Thread: 110 towing capacity - no where near 3500kg

Originally Posted by Slunnie

10% isn't a law or rule, and in my opinion is a load of rubbish despite the number of people who support this. 350kg on the towball in my opinion totally messes up the handling, stability and braking of the vehicle, not to mention the problems with night driving that it creates. Personally I look for just a small amount of drop at the rear of the tow vehicle and for me that has been the best setup in my experiences. You need to be careful with how the weight in the trailer is loaded and where it goes in order for it to be stable, but I don't believe that ball weight is in any way an answer to generating stability of the trailer. In terms of how much can you tow legally, that is determined by the manufacturer and the towball rating, not the ball weight.

Disco - 4000kg towing, 120kg max ball weight - in practice it is 3500kg due to common use of a 50mm towball.
Disco2 - 3500kg towing, 250kg max ball weight
Disco Sport - 2200kg towing, 150kg max ball weight

The Euro caravans are nowhere near 10%, 7% or less. The problem in Australia is the backyard caravan manufacturers who put heavy stuff (like water tanks) forward of the axles and thereby weight up the tow bar.

If you think about it, if you're got a tandem trailer or caravan and it's properly loaded (i.e., weight centred between the axles) then there could be absolutely bugger all weight on the tow ball.

And you should be able to balance a single axle trailer or caravan to do pretty much the same thing.

Originally Posted by Arapiles

The Euro caravans are nowhere near 10%, 7% or less. The problem in Australia is the backyard caravan manufacturers who put heavy stuff (like water tanks) forward of the axles and thereby weight up the tow bar.

If you think about it, if you're got a tandem trailer or caravan and it's properly loaded (i.e., weight centred between the axles) then there could be absolutely bugger all weight on the tow ball.

And you should be able to balance a single axle trailer or caravan to do pretty much the same thing.

The bigger caravans are usually dual or sometimes even tripple axle units which are far easier to set up to tow without a massive weight on the drawbar/towing vehicle

Originally Posted by Tote

Tow weights from the 2015 Defender brochure:

Capture.jpg

Noting that the recommended nose weight on a 3500KG trailer is 150KG and this has an effect of 204 KG on the back axle then the OP can't (legally) tow 3500KG. Time to throw some stuff out of the back of the 110.......

Regards,
Tote

I've made many facetious comments about the '10%' rule in the caravan / trailer section.

It started with a simple comment by someone in the US some years ago and spread like a biblical truth at nibbles and beer time in caravan parks all over Oz.

I have a genuine plated LR towbar (off a disco) on my 74 RRC and it clearly states 3500 kg and 150kg max ball weight.

Correction................ pls see below

cheers, DL

Originally Posted by 350RRC

I've made many facetious comments about the '10%' rule in the caravan / trailer section.

It started with a simple comment by someone in the US some years ago and spread like a biblical truth at nibbles and beer time in caravan parks all over Oz.

I have a genuine plated LR towbar (off a disco) on my 74 RRC and it clearly states 3500 kg and 150kg max ball weight.

cheers, DL

My Disco1 3Dr is even more extreme at 4000kg, 120kg max ball weight.

Originally Posted by Slunnie

My Disco1 3Dr is even more extreme at 4000kg, 120kg max ball weight.

I must be getting old, or have had too many arguments with LC owners drinking beer.

Mine says the same:

RRC towbar crop.jpg

Originally Posted by 350RRC

I must be getting old, or have had too many arguments with LC owners drinking beer.

Mine says the same:

RRC towbar crop.jpg

Is the tow bar coupling rated to 4T ?

Originally Posted by scarry

Is the tow bar coupling rated to 4T ?

With a 50mm ball, the ball is rated to 3500kg. To run 4000kg you need to run a coupling rated at that, such as a 70mm ball, hayman reece type pintle hook etc.

Originally Posted by scarry

Is the tow bar coupling rated to 4T ?

No, it's a ball rated at 3500kg, but respecting that limitation is implicit in the original owner's manual and the fine print on the placard.

The towbar my POS came with was rated at something like 6000 kg for off road use only......... with a suitable coupling.

Phillip A knows about those ones. Weighed a lot and had been used for towing / launching a yacht, tongue was seized in the bar and it went to scrap.

My interest in this topic only came about because a guy I know bought a new LC a few years ago and had to get a GVM upgrade to carry all the usual touring stuff AND tow his new 3000 kg van using the 10% rule.

He could have just left his wife at home, but I'm not going on with that.

cheers, DL