Unsure about Range Rover as Tow Vehicle

[Kay]

We have a 2006 Range Rover Sport HSE. The owner's manual says the maximum hitch weight is 550 pounds, towing weight 7,700 pounds. The hitch receiver has maximum hitch weight 770 pounds stamped on it.

The manual also says not to use a weight distributing hitch.

Does anyone have experience with a similar vehicle? What do we go by? Land Rover is no help.

[Minnie's Mate]

Welcome to the forums Kay.

There have been a number of threads on using a Range Rover as a tow vehicle. IIRC, the consensus has been that they are capable as long as you follow the parameters you outlined in your opening post, but the consensus has also been that there have been transmission issues over time. Some on the other hand have been successful.

Try the search feature in the blue bar above and search for Range Rover tow vehicle and read some of the experiences in the threads that come up.

Good luck.

[scf31]

All I could get out of the Service Manager at the local dealership was , "Dealerships are not very close together" , Not good,,,,,,,,,,,,

[moosetags]

First off, welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

As to your Range Rover tow vehicle, I don't care to rain on anyone's parade, but here are my concerns.

Generally speaking, the shorter the TV wheelbase, the poorer the towing capability. Heavy trailers tend to push around short wheelbase vehicles.

With your late model 23, you are probably towing close to 6000# with a 700# tongue weight. These figures compared to the Range Rover's towing capabilities are marginal, at best.

Also, the lack of a dealership network could leave you in a real pinch with a breakdown.

Brian

[ronstory]

Kay--

Welcome to the forums.

I'm a self admitted LR enthusiast. One of the best reason to own a Range Rover model is the www.rangerovers.net website. But beware, alot of those folks are rabid enthusiasts.

With the new RR3, the no WB hitch was supposed to be removed for the larger RR but I'm not sure about the Sport model which is based on the LR3. If you sit down with the technician a the LR dealer, the main reason why the recommend is no WD hitch is due to the air suspension which can vary the height of the hitch by almost 1.5" at freeway speeds... messing up the WD adjustments. In my case, I just leave it at normal height and then press the 'suspension inhibit' button which allow for leveling but no adjustment to height.

Here is the link to the RR3 towing faq: Towing with a Range Rover III/L322/LM

As for the transmission, if you are going to tow with it... just take it to good tranny shop and have them change the fluid and filter more often (two years). It's usually about $100-125 and since RR has external cooler for just about everthing (tranny fluid, engine oil and even the power steering fluid) that should be all you need. Also, when going up a hill, lock it out of overdrive... it helps.

Also, you need to have someone manually run a brake controller wire for the controller. I'm using the tekonsha P3 and it works great and is easy to adjust and it provides its status info in 'english' with its 'high res' display.

[94Tri]

Just out of curiosity, what kind of engine does that vehicle run?


I know I will be labeled a Hensley Arrow fanatic (which I am), but I bet it would work wanders for towing with that vehicle.

[Kevin245]

Originally Posted by moosetags

First off, welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

As to your Range Rover tow vehicle, I don't care to rain on anyone's parade, but here are my concerns.

Generally speaking, the shorter the TV wheelbase, the poorer the towing capability. Heavy trailers tend to push around short wheelbase vehicles.

With your late model 23, you are probably towing close to 6000# with a 700# tongue weight. These figures compared to the Range Rover's towing capabilities are marginal, at best.

Also, the lack of a dealership network could leave you in a real pinch with a breakdown.

Brian

I love Range Rover, but my two concerns with this combination would be wheelbase and tow capacity reserves. To each their own, but it's always best to have more control and pull than you need. Ninety percent of the time there's no problem, but when the unexpected occurs (and it has) I am greatful for the reserve capacity and stability.

[Silvertwinkie]

I would not tow anything more than a 19' or 20' with it. You are awfully close and a lot of folks here follow an 80% of rated capacity, in your case that being about 6100lbs. Can it move the trailer? Sure. Would a bit more robust vehicle with a longer wheelbase do a better job, I think it would. 108" wheelbase is very, very short. Too short for me IMHO.

I would go with what is published in the owner's manual and on the website of hitch weight of 551. Hitches are what the hitch is rated for, but the chassis might not be rated for the additional weight. Odds are LR does not make the hitch, nor does GM make their own hitches...they buy them and install them onto the trucks at the time of build. Hitch builders rate their hitches and auto manufacturers rate their vehicles...the two are totally separate and following LR's own published documentation, you have far beyond exceeded what they list as an acceptable hitch weight. Keep in mind that Airstream's rated hitch weight is approximate. How you load the trailer has the potential to increase that hitch weight. For example, my hitch weight was rated at 750lbs. I got a scale and found fully loaded with LP and gear, I was closer to 850lbs. Changing the way I loaded the front of the RV lowered the weight by about 35lbs to 815lbs.

[sheriff1]

Just because something CAN be done doesn't mean it SHOULD be done.


2015 F350 CC 4X4 6.7 Diesel
2010 27FB Silver Cloud "The Silver Spoon"

[bono]

and 8 years later... sheriff expressed his opinion... you need to have VERY slow internet

LOL

[AWCHIEF]

Originally Posted by bono

and 8 years later... sheriff expressed his opinion... you need to have VERY slow internet

LOL

Maybe so but he is right.

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by sheriff1

Just because something CAN be done doesn't mean it SHOULD be done.

2015 F350 CC 4X4 6.7 Diesel
2010 27FB Silver Cloud "The Silver Spoon"

That's a broad stroke of the brush and I think it could include bumper pull travel trailers altogether.

However we have accommodations to make bumper pull trailers safe, and we have accommodations to make a variety of tow vehicles safe as well.