Towing with a Land Rover

[dan_lemire]

From what I've read, towing an Airstream with a Land Rover is a pain in the A*** (short wheelbase, reliability, towing capacity). Unfortunately, changing vehicule at this time is not an option. Any suggestion to enhance my towing pleasure?

Daniel

[Silvertwinkie]

It all depends on what size Airstream your considering...... I'd suggest something totallly different for a 16" then I would a 30+'.

[Jim Jarzabek]

Dan
What you are towing determines the type of tow vehicle you will need......

You cannot turn the Land Rover Discovery into something it was not originally designed and engineered for

If you want a recommendation for a truly "all purpose" tow vehicle that is reliable, it is hard to beat a 3/4 ton Chevrolet Suburban with a 454 V-8 and a 4:10 rear end that has a factory tow package. 1990 thru 1994 were good years. An overdrive automatic transmission will help save gas when you are not towing.........

[Paul Mayeux]

We've got a Land Rover and I wouldn't even consider towing the Caravel with it. It's pretty sluggish by itself. I would think that with the added weight and drag of the frontal area that it would be a nightmare.

[Pschoerrn]

Originally Posted by 62 Overlander

We've got a Land Rover and I wouldn't even consider towing the Caravel with it. It's pretty sluggish by itself. I would think that with the added weight and drag of the frontal area that it would be a nightmare.

Sorry Paul,

but there must be something wrong with your Landrover... How old is it and which Model??
You know, what you say would mean that all the europeans and others (or better non-americans and non-canadians) risk their lifes everytime they tow such a light trailer like yours...
The Airstream weight list says that a 1967 Caravel has a Hitchweight of 300lbs and a Dryweight of 2450lbs, so every newer Landrover can handle this easily.
You are true, it is not a good idea to tow a 29 or 31 footer at american Highway speed with the Landrover, but a Caravel??
Sorry, I can´t see any problem there. Get a good swaycontrol and if you want even a weightdistributionhitch for the 300lbs, fix the car and everything should be ok.

Take c'air

Bjoern

[Jim Jarzabek]

Sorry Bjoern,
But the Land Rover models in the U.S. have a well deserved reputation as a Yuppie status symbol.....
I will take the heat for my view on this; but prior to the introduction of the Ford Excursion and the Hummer, the Land Rover Discovery was the ride of choice for many an up and coming young suburbanite. But they always seem to be in the shop and repairs are expensive....
Most European caravans are in the 2000 pound range due to composite material construction and requirements limiting size and width due to the differences in road construction.....

You cannot begin to equate American and European recreational trailers as one weighs twice as much as the other...

The popular vintage airstream of choice for export to Europe are pre 1970 single axle bambis and caravels; the smaller width, length, and dry weight allow them to operate on the road with modifications to the axles, brakes, and electrical systems, etc......

Personally, I would never tow an airstream or any other travel trailer I wanted to keep that had a "dry weight" of 2500 pounds with a Land Rover Discovery as I once owned one.....
Actually, I owned it along with my mechanic because it was in the shop so often!

[Paul Mayeux]

Originally Posted by Pschoerrn

Sorry Paul,

but there must be something wrong with your Landrover... How old is it and which Model??
You know, what you say would mean that all the europeans and others (or better non-americans and non-canadians) risk their lifes everytime they tow such a light trailer like yours...
The Airstream weight list says that a 1967 Caravel has a Hitchweight of 300lbs and a Dryweight of 2450lbs, so every newer Landrover can handle this easily.
You are true, it is not a good idea to tow a 29 or 31 footer at american Highway speed with the Landrover, but a Caravel??
Sorry, I can´t see any problem there. Get a good swaycontrol and if you want even a weightdistributionhitch for the 300lbs, fix the car and everything should be ok.

Take c'air

Bjoern

There is nothing wrong with the vehicle, it is just underpowered. It's a 2000 model with 92,000 miles and it's always been underpowered. My wife is a real estate agent and she bought it for it's ablility to show rural properties. It's been great for that purpose but I wouldn't dare count on it to jump up and get with the flow of traffic.