I need Towing Package

[LudjakR1]

So my X came without a towing package,

I dont want to go with OEM because its too pricey for me right now, I only plan to haul motorcycles and if i need stuff around the house.

What package would you recommend ?

Thanks

[01X5Guy]

I can only recommend a search of the E53 forum and for you to make up your mind based on what you read.

For me - I will only use the OEM hitch for my X.

Originally Posted by LudjakR1

So my X came without a towing package,

I dont want to go with OEM because its too pricey for me right now, I only plan to haul motorcycles and if i need stuff around the house.

What package would you recommend ?

Thanks

[LudjakR1]

Thank you sir

[JCL]

Can you install it yourself? If so, the OE package is around $500, and comes with the OE wiring harness. It is by far the best solution.

If that is too steep, a Curt hitch will work for light loads, but you will need to address trailer wiring on top of the hitch cost. ECS sell the BMW OE wiring harness separately, or you can use tap connections for a very inexpensive solution. You may or may not get error codes, but if you do you can take them off and start over again, you won't have lost much.

Having installed several hitches, I won't use anything other than the OE. But if you are facing a dealer install quote of $1200 as some have done, I understand the pain.

[LudjakR1]

I will install it myself with my mechanic of course, now i found a towing package it might be OEM of a 2001 x5 i am pending response now, its through my mechanic from a junk yard that has an x5. $125 bux which is amazing price but we will see if its junk or good.

Thanks for the input. I really dont want to spend 500.00, I am not towing heavy loads.

[TowX]

Heavy loads isn't the only reason to use the factory setup. The cost includes a 6,000 lb hitch that's integrated into the vehicle properly, where all the other receivers require drilling holes in your chassis. Plus the factory assembly includes all the necessary electronics so you don't have to hack up your wiring harness.

If you found a used one, then try to get both the hitch and the wiring harness which is in the spare tire well.

For me, having installed my own hitch, I can see why this is rated for 6,000 lbs. and the others aren't. It's actually a structural part of the car.

[ienjoydrifting]

Drawtite makes a rad hitch. Braces to the subframe and all. I tow just over 5k lbs all the time, my hitch has about 40k miles on it. Wiring was $9. Tapped it right into the tailights and made my own tucked harness. Install of lighting and trailer brake + hitch install was 2 hours.

[JCL]

Drawtite is one that I wouldn't use personally. Bolts to sheet steel at the rear pan, instead of the box sections. Also has a brace running fore/aft underneath, very visible. Also known as a Reese. Shown in this recent thread:

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...-pictures.html

[LudjakR1]

Trailer Hitch & Wiring Kit For 00-06 BMW X5 - eBay (item 200587147941 end time Apr-14-11 14:27:14 PDT)

This is what i ahve found 219.00 for this, sounds a fair price.

what do you guys think?

[TowX]

I suppose that would be OK if you're just pulling 1,000lbs or so. But absolutely no way I'd pull the rated 5,000 with it. It just attaches to the bumper support bracket area and that's all, and that part of the chassis was never designed to take a 3,000 lb pull, let alone 5,000. The factory hitch uses that area only to locate the hitch, the main support is how the hitch slots into the frame of the truck and uses pretty serious hardware to bolt it to the frame. Unless I'm missing something and there's another part of the hitch not pictured since the ad says drilling is required, which isn't needed with the factory hitch.

I've probably towed 20,000 miles with my X5 (I'd guess I've towed 100K miles over my lifetime) and knowing what kinds of loads are put on a hitch there's no way I'd use anything but the factory hitch on my X5.