Recommended Ball Mount and Hitch Ball for European Trailers

Question:

Hello We have installed a class III 2inch receiver hitch on our 2007 Mercedes ML350. We are serving the Army in Germany, and would like to add a wiring harness and need a ball to work with the local trailers. Which of your fine products can you recommend we use? Do you ship to APO addresses? Thank you,

asked by: Raymond S

Expert Reply:

Thank you for your service. I would be happy to make some recommendations for you.

An American style ball mount will work fine when we pair it with a 50mm Hitch Ball on a local trailer in Germany as long as you have a U.S. style trailer hitch on your vehicle with a 2 inch by 2 inch receiver. The look is different, but the function is the same. I'd suggest the Convert-a-Ball Adjustable-Height Ball Mount, # TK5007. This will give you up to a 10 inch drop or a 9 inch rise to allow you to tow the trailer level. For a hitch ball, you will want the Brophy 50mm Hitch Ball - 1" Diameter x 2-1/8" Long Shank # EH53C-C.

To wire a U.S. spec 2007 Mercedes ML350, you will need to start with the # 119250KIT. That will give you what you need to wire for the US standard factory 4 way. There isn't a simple adapter to make it work with the European 7-round, so some splicing will be required. You will need to separate out the combined turn signal and brake light circuits, for that I recommend the Curt Converter # C56196. You will need to obtain the European vehicle side trailer connector locally to match what the trailer requires. Please note that you will likely need to split the running light circuit (brown wire of the 4 way) to two separate pins on the vehicle side European connector. I've attached a picture to help with the European connector so you can match things up.

Yes, we do ship to APO addresses.