Land Rover as tow vehicle

[spinyman]

I will be taking delivery next week on a 19ft. bambi ccd and was planning on towing it with a 2005 Land Rover LR3.The manual says,"An equalising or other form of weight distributing hitch should NOT be used with your vehicle". What should be used then?BTW,please excuse the double post.I am new to this game.

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by spinyman
I will be picking up my new Bambi 19 next week and was planning on towing it with my 2005 Land Rover.My manual says,"An equalising or other form of weight distributing hitch should NOT be used with your vehicle".Their italics,not mine.

Please advise me on what to use. Thanks in advance


hi spinyman and welcome to airstream'n

no problem with the double post.....starting a thread was the best approach...

i hope you love the trailer and love the camping adventures......

getting rigged for safe towing.....is somewhat of an adventure too....

i sure hope you get this worked out...did the pix scare ya?...sorry.

you've got research and reading and so on to do....

here is a start........a range rover site on towing.......

http://www.rangerovers.net/outfitting/rrtowing.htm

ok, next what is already on the forums.......

specifically related to range rovers, there are several threads......

go to advanced search and type 'range + rover' as a start......

like these threads............

http://www.airforums.com/forum...ht=range+rover

http://www.airforums.com/forum...ht=range+rover

http://www.airforums.com/forum...ht=range+rover


also post 15/16 in this thread....looks like coloradobus tows with a rover....perhaps he can help ya.....

http://www.airforums.com/forum...ht=range+rover

also the threads on touaregs, and honda ridgelines may help you....understand some of the issues with the type of t.v. you've selected...

i'm not suggesting you cannot work this out safely....really i believe you can...

toasty's dad just went through the process........

http://www.airforums.com/forum...-ii-21000.html

i'm gonna guess rover advises against w/d because of the air suspension and how it can compete with a w/d system....

also i suspect the hitch and attachment to the hydroformed rails under the unibody....isn't real beefy....

now the manual says tongue weights up to 520lbs? and towing up to 7700lbs?

what you really need to know is the gross combined weight rating (gcwr) for the disco3.....that is the total of everything rolling.....suv, people, fuel, cargo, options, hitch trailer.....and all of its load (water, food, lpg...)...i could not find this figure.....

you need to.......find the gcwr....and ask a range rover tech/expert why no w/d system....

on the surface it appears the disco3 has the capacity for a 19....
but you need to do this homework and not just trust someone to tell ya.....'sure, you are ok' or 'oh no.......don't you dare'

sway control would be real important....from my view.....which system...is again yours to decide.....

the disco3 has a short wheel base.....and a short rear overhang.....

personally i'd want a weight distribution system too....for any tongue weight over 500lbs.......but perhaps the air suspension is supposed to sort this out effectively..

there are lots of opinions......read some of the related links.....and get some more info....then ask more......

also there are a couple of range rover and disco3 forums....you might searcht these out too......

i was able to find the part number for the receiver and the wiring harness...but couldn't find any images, installation instructions and so on..

these would help too....

cheers
2air'

[spinyman]

Thanks for all your time in lining up these past threads for me to research through. I have already heard "It will tow just fine without any special hitch" more than once.Now I must admit I am a bit intimidated by the accident photos posted.Motivated,though, to choose the safest solution.Thanks again.

[SilverToy]

Spineyman -

Your safest solution to to get a TV 1) with a longer wheelbase, 2) "tow rated" equipment ( factory installed) 3) Sufficient brakes to stop the entire trailer TV combo without scrambling the family inside.

THese parameters will get you quickly to larger and well engineered track/ SUV/ worktrucks. These have seemingly zillions of versions. There will be a least one that you will love AND that will satisfy the 3 parameters very easily. Must of them will also allow you to transfort the family in great safety and luxurie as well.

All the best in your upcoming search!!! Have fun with it!

Axel

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by spinyman

Now I must admit I am a bit intimidated by the accident photos posted.Motivated,though, to choose the safest solution.Thanks again.

spinyman....

my motives in posting the bambi crash pix...were....
i though folks would be interested
i wanted to read what members thought
i wanted to remind new buyers that just 'getting it home'...is an issue

as someone new to towing last year (i've always had mohos)....i've learned alot
and feel sway control is important....all the methods of controlling sway...
tires, air, loading the trailer, hitch issues, brake controllers, safety devices, driver education...and so on.

it wasn't to scare anyone....just cause a second thought....

i've found most airstream buyers to be very concerned about safety

i tow a 34 with a 3/4 ton diesel truck and a hensley hitch....

while hensley marketing turned me way off, the design seemed sound and more logical than other hitches....using it and feeling how well it smooths out the towing experience....made the cost a non issue.

i'm not suggesting you need a hensley....not at all...and it's too bad we can't test drive hitches like the cars/trucks....

but your issues are: short wheel base, tall suv, and a multipurpose design...with towing as not the prime directive.....my understanding is if going for a rover....don't get the active air suspension or performance enhanced setup....perhaps it's too late...since you already have a disco3...

so i'd opt for a dual cam or hensley over any simple friction sway control or non w/d set up.......
equal-i-zer and hensley have web sites with some basic educational info on hitches, sway control and w/d systems....the drawing, videos, animations are useful...to a point...

also just reading the forum section on hitches and towing is useful......and will have lots of good links....

find a really good hitch dealer/service center, take the rover in, ask them for help....look at the products they recommend, take pix, ask for info on how the install is done (i couldn't find any diagrams for your rig)....this is a learning curve...get the info and study, compare, ask more questions....not be afraid to get more confused...before sorting this out...

and you are at the low point right now....

coloradobus has a rover (not many here) and my be helpful....
toasty's dad just went through the full process with his ridgeline....
and recently, someone reordered/downsized his trailer just in time.....
because his t.v. was under sized...and the feedback here made that clear...
not he's a happy camper....you will be too.....

so we've all had issues.....few are brave enough to document the learning here....

cheers
2air'

[lewster]

I have a good friend that tows the 16CCD with their Range Rover and a weight dist. hitch. They have no problems and the RR has the air suspension.

[Silvertwinkie]

I feel that the 16' might be on the high end of the LR3s ability. Not because the V8 doesn't have the juice, it does, but the truck only has about a 113" wheelbase. I think larger than 16' could identify shortcomings if you get into higher wind conditions. It might be similar to what I did when I towed our 25' with a 118" wheelbase. Moved it good, higher winds though really moved it around a bit.

[BillTex]

Sorry to jump in so late on this, just came across this post.
It is my understanding that WD hitches are NOT to be used with any unibody vehicles...as suggested there are many previous posts related to this. Folks misinterpret tow ratings, many vehicles have the hp to pull a house...you also need the chassis and vatious other components to support the weight.

[muddy_hollow]

I just set my Discovery series II up for towing a 20' Globetrotter. I had been towing with a Toyota Tundra and the difference between the two tow vehicles is significant. The Disco is much better IMHO... BUT I have ditched the air suspension and installed a heavy duty Old Man Emu suspension, along with a new drive shaft. The Disco doesn't even go down when I hitch and the WD hitch does not require much.

I had tried it before on the Disco prior to removing the air suspension and it was bouncey. Towing with the modified version is very nice, easy 60 mph and no wiggle passing big trucks. Plus the purrrrr of the rover is much nicer than my Toyota.

I almost moved up to the LR3 when they came out, but beyond all the ergonomic changes and the "Ford" makeover, I did not see the price vs. car matching well. I'm a big fan of Rovers, don't get me wrong. I would love to have one of the new range rovers but not an LR3. In terms of towing, I agree with the prior post. The unibody design and lack of ladder frame may be an issue with 19' or bigger, but for a 16' bambi I think you would be safe.


Happy camping

Muddy

[Coloradobus]

We no longer tow with a Land Rover Discovery.In the beginning when the Globe Trotter's re-do was incomplete, it Rover towed the GT fine. We used a an Equalizer brand load leveling hitch. The Disco had coil springs all was around. I think a Reese Dual Cam would have worked better, tho. After the trailer's re-model was complete, we found we were asking the Disco to do too much. The '67 Globe Trotter'stongue weight was now over 700 lbs loaded with water and all other goodies. (tank up front)
If we still had the Rover, I would not hesitate to tow our '06 16ft Quick Silver Bambi with, but anything larger, no. We tow the GT and a Tradewind with an '04 Chevy 3/4 Duramax 4X4, or our 1997 Airstream "B" van.

But I want to check something with our LR salesman/friend and ask him a few questions.

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by BillTex

It is my understanding that WD hitches are NOT to be used with any unibody vehicles....

hi billtex, colorado bus, and muddy hollow......

the above statement may be generally true,
if you can first define what a unibody is....

the disco3, touareg, cayenne, honda ridgeline
and some others
aren't 'pure' unibodys,
but combinations of uni, ladder frames, rails and so on....

it's great to read from you guys actually using them....
and the british forums on towing issues are interesting too...

so coloradobus, what is your t.v. now?

cheers
2air'

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

so coloradobus, what is your t.v. now?

I think he answered...

Originally Posted by Coloradobus

We tow the GT and a Tradewind with an '04 Chevy 3/4 Duramax 4X4, or our 1997 Airstream "B" van.

Shari

[muddy_hollow]

If you go for the LR3 for a tow vehicle, make sure to use a rover certified mechanic to wire you brake controller. I had mine done and the tech indicated that they had another trailer come in just before memorial day weekend with blown out relays. Turns out that the tech who installed the brake controller just scabbed the leads to the wires in the back versus installing a signal converter with correctly sized relays.

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by InsideOut

I think he answered...
Shari

thanks shari....

perhaps we were typing at the same time.
i still have time to edit my post and just remove the question,
but then your reply won't make sense....

so i'll just leave mine and look stupid!

cheers
2air'

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

so i'll just leave mine and look stupid!

We all look silly sometime ~ some just more often than others!

Shari

[sovereignrwe]

Hey! I heard that "InsideOut". ....and I didn't even post in this thread....sheesh

[muddy_hollow]

I know this is an older thread, but I took a picture from this past weekend of my Dico II towing my 65 GT.

The rover did great, but as I posted before it's not a stock set-up. I converted it to a coil spring suspension from Old Man Emu and put on heavy duty tires Yokaham GO53s. Tire were set at 65 PSI, the same as the GT.

The only thing left now is to get a longer shank for the weight distribution hitch, but it towed great. I did find on inclines that to keep the RPMs up that I had to downshift to keep the speed constant. No issues and the LR was very comfortable to drive.