LR Disco series 1 towing

[Uncle Jack]

Hi,

Is anyone using a Land Rover Disco series 1 (1997) as a tow vechicle? I am thinking of towing a Argosy 6.7 minuet. Will this combination work? Any one doing it?

I would appreciate any info. My manual says don't use a equalizing hitch.

Any info will be appreciated.

Uncle Jack

[jgouras]

do you have the 3.9 or the 4.2? i had a '95 range rover with the 3.9. i never towed a airstream with it however i did tow several different things. the heaviest being a flat car carrier and a car on it. the weight was about 4000#. we towed with 2 adult 3 kids and all the nessacary gear (alot) from southeast oregon to northwest washington. went through several mountain ranges as well as regular interstate driving. i was very impressed with its abilities. i would compare them to a 1/2 ton suburban or slightly better as i did a lot of towing with that as well. i would do it again as a matter of fact i have often thought of getting an older range rover to do this. i would still recomend an equalizer hitch with sway control.

do you have a level ride feature? maybe thats why they dont want you to use the equalizer. check with a dealer.

[2airishuman]

hi uncle jack

welcome to the forums...

some rover info in the piggy bank here already...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/219141-post2.html

cheers
2air'

[jgouras]

it seems as thought all those posts deal with more current rr or lr. the series1 has a fully boxed frame. if i recall correctly the frame alone weighs 500#s more than a 1/2ton suburbans, but it has been a while since pride in ownership made all the relevant facts top of mind. the series one disco should just have coil springs in the rear. the air suspension didnt come util series II or on range rover. you might check on some of the rover related forums.

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by jgouras

you might check on some of the rover related forums.

well i agree;

that's in the post too....

cheers
2air'

[nickcrowhurst]

Originally Posted by Uncle Jack

Hi,Is anyone using a Land Rover Disco series 1 (1997) as a tow vechicle?Uncle Jack

Yes, I've been towing (light loads, i.e less than 1000 pounds) with a Series one LR Discovery (1990) TDI for the past 16 years. In my humble opinion it's a poor tow vehicle for heavier loads, regardless of engine power, as discussed here:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...y-17136-2.html

My own view is at post #25

Nick.

[Uncle Jack]

Thanks everyone for your response to my post.
After day's of searching the web, talking to dealers, talking to other Argosy and discovery 1 owners, the Airstream factory, and the Landrover factory I am somewhat confused. I am starting to see a trend however. There seems to be two school's of thought on the subject. One group just hook's the Argosy to their 78 Ford fairlane bumper hitch and drives off on vacation. The other group hook's the Argosy to their Ford F-350 6.0 litre super duty truck with a 15,000lb. hitch via a Reese 750lb. weight distributing hitch with dual cam sway control, and then burns there way down the freeway at 70+mph. The later group seems to derive much of their trailering happiness based on how much stuff they can move down the road at a high rate of speed.

All I want to do is get me and the Argosy to the next fishing hole, ..... eventualy, sheeezz, I'm retired, trying to relax, and in no hurry.

I think my approach is going to be to balance the hitch carefully, use a sway bar and drive slowly. If that gets scary I'll invest in a custom hitch and still drive slowly.

So if you find yourself behind a slow blue and tan Argosy this summer it's just me. Moving at the speed of retirement.

Jack

[jlester]

I tow a 1962 19' Airstream with my 1974 series III, with a 3.9 1994 discovery engine. I also have the coils. It tows just fine. I do have a sway bar on the set up.

[craftsman]

With an 88" wheelbase that's pretty brave. The Series111 was about 7" shorter than a VW Beetle. Made from 1970-1985, I had an 1985. With the 4cylinder engine it was scary just getting on the highway. Sorry, you did say it's a109".

[Uncle Jack]

is 100 inches. Another whole foot!!!

UJ

[muddy_hollow]

I've towed our 65' Globetrotter with a Disco II, but the suspension was not stock. I tried using the air shocks but it did not tow well, bounced around a bit. I replaced the air shocks with old man emu shocks and hd springs. I'm also using yokohama tires and it tows great. On steeper inclines I downshift but overall it did just fine.

Frankly there isn't much room in a disco and I tend to travel with a bunch of crap, plus wife, kid, and dog. I prefer towing with our tundra.

HTH,

Doug