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Where are you located ! We are in Louisiana a dealers don’t know anything about break controller factory install connections! We need to install one ASAP..thanks cwelbourne
No question dealers are not used to seeing people tow with a MB SUV. My dealership found that the 2-wire connection wasn’t even plugged in from the back deck connection to the 7-pin connector and had not seen that before. So don’t be surprised if a dealer has to figure out if the factory installed 7-pin connector even works properly from the factory.
Mercedes made hooking up a brake controller surprisingly easy. Pictured is the pigtail you’ll need that plugs in to the same color MB connection somewhere behind the brake pedal. You may need to remove the plastic trim to pull the carpeting down shindig the brake pedal to get to it. Mine was stuffed down but I’ve been told it could be tie-wrapped to something if not used.
I got my pigtail from etrailer.com and no wiring is needed. The green connector plugs into the factory connection and the other end to the brake controller- truly plug and play. One screw for the controller is from the dash trim and one next to it I very carefully added. Etrailer.com can tell you what the harness works with, but I know it does with Tekonsha and the Prodigy P3 I use.
Thanks for your help and picture of how is installed. We have had very difficult time with the break controller issue. First we bought the Bluetooth Kurt break controller from etrailer. Lost 2 of them since the Mercedes Benz 7 pin is in an angle and by the time the trailer is connected to the Kurt is to long and difficult to stay on. So after looking 2 of them we when with the Tekonsha prodigyRF wireless (since dealership told us our car had not break controller connections) this break controller. Burned our fuse in the car, plus jammed the breakers of the trailer. …hope the one you are showing us you use will work and we can get someone to help us.!!!
Thanks for your help and picture of how is installed. We have had very difficult time with the break controller issue. First we bought the Bluetooth Kurt break controller from etrailer. Lost 2 of them since the Mercedes Benz 7 pin is in an angle and by the time the trailer is connected to the Kurt is to long and difficult to stay on. So after looking 2 of them we when with the Tekonsha prodigyRF wireless (since dealership told us our car had not break controller connections) this break controller. Burned our fuse in the car, plus jammed the breakers of the trailer. …hope the one you are showing us you use will work and we can get someone to help us.!!!
No wiring or additional work was needed to use this Prodigy P3 other than plug the pigtail in to the GLE350 green connector and the other end to the controller. Something must have blown a fuse for you when hooking things up. Power and brake controller work through the factory connector pictured in my previous post.
Would you happen to have GLE wiring diagram for the hitch?
I have surge brakes on my boat trailers, so don't need controller, but would like to use charging wire for running boat refrigerator.
Over the years I found that when European MB models have trailer harness and modules adjusting powertrain for towing, US models did not have it and I wonder how much farther latest models went.
On my 2001 ML I add inertia brakes controller, where I run supply wire directly from the battery. Worked perfectly.
New to the forum, I have towed a few times with my new trailer 2020 Jayco Whitehawk 26rk with my 2017 M-B GLE 400. No drama towing with the GLE400. 3.0 Twin Turbo, 9sp transmission. I easily connected a Tekonsha Prodigy P3 to the factory harness. W/D hitch rated for 800LBs.
Couple tricks with the air suspension I found was to do the hookup/unhook with the engine running. Once all attached and weight goes on the car the waited a few moments and the air suspension adjusts to level out the Car/Trailer. I had the GLE400 W/D hitch with the trailer initially setup by the Jayco trailer dealer.
The GLE 400 in Canada is rated for 3500Kg, 7716lbs. Whitehawk is Dry Weight 6585 lbs, max 7750.
A rarity in the world of camping where pickup trucks are the main vehicle of choice, here's an example of a Mercedes-Benz out in the wild towing a 5,000 pound dry weight camper. There's a weight distribution hitch on the A-frame that also adds sway control which should not be an option- it really adds a lot of control in addition to the GLE's ABS and sway control functions.
I chose the Tekonsha Prodigy P3 which has very useful diagnostics and has a more useful display (in my opinion) than traditional electronic brake controllers. This pairs up with a Tekonsha 3066-P wire harness that plugs into the factory Mercedes connector under the carpet behind the brake pedal. There is NO wiring of any kind to do with a factory installed trailer hitch making this a truly "plug-and-play"setup.
Aside from discovering a 2-pin connector in the right rear cargo compartment that was not connected from the factory, after plugging it in all brake indications and functionality was restored. NOTE: electronic brake controller testers and emulators do not function correctly with Mercedes-Benz vehicles--- even ones with "resistance loads" built into them like the Tekonsha Trailer Emulator does. My Tekonsha Trailer Emulator, as the RV dealer's tester did, just flashed half the test lights leaving it unclear whether the system is working correctly or not. Bottom line, I understand why the service manager made a tester himself to use on Mercedes-Benz vehicles to confirm proper wiring connections.
With electric trailer brakes working and properly set up, it was a dream to tow, and stop, our new Grey Wolf MK23 travel trailer!
Lastly, as an experiment, with 50% E85 and 50% premium, trip computer indication showed a 2-mpg drop towing versus not-towing. There was a 3-mpg drop on average with 100% premium versus 50-50. Acceleration to interstate speed and uphill towing showed no change in performance with either fuel combination. Stay tuned with more to follow on my E85 topic.
BTW, with standard suspension and the weight distribution hitch doing its job, both the GLE 350 and the travel trailer were positioned well and handled great. No reservations, regrets, or second guessing deciding to tow with my 2016 GLE 350!
Man I love and appreciate this post so much! This is really helpful and informative!
I've been fantasizing about a camper trip with my ML and seeing the capability in practice is just awesome. Nice camper too, by the way.
I have prodigy P3 break controller connected with car wiring using the adapter.
(Search this board there are several threads).
This combination works great.
Man I love and appreciate this post so much! This is really helpful and informative!
I've been fantasizing about a camper trip with my ML and seeing the capability in practice is just awesome. Nice camper too, by the way.
Thank you for sharing!
Joel
Glad you find the information useful and welcome! Glad you like our camper too! Post a picture of your rig whenever you decide to get into camping. People have shared lots of good information here and can certainly help with any questions that may come up.
This time of year there are typically RV shows and it is a great time to save, so be sure to check them out!
A rarity in the world of camping where pickup trucks are the main vehicle of choice, here's an example of a Mercedes-Benz out in the wild towing a 5,000 pound dry weight camper. There's a weight distribution hitch on the A-frame that also adds sway control which should not be an option- it really adds a lot of control in addition to the GLE's ABS and sway control functions.
I chose the Tekonsha Prodigy P3 which has very useful diagnostics and has a more useful display (in my opinion) than traditional electronic brake controllers. This pairs up with a Tekonsha 3066-P wire harness that plugs into the factory Mercedes connector under the carpet behind the brake pedal. There is NO wiring of any kind to do with a factory installed trailer hitch making this a truly "plug-and-play"setup.
Aside from discovering a 2-pin connector in the right rear cargo compartment that was not connected from the factory, after plugging it in all brake indications and functionality was restored. NOTE: electronic brake controller testers and emulators do not function correctly with Mercedes-Benz vehicles--- even ones with "resistance loads" built into them like the Tekonsha Trailer Emulator does. My Tekonsha Trailer Emulator, as the RV dealer's tester did, just flashed half the test lights leaving it unclear whether the system is working correctly or not. Bottom line, I understand why the service manager made a tester himself to use on Mercedes-Benz vehicles to confirm proper wiring connections.
With electric trailer brakes working and properly set up, it was a dream to tow, and stop, our new Grey Wolf MK23 travel trailer!
Lastly, as an experiment, with 50% E85 and 50% premium, trip computer indication showed a 2-mpg drop towing versus not-towing. There was a 3-mpg drop on average with 100% premium versus 50-50. Acceleration to interstate speed and uphill towing showed no change in performance with either fuel combination. Stay tuned with more to follow on my E85 topic.
BTW, with standard suspension and the weight distribution hitch doing its job, both the GLE 350 and the travel trailer were positioned well and handled great. No reservations, regrets, or second guessing deciding to tow with my 2016 GLE 350!
Thank you. I am in the process of buying the 2016 or 2017 GLE350 and a 2022 23MK.
I didn't have an option at the time I was ready to purchase as the local selection wasn't very high or frequent when we bought our CPO 2016 GLE350.
For towing, the air suspension would be nice to assist the WDH. I will say that not having air suspension isn't stopping us from traveling as of yet. We've learned to adjust loading and put more in the camper over the axles (to keep things balanced) rather that have it in the back of the vehicle adding to the tongue weight for example. Our camper cargo capacity is 2500 lbs which we stay well under. All-in we maintain a good margin under the tow rating which is simply better for multiple reasons most of which is handing.
Keep in mind the need for an adapter to plug into the 7-pin connector to allow an observation camera to operate from the running lights of the trailer, unless the functionality has been adjusted from the vehicle's control unit. Additionally, there should still be a green connector behind the brake pedal to add a jumper that interfaces with the electric brake controller. Places like etrailer.com carry them.
I can recommend a dealer verify the towing connections since not all tow with a Mercedes Benz and one connector in ours was never connected from new as several trips to the dealer uncovered.
Last edited by SUV John; Mar 23, 2022 at 11:11 AM.
After recalling days with a popup camper and a Ford Explorer at the time (had a tow package with gears that gave up mileage for torque) and when you add cargo and weight including passengers in the car you may be pushing it only because of the hitch added versus factor. 2 wheel tows less that 4matic so there's that too.
I would have to double-check on specific reduction with a WDH, but hitch weight wouldn't be the biggest limit here.
New to towing camping trailer. Just wonder anyone here have experience towing camp trailer with a retrofitted trailer?
MB dealer suggests to add blower and fan to engine for cooling, while other body shops suggest hitch, 7 pin harness, brake controller and weight distribution are good enough.
Any advice? Thanks !
Will need more details on what you mean by retrofitted (axles, hitch, interior, etc.). Regardless of mods, know the real weight of what you are towing and make sure the trailer is balanced over the axles and has proper tongue/hitch weight (move loads around in/on trailer to achieve).
As to adding cooling to SUV, all depends on what you are seeing temp wise and what are you hauling loads and oil service details (especially on a diesel). Heat breaks down oil over time, diesel (like gasoline) can weaken oil properties over time and use.
I for one doing occasional towing of 5klbs have not seen ay heat concerns while towing, a bit warmer hauling up steep grade for a few minutes, sure, excessive heat specifically or generally no. Use good quality oil and change it regularly. Flush / refresh cooling fluids as recommended. Take your time getting there, enjoy the tow, and be safe out there.
MB builds their vehicles to tow on 120F Sahara gravel roads, so unless something is wrong, you will not need extra cooling.
Still getting monitoring scanner is highly advised.
For trailer with electric brakes, you will need brake controller. Get inertia-activated and I used Prodigy in the past. Now I see new controllers, with remote switch, so much cleaner and more convenient installation.
Don't think you will need WD bars. GLE, unlike pickups are good TV and with short rear overhang, they can carry tongue weight just fine.
Then there are always exceptions, so do the test drive before taking for long trip.
Thanks Kein for your sharing! I mean a retrofitted hitch. I am planning to tow a trailer weight around 5000lb. Won’t be a long trip, probably around 3hr max.
Thanks Kein for your sharing! I mean a retrofitted hitch. I am planning to tow a trailer weight around 5000lb. Won’t be a long trip, probably around 3hr max.
The trailer weight is part of the equation and tongue weight is the other. I don't have numbers in front of me, but I do recall that adding a hitch follows lower allowable weights than a factory hitch does. Make sure you're following the correct weight limits. For that weight, I'd still suggest a WDH to help with trailer stability. If a one-time tow, caution may be adequate although a short test drive may be wise.
I just joined the community because of this great post! Thank you all.
We just ordered a Grand Design 23BHE (5,300lb dry with 505lb tongue weight) and we will be towing with our 2017 GLE43 AMG SUV (1650lb payload, 7200lb towing cap, 720lb tongue weight). While we won't receive the trailer until Spring 2021, we were able to test tow the trailer at the RV dealership to get a feel of their WD system and handling.
Research towing info on GLE certainly was like a maze with lots of inaccurate info from dealership and online. I am very glad to find this post.
I am looking at Fusion 3 camera system and tumble here to see about the electric issues. @DMax10S Please kindly keep us posted if it fixes the issue. My wife and I are building a shopping list over the holidays and would love to hear your results - thank you.
Happy camping!
Ambrose
@Ambrose Choy Wondering how your towing experience was with the Grand Design 23BHE. We are trading in a small class C for a trailer + SUV and thinking about the exact same combination. Besides the tow package and a solid WD hitch, did you do anything to make towing smoother?
I have seen people recommending going with airmatic option for air suspension, anyone has thoughts on this?
hello everyone. totally new to this forum.
I ordered a MB GLE 450 4matic which should come in December. According to the spec, the tow weight is 7700, 770 hitch. I couldn't find a post on a 450 towing campers I could read so I jumped on this one regarding the 350. Sounds like I am in for a treat for a nice tow! I've in the past had the MBC300 - an always regretted getting rid of it. They drive so well.
I found a lot of great information on this site! So thank you all.
We've been doing a lot of homework to make sure we TRY and cover all of our bases. We're not amateurs at towing, but far from being an expert. We're looking to buy the Flagstaff 25BSDS in case someone is curious. 6000 dry and 660 tongue. So I think weight wise, I'm doing good!
But what I really wanted to share is that one of the dealers showed us a Bluetooth Brake Controller. Instead of having a bc installed at the bottom of your dash, you can use a phone app to control the camper brakes. I don't know a lot of this yet - but has anyone used one of these? or know someone who has? I question the dependability of using a phone app.
- Joe
hello everyone. totally new to this forum.
I ordered a MB GLE 450 4matic which should come in December. According to the spec, the tow weight is 7700, 770 hitch. I couldn't find a post on a 450 towing campers I could read so I jumped on this one regarding the 350. Sounds like I am in for a treat for a nice tow! I've in the past had the MBC300 - an always regretted getting rid of it. They drive so well.
I found a lot of great information on this site! So thank you all.
We've been doing a lot of homework to make sure we TRY and cover all of our bases. We're not amateurs at towing, but far from being an expert. We're looking to buy the Flagstaff 25BSDS in case someone is curious. 6000 dry and 660 tongue. So I think weight wise, I'm doing good!
But what I really wanted to share is that one of the dealers showed us a Bluetooth Brake Controller. Instead of having a bc installed at the bottom of your dash, you can use a phone app to control the camper brakes. I don't know a lot of this yet - but has anyone used one of these? or know someone who has? I question the dependability of using a phone app.
- Joe
While part of our camping season this year was canceled due to being in the shop waiting for parts, I still like the idea of a separate controller with a manual brake lever. I thought about wireless myself but didn't want to fumble with or wake up a phone to apply the trailer brakes. If the Bluetooth app would keep a phone awake to work the brakes that could address one issue though. Wireless controllers may be more effective with one that may have an independent controller while competing with the quality of what's been proven over time.
hello everyone. totally new to this forum.
I ordered a MB GLE 450 4matic which should come in December. According to the spec, the tow weight is 7700, 770 hitch. I couldn't find a post on a 450 towing campers I could read so I jumped on this one regarding the 350. Sounds like I am in for a treat for a nice tow! I've in the past had the MBC300 - an always regretted getting rid of it. They drive so well.
I found a lot of great information on this site! So thank you all.
We've been doing a lot of homework to make sure we TRY and cover all of our bases. We're not amateurs at towing, but far from being an expert. We're looking to buy the Flagstaff 25BSDS in case someone is curious. 6000 dry and 660 tongue. So I think weight wise, I'm doing good!
But what I really wanted to share is that one of the dealers showed us a Bluetooth Brake Controller. Instead of having a bc installed at the bottom of your dash, you can use a phone app to control the camper brakes. I don't know a lot of this yet - but has anyone used one of these? or know someone who has? I question the dependability of using a phone app.
- Joe
Hi Joe - you claimed a max tongue weight of 770#. I hope you are correct!
The Operators Manual in my new '23 GLE 450 says it is important not to exceed max tongue weight. And it has “blanks” for Max Tongue Weight value in the towing technical data. The Dealer called MB Tech Support who sent a ~2019 GLE 400 technical data table showing 617# Max Tongue Wt. and said 617# is the max for my GLE. Did you receive other info from MB? When shopping, I believed Car & Driver, which said 770#. MB does not post this info in marketing or tech specs.
....... I question the dependability of using a phone app.
- Joe
If you want reliability- the simplicity is the right answer.
When I don't have experience with BT brake controller, I was using my android for engine monitoring.
While paired with GPS, the android would discharge its battery, even with charging cord plug in, not to mention too much hassle in operating it. Additionally in hot weather it would overheat and shut down in crucial moments.
Brake controllers should be "set and forget" - why would you need to monitor it on android?
The only situation where you need manual control is slippery conditions, where you might want to apply trailer brakes regardless inertia switch. But then you will want precise control, where BT lacks.
If you want reliability- the simplicity is the right answer.
When I don't have experience with BT brake controller, I was using my android for engine monitoring.
While paired with GPS, the android would discharge its battery, even with charging cord plug in, not to mention too much hassle in operating it. Additionally in hot weather it would overheat and shut down in crucial moments.
Brake controllers should be "set and forget" - why would you need to monitor it on android?
The only situation where you need manual control is slippery conditions, where you might want to apply trailer brakes regardless inertia switch. But then you will want precise control, where BT lacks.
----------
I've never heard that manually braking with the electric controller is only for slippery conditions. When adjusted properly, the electric brakes should be a standalone system- case in point if the trailer detached from the tow vehicle and would come to a stop by itself.
The manual brake control is also used for testing trailer brakes and for "... whenever gentle brake input is needed, such as correcting minor trailer sway" as an etrailer.com reply states it.
While not a published procedure, for me I find that applying the trailer brakes manually after the trailer sits for a while helps to remove rust in the drums that make the brakes initially grab a bit.
I agree with the hassle part noting that in an emergency situation, having to wake up a phone and get to use the brake controller app may be too late to effectively use it. While we have iPhones, they do get hot when sitting in a spot forward of the cup holders in our car that is inherently warm already. For long term you may also try a phone holder or using another spot where air can circulate around the phone better, as we should. Something isn't right with the phone and/or battery if it isn't being kept fully charged while driving though as one phone store pointed out to us in the past.
Hi Joe - you claimed a max tongue weight of 770#. I hope you are correct!
The Operators Manual in my new '23 GLE 450 says it is important not to exceed max tongue weight. And it has “blanks” for Max Tongue Weight value in the towing technical data. The Dealer called MB Tech Support who sent a ~2019 GLE 400 technical data table showing 617# Max Tongue Wt. and said 617# is the max for my GLE. Did you receive other info from MB? When shopping, I believed Car & Driver, which said 770#. MB does not post this info in marketing or tech specs.
For max. tongue weight and max. trailer weight, the information is on a decal next to the 7-pin connector. The decal pictured is from my GLS 450, but shows the information for the vehicle.
For max. tongue weight and max. trailer weight, the information is on a decal next to the 7-pin connector. The decal pictured is from my GLS 450, but shows the information for the vehicle.
I think you missed "DO NOT exceed vehicle ratings" at the bottom.
Hitch can be installed on several different vehicles, so it can be much stronger, than vehicle it is mounted on.
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Trailer Hitch Decal
