Towing a caravan with Series 2Discovery TD5

Micheal, I was looking at a 2001 Defender TD5 to tow a bushtracker round Oz and found that while the Td5 will tow 3.5 ton on-road it is ONLY rated to 1000 kg Off-road. (But I guess tht wont matter to you). Other than that I was not able to find any negative information on the Td5. That being said I have found very little good info on the Discovery. All the 4WD sites have negative info on them, One goes so far as to say "Great 4x4 if dont have to go off-road."

Good luck with your search for the rigth vehicle. Might I recommend one of the following. ANY late model TD4.2 (Toyota or Nissan) or a Defender Td5 (NOT THE DISCO). PS In last months "4WD Monthly" (issue 43) there is an article about towing and the Patrol 3.0TD worth a read.

Can't help you with the TD5 fuel economy, but as well as the Coromal van it might be worth your while to look at Kedron (made in Qld,) or the Evernew out of Melbourne...both have models for towing down the corrugated roads behind 4x4's..

cya down the track........Graham
BTW.....we choose an Evernew.

Michael,
Dont tow any thing with a disco the rear axles and diff are to fragile,
they are a good touring vehicle and will give resonable service if driven carefully. Consider the cost of buying and towing a van agianst the cost of staying in motel accomadation, the number of nights for the same $ is over 500 and thats before you brake anything.
Eric

Michael. I have a 2001 Discovery TD5 and last year I toured Central and Western Australia. I towed a Jayco Lark (large wind up) and did 25,000
kms in 3 months - overall economy 12.9l/100k. Only trouble I had was dust ingress - but don't we all when travelling inoutback West . Had all the seals replaced in Perth under warranty
and no problems since. Have now upgraded to a Jayco Westport 18 footer full van. No problem towing and on a recent trip to SA and Qld
averaged 15/100k. Am very happy with the vehicle and towing is a breeze. Regards

Michael, I have a TD5 Disco in Auto without SLS. I have towed a 35ft 3500kg van from Melbourne to Canberra on the Hume Highway, and averaged 17 MPG, no idea what that is in l/100kms sorry. I had no problems at all, apart from slowing to about 50 kms/h on the big hills out of Gundagai. The only modifications that I have done are a heavy duty brake controller that can brake up to 4 axles, and a 750lb Hayman Reese Weight Distribution Hitch. The hitch is plugged into the standard receiver. I can categorically say that this vehicle is able to tow anything that we are likely to require of it, and I say that from experience. You should have seen the looks from some people as I passed them on the freeway!!!. I am not sure as to the LEGALITIES of towing with that amount of towball weight. I know that Land Rover do not rate up to the weight I had on the towball, but I also know that they will always dramatically under-rate, so as to minimise breakages. I am also quite sure that there are some on the group who will point out something that I have missed, and I look forward to the replies. Bill Church

Thanks for the positive feedback Bob & Bill,
Just another couple of questions have either of you got extra transmission coolers and what engine oil are you using? I am getting a lot of conflicting advise as to what oil to use. there is a genuine Landrover oil available in Perth.
regards Mike

Graham.
When you calculate the cost of staying a night in the van you did not take into account the purchase price and reg and insurance and the interest on that capital actual or as a lost investment potential and the depreciation of your tow vehicle plus the longer time it takes to get anywhere. the benifits of staying in onsite vans or cabins include access to hot showers and washing machines. The average caravan owner pays about $500 per night over the life of the van. get your accountant to work it out in your case.

Cheers Eric.

Eric, your conclusions are a bit off. Caravans retain a good proportion of their purchase price. Rego is negligible - I pay $50 in SA. Increased depreciation of the tow vehicle is debatable, but some extra maintenance is required. So what if it takes longer to get anywhere - you're on holiday! Cruising along at 85-90 km/hr is much more relaxing than blasting along at 120. Caravan parks have hot showers and washing machines. When you're at home the van is an extra room and can be used as such. And finally, you're always sleeping in your OWN bed in your OWN room. I once saw a TV program about what was found on supposedly clean sheets and beds in hotels and motels, and believe me you don't want to know!!

Michael

You will find they will be an excellent match. I think that I can give an unbiased view based on past experiences and my future direction with vehicles. Unfortunatley, too many people love to knock Disco's without having first hand experience with them. (especially the latter models)

The Series 2 TD5 Auto is an excellent tow vehicle with this the propsed or an even bigger Coromal (Say 535 or 600 Seca or Capri)

Only suggestions:

1. Replace standard Rover bar with Hayman Reese hitch so you can use (legally and otherwise) a load distribution hitch. All vans should be towed with these. The standard Rover bar IS NOT designed for load equalisers although with grinding you can make them fit. (This is the same as most other vehicle manufacturers hitches)

2. Keep tow speeds at 90 km/hr or less as any higher you will find fuel consumption will significantly get worse. This is easy in WA because that is the maximim speed you can tow a van (>750kg) anyway. If the TD5 has a few Km's on the clock (>50k) you will find that it will happily sit at a higher speed with plenty in reserve - you will just pay for it at the bowser.

3. You could expect to use up to an additional 2 litres / 100 km with keeping the speed down. On the open road I normally get 12.5 l / 100km increasing to about 14.5 l /100km with either van or boat.

4. ACE & SLS definitely improves the towability of the TD5. It is a pity these are not standard on ALL 4WD's. When are the Japanese going to catch up?????

I have been very impressed with the TD5 and in the 3 years of ownership it has not given me one ounce of trouble and without doubt the best tow vehicle I have ever had. It is probably one of the best 4WD's to actually "drive" with or without something behind.

I can say all this becasue I am just about to take delivery of a new 100 Series T/D auto and I do not expect that it will be any better in the towing department as well as most other areas. My decision to trade to the Cruiser was based entirely on 2 reasons - $ and room.

A new Cruiser T/D auto worked out cheaper than a new Discovery and you can put that down to the shortage of Discovery's in Australia due to the Poms trying to satisfy the US market. Yes - I will miss the Disco.


Rgds


David

Thanks for that information Dave, another question for you how did you find the traction control did you do any beach work with the DISCO?
Regards Mike

G'day David,
I appreciate your extensive reply.My Disco was registered in Feb 2002 it was a dealer demo with very low klm's.so it does not have the difflock spindle in the transfer box, I am aware of the ARB kit as a friend of mine has suggested perhaps it would be worth getting hold of an earlier transfer box casing to enable the fitting of the kit.
I have located somebody who has a new transfer box complete with the CDL inside it, cost exchange would be $1200 so with the ARB kit is going to take it up around $2000. hence my question about the succcess of the traction control, so I can decide if the extra cost is worth it. I believe Landrover should come to the party with an upgrade kit if the ATC is not as successfull as first thought, but perhaps that is wishfull thinking!
I have an onboard ARB compressor so tyre inflation is not a problem.
When the weather gets better I am off to give the vehicle a thrashing on the beaches south of Perth.
I have asked this question before but had no replies ,what engine oil do you use David there is differing opinions as to weather full synthetic is necessary or not because of the complexity of the TD5 I just want to get it right then stick to it.
Best Regards MIKE

G'day David,
I appreciate your extensive reply.My Disco was registered in Feb 2002 it was a dealer demo with very low klm's.so it does not have the difflock spindle in the transfer box, I am aware of the ARB kit as a friend of mine has suggested perhaps it would be worth getting hold of an earlier transfer box casing to enable the fitting of the kit.
I have located somebody who has a new transfer box complete with the CDL inside it, cost exchange would be $1200 so with the ARB kit is going to take it up around $2000. hence my question about the succcess of the traction control, so I can decide if the extra cost is worth it. I believe Landrover should come to the party with an upgrade kit if the ATC is not as successfull as first thought, but perhaps that is wishfull thinking!
I have an onboard ARB compressor so tyre inflation is not a problem.
When the weather gets better I am off to give the vehicle a thrashing on the beaches south of Perth.
I have asked this question before but had no replies ,what engine oil do you use David there is differing opinions as to weather full synthetic is necessary or not because of the complexity of the TD5 I just want to get it right then stick to it.
Best Regards MIKE