A 2021 updated Trailer hitch & brake controller thread

[Salty B.]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread,

The prior owner of my X installed a "Genuine BMW Westfalia Hitch". The receiver has a peeling sticker with a BMW part number. There's a covered connector next to it for the wiring harness adapter that's in the glovebox. It looks very OEM.

What I don't know is if the BMW brake controller was installed, was already present, or is missing. Planning to tow my F30 this summer about 400mi to my new home, after towing a rental box trailer with my crap prior. I really don't know anything about towing to be quite honest, but I will have to learn.

Seems it wants a drop hitch, 4"? And towing weight I've seen as either 5,000 or 6,000lbs for a manual 3.0.

[Effduration]

Originally Posted by Salty B.

What I don't know is if the BMW brake controller was installed, was already present, or is missing. Planning to tow my F30 this summer about 400mi to my new home, after towing a rental box trailer with my crap prior. I really don't know anything about towing to be quite honest, but I will have to learn.

Seems it wants a drop hitch, 4"? And towing weight I've seen as either 5,000 or 6,000lbs for a manual 3.0.

I've towed many things with my '05 X5 3.0 auto. I have 6,000 lbs of capacity. I know the early 5-speeds had 5,000 lbs of capacity per the manual, but I think the later 5 speeds and 6-speeds were upgraded to 6,000Lbs

Not sure BMW ever offered a brake controller. My car hauler and the Uhaul auto transporter have "surge brakes" which work fine. If you have a trailer with elec brakes, and want to add an aftermarket brake controller have at it.

Wait until you have a trailer before you figure drop...My tow bar drops a lot less than 4 inches...maybe 2 inches.

[Bdc101]

Originally Posted by Salty B.

Sorry to resurrect an old thread,

The prior owner of my X installed a "Genuine BMW Westfalia Hitch". The receiver has a peeling sticker with a BMW part number. There's a covered connector next to it for the wiring harness adapter that's in the glovebox. It looks very OEM.

What I don't know is if the BMW brake controller was installed, was already present, or is missing. Planning to tow my F30 this summer about 400mi to my new home, after towing a rental box trailer with my crap prior. I really don't know anything about towing to be quite honest, but I will have to learn.

Seems it wants a drop hitch, 4"? And towing weight I've seen as either 5,000 or 6,000lbs for a manual 3.0.

Manuals all had either 6,000 or 6,500 tow rating according to different sources. Some of the autos were either 5,000 or 5,500, I don't recall to be honest.



There is no OEM BMW brake controller like Effduration mentioned. But what you do want to look for is the towing module, which is next to the battery underneath the spare tire and air compressor (if you have air suspension). The wires coming from the trailer wire connector at the hitch will go into this module, if you have it. If you don't have it, the person who installed it likely just spliced into the brake light wires. That's not the end of the world, but you will get a bunch of warning lights on your dash whenever you plug the trailer in.



If the trailers you'll be towing have electric brakes, you need to get the brake controller ordered and installed well ahead of time.



And lastly, don't worry too much about towing. The 3.0 is a bit underpowered but generally the E53 platform is an extremely solid and stable tow vehicle. It gives me much more confidence than the Tahoe I used to tow with. And first gear is so short that it makes starting off super easy. Just make sure you figure out the wiring first!

[Salty B.]

Originally Posted by Bdc101

And lastly, don't worry too much about towing. The 3.0 is a bit underpowered but generally the E53 platform is an extremely solid and stable tow vehicle. It gives me much more confidence than the Tahoe I used to tow with. And first gear is so short that it makes starting off super easy. Just make sure you figure out the wiring first!

Thanks for the info! There's a 7-to-4-pin adapter in the glovebox so I hope that's all I need.

[workingonit]

Originally Posted by Salty B.

... There's a 7-to-4-pin adapter in the glovebox so I hope that's all I need.

Can you show the adapter, part number, and manufacturer? Perhaps it'll be a cheaper solution than buying the (factory) AHM trailer module & wiring harness, or even the work-arounds I found that might possibly work for me.I've been procrastinating about getting my X5 ready to use the electric trailer brakes on my 2225 lb trailer for over two years, since I last posted on this thread.

I still haven't pulled either of my trailers with the X yet (no need to use the non-braked utility trailer, nor have I used the braked squareback for camping in the past year...I used my '04 Chevy 2500HD just once, in April 2022, since I hadn't gotten a 7way for the X5).