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      04-09-2021, 11:34 PM   #1
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The ultimate towing machine part deux

Those of you that knew me from the F97 forum know I ran I stealth hitch to tow a small wood or cargo trailer. Bigger family calls for bigger upgrades, to include our towing capabilities. The stealth hitch is back again on my F95, but now I don't just tow a cargo trailer; I can tow a 6k pound dry, which means more like 8k pound with all my stuff loaded, 28 foot travel trailer. I have to admit this V8 torque makes this SUV a towing monster. Who needs a pickup truck when you have the X5MC to pull heavy loads? Most of the other owners of this camper use a heavy duty pickup to tow this trailer and get about 8 MPG on the highway. I average nearly double that with the X5MC. Stealth hitch installed the factory towing module to extract the full towing electronics of our platform. The end result is sublime.
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Last edited by MrItaly; 04-10-2021 at 06:40 AM..
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      04-10-2021, 01:57 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MrItaly View Post
Those of you that knew me from the F97 forum know I ran I stealth hitch to tow a small wood or cargo trailer. Bigger family calls for bigger upgrades, to include our towing capabilities. The stealth hitch is back again on my F95, but now I don't just tow a cargo trailer; I can tow a 6k pound dry, which means more like 8k pound with all my stuff loaded, 28 foot travel trailer. I have to admit this V8 torque makes this SUV a towing monster. Who needs a pickup truck when you have the X5MC to pull heavy loads? Most of the other owners of this camper use a heavy duty pickup to tow this trailer and get about 8 MPG on the highway. I average nearly double that with the X5MC. Stealth hitch installed the factory towing module to extract the full towing electronics of our platform. The end result is sublime.
Duex or deux or even due ? 🤓

Nice picture! Looks like you could move some load to the back of your trailer
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      04-10-2021, 06:44 AM   #3
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Bah, I speak Italian not French. The same Latin based number and they flip the order of the e and u. Fixed the title. Thanks. Weight is pretty evenly distributed on the trailer. Two things are working against me at the moment. This is my first trip with since I got the new springs and weight distribution hitch. The springs are definitely softer, so it has a tendency to squat more now. The WDH should help with that, but it's not dialed in. I should be able to level it out a good bit more once it's completely adjusted.
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      04-10-2021, 06:53 AM   #4
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I just figured out where I erred. I failed to tighten the "set" screw which keeps the WDH arms from sliding when tightened. Those have to be very tight for the WDH to create the fulcrum required to redistribute weight up front. That'll do it, alright. Well, luckily this was just a trip 30 minutes down the road to test out the setup and work out any kinks. Looks like I just found one. Easy fix.
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      04-10-2021, 04:31 PM   #5
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Can you post some closeups of the the install? Do you have non stock springs on the car?
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      04-10-2021, 11:58 PM   #6
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I thought I read someplace that WDHs weren't meant to be used with certain stealth hitches? Which one are you using? Would love to know more about your setup and pictures once you get it dialed in.
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      04-11-2021, 08:15 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobbis1 View Post
Can you post some closeups of the the install? Do you have non stock springs on the car?
Yes, I have MSS Urbans on the car but only lowered it an inch since I knew I'd be towing. Rear tire clearance isn't an issue, even with the 18mm rear spacers. I'll snap a few more pics of the setup today once I get that WDH dialed in properly.
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      04-11-2021, 08:41 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by -cj- View Post
I thought I read someplace that WDHs weren't meant to be used with certain stealth hitches? Which one are you using? Would love to know more about your setup and pictures once you get it dialed in.
I had read this on Stealth's website as well and was initially worried, so when I was at the HQ getting the install done, I drilled them quite a bit on this. The back and forth I got is too long to cover, but I'll provide some key take aways from the conversation. I really like stealth and their product, but I get the impression their lawyers advise them to play things very safe. I asked why their published towing specs with a stealth are lower on the X5MC than on the M50i which has a weaker engine, brakes, and softer suspension, and less chassis bracing. Their response? BMW posts towing specs for the M50i, and they know how much their product improves over stock. In the case of the X5M, BMW posts no numbers here in the States as it's not an option, thus they low ball it to cover themselves. Logically, it makes no se sense whatsoever given the comparison I made above; legally, it may make all the sense in the world given our sue happy culture. And this exchange was just about capacity. Then I moved on to the WDH. Here was their logic.

1. WDH use with their product requires you to use their universal class three reciever mount which alleviates any factory increases in towing capacity gained from their typical direct ball mount. My argument here is that if the factory specs are already high enough for the job, you can stand to lose this minimal stealth advantage and still be fine.

2.Stealth hitches are usually installed on cars, vans, and SUVs with unibodies unlike trucks with a frame. WDH introduces more stress on the structure of the vehicle as it shifts the weight forward. Truck chassis can transfer that energy down the frame, unibodies can't. My reply is, sure if you start with a weak chassis in a suv or van with lots of flex in the body and try to offload a ton of weight up front, yes, that's a recipe for disaster. If, on the other hand, you start with a SUV like the X5 (yeah, I did the balancing on two opposing wheels thing at my PDC. Zero flex) and add extra bracing on the M resulting in an exceptionally stiff chassis for. SUV, and you don't try to throw crazy amount of weight up front, I think you'll be just fine. Again, their party line answer in no WDH on any unibody vehicle. Keeps them covered.


So, later I called Andersen Hitches and spoke at length with one of their sales consultants who was familiar with the stealth hitch. He said he understood Stealth's generic stance to play it safe, but given my particular vehicle and the relatively minor weight shift required, I would be absolutely fine. Now I just gotta get it dialed in properly.

Last edited by MrItaly; 04-11-2021 at 08:48 AM..
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      04-11-2021, 08:49 AM   #9
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So you have a WD hitch installed into the rack receiver, which is stated to NOT be used for towing, so that is very interesting. You can see how much you are squatting in the picture.

My other concern would be the total tongue weight with the camper.

We have a 6k camper that i tow with our F250, i wondered if the X5 could tow it, but seemed like it was awfully close on weight/capacity. I've towed with a F150 (which was fine) a Ram 1500 Limited (which was f'n terrible) and then now my F250. I got rid of the Ram after 3 months because it was so bad.

Speed is also a factor, so i'm assuming you aren't probably going above 70mph with that setup.

Also, what brake controller are you using?
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      04-11-2021, 02:47 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisnack View Post
So you have a WD hitch installed into the rack receiver, which is stated to NOT be used for towing, so that is very interesting. You can see how much you are squatting in the picture.

My other concern would be the total tongue weight with the camper.

We have a 6k camper that i tow with our F250, i wondered if the X5 could tow it, but seemed like it was awfully close on weight/capacity. I've towed with a F150 (which was fine) a Ram 1500 Limited (which was f'n terrible) and then now my F250. I got rid of the Ram after 3 months because it was so bad.

Speed is also a factor, so i'm assuming you aren't probably going above 70mph with that setup.

Also, what brake controller are you using?
You are correct. I am using the rack reciever that is not supposed to be used for towing as they say they haven't tested it for that and it reinfroduces the locking pin play. My take is that reciever removes their advertised stealth advantage, so they don't want folks towing with it. The receiver seems rock solid and well built. My Andersen tube is very snug in the stealth receiver. There's no play with this setup. For the brake controller, I'm using a Prodigy wireless. I'm going to work on the WDH this afternoon and hope to post new results.
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      04-11-2021, 06:24 PM   #11
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So I reinstalled using the set pin when finished this time. Things had definitely shifted without it. The X5 squats less now, although Anderson told me an inch or so of squat is desirable when towing with a WDH, so I should be spot on. The SUV feels very planted now and solid when towing. I like this setup. Here are a few pics with closeups as requested.
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      04-11-2021, 06:30 PM   #12
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You need to straighten and tightened those tongue links. Those should be straight and not shifted forward like that.
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      04-11-2021, 07:51 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisnack View Post
We have a 6k camper that i tow with our F250, i wondered if the X5 could tow it, but seemed like it was awfully close on weight/capacity. I've towed with a F150 (which was fine) a Ram 1500 Limited (which was f'n terrible) and then now my F250. I got rid of the Ram after 3 months because it was so bad.
Complete hijack sorry-
Just got a 21 ram 1500 what was so awful abt it?
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      04-11-2021, 08:08 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisnack View Post
You need to straighten and tightened those tongue links. Those should be straight and not shifted forward like that.
I thought about aligning them vertically but then realized the chains tend to pull the bottom. My bolts, when vertical, have gap between the bottom of the bar and the bolt. If I secured them perfectly vertically and set the set screw, they'd have a tendency to slide forward on the bottom until they made contact with the bar. I made them taught at a slight angle instead and then tightened the set screw. It can't slide like that. Had the bolts been the perfect height of my bar, I would have mounted them perfectly veterically.
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      04-11-2021, 08:46 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobbis1 View Post
Complete hijack sorry-
Just got a 21 ram 1500 what was so awful abt it?
Horrible at towing and the capacity is terrible. Payload was only 1000lbs. I had a limited with the air suspension.

Towed our camper like complete crap.
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      04-11-2021, 08:50 PM   #16
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My camper is only 5700 lbs dry with another 2k GWVR and 600 on the tongue, which still puts it under stealth's ratings for a M50i. It felt very solid during testing with the WDH dialed in this evening.
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      04-11-2021, 10:07 PM   #17
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I don’t know the payload rating on the 50i/M50i but your tongue weight has to be factored in that. So for example the Ram only being 1000lbs, 600 for hitch, 200 for me, 140 for wife, and i’m left with 60lbs. Even your fuel weight counts in there. That was way too close for my personal comfort.

People tow with all kinds of crazy setups. Do what you feel is safe. Getting there safe is what matters. You don’t need a crazy big towing rig, just be safe and enjoy the destination!

I use my F250 because I like to be half of limits or less and I find it to be a more enjoyable towing experience and less stressful on long trips. I can set my cruise to 75mpg and never think about it. I never feel the camper back there.
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      04-11-2021, 11:39 PM   #18
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What is the max towing capacity of the X5M? Similar to one of the previous posts, I like to be way under capacity. Seems like 7K has to be pretty close to max capacity for the X5 if not over.
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      04-12-2021, 01:40 PM   #19
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Interesting differences about towing practices are hinted above between the US and Europe.

- In Germany and most other European countries (except maybe France) towing anything limits your speed to 50 mph (80 km/h);

- in Germany you may get a special permission to tow up to 62mph (100 km/h) if your trailer tyres are less than six years old, you have a certified anti-sway damper (sort of brake pads clamping on the towing ball) and a couple other specs; the X5 (& other similar cars) have an additional benefit: when you plug in a trailer lighting the car's stability system senses it and switches to a different software that reportedly is very capable to dampen jackknifing oscillations.

It is very rare to see any European car towing anything and doing more than 70 mph - you get stiff fines.
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      04-12-2021, 08:17 PM   #20
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Quote:
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What is the max towing capacity of the X5M? Similar to one of the previous posts, I like to be way under capacity. Seems like 7K has to be pretty close to max capacity for the X5 if not over.
Sooooo..... That seems to be the illusive question on this side of the pond. BMW doesn't offer a factory solution in the US, and thus, doesn't give specs. The best thing we can go off is the M50i which bmw rates, with factory towing option, at 7200 pounds max towing, to which a stealth hitch increases to 8k pounds and 800 tongue weight when using their direct insert solution (which I forgo when using a WDH). I've only added about a thousand pounds, if that, to my dry trailer weight, so I feel confident that I'm well under factory or stealth's limits.
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      04-13-2021, 09:41 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ajob View Post
Interesting differences about towing practices are hinted above between the US and Europe.

- In Germany and most other European countries (except maybe France) towing anything limits your speed to 50 mph (80 km/h);

- in Germany you may get a special permission to tow up to 62mph (100 km/h) if your trailer tyres are less than six years old, you have a certified anti-sway damper (sort of brake pads clamping on the towing ball) and a couple other specs; the X5 (& other similar cars) have an additional benefit: when you plug in a trailer lighting the car's stability system senses it and switches to a different software that reportedly is very capable to dampen jackknifing oscillations.

It is very rare to see any European car towing anything and doing more than 70 mph - you get stiff fines.
I think there are big differences in tow vehicles as well. In the US most people are using big trucks to tow which are not as affected by towing. Personally I use a Ram 2500 with a 19K lb towing capacity to pull a 10K lb trailer. I also use a high end weight distributing hitch to control the load and the truck has a lot of advanced features specifically designed for towing as well.

Compare this to the EU where you see a lot of small cars/small SUV's towing small to mid sized trailers. There is a big difference in towing with a car designed to move people vs trucks designed to move heavy things.
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      04-17-2021, 01:56 PM   #22
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By the way, check out this video from Can-am RV on "properly" setting up your WDS. I found it very informative..

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