Hey y'all.
I purchased my used 2017 GLS450 almost a year ago and it's been absolutely fantastic so far. I am starting to plan for next years adventures, which includes some pretty nasty forest roads, and I need to know how the heck to pull this thing out of a ditch if it needs to happen from the front end.
I have the off-road package, so much of the undercarriage is covered with skid plates - where the heck can I latch on if recovery is necessary?

I ordered one of these for the rear hitch.

 

Have you checked the OM under breakdown assistance? The locations of chassis tow hooks are usually described.

 

Thanks for the reply!
I looked through the OM I don't see any specific mention of recovery hooks etc..
There is this note;
I wish they'd have made the towing eye worthy of recovery. It's so convenient. I can tell you one thing, they're not getting a crane into some of the places I go. Maybe a helicopter ?

 

The biggest heavy lift choppers are Russian: 20,000 Kg (44,000 lbs) load capacity. If you can't get one of them to come, Sikorsky has one that will lift about 16,000 Kg (35,200 lbs.). Plan accordingly.

I see you are in Denver. I'm not sure how the elevation will affect the lift capacity. You better check into that, too.

That said, recovering a vehicle that doesn't have a real frame with a winch is always a crap shoot.

 

Hah!
Curb weight is 5300lbs, so that'd be easy peasy for those monsters.
I've been reading up a bunch, and I am going to get underneath the car again tomorrow to find a few points I could use in a pinch. My plan is to get some soft shackles, a couple of tree savers, and a 4 ton cable puller / hoist. I am honestly not doing anything super nasty.
I am very aware of the dangers of recovery (i.e. hitch ball is a no-no) so it's the kind of thing I'll try to over prepare for, but fingers crossed, will not need.

 

Seems odd that a trailer hitch rated to pull a 7000 lb trailer can't be used to yank a 5300 lb vehicle out of a ditch. What are the hooks for if not recovery? Really like the crane recommendation -- loop a strap through the windows and lift from the roof? Maybe there's a training video at mbusa.com.

 

Two of my friends have helicopters....one of them could lift the GLS

 

I thought about that with the hitch. Then I started to think about what you're pulling.
The trailer is a 'rolling' 7000lbs - low resistance. So you might be pulling a 7k lb trailer, but I doubt that's the force at the hitch.
A stuck car is very different, so I'd guess that creates a load exponentially greater than the curb weight of the vehicle.

Still I think they should've considered recovery options. I know it's not the G wagon, but it does have the G, so I'd expect a bit of thought put into it.

 

Just don't use anything too stretchy. I know a guy who almost lost a leg trying to recover a vehicle with a cable once.

 

They're for pulling a rolling car onto a flatbed.

 

There are many mixed opinions on the topic of receiver hitches being used for towing/recovery. There seems nearly universal agreement on the hazards of using a ball hitch as an attachment point, although everyone I know has hooked onto a ball hitch at one time (including me) for a tug. The problem is there are so many variables involved and so many things that can go sideways, that most folks say it's a no-no. However, there are receiver hitch shackles, D-rings and straps such as https://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=Recovery+hitch that are intended for receiver hitch installation. These can be used to get a passenger vehicle unstuck from mud, snow or maybe a shallow ditch, but they're not going to hoist you a hundred yards up a 45 degree embankment. If this is your situation, call Jamie Davis.

The information in my G550's OM is mostly worthless. It shows the locations of the front and rear towing "eyes", but says nothing about circumstances of using them. Then there's a sketch showing a G-wagen straddling 2 flatbed railcars with a big "X" through it. I'm not sure how you could ever get any vehicle into such a placement, much less why anyone would think the physical distance between two railcars would permit this. Mostly, all that's said is to disconnect the propeller shaft before towing it, but not where to connect a tow strap.

I guess the best advice for recovery is to avoid circumstances that might make such necessary, and if you find yourself so situated, call a towing service. The only vehicle I take off-road is my Jeep Rubicon that has dual locking axles, several chassis frame mounted tow hooks and receiver hitch with shackle, towing straps, a ****** block and a 12,000 lb Warn winch. Even with this equipment, I like being with a group of similarly equipped vehicles.