if it's worth even that low price. I also believe I'll have a local hitch builder make me a hitch. The design looks super simple - it bolts through the spare tire well. If I had a welder, I believe I could make one myself.

catback · 06-28-2005, 06:49 AM

Your wife does realize how the car is gonna look after the hitch is installed? It depends on the person but I wouldn't want to drive a nice luxury car that had a hitch on it, the hitch really throws off the look. Luxury hauler car doesn't sound so great in my opinion.

StanT · 06-28-2005, 07:14 AM

I have a little 4x6 trailer that I use for getting appliances and hardware home. It's rated at 1500# and cost around $500 a few years ago. I've used a Saturn SW2 wagon to pull it and have no problem getting a washer/dryer home from the store. I'm currently using a Honda CRV to pull it. A trailer hitch for the Saturn was $150 and a little bit more for the CRV. The advantage of a custom hitch is that you can remove it when you go to sell the car. A custom shop will weld it on, rather than bolt it. I'd guess that a trailer hitch will detract from the value of an SLK.

bodypainter · 06-28-2005, 01:32 PM

Well, I'm not letting anyone weld anything to the car. The hitch I see bolts up through the spare tire well and I don't know why a custom shop couldn't do that as well. As for detracting from the looks of the car, when the hitch is not in the receiver, I don't think it'll be noticeable by most. This SLK is hardly a 'luxury' car nor is it extremely valuable. It's just a 7 year old roadster worth maybe $15K. No huge deal. It's got plenty of power to pull a small load and it's a very strong car.

At least I'm not talking about putting a hitch on my NSX. Now that would be clearly nuts.

merkerguitars · 06-28-2005, 10:11 PM

Putting a hitch on the slk is not a bad idea, putting a hitch on a car is bad idea is when people want to put a hitch on there old ass rusted 4 banger car. Which one of my friends wanted to do, cause what usually happens is they think they can pull that one big item to home just once and then blow up their engine or toast the tranny. Your slk will work great for towing, for a trailer I would check the classifieds, you should then be able to find a good trailer that will be better built than a harbor freight one that needs little work since you live down south.

pattycakes · 06-30-2005, 03:08 PM

call uhaul about a hitch( if your in the united states)

catback · 07-15-2005, 12:37 PM

u-haul is expensive, don't call them

06-26-2005, 02:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
bodypainter Psycho Location: Sarasota	Any advice on trailers and hitches? Does this make any sense? I'm looking for a small trailer and a hitch for that trailer. All this needs to work with our little SLK which is now officially our 'big' car. Here's the trailer. Here's the hitch. What has me confuzled is that the hitch is $150 more than the trailer. I do like that it's designed for the car (and recommended by other SLK owners) but dang, $324 for a hitch and then another $60 for a wiring harness when the whole trailer is $279? Seems like that could be done cheaper. Now, I'm not cheap and if this is The Right Way to do it, I guess I'll write the check, but I thought I'd ask around first. I want a hitch setup that doesn't require welding and this one fills the bill. I'm just looking to be able to go to Home Depot and pick up plywood, fence posts, etc and don't want to be dependent on my pickup truck owning neighbors. Any advice is appreciated.

06-27-2005, 06:16 AM	#2 (permalink)
merkerguitars Buffering......... Location: Wisconsin...	Hmm that does seem to be a bit steep of a prices for a hitch. But then again it's not to common for people to put a hitch on a newer Benz. Plus you have to remember the hitch is probably american made and the trailer is probably made oversees seeing its a harbor freight one. All of the website I have checked seemed to be just as pricey as the one you showed me. __________________ Donate now! Ask me How! Please use the search function it is your friend. Look at my mustang please feel free to comment! http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=26985

06-27-2005, 11:19 AM	#3 (permalink)
cyrnel Adequate Location: In my angry-dome.	Is the hitch graphic accurate? Considering large, class III hitches that go for $100, this one is worth... much less. Certainly, they're making up for low quantities to a market that'll accept it. I would one-off the pictured hitch for $150-200. $75-100 once I had a pattern. Neither Hidden-Hitch nor Reese seem to make SLK hitches. Call U-haul. I'm not a fan of theirs but they do sell a wide variety of hitches by different makes and might have something more reasonable. __________________ There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195

06-27-2005, 09:14 PM	#5 (permalink)
mvassek Crazy Location: East Tennessee	IMHO by a beater truck and if you still need a trailer get one that is worth owning. The trailer from harbor freight is a piece of junk. $28- and you still have to put it together and buy the plywood for it and the hardware to attach the plywood. All for a 4X8 trailer with a 990 lbs capacity. I prichased a trailer at the local farm supply store 5X10 with a loading ramp for $700 that will haul 5000lbs. And putting the hitch on your car will only make you mad when you decide later to add a bike rack that fits in the hitch and find that no one makes bike racks for a 1 1/4 inch hitch but only for the 2 inch hitch which would detract from the car. Get an old beater truck and you will have all you need when you need it and no mess or fuss with trailers etc. __________________ Been There, Couldn't do that, No Money, Maybe next time. I did get the T-shirt, but I've put on some weight so it don't fit. It made a nice grease rag!

06-28-2005, 10:11 PM	#10 (permalink)
merkerguitars Buffering......... Location: Wisconsin...	Putting a hitch on the slk is not a bad idea, putting a hitch on a car is bad idea is when people want to put a hitch on there old ass rusted 4 banger car. Which one of my friends wanted to do, cause what usually happens is they think they can pull that one big item to home just once and then blow up their engine or toast the tranny. Your slk will work great for towing, for a trailer I would check the classifieds, you should then be able to find a good trailer that will be better built than a harbor freight one that needs little work since you live down south. __________________ Donate now! Ask me How! Please use the search function it is your friend. Look at my mustang please feel free to comment! http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=26985

06-27-2005, 08:49 PM	#4 (permalink)
catback Psycho Location: North America	Not really advice on trailers and hitches but if it means that much to you to haul crap why not trade the slk for a pickup rather than adapting the slk to pickup duties.

06-28-2005, 01:43 AM	#6 (permalink)
bodypainter Psycho Location: Sarasota	Re: Trading the SLK for a truck. Sounds good to me, now let's work on convincing my wife who drives the SLK every day. Ain't gonna happen. We don't want a 3rd car/truck rusting in the back yard and taking up space. A 3rd car needs tags, insurance, maintenance, etc even when it's not being used. So maybe I should look at a better quality trailer? I know Harbor Freight has cheap stuff but 900 lbs seems quite adequate for my needs. I mainly want to be able to get my own landscaping supplies for our house. A big plus for me is that this trailer could fold up and hang on my fence out back. Throw a tarp over it and it's out of the way and not a rusting eyesore. I hear your advice however. I will make sure I lay eyes on this cheap trailer to determine if it's worth even that low price. I also believe I'll have a local hitch builder make me a hitch. The design looks super simple - it bolts through the spare tire well. If I had a welder, I believe I could make one myself.

06-28-2005, 06:49 AM	#7 (permalink)
catback Psycho Location: North America	Your wife does realize how the car is gonna look after the hitch is installed? It depends on the person but I wouldn't want to drive a nice luxury car that had a hitch on it, the hitch really throws off the look. Luxury hauler car doesn't sound so great in my opinion.

06-28-2005, 07:14 AM	#8 (permalink)
StanT © Location: Colorado	I have a little 4x6 trailer that I use for getting appliances and hardware home. It's rated at 1500# and cost around $500 a few years ago. I've used a Saturn SW2 wagon to pull it and have no problem getting a washer/dryer home from the store. I'm currently using a Honda CRV to pull it. A trailer hitch for the Saturn was $150 and a little bit more for the CRV. The advantage of a custom hitch is that you can remove it when you go to sell the car. A custom shop will weld it on, rather than bolt it. I'd guess that a trailer hitch will detract from the value of an SLK.

06-28-2005, 01:32 PM	#9 (permalink)
bodypainter Psycho Location: Sarasota	Well, I'm not letting anyone weld anything to the car. The hitch I see bolts up through the spare tire well and I don't know why a custom shop couldn't do that as well. As for detracting from the looks of the car, when the hitch is not in the receiver, I don't think it'll be noticeable by most. This SLK is hardly a 'luxury' car nor is it extremely valuable. It's just a 7 year old roadster worth maybe $15K. No huge deal. It's got plenty of power to pull a small load and it's a very strong car. At least I'm not talking about putting a hitch on my NSX. Now that would be clearly nuts.

07-15-2005, 12:37 PM	#12 (permalink)
catback Psycho Location: North America	u-haul is expensive, don't call them