Member Since: 02 Apr 2006
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 48
Weight Distribution Hitch Not To Be Used
Taking a Disco3 for a tow test tomorrow and have been told by the salesman that a weight distribution hitch must not be used. He says it interferes with the car's systems and is not recommended by Landrover.
I rang Landrover Australia today and they could only say that they have not tested such a device and therefore recommend against using them! They could not give me a technical reason for the recommendation and refered me back to the dealer.('')
I've been using a weight distribution system for the last 5 years and believe that it has a significant positive impact when towing, so I'm wondering what is the reason behind Landrover's recommendation, and what are the downsides of going ahead and using a weight distribution hitch with a Disco3? I'm not saying that Landrover is wrong, just interested in understanding the reasons for their stance.
23rd May 2006 8:35 am
LeighW D3 Decade
Member Since: 31 Jan 2006
Location: Brisbane, AUS
Posts: 920
Hi irobbie, LRA must have not read the manufacturer's manual.
On page 190 in the chapter headed Towing of the 2006 Discovery 3 Owners Manual it states "Caution: An equalising or other form of weight distributing hitch should NOT be used with your vehicle."
Whilst I haven't personally used an equalising hitch, I have known many to swear by them (particularly the Hayman Reese brand).
I can only assume that the Discovery has such a finely tuned air suspension that is computer controlled (including the strange cast iron pendulum weights at the rear in front of the bumper) and the weight distribution hitch must upset that balance.
Any Land Rover engineer who knows the real reason can jump in here without offending anyone.LeighW
The old girl is on her third engine...
* first ran a bearing (design failure in original engine)
* second had a failure of the water outlet on top of the engine (pls check yours)
Saw the posts guys & was wondering what an equalising hitch was. Over here in pom land all we have is either a 50mm ball or the old NATO style hitch.
NickI am a hob nobber.
23rd May 2006 9:48 am
LeighW D3 Decade
Member Since: 31 Jan 2006
Location: Brisbane, AUS
Posts: 920
Non Stick Nick - this link gives some idea of what the hitch does.
The old girl is on her third engine...
* first ran a bearing (design failure in original engine)
* second had a failure of the water outlet on top of the engine (pls check yours)
Are you planning on purchasing a coil sprung Disco3 though?
If so, it should be Ok.
Last edited by Glymmer_Man on 24th May 2006 3:17 am. Edited 1 time in total
23rd May 2006 11:33 am
overload
Member Since: 30 Mar 2006
Location: Maine
Posts: 26
The air suspension senses if it is raising or lowering onto an obstacle and temporaraly disables itself to avoid dropping the chassis on a rock, or worse crushing the roof on a low ceiling in car park. My guess is that by placing the load on the front, (using a wd hitch) as well as the rear wheels, the air suspension will react as if it has encountered an obstacle and will constantly register faults.
With the load on the rear only it resets itself to compensate for the trailer. I use a wd hitch on my truck, but have found the rover handles fine without it.
23rd May 2006 1:44 pm
irobbie
Member Since: 02 Apr 2006
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 48
Thanks for the feedback and comments guys.
Completed the tow test today over about 60kms with a TDV6 SE and overall was quite impressed.('') The car is very quiet, even under heavy load, and the seats feel excellent. Brakes are good and everything seems to be just about right. I must say that I was really quite impressed with the way the engine/transmission was able to handle the load of the van which probably tipped the scales at about 2300 to 2400kgs.
However I did think that the car moved around a bit more than when I tow the van with the Nissan Patrol - almost as if the front end was a bit light. I'm not sure if this is to do with the balance of the van or not. One thing I do know is that we did not have the van packed as we would for a trip so I filled the water tanks (total capacity of 120L) to add weight to compensate. These sit forward of the tandem axles so it could have thrown the balance out a bit. I don't usually have the tanks filled on a normal trip - don't see the need to carry around extra weight when water will be available at my destination!
And of course the other major difference is that I do use the weight distribution hitch (Hayman Reece) when towing with the Patrol. whereas I went without it today. Next week I'll be doing the same test with a 100 Series Landcruiser TD4.2 - it'll be interesting to see how it goes!
By the way, took a photo of the rig - how do I get it into this post as was done just above? It seems that the paste function is disabled.
24th May 2006 8:01 am
irobbie
Member Since: 02 Apr 2006
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 48
Test rig photo now in my gallery for anyone interested.
27th May 2006 7:31 am
DG Site Moderator
Member Since: 12 Dec 2005
Location: The Gaff
Posts: 50979
Member Since: 29 Jan 2006
Location: Lake Macquarie
Posts: 109
Let us know how the Landcruiser goes, it should be interesting
27th May 2006 10:26 pm
irobbie
Member Since: 02 Apr 2006
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 48
OK Guys, here's the lowdown on the Toyota Landcruiser Sahara Tow Test.
The Landcruiser was hooked up to the caravan (with a measured ball weight of 300kgs) and it promptly squatted down on its haunches. No amount of pushing of buttons on the Active Height Control system could coax it to lift itself back to the "normal" setting. This car is supposed to be able to tow 3,500 kgs with, I thought, a 350kg tow ball weight. But perhaps that isn't the case - after we arrived home and the salesman returned to his business, he rang me and advised that Toyota have told him that the Sahara was not designed for heavy duty towing - it's more of a "Toorak Tractor" (oz slang for urban cruiser). And that we should really be looking to purchase a VX or GXL coil spung version which was really a capable and proven towing vehicle!
Failure on the first count
In spite of the above we then went on the tow test. The car was nowhere near as smooth as the Disco. And it was much louder when pulling up hills, so much so that my wife reckoned she'd had enough by the time we arrived home.
Failure on the second count
I will post some pics of the rig in my gallery as soon as I've completed writing this. In the first photo notice how the bum of the caravan is up in the air, while in the second you can see the angle of the Toyota with the weight of the 'van on the back. Contrast this photo with the one of the Disco with the 'van on the back - it's just about dead flat as it should be.
In the third photo you can see how the back end of the Toyota is stuck up in the air. This was taken after the 'van was unhitched which was an interesting job in itself as the Toyota's bum just followed the van up in the air as we wound the jockey wheel up to unhitch(perhaps all the air in the air bags that was supposed to enable the car to lift itself to normal height?). In the end I had to stand on the tow bar to get the vehicles apart.
For further information on the Active Height Control problem see this link
The Landcruiser was hooked up to the caravan (with a measured ball weight of 300kgs) and it promptly squatted down on its haunches. No amount of pushing of buttons on the Active Height Control system could coax it to lift itself back to the "normal" setting. This car is supposed to be able to tow 3,500 kgs with, I thought, a 350kg tow ball weight.
300Kg ball weight That's a lot isn't it, or is that pretty normal for Aussie caravans When you did your test using the D3, did you have the same ball weight and were you using Land Rover's detachable tow bar? I only ask cos max ball weight (or nose weight as we know it in the UK) on that is 150Kg and even that is a lot higher than many other vehicles can manage - very few are able to take more than 100Kg nose weight.
[/img]Now an ex-D3 owner after 7 happy years. Miss the car but not the big bills
2nd Jun 2006 7:06 am
irobbie
Member Since: 02 Apr 2006
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 48
Albourneboy
Both cars towed the caravan with exactly the same configuration, over exactly the same route, with very similar weather conditions.
The heavy nose/ball weight came about because I wanted to ensure the caravan was realtively heavy and therefore I filled the two water tanks which sit forward of the dual axles - it was easier doing that than having to pack up the van. However, if we were to pack for normal holidays I would run with empty water tanks and much better balance than I had on the test. I'd expect to end up with about 250kg nose weight which is close to the "Rule of Thumb" 10% of the overall loaded weight.
The tow bar came with the car but I had to use a Hayman Reece adjustable hitch (rated to 3500KG/350Kg) because the car only came with low, non-adjustable LR hitch. But even so the LR setup was still rated the same.
The Landrover Discovery 3 as sold in Australia can, and I quote from one of their brochures, "...tow a braked trailer weighing up to 3,500kg. Some others claim nearly as much. But as everyone who tows regularly knows, it's the download that counts and with up to 350kg ball weight, no other 4WD comes close." Page 191 of the 2006 Australian owners manual also states "Nose Weight: must be a minimum of 7% of gross caravan/trailer weight, up to a maximum of 350kg (772lb)" HTH
2nd Jun 2006 8:10 am
Pelyma
Member Since: 06 Jan 2005
Location: Patching, Sussex
Posts: 15496
I believe the maximum legal nose weight in the UK is 150Kg, this isn't necessarily what the car can do, but if you exceed it and get stopped you'll get nicked. But 350Kg nose weight is DS3 TDV6 HSE - Silver with Alpaca (old one) Gone
DS3 TDV6 HSE- Silver with Alpaca (new one) Gone
D4 HSE Lux - Montalcino Red Gone
Porsche Cayenne V8 Diesel S
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')
') The car is very quiet, even under heavy load, and the seats feel excellent. Brakes are good and everything seems to be just about right. I must say that I was really quite impressed with the way the engine/transmission was able to handle the load of the van which probably tipped the scales at about 2300 to 2400kgs.
This car is supposed to be able to tow 3,500 kgs with, I thought, a 350kg tow ball weight. 
When you did your test using the D3, did you have the same ball weight and were you using Land Rover's detachable tow bar? I only ask cos max ball weight (or nose weight as we know it in the UK) on that is 150Kg and even that is a lot higher than many other vehicles can manage - very few are able to take more than 100Kg nose weight.
