Trailer towing cross country; Need every scrap of info on 540iT trailer hitches

[joekitch]

I'm gearing up to move across the country in a few months and all of my earthly possessions could fit into the back of the 540iT plus a 5x8 enclosed trailer from uhaul. Save a load on moving costs and get to enjoy a cross country road trip!!

i know that westfalia sells a really awesome tow bar which replaces the existing rear bumper shock mounts and is rated to 4800lbs and 200lb tongue weight, which is overkill for that 5x8 trailer, but overkill is good

i need everything you guys got or can remember on installation instructions for that tow bar (including brake wiring, trailer brakes are really important!!)(also any specifics on where or how to cut the metal bumper support), as well as places to source the needed bits from

so far all i've found for sources to buy these things are;
http://www.schmiedmann.com/en/produc...product=303229
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Westfalia-To...odd9sg&vxp=mtr
https://www.rameder.eu/towbar-detach...8-01892-1.html

problem is i'm sure all of those will have outrageously high shipping costs....
any ideas?

[Reefin Dude]

i have ordered stuff from Schmiedmann and really good to work with and i felt they found the best price for shipping.

i found the BMW instructions.
http://www.unofficialbmw.com/images/...iler_hitch.pdf

it looks like there is a decent amount of information on the Westfalia site including the installation instructions.

G~

[joekitch]

i have ordered stuff from Schmiedmann and really good to work with and i felt they found the best price for shipping.

i found the BMW instructions.
http://www.unofficialbmw.com/images/...iler_hitch.pdf

it looks like there is a decent amount of information on the Westfalia site including the installation instructions.

G~

cool, any pictures of your set up as it was being installed?
and when i looked for information on the westfalia site, nothing was in english, can you spare a direct link?

[Reefin Dude]

for my wagon i just went with the Curt one. i was not towing anything of any great size, just a medium sized beach catamaran. i did a group buy of Euro Dash's through Schmiedmann's, that is how i worked them in the past.

here is a link to the english information for the touring e39 towbar.

https://www.westfalia-automotive.com...229900113-285/

G~

[joekitch]

for my wagon i just went with the Curt one. i was not towing anything of any great size, just a medium sized beach catamaran. i did a group buy of Euro Dash's through Schmiedmann's, that is how i worked them in the past.

here is a link to the english information for the touring e39 towbar.

https://www.westfalia-automotive.com...229900113-285/

G~

bah, the curt one looks alright but kinda flimsy way to hold it on, it's much more cost effective though which is nice
what i'm worried about is how i'm supposed to cut the bumper support, since i found this video and they had to cut away a whole ton of the metal component

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqTM...t=WL&index=125

[JimLev]

Philly98540 added a trailer hitch to his 540, it wasn't an iT, he may be able to give you a few pointers.
Where ya moving to? Had enough of the MA winter?
We moved from MA last June, love the "no winters" here.

[joekitch]

Philly98540 added a trailer hitch to his 540, it wasn't an iT, he may be able to give you a few pointers.
Where ya moving to? Had enough of the MA winter?
We moved from MA last June, love the "no winters" here.

i'm moving to the city of whoever will hire me in automotive or autonomous vehicle R&D, which might be silicon valley or might be michigan

[dannyzabolotny]

i'm moving to the city of whoever will hire me in automotive or autonomous vehicle R&D, which might be silicon valley or might be michigan

Better hope it's Silicon Valley. Sure, the cost of living will suck pretty bad but Michigan is just depressing year-round and completely destroys cars. At least the weather in Silicon Valley will be decent, and there's plenty of forum members around there.

[juststeve]

Westfalia hitch # 303229 from the Schmiedmann site is the one I installed.
Did this a few years ago and posted the results on another forum.
In that post, I also listed the factory part numbers needed depending on the finished look one may be attempting to achieve.

search (E39 540iT w/UHaul hitch) in google pics.

L1000195.jpg
L1000238.jpg

[aharbaugh9]

Doesn't Brian (Redshift) have a hitch on his touring?

Michigan winters aren't fun, but it's a beautiful state to explore in the summer!

[juststeve]

Doesn't Brian (Redshift) have a hitch on his touring?

his post is the one that I quoted

[schatzy62]

You may want to check this place. https://www.pfjones.co.uk/tow-bars/b...1997-2004.html

Prices on the westfalia are much less than what infind here in the USA. But adding shipping may bring it back up to the USA prices. Not sure.

But the also have other options at lower costs which still seem much better than the Curt. I have had a Curt on my 2003 525iT and it has broken thru the steel of the wheel well and i have had to have it patched.

[joekitch]

You may want to check this place. https://www.pfjones.co.uk/tow-bars/b...1997-2004.html

Prices on the westfalia are much less than what infind here in the USA. But adding shipping may bring it back up to the USA prices. Not sure.

But the also have other options at lower costs which still seem much better than the Curt. I have had a Curt on my 2003 525iT and it has broken thru the steel of the wheel well and i have had to have it patched.

thanks for that link, interestingly there's a couple there that aren't westfalia for noticeably cheaper
however i went through the checkout process to check shipping, and shipping to me in central MA is $122, and there don't seem to be any cheaper, slower shipping options

[juststeve]

The Westfalia is quite solid and completely bolt on.
I've owned E39s with other receivers.... Aside from dragging a little plastic boat around town; they really should not be used for any serious towing.

I suppose the ultimate hitch is the Bosal with it's removable square receiver. I don't believe they ever offered a unit for the E39.
And, the parts do not interchange between the two manufacturer that I am aware.
bosal from etrailer.jpg

[schatzy62]

thanks for that link, interestingly there's a couple there that aren't westfalia for noticeably cheaper
however i went through the checkout process to check shipping, and shipping to me in central MA is $122, and there don't seem to be any cheaper, slower shipping options

I understand your note on the shipping. But from your first post

1. Scheidman - $364.69+ $104.00 (shipping) + import taxes as it is shipped from Germany

2. Ebay (actually PF Jones) $304 + $254 shipping plus import taxes.

3. Rameder - going thru web site order they do not ship to the USA.

So going direct to the PF Jones site still looks like the best deal at $280 + 122 + import taxes.

Not sure what the import taxes are. When i get to work today i will see if i can get an estimate on the import taxes.

[schatzy62]

Further to my last post. Please note that this is just what I have found thru searching. Duty and tax rates are subject to change at any time and are fully up to the USA Customs Department and how they classify an item being imported to the USA. I am not responsible for any errors in the data below.

I have sent a question to PF Jones to see if they can tell me what the Harmonized Code is that is used to send the hitch to the USA. I have not yet had a response.

In running a classification request on the USA Customs site this is the most likely classification (yet they could classify it differently)

8708.99.8180 - Parts and Accessories of Motor Vehicles - Other - Other - Other (there is no specific listing for trailer hitch or tow bar) - 2.5% duty rate.

The United Kingdom uses 8706.99.9790 but the duty rate in the USA is based on a partial number of 8708.99 so the last 4 numbers do not change the duty/tax rate.

As Massachusetts has not yet implemented a mandatory sales tax payment on internet orders there should be no sales tax.

If the US Customs Department does classify it as a part "Made of Steel or Iron" then the duty rate could be 2.9%. But this classification is not the most accurate.

If the US Customs Department does classify it under any other number the duty rate could be as high as 25%. But this is highly unlikely.

If I get an answer from PF Jones I will add an update.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Everyone I know that came from Michigan all have the same basic testament to bettering their lives, they all tell me that the best thing they ever did for themselves was moving away from Michigan.

[dannyzabolotny]

Everyone I know that came from Michigan all have the same basic testament to bettering their lives, they all tell me that the best thing they ever did for themselves was moving away from Michigan.

All of the ex-Michigan peeps that I met in Arizona seem to agree. There's a lot of them here, along with people from Chicago, haha.

[Reefin Dude]

when i did the big order through Schmeidmann's a bit ago i got a bill later in the month for the tax. it was not part of the order and will come separately.

G~

[JimLev]

After my headers I purchased thru Schmeidermann arrived, FedEx sent me a bill for some tax. I called FedEx, told them Schm said there shouldn't be a (VAT?) tax and they dropped the charge.

JoeK, how about looking for a job at Tesla, better climate than Michigan most of the year. Probably more expensive to live in CA than MI.

[Plattus1000]

If searching on eBay, select "search other countries"
These things are on virtually every e39 in Western Europe and so they're cheaper. As an example, the retractable cargo cover here averages $300, there, $80 plus s/h.

Just a suggestion. I don't know which hitch is best.

[joekitch]

shit, i did some calculations and the uhaul 5x8 definitely isn't big enough for all my stuff, and the larger trailers really push the towing weight limits, especially tongue weight
unfortunately the alternative is a 6x10 uhaul truck with an auto dolly for the wagon, which is $2600 all-in. yikes.
of course, i can set up the back of the 540i as a really comfy bedroom and save a ton on hotel costs....

[dannyzabolotny]

shit, i did some calculations and the uhaul 5x8 definitely isn't big enough for all my stuff, and the larger trailers really push the towing weight limits, especially tongue weight
unfortunately the alternative is a 6x10 uhaul truck with an auto dolly for the wagon, which is $2600 all-in. yikes.
of course, i can set up the back of the 540i as a really comfy bedroom and save a ton on hotel costs....

Sell/throw out some stuff then. We all have too much stuff nowadays anyways. Or consider shipping some of it. Fedex and UPS allow you to ship to their retail stores where they can hold it for you for a few days. That's what I did when I moved from NYC to Phoenix, I shipped a lot of my clothing since it was bulky but not super heavy.

[Reefin Dude]

or use pods. they can be shipped and delivered.

G~

[joekitch]

downside to pods is that they're QUITE expensive per unit volume than the uhaul trailer but damn are they convenient
uhaul has their own pods system, and one of them is 257 cubic feet (5x8 enclosed trailer is 200 cubic feet), renting that trailer is $468, one of those pods cross country is $2057, four times more.
That said, the cost of getting a hitch and getting the wiring and renting the trailer gets close to $1000 so for an extra grand i don't need to fool with any of that, an intriguing cost/benefit