Trailer Hitch

[02 X5 3.0i Jordan]

I have been reading all of the history files and continue to run across problems people have with other trailer hitches. I was wondering is there any hitch other than the OEM BMW hitch that works well on the X5?

this topic has been beat to death. There are two opinions out there. One is to only go the OEM route. The other is that aftermarket hitches such as U-Haul will suffice.

Only you can decide if the extra expense of the OEM hitch kit justifies the added safety factor. It was worth it to me.

[Lee]

I bought an aftermarket unit from my local hitch guy - installed et.al. for like $200... I pull my 24 foot bowrider with it (4800 lbs, duley w/ brakes) and it works great..

Lee

[DLP24]

A non OEM hitch for towing anything over 1000lbs. +- is absolutely insane. It is amazing that someone would go cheap on their safety and the safety of everyone on the road over a few hundred bucks. Aftermarket $200 hitch is not comparable in any way. I hope I never meet you on the road with your 10,000 pound rig (X5+boat) with a $200 hitch.

My OEM hitch and harness was under $500 and it was designed for the X5 by the freakin BMW engineers.

[Lee]

It looks just like oem and mounts to the same structure points - I've bought a dozen drawtite hitches in my life - they have all been very solid.. what on earth makes you think "bmw steel" is stronger than "draw-tite" steel?

[DLP24]

Try reading at **********.com or *******.com and search on "X5 hitch". Drawtite makes a great hitch for most applications. But it is not comparable in the design. The only exception is maybe Dalan hitches who make exact-spec OEM duplicates. For a Surburban or Explorer, any good hitch may be fine, but why drive a very expensive vehicle that has trailer stability controls designed into the vehicle, why would you put a generic part on it and tow 5000 pounds....?
Here, some light reading get you started: http://www.*******.com/showthread.php?t=2987&page=1&pp=10&highlight=hitch

[Phil]

Did that $200 include the wiring harness?

[JMD]

...of course I installed it myself.

JMDXX5
JMD
...not that I will, but it can!
<br>
<img src="http://members.roadfly.org/JMD540is/4.6is_Sig/jmdxx5_02_46is_1.jpg">

[X5ian]

I have a after market Hitch (better than U-Haul, 6000lb rated) and using it to pull a 3-seater SeaDoo (900-lb total). It is fine for light duty but I suggest to get the OEM if you are planning to pull anything over 1000 lb.

[Snowzone]

Still no problems, no electrical "gremlins", no failures. I'm loving the $$ I saved. My boat and trailer total nearly 4000 lbs.

[robertplattbell]

I just installed the BMW OWM hitch (made by Westfalia, at least in part) and it took about 3 hours.

BavAuto has a hitch for $199 but the electrical package is another $199. Add in shipping, and you are at $500 (truck freight required).

The BMW hitch was $499 with my BMWCCA discount and tax. It comes in a very large box and includes the wiring harness, controller, and every single nut, bolt, washer, and wire tie. And the instructions are quite complete.

The instructions say you have to remove the mufflers to install the hitch, but I did not find this necessary. If the muffler rear mounts are unbolted and the heat shields are unbolted, they will drop about 2" and allow you to get in the two underneath bolts that hold the inserts in.

The rear bumper has to be removed and "reskinned" onto a new carrier (provided in the kit). It takes some effort, and it is a good idea to leave the bumper on an old blanket when working on it to prevent scratching the paint.

All in all, it was a spectactularly engineered piece, and a joy to work with. Everything fit perfectly and I did not have to cut into the wiring harness (always a very bad idea with a BMW) to run the wiring.

$500 for OEM or $350 for U-Haul? I'll do OEM.

[robertplattbell]

Frankly, I was a little skeptical that this unibody bus would tow much of anything. We've had a number of RVs in the past, and a couple of large boats, and a pickup truck, to me, was the only way to go with towing anything. Towing with a BMW? No way, right?

However, we sold the condo in Florida and bought a house on Jekyll Island as a winter retreat. So we needed to move some stuff, and fast. The little X5 pulled a U-haul with no problems. Hardly knew it was back there - and about 2,000 lbs of stuff, too. Zoomed right along at 70 mph.

I finally figured out why first gear is so low on this thing, though. Towing.

Now the spouse wants to get a small tow-behind camper (Like a Casita) for the X5 so we can do Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge parkway.....

One thing leads to another.

BTW, anyone here from Asheville? What a nice town.

[Bill-NC]

I live in Hendersonville, about 25 miles south of Asheville. Moved here from Boca Raton 11 years ago and have found this to be a delightful place to live.

[robertplattbell]

..we are thinking about getting a Scamp 16' side dinette trailer to tow behind the X5 and do the blue ridge parkway, over a period of a few days or weeks.

BMW claims the X5 can tow 6,000 lbs., but I've been RVing for a number of years, and I don't buy that for a minute. There is towing, and then again, there is towing.

The Scamp weighs in at about 1700 lbs. and would be an easy tow with the X5, even with the 3.0

[Jsun]

I went the aftermarket route on this one, with no problems at all.
I had the draw-tite installed by a local shop, for about $350....saved hundreds and it works like a charm. I pull a street bike/ATV, around 1500lbs on the class 3 hitch. Good Luck!

[pitcrew]

I find this OEM stuff really funny..includng the cheap american truck comments.

DLP....The BMW X5 is built in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA with very cheap minimal skilled labor. you pay more..doesnt mean you get more..haha

[x5dan]

has anyone used a wdh (weight distributing hitch)on their X5? if so, how did you accomodate the auto levelin? tia

[davewhite]

if anyone is removing their OEM hitch & needs the original parts that were removed, I have them - free if anyones needs them, just pay the freight. I live in Virginia.

[davewhite]

To clarify: I have the parts that came off of the car when the trailer hitch was installed, not the trailer hitch parts. Hoped that maybe someone might need them. Thanks

[dmsull]

Where is the best place to buy the BMW OEM hitch?