Land Rover LR3 towing story

[bde]

I have a 2009LR3, just ordered a 30 Foot Flying Cloud, advise on if we can tow with the LR3 or suggestions. Appreciated

[blmitch5]

A F250. Way to much trailer for an SUV. I have a VW T reg and love it but for our 19' Bambi. 30' is a mansion compared to ours.

[MuddyOval]

Originally Posted by bde

I have a 2009LR3, just ordered a 30 Foot Flying Cloud, advise on if we can tow with the LR3 or suggestions. Appreciated

It's doable.. the Flying Cloud is a great floorplan in the 30'

I would have the hitch modified and reinforced. Check with Andy at Can-Am in London, Ontario. (He's the guy who tows a 34' Classic with a Jaguar XJ)

Barring that, check with any local towing specialist.

For mine, they needed to downsize my spare (I had the fullsized spare) and go in behind my rear bumper and reinforce some stuff. Also installed a permanent hitch (I think it was a Curt?) which they then reinforced as well.

No issues at all.

Don't worry about the tow rating on the LR3... it can tow way more than 7700 lbs.

[MuddyOval]

Originally Posted by jdalrymple

Several items were repaired be me. Parts were available from LR only, and quite expensive.
The most costly of which was the air bag suspension of the RR. It is a 65k to 80K mile lifespan part, specs straight from the RR manual. One must have access to a Lucas computer to reprogram the correct ride height. Not many options there. Average cost to repair that system alone is 3K, and the only other fix is to change the suspension to a leaf spring system like the older County model, even then one must buy a $1500 box to trick the computer into thinking all is well.
The reliability of things like window motors, door lock actuators, and dash controls is very poor on LR. One may consult the reviews.
Not to mention the resale value losses. Land Rovers have the resale value deprecation rate of a Styrofoam ice chest.
I kept them service at the recommend intervals, and don’t mind some maintenance. But, the problems I had with both LR vehicles were not service issues. Just poor quality parts and assembly. Something all British cars are notorious for.
I am glad some like them. There are plenty of them out there cheap. I gave them two fair chances, and then gave up.
Just a little soapbox. There are lots of choices out there, because there are lots of ideas.

Regards,

Can I ask what years your trucks were? I've had a 2006 LR3 and now have a 2011 LR4.

Never an issue with either of them. I think the latest models are MUCh improved over ones even a few years old.. my guess is that they knew they were getting killed on service issues, and concentrated on reliability...


/DA

[MuddyOval]

Originally Posted by Erik Olson

One thing LR does very well (among many others, actually) is interior appointments, including the very plush seating.

Ditto that on the seats. One of the things we notice is that we're not fatigued after 6-8 hours of driving in the LR, unlike our previous vehicle.. They really do make great seats.

The RR seats are even better... like sitting on a fat dog.

[HHaase]

As another Land Rover owner, my experience also pans out to my vehicle not being capable of anywhere near the rated towing weight.

I am right now in the process of selling a D90 of all things. The book rates it for towing 3500kg's with a braked trailer, and I have to say that it would optimistic for it to tow 3500lbs... much less kg's. It struggled with a 5x9 trailer from U-haul when I picked up a swing set for my daughter. It just didn't have the power with the old Buick V8 in there. Going up a couple hills along the way was pure torture, down to 2nd and even 1st gear in some instances.

Hauling an Airstream with the thing? Wouldn't even consider it.

-Hans

[Wayne&Sam]

I've owned three Land Rovers spanning 25 years- a '67 IIa, a '70 IIa, and a '95 Disco.
When the '67 broke, I could fix it along the highway. I remember making an engine mount out of a piece of retread I found along the the Alaska Highway. And it could and did take me everywhere.

The '95 cost me a couple of grand every time it went in for service and the engine blew at 60k. I went to a LR sponsored off road clinic and broke a shock mount. But it looked great on the highway.

So I have a love/hate relationship with them. I like a lot of the design (the Range Rover is the best looking SUV there is, IMO) but I couldn't own another one due to the reliability.

[MuddyOval]

Originally Posted by HHaase

As another Land Rover owner, my experience also pans out to my vehicle not being capable of anywhere near the rated towing weight.

I am right now in the process of selling a D90 of all things. The book rates it for towing 3500kg's with a braked trailer, and I have to say that it would optimistic for it to tow 3500lbs... much less kg's. It struggled with a 5x9 trailer from U-haul when I picked up a swing set for my daughter. It just didn't have the power with the old Buick V8 in there. Going up a couple hills along the way was pure torture, down to 2nd and even 1st gear in some instances.

Hauling an Airstream with the thing? Wouldn't even consider it.

-Hans

I also have a NAS D90 and have towed a popup trailer with it (a big one ). Also various loads in my dump trailer. The heaviest being around 3500 lbs.

Not a very good towing platform but never really had any issues with it.

BTW, what are you asking for your D90 and is it a 97 by any chance? My wife wants an automatic for herself.

[Gringo]

We have two 2005 Land Rover Defenders ( the real Land Rovers), a D90 and a D110. Living in a British Overseas Territory, we don't have the same restrictions we would have in the USA, where nothing newer than 97 has been imported.

I wanted to ask more about the hitch. Does LR put receiver hitches on their vehicles that are sold in the USA? Because receiver hitches are illegal in the UK, so they are not OEM. Over there they use a 50mm ball, attached to a bracket that bolts to the rear crossmember on the Defender. Not sure how it attaches to the plush SUV models.

If you have a receiver hitch on a LR product, are you sure they built and installed the hitch?

[MuddyOval]

Originally Posted by Gringo

We have two 2005 Land Rover Defenders ( the real Land Rovers), a D90 and a D110. Living in a British Overseas Territory, we don't have the same restrictions we would have in the USA, where nothing newer than 97 has been imported.

I wanted to ask more about the hitch. Does LR put receiver hitches on their vehicles that are sold in the USA? Because receiver hitches are illegal in the UK, so they are not OEM. Over there they use a 50mm ball, attached to a bracket that bolts to the rear crossmember on the Defender. Not sure how it attaches to the plush SUV models.

If you have a receiver hitch on a LR product, are you sure they built and installed the hitch?

Interesting. The plush models have a removable cast hitch receiver that inserts into the rear crossmember. I have five Land Rovers. A 1959 109 Safari wagon, a 1968 Dormobile, 1983 military soft top LWB, 1994 NAS D90, 2011 LR4 premium luxury.

My older trucks have a height adjustable towball bracket that bolts into the rear crossmember. The military has a pintle hookup in front and rear.

[Gringo]

yep, that towball bracket is still what's being supplied with the Defenders.

We are thinking about trading in our two Defenders for one of the 130s with the pickup truck crew cab. Since I now know every system on them, it would be easiest for me to stay with one brand. I do all my own repairs. Constantly.

In the USA last week, I was gazing upon a Jeep Rubicon with four doors. I was thinking how easy it would be to get a pressure washer under that design.

Want to hear something sad? Our Defenders are just about at the end of their useful life, Our D-90 softop only has a little over 20K miles, the other about 28. The salt here eats the steel, and a 2005 model that lived on this road would be gone whether we drove it for the last seven years or not. Mileage doesn't matter in this environment. People here will leap to buy a US imported car with 200,000 highway miles on it over a locally owned car with 20,000 miles. We sold a 98 Expedition with 200K miles that we brought down with us, for $ 10K and it didn't take long to sell. Within six months of moving here I had opened up three of the doors and taken the drivers seat out to fix electrical problems. I had to replace all the brake lines, and then the starter. The bolts holding the exhaust manifold to the flange rusted through. I had them welded once, and then when they broke again, on both sides, we sold the truck to a local mechanic.

[MuddyOval]

Originally Posted by Gringo

yep, that towball bracket is still what's being supplied with the Defenders.

We are thinking about trading in our two Defenders for one of the 130s with the pickup truck crew cab. Since I now know every system on them, it would be easiest for me to stay with one brand. I do all my own repairs. Constantly.

In the USA last week, I was gazing upon a Jeep Rubicon with four doors. I was thinking how easy it would be to get a pressure washer under that design.

Want to hear something sad? Our Defenders are just about at the end of their useful life, Our D-90 softop only has a little over 20K miles, the other about 28. The salt here eats the steel, and a 2005 model that lived on this road would be gone whether we drove it for the last seven years or not. Mileage doesn't matter in this environment. People here will leap to buy a US imported car with 200,000 highway miles on it over a locally owned car with 20,000 miles. We sold a 98 Expedition with 200K miles that we brought down with us, for $ 10K and it didn't take long to sell. Within six months of moving here I had opened up three of the doors and taken the drivers seat out to fix electrical problems. I had to replace all the brake lines, and then the starter. The bolts holding the exhaust manifold to the flange rusted through. I had them welded once, and then when they broke again, on both sides, we sold the truck to a local mechanic.

Are all 130's HiCap? I wouldn't touch one without the uprated tow package... Also, an Ifor Williams cap to keep your stuff dry and secure.

Jeeps are nice for ease of finding parts, etc. Not a very unique vehicle though.. for me, at least, driving a rare vehicle is most of the appeal and makes the roadside repairs worth it.

If you're not adverse to an interesting weekend with three friends, try getting a galvanized chassis put under your trucks - and replace the harness with a Painless waterproof model.

I'm in Canada and the salt eats trucks up here too. Within a year, I had rust eating my brake light bar and roll cage, and in three years I've got a hole in my rear crossmember. The Galvanized chassis is already on order.

If you do a little prep and fab up a quick frame to hold the body, you can strip a Defender in a day. It takes two days to put it back together though.

[Gringo]

We wouldnt be using our Defenders to tow an airstream. We use them to tow a couple small boats we have here. I have towed our 25 ft. Contender with the D-90, many times. max speed here is 40 mph, but the roads are mostly too rough to do that for long. This is with a simple receiver welded to a plate bolted to the rear cross member. Don't try this at home.



and not only does it pull it up the ramp, I reverse the hitch and put it in a front receiver on a custom front bumper, and I push this trailer up a dirt road into an uphill driveway, around two 90 deg. turns.

And I do not recommend it.

[Wayne&Sam]

Originally Posted by Gringo

We have two 2005 Land Rover Defenders ( the real Land Rovers)

Well, successor to the real Land Rovers, the Series IIa.

[MuddyOval]

Originally Posted by Gringo

We wouldnt be using our Defenders to tow an airstream. We use them to tow a couple small boats we have here. I have towed our 25 ft. Contender with the D-90, many times. max speed here is 40 mph, but the roads are mostly too rough to do that for long. This is with a simple receiver welded to a plate bolted to the rear cross member. Don't try this at home.



and not only does it pull it up the ramp, I reverse the hitch and put it in a front receiver on a custom front bumper, and I push this trailer up a dirt road into an uphill driveway, around two 90 deg. turns.

And I do not recommend it.

Great pic!

I've got the NAS style hitch on my 90...

rear crossmember | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Seems to work really well.. I push a few things around with the front pintle on my military as well...

[HHaase]

Don;

Mine is a '94 and I'm looking to get $18k for it.

-Hans

[Gringo]

I'm about to try to do my first clutch slave cylinder replacement on this 05 D-90.

[bde]

Thank you all for thoughts and opinions, as I am new to all this the advise has been great, we are going to get a F250 Diesel for the 30 foot and not worry about if the LR3 can handle, also suggested by the Airstream Dealer as he felt you are at the Tipping Point with the LR3, why take the chance.

[echo44]

Hi I am a newbee
just found this post,
I have an LR4 and two border collies looking for an airstream
to take with us to sheep herding trials.
I was thinking about getting a cloud 25' with black leather
(good for the dogs) than my dream got smashed when I found the
hitch weight capacity is only 550lbs
The cloud hitch weight is 835lbs. On another post people have said
to use wds hitch. However the LR4 in the manual say not to use one.
I am concerned if I use one and get in an accident i will be sol with the
insurance company. any ideas?
I guess another option is to go with a flying cloud 23' FB which has
a much lighter hitch weight? or a 22FB sport even lighter
than I give up the dream of the 25' cloud. I also looked at the interstate
but they are too expensive and have very little room.
I do love my LR4 it is a very comfortable car has been reliable other than minor maintance issues covered under warranty.

[slowmover]

Contact Andrew Thomson at CAN AM RV in London, ON.

Can-Am RV :: Towing