Tow Hitch Solution for e34

[JAlfredPrufrock]

Anyone have one?

Is the e34 capable of towing a trailer with a kart loaded on? I'd imagine it wouldn't be over 500lbs.

[632 Regal]

umm...get yourself a truck. You EVER see a Bimmer towing anything?

[Kalevera]

Lol...for real...

Actually, I did see a 535ia on ebay a few weeks ago with one. Really frightened me. You have to wonder what kind of hell a person has done to their e34 if they've got a tow hitch on it. I'm pretty sure the trans in that particular car wouldn't like it one bit.

[Paul in NZ]

a freind of mine(aquaintance actually) has a 540 manual that he hauls his e 36 race car with...package deal.I want a hitch but only to haul my mtb and or road bike,thay take up too much space in the boot!

[Brent in NZ hartge 535i]

just rev it up and go .does 120-140km/h .
tow capacity is 750kg or 1500kg braked trailor

[philbyil]

Here you go.......


http://www.hitch-web.com/vhitch.asp?CLID=1&SM=Sedan+4+Door&DR=&MD=525i&C=&MK=BMW&Y=1995&SMBBID=1-125&YID=77&CID=3&MKID=7&DRID=6&MDID=171&OID=8&SMID=&cmdNext=Next&BPID=6&VID=11276

In Europe (and I include the U.K.!) you will see quite a few 5ers towing caravans.....

They even sell a "genuine" BMW trailer hitch that is not available here in the U.S. (unfortunately!!). Bloody lawyers I suppose ;)

[Derek A.]

There have been a number of threads on tis topic all over the e34 boards. The BMW factory euro hitch runs about $1000. There are a number of places that will build a custom receiver hitch for you. The company Dalan makes a fixed mount piece that attaches to the bumper. I talked to these people as to why they did not build a receiver hitch. The answer was that the rear facia had to be cut and they didn't feel that it would sell. The hitch setup on the car is pretty simple. I have plans drawn up to build a custom hitch for my car. (Assuming I don't find a cheao jeep in the interim)

http://www.opus45.com/pics/e34_hitch.jpg

[JAlfredPrufrock]

Damn straight guys...

I'm not about to get rid of my e34 for a truck if I can help it at all.

[Elekta]

I have the westphalia hitch and I tow all the time. I have a little trailer and I load it with clean rock and mulch, and all kinds of stuff. My 3.0 v8 and hitch are rated for 1750kgs. I also tow my 20 Sea ray (tho not far, just to the ramp and back about 2 miles.

I don't think I'd ever tow 50 miles. Just run about towing, which makes my towing package absolutely perfect. The horsecock receiver stows away nicely and the cover for the bumper is OEM and looks great.

my .02

of course I use my wagon. I don't just lean up against it.

http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/ggil/tow%20hitch%20sto.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ggil-tx/bmw/DSCN0798.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ggil-tx/bmw/DSCN0791.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ggil-tx/bmw/49f20fa8.jpg

[Elekta]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ggil-tx/bmw/DSCN0723.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ggil-tx/bmw/1ab9ee4e.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ggil-tx/bmw/DSCN0958.jpg

I'd get the westphalia version that is removable.

I think the german is anhangerkupplink on ebay.

It's the **** really.

Driving wife, kid, shotguns, guitar, chairs, pack and play, tents, you name it to south texas on Thursday for a big quail shoot. I'll post me fully loaded, combi box and all. No question, tourings are the best e34's IMO. Hopefully the '06 e65 will be awd....and under a hunertk$

http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/ggil/DSCN0306.jpg

[Elekta]

you'll see to the left of my changer it has it's own fuse panel
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ggil-tx/bmw/DSCN0955.jpg

goin back to this place thurs-sunday for some quail. you can see my 34iT loaded with the combi-box...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ggil-tx/bmw/81642bdf.jpg
man I wait all year for this trip. 5000 acres pure quail country, no cattle, no cattle guards, hacienda, shop, forman's cabin, atv's, 20 pointers, 5 labs, amigos....

[632 Regal]

and GUNS...

[winfred]

RRR to quote tim the tool man taylor


and GUNS...

[Derek A.]

I need something else to pull with. Using the Corvette is just not the right thing to do! Unfortunatley the automotive budget is a little tapped right now. I have a design worked up for a receiver hitch for the e34. Would require only a small cut out in the rear bumper facia.

http://www.opus45.com/pics/vette_trailer2.jpg

[TheDuke]

I’ve seen few of them in Europe, towing all kinds of shi*!*&. I even saw one of the older 3 series with a trailer hitch.

[herman maire]

Ya no problem towing with the e34
when I bought my 2002 I towed that home 200miles
pretty stable tow vehicle
I also when Europe saw loads of camping trailers being towed by mostly
small cars with hoods pointing in the air. they didnt seem to care.

Nice wagon 530i touring
very nice trailer set up much nicer than mine

[Paul in NZ]

thats cool there is even a place to stow it???
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/ggil/tow%20hitch%20sto.jpg

[Mass535Love]

I had a 4cyl mustang 5 speed with only 118 HP and some weak amount of torque and have towed a COMPLETELY FULL 5X8 Uhaul trailer up the mountains of West Virginia. Not highway either, was really steep winding trails not the smooth hills you usually get on the highway. Could only do 40 because you didn't have enough straight away to go any faster. When I was on the highway I had no problems doing *cough cough* the speed limit which was 65 or 90 I can't remember :) Any way my car has done fine and my 535 has 2x the torque/HP as my mustang so I don't see a problem at all with it.
Just my 2coppers

P.S. it was a 770 mile trip from Virginia beach, VA to some place in Tennesee. No problems.

[Dan in NZ]

My car came with an aftermarket tow-hitch. It comes from under the bumper, and is rated for 1500kg. They didn't have to cut the bumper to fit it, and looks like they just tapped the wires for the lights.

[Elekta]

Ya no problem towing with the e34
when I bought my 2002 I towed that home 200miles
pretty stable tow vehicle
I also when Europe saw loads of camping trailers being towed by mostly
small cars with hoods pointing in the air. they didnt seem to care.

Nice wagon 530i touring
very nice trailer set up much nicer than mine

That's the beauty of the LAD. It self levels to a certain extent, and what it can't do you adjust with your adjustable headlights.

If you go tow hitch at all, you have to get the bmw westfalia integrated hitch. Yes you do cut a little rectangle for the horsecock, but bmw makes an oem hitch cover for the bumper when you\re in tow stealth mode. I have seen several on ebay.de, with the fuse panel, and the removable hitch. It's going to be under westfalia anhangekupplungen. google those two and you'll find it I'm positive

Winfred, I am going to have some serious quail shots for you from this weekend. arrrr arrrr

[winfred]

awl i wanna kill something too


Winfred, I am going to have some serious quail shots for you from this weekend. arrrr arrrr

[Derek A.]

The only problem is that no-one in Germany will ship to you. I have asked a ton of people on ebay.de and they all say no. I talked to a few people and drew up plans for a us spec receiver hitch with a 1.5 x 1.5 " cutout in the black portion of the rear facia for a ball mount.

[Elekta]

awl i wanna kill something too
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ggil-tx/DSCN0691.jpg
I can't wait to get back in this chair on Friday am. Driving tomorrow after lunch. Hope to blast through San Antonio and bomb down 281 south past Falfurrias, hang right on 755 West just past Rachal, past a 40k acre spread dominated by mobil pumping fields to my friends FIL's lil 5,000 acre spread.

Should get to the gate by about 9 pm, we'll build a huge fire in the fire pit and be plucking some old dead tunes on the guitar and drinking some cuba's or famous grouse...go to bed early, and up at the crack o the crack for quail.....R R R

roll up some venison sausage wraps in flour tortillas to stick under the hood for some chibby tree fitty breakfast tacos....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ggil-tx/DSCN0713.jpg
the airstrip
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ggil-tx/88_Kids_having_fun_w_mule_on_runway_Sun_AM.jpg
on point
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ggil-tx/11_Spot_pointing_Friday_PM.jpg
y'all gittin a good idea of what Texas is like now?

[philbyil]

We bought a home in Kerrville and will be moving down there by latest July of this year! Went to Coopers BBQ in Llano...my oh my...the brisket was out of this world and the home made blackberry cobbler is sinful!

Oh and I can't wait to get some Axis deer meat for the Weber :D !

That and year round driving with NO SNOW AND SALT!...Man! I will be in 7th heaven..

[Elekta]

We bought a home in Kerrville and will be moving down there by latest July of this year! Went to Coopers BBQ in Llano...my oh my...the brisket was out of this world and the home made blackberry cobbler is sinful!

Oh and I can't wait to get some Axis deer meat for the Weber :D !

That and year round driving with NO SNOW AND SALT!...Man! I will be in 7th heaven..

great choice. Kerrville and the lower guadalupe is some of the finest country in the state. WAY TO GO. I have friends who can't wait for their kids to go to college so they can sell their home in Houston and move to the country permanently.

Coopers ranks up in my top ten. Any place that serves on butcher paper and has no silverware, plastic or other wise is the real deal

now i'm gettin hungry

[winfred]

i am wanting to go pop some varmit type stuff like this http://www.dogbegone.com/video.htm i am getting a CZ 550 varmit in 22.250 (the round that's doing the most damage on the videos) soon and will be looking for trouble, my .17 hmr is neat but you just don't get the same hydraulic force :D


y'all gittin a good idea of what Texas is like now?

[callen]

Put a delan hitch on my 535 several years ago....own a enclosed utility trailer I tow my RC planes and misc household stuff all the time (did glue a roundel to back).....also own a 17" boat that I take to lake and back......
500lbs will be a piece of cake. I did buy electronic gizmo that takes 12 Volts directly from battery rather than lighting circuit to power trailer lights. Don't need no stinkin truck or SUV.

[tdgard]

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=465468&R=465468

Build some slat sides and put a floor on it. Best part is it folds in half & takes up about the same floorspace as my lawnmower.

[JAlfredPrufrock]

Callen... details!

[Derek A.]

Put a delan hitch on my 535 several years ago....own a enclosed utility trailer I tow my RC planes and misc household stuff all the time (did glue a roundel to back).....also own a 17" boat that I take to lake and back......
500lbs will be a piece of cake. I did buy electronic gizmo that takes 12 Volts directly from battery rather than lighting circuit to power trailer lights. Don't need no stinkin truck or SUV.

You are talking about the dalan fixed mount that goes under the back bumper ..correct ?

[callen]

yea.....I put a black plastic cover over the ball and it blends into the black painted under the bumper....can hardly see if if you didn't know it was there.
..have had no problems with it....it does though only mount to the aluminum brace in bumper....pre tapped from BMW and floor of trunk..or rather spare tire carrier that's pretty thin metal.....done fine so far though.

[JAlfredPrufrock]

I'm going to have to remember to hit up my Parts dept to see if they can get an OEM solution.

[callen]

I purchased a Pace enclosed trailer....about $1300.00...added a Monroe shock kit and it trailers really nicely. This trailer is very light so the 535 had no problems with it......love going to local home depot and filling it up with Mulch lumber or what ever...transforms the dependable 535 into the smart SUV or truck.
Callen
http://www.paceamerican.com/index.cfm?pagename=products_journey

[IN10CT]

yea.....I put a black plastic cover over the ball and it blends into the black painted under the bumper....can hardly see if if you didn't know it was there.
..have had no problems with it....it does though only mount to the aluminum brace in bumper....pre tapped from BMW and floor of trunk..or rather spare tire carrier that's pretty thin metal.....done fine so far though.

Any chance you could send me a picture of your car with the Delan hitch? It's all I can find up here in Canada and would like to see how it will look.

Thanks

[IN10CT]

[QUOTE=530iTouring

I'd get the westphalia version that is removable.

I think the german is anhangerkupplink on ebay.

[/QUOTE]

Does anyone know if these german hitches can be mounted on North American e34's? I notice that the Delan hitch states that it is US models only.

[Derek A.]

The German hitches will fit - although the ball size is different. The hitches are pretty expensive, although the stuff sold in Germany isn;t to bad - by the time you ship it the $$ will be up. I talked to a local trailer place and they quoted my about $350 to custom build a hitch - using the facotry hitch points. For $500 I bought a Volvo 240 Wagon with a trailer hitch already installed.

[brodee]

Good thread. I've been thinking about putting a hitch on my wife's touring so I can tow this around -

http://www.tmdnet.com/bike.jpg

[callen]

Unfortunately my digital camera's batter is bad...Sony...high dollar. I'm actually leaving for Canada on trip tomorrow morning....be nice to get out of this Texas heat. Will try to get it for you next week. Doesn't look too bad...most people don't notice it till I point it out....buy it you'll like it. Just received second Delan hitch for my 735il.. with LAD suspension will be a great tow vehicle.

[IN10CT]

I don't suppose you have any measurements to go along with this very nice drawing do you? I would like to find something I could take to a fabricator to get welded up.


There have been a number of threads on tis topic all over the e34 boards. The BMW factory euro hitch runs about $1000. There are a number of places that will build a custom receiver hitch for you. The company Dalan makes a fixed mount piece that attaches to the bumper. I talked to these people as to why they did not build a receiver hitch. The answer was that the rear facia had to be cut and they didn't feel that it would sell. The hitch setup on the car is pretty simple. I have plans drawn up to build a custom hitch for my car. (Assuming I don't find a cheao jeep in the interim)

http://www.opus45.com/pics/e34_hitch.jpg

[Derek A.]

No measurements - sorry. The rear bumper comes off real easy. Any trailer place should be able to fab up something looking at the diagram above and the rear end of the car. There are a number of units for sale on ebay Germany - gets you an idea of what they look like in person.

[shragon]

i've seen a few euro spec e34 m5's with tow hitches. such an ugly site.

[Elekta]

For the money and trouble, you still want the hitch to be removeable and to be able to cover the hitch area with the bmw oem cover.

If I ever get to my bmw file and scanner at the same time I promise to post pics, pn's and evah thang.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ggil-tx/DSCN2270.jpg
This towing patch panel makes the wiring pretty handy too. I would try to find a german donor car with this setup. The rest of my pics are on the first page of this thread

If anyone sees one like this, Zareska is looking to get the harness and french it into his 7 series

[IN10CT]

I have a question for anyone equiped with a Dalan hitch. I looked at the installation instructions and it looks straight forward enough. But, it appears to intrude on the spare tire well. Will it interfere with the full size spare?

[callen]

It won't interfere....no problems.

[Derek A.]

The only thing it will interfere with is your shin - when the garage is dark and you forget its there !

[Elekta]

Ok finally scanned in the pics of the proper westphalia tow ball and bracket for E34. The first page has most of the information to get you on the right track for googling. The second page is the proper diagram showing the knob with which to remove the infamous horse cock.

There is a full 9 page pdf out there somewhere on the net with all the pictures and mounting procedures. I'm sure there is a contact number to buy replacement parts and the whole kaboodle

cheers, geoff

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ggil-tx/westphalia1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ggil-tx/Westphalia2.jpg

[jay335]

Anyone have one?

Is the e34 capable of towing a trailer with a kart loaded on? I'd imagine it wouldn't be over 500lbs.

I have one... I had it on my 535i which I no longer have so I don't have any use for it. I have pictures i can send to you if interested.

here's my email... rdsport5@hotmail.com

[brodee]

I have one... I had it on my 535i which I no longer have so I don't have any use for it. I have pictures i can send to you if interested.

Email sent, I'm local to you and I'll take it.

[genphreak]

Hey 530i Touring, can you please do me a favour? I need to see how the 'Westfalia stealth anhangekupplungen' tow-bar locks in. My horse-cock is jammed on the car and won't 'cum off' (for want of a better way to put it) :).

If you would post some pics of the thing away from the car; ie with the locking mechanism wound up as well as down it would be a great help to me in working out how to attack it. I've 'lubed up' mine with heaps of WD40 but it still only winds a certain amount and then gets progressively tighter without release. It simply won't budge. Makes one kinda worried that it might come off altogether...

Perhaps it needs some viagra in there with the WD40!

Many thanks in advance, it'd be a great help... :D GP

[Elekta]

http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/ggil/trailer13pin.jpg
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/ggil/tow%20hitch%20sto.jpg

Is it locked? There is a little red key that allows the knob to twist all the way. If you can twist it all the way, it so of starts to push the horsecock out of the receiver.

I had trouble removing mine the first time, and I had to jack up the rear end to get a better position on it.

pics? It took me months to even host the westphalia pages.. :p

I'll try.

[JAlfredPrufrock]

Summer's coming around guys, and I needs to get me motorcycle to the track! :D

[zygoteer]

The pictures show how it stows away and when not fitted is almost un-noticeable.
I only use it about 4 times a year to pull a car trailer when I wish to move the 288.

The transmission handles it just fine.

Acceleration is somewhat hampered, but the only real downside is the fuel consumption is roughly doubled = down to about 12 mpg !

[Robin-535im]

I have the westphalia hitch
You say Westphalia... I say DonkeyPhallusia... :)

[Paul in NZ]

Where did this come from again,would still like one
I hope you have tidied up your wiring by now Geoff,this is disgraceful!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ggil-tx/bmw/49f20fa8.jpg

[calmloki]

Ahem. May I refer you to my home built hitch, with progress and final pictures? Works fine.

http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=17778&highlight=Tom+Walrod

I'm no kind of all-pro welder - really wasn't that tough.
Tom