Defender 130 TD5 Towing caravan

1600kg should be fine behind a td5 130

my 300tdi 130 drags my 1000kg poptop around with relative ease.

the 5th gear loading on the rear bearing is a definet thing to watch but hauling in 4th is fine in my old girl...

long aas you drive to the conditions you have a ball...

I haven't had our new camper trailer over the weighbridge, but I reckon fully loaded it would go close to 1600kg and it tows fine. Just change down and don't lug it in fifth.

Theres a surefire way to check: hitch the van up and go for a drive!

A good test might be to just hook it up and take it to work everyday for a week (Provided theres sufficient parking at home and at work). That way you're going to know what its like to tow it on a week long trip in probably worst conditions for towing available (traffic, city/urban).

Many people are suggesting chips/tunes which are a good option. But to do all that 'properly' you need to adjust every element of the system accordingly (intercooler, exhaust at least).

An alternative may be to adjust diff gearing which may mitigate any issues you have with pull from idle (think slopes at traffic lights).

Don't change anything based off our discussion here, hook that bad boy up and hit the road and have a feel. put some junk in the 130 tray for fun/realism and see how you go.

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Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Fair enough.
A Puma has six gears so the gearing is different to a Td5. Also, my 110 has a Steinbauer chip worth up to 20% or 146bhp so it's not the same. I change down if it drops below about 2000 revs in 5th or 6th.
As others have said, don't lug it in fifth, change down and keep it in the power band.
It's not just an LR problem as other brands can also hurt their fifth gear when towing. It's one of the reasons autos are so good for towing.

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With the chip in place I'd say there is a fair bit of difference in power. Your right about the 5th gear thing, it's an issue for every make. I didn't know about the auto's being better for towing. Been a manual guy all my life, although I do have an auto sedan these days.

Maybe I need an auto defender. LOL...

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Originally Posted by Wicks89

Theres a surefire way to check: hitch the van up and go for a drive!

A good test might be to just hook it up and take it to work everyday for a week (Provided theres sufficient parking at home and at work). That way you're going to know what its like to tow it on a week long trip in probably worst conditions for towing available (traffic, city/urban).

Many people are suggesting chips/tunes which are a good option. But to do all that 'properly' you need to adjust every element of the system accordingly (intercooler, exhaust at least).

An alternative may be to adjust diff gearing which may mitigate any issues you have with pull from idle (think slopes at traffic lights).

Don't change anything based off our discussion here, hook that bad boy up and hit the road and have a feel. put some junk in the 130 tray for fun/realism and see how you go.

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Your dead right there. It's like trying to learn everything from a book or sitting in a class room. If your really gonna learn something you've just gotta get your hands dirty[biggrin]

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Originally Posted by incisor

1600kg should be fine behind a td5 130

my 300tdi 130 drags my 1000kg poptop around with relative ease.

the 5th gear loading on the rear bearing is a definet thing to watch but hauling in 4th is fine in my old girl...

long aas you drive to the conditions you have a ball...

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Cheers, thanks for the advise. Sounds like your 300tdi does a good job for you. As Wicks89 said, I just gotta give it a go. So I'll hook up the brake controller I bought & give it a lash.

I just towed a 1600kg ish trailer for the first time behind my TD5 110HT, it felt it but I kept up with traffic no problems.

Am I right in thinking the TD5 130's dont have ABS?
They do have the antistall though?
Anyone?

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Am I right in thinking the TD5 130's dont have ABS?
They do have the antistall though?
Anyone?

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No wizardry to augment lack of driver skill on a 99 Td5.

I tow my Series 1 or the Gunbuggy behind my 130 on a 10' x 6' box trailer. All up around 1700 to 1800kg's. the 130 has the basic Bruce Davis remap and weighs 3500kg's. Believe me, it feels the weight.

Having said that, it will happily plod along at 90 with a good stir of the gearbox on hills. I personally don't like using the 130 as a tug and will be purchasing something else in the near future for that role. This will allow the 130 to be what it is ie a camping touring vehicle.