Anyone seen this trailer in person?

[admranger]

M5james: I'm a pack rat so I'll have to go to therapy to get a smaller trailer and tow less.

My car weighs 2990 w/me in it coming off the track on vapors (that's my story and I'm sticking to it...). Acutally, I have to weigh that to be legal and I have 80 lbs of ballast in the car to make weight (I'm about 170-dripping wet). If I trim down spares (currently 10 extra race wheels and tires, 2 spares for trailer, boxes upon boxes of every spare part imaginable, etc., I think I can make it 6k lbs or less. Trailer is 2370 (including spare trailer wheel and tire) + 2820 for the car = 5190 lbs. Not much spare weight carrying there, but it can be done. I'll just bring the 10 or so gallons of 100 octane with me (70 lbs) and mix at the gas station just before getting to the track (25 fewer gallons to carry), cut spares down significantly and I think it'll be a good start. I'll likely get a lighter generator (I'll need a smaller one just to fit it in the trailer). Dogs may have to go on a diet though...

How much can I put in the X5, weight wise, if I have 600 lbs of tongue weight?

Also, they just came out with a garage height model that I can park in my garage so I'll have no truck payment (0% interest, tyvm), no insurance payment for a truck, and no storage yard payment. Trailer is a bit pricey though.

Convenience at home increases. Convenience at the track decreases. One less vehicle to maintain: priceless

Maybe it isn't smart. I'm interested in feedback from others who have towed w/their X5. There is a guy on the west coast that has a tall 24' trailer that he goes to the track in and has no problems up the Grapevine on the 5, so I should be good. Might have to put a large trans cooler on the X5 and larger radiator if heat becomes a problem...I have towed home in >100 deg F temps before across the Mojave and it isn't pretty in the truck up the Baker grade.

[m5james]

Fumes ehh. Personally, I've never coasted down a hill coming back Vegas in the M5 because I was too arrogant to stop and get "cheap" gas Dog on a diet...oh, the things we do to make it work! I'm 6'4", 240lbs and I have a Yorkie, so I think I know who needs to go on a diet before I hit the track

I'm not sure what the tongue weight is on the X5, I'll have to take a peak in the owners manual. The Euro hitch that I wanna get allows around 5100lbs, but I'm only going to be towing 700lbs tops...motorcycle, trailer, gas and rubbers.

The in-garage one would be nice, funny how it gets smaller yet costs more I guess I should feel lucky that I have a dogrun on the side of my house that I converted to thw storage area for my truck and trailer.

If you found the guy who tows the Airstream, maybe you can PM him and ask him to come throw his .02 on here. The only different radiators i've seen for the V8 is from Zionsville...all aluminum, electric fan w/ shroud and intergrated expansion tank. Trans cooler and upgraded pads would probably be a good idea also. The X5 is capable, but there is so few poeple who use it in this way, so a lot of this is experimentation.

[JCL]

The poster with the 28' Airstream at 8300 lbs was withidl. He had lots of posts re towing if you search. Withidl hasn't been on since mid 2007. He wrote about crossing the continental divide several times with the trailer. He had Dinan throttle body, engine software, and transmission software, but no changes to the factory radiator or transmission cooler. I don't see the point in upgrading either one, but I would ensure the coolant is in good condition. I don't think the cooling systems on the V8s are sensitive if maintained, as much as the engines are not tolerant of cooling system failures and subsequent overheating. I don't think of it as a capacity issue as much as I do a consequential damage issue.

One of the long term posters with a tall vehicle trailer was hayaku, also with lots of posts. He has been around as recently as earlier this year. He ran his car trailer at about 7000-7500 lbs, and wrote about pulling it in California heat in the mountains, and on the Grapevine.

Lots of posts from others towing similar trailers. This is going back three to four years, when people were learning about E53 towing limits.

Both withidl and hayaku used load-distributing hitches. Good idea. I wouldn't try and put the weight in the X5 instead of the trailer if you are set on taking it with you anyway, since it is the combined weight that impacts the vehicle. All you are doing by moving the load into the truck is compromising the handling.

I wouldn't worry much about upgrading the brakes, but I would maintain them, and the trailer brakes, religiously.

[admranger]

Thanks for the ideas. Trailer weight issues that concern me are not exceeding the load capacity of the tires (7k lbs so I should be ok) and definitely not being overweight in any way, shape or form. I don't want to give the lawyers or insurance companies any ammo should an accident occur.

The expense of this trailer is mostly the aluminum structure. Look at a Featherlite in this size. They aren't cheap either, and frankly, they don't seem to have the same level of thought put into them that this one does. Skinning the underside of the trailer is pretty smart as is the rear door spring being at the hinge instead of overhead (I'm always trying to decapitate myself on the door cables...).

As for the expense, it beats having a crew cab dually in the driveway by a long shot! Plus, the X5 is a bit nicer to drive and sit in (though the truck isn't so bad w/leather, etc.!!!).

Pretty much my take-away from this thread is that: I can tow this trailer no problem weight wise, keep up maintenance on brakes, coolant, etc. (I'm an obsessive over maintainer anyway), get a weight distributing hitch (got one), and drive.

Thanks all!

[JCL]

Originally Posted by admranger

Pretty much my take-away from this thread is that: I can tow this trailer no problem weight wise, keep up maintenance on brakes, coolant, etc. (I'm an obsessive over maintainer anyway), get a weight distributing hitch (got one), and drive.

Bingo. And drive safely.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by JCL

Bingo. And drive safely.

Well, then, screw that...

[m5james]

Originally Posted by JCL

Bingo. And drive safely.

Safety?! Pssshtt! Even w/ my trailer behind me, I still do a better job of merging onto the freeway at speed that most people do, and I'm always conscious of my length when changing lanes and passing people. I've literally thought about getting graphics put on the back of the trailer reading "If I can do AT LEAST the speed limit, what's your excuse?"

[JCL]

Originally Posted by m5james

Even w/ my trailer behind me, I still do a better job of merging onto the freeway at speed that most people do, and I'm always conscious of my length when changing lanes and passing people.

Yes, but you are towing 700 lbs IIRC. We were talking about safely towing more than the rated load of the X5, relying on well-maintained trailer brakes, adjusting the load-distributing hitch correctly, and so on. As long as you do pre-trip inspections when you are towing, throw in some brake checks at the top of the mountain passes, ensure you have adequate following distances, memorize the speeds at which the torque converter locks up and unlocks on the X5 so as to keep fluid temperatures down, don't worry about passing people or using the speed limit as a minimum velocity, you'll be on your way

[m5james]

I'm not towing w/ the X5 now since I don't have a hitch yet. I'm referring to my Chevy work truck w/ my 6x10 enclosed trailer that I use for remodeling. I'm looking at the hidden hitch for the X just because it's turned into the weekend roadtrip vehicle, so sometimes it'd be nice to have my bike there for just incase if the weather is permitting while i'm in Seattle or Reno.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by JCL

Yes, but you are towing 700 lbs IIRC. We were talking about safely towing more than the rated load of the X5, relying on well-maintained trailer brakes, adjusting the load-distributing hitch correctly, and so on. As long as you do pre-trip inspections when you are towing, throw in some brake checks at the top of the mountain passes, ensure you have adequate following distances, memorize the speeds at which the torque converter locks up and unlocks on the X5 so as to keep fluid temperatures down, don't worry about passing people or using the speed limit as a minimum velocity, you'll be on your way

This is the part that I can never feel no matter how hard I concentrate on it. I know I should be able to feel it, but with the X5 I am not able to. Sooooo, what speeds does the tc lock and unlock (in a 6 speed trans)?

I don't know about everyone else who tows, but I have a checklist that I use on each trip. When you are 52.5 feet long and 18,800 lbs rolling down the road, surprises are something you don't want. Towing on the 15 is interesting, to say the least.