D3 Tow Hitch

[DiscoWeb]

Guys,

Finally have the requirement to tow with my D3 and was checking out the removable tow hitch which I located in one of the rear cargo area panels but can not locate what i expect will be the square tounge and ball (no comments please) which should fit into the hitch.

Can anyone advise what is standard kit on a D3, and how I go about getting my hand on the missing pieces, or perhaps they are stashed away somewhere else.

Regards,

George

[NavyDiver]

do you have the hitch with the green nob and key? If so you have most of it. The trailer Ball Mount such as this (http://www.haymanreese.com.au/products/Trailerballmounts.htm) with the pin insert into the hitch. the user manual should show you the method of inserting it and how to removing the cover over the trailer light plug. Use the one on the RHS ( from the rear) the other plug is for UK wiring.

I have a few parts left after putting a high rise hitch on mine. You would be welcome to them if you pick them up or pay for postage.
Trailer Ball Mounts

[DiscoWeb]

weakestlink,

Yeah I have the hitch with green nob and key it is the ball mount I need.

I am now assuming that this needs to be purchased separately ?

George

[NavyDiver]

weakestlink,

Yeah I have the hitch with green nob and key it is the ball mount I need.

I am now assuming that this needs to be purchased separately ?

George
It would have been with the car origionaly-Guess it got lost or more likely used in another car the person who had yours owned.

My hitch was missing when I picked up mine. Cost about $600 to replace:eek:
The ball mounts are fairly cheap at auto barn and similar. Your welcome to my old one if you would like it. If you buy one try to make sure it fits very snugly or it will move a lot and possibly be a potentail failure point.
Regards James

[petesh]

do you have the hitch with the green nob and key? If so you have most of it. The trailer Ball Mount such as this (http://www.haymanreese.com.au/products/Trailerballmounts.htm) with the pin insert into the hitch. the user manual should show you the method of inserting it and how to removing the cover over the trailer light plug. Use the one on the RHS ( from the rear) the other plug is for UK wiring.

I have a few parts left after putting a high rise hitch on mine. You would be welcome to them if you pick them up or pay for postage.
Trailer Ball Mounts


Hi



I have just bought a 2008 Range Rover Sport and tow a 21'6'" Paramount caravan weight 2500kg. I am new to the world of towing with a range rover, having previously using a Pajero with a WDH. As per the Range Rover manual and info on this site I do not use a WDH with my new set up. My problem is that I keep getting a sway up at around 100kph and I have no idea how to stop it, or what is causing it. I have tried moving annex and heavy items over the wheel and reduced the amount of water in front tanks. Still have issues. I feel the problem may be that the tow hitch on the range rover is too low by a couple of inches to allow the caravan to tow level. I note that you put a high rise tongue on yours. Could I ask what type it is, if it will tow 3.5 tonne and where you got it? Any info you could give would be reall welcome. Thanks

[trobbo]

Discoweb, the bit you are missing did not come standard with the car and had to be ordered separately from the dealer. The lr one is very expensive and afaik is exactly the same as a hayman Reece insert which is considerably cheaper.

Petesh, there is an aftermarket tow hitch available for the d3/4 and RRS commonly known as the Mitch hitch. Sold through Mitchell bros in nsw. I have one for sale on eBay ATM which I will be listing my d3 hse tdv6 for sale as soon as I have had it professionally detailed.

[DiscoWeb]

Discoweb, the bit you are missing did not come standard with the car and had to be ordered separately from the dealer. The lr one is very expensive and afaik is exactly the same as a hayman Reece insert which is considerably cheaper.

Thanks Trobbo,

I have now managed to purchase the required "tongue" piece and 50 mm ball.

As an interesting side not I spoke with the parts department of my local(ish) STEALER and asked the price for this item as an accessory.

I was advised the following by the gent on the phone;

1. The hitch has changed for the D4 onward and as such the tongue piece is different. I advised him that was fine as I had the hitch, just need the tongue.

2. No longer any stock of that part carried by anyone I was advised, I would now need to spend nearly $1,000 ($700 odd for a new D4 style hitch and $280 for the tongue). I suggested this was pretty strange as I would have thought LR would have maintained spares for a vehicle that is only 3 yrs old. Nope none available and can only use LR approved part. At that point I politely bid him farewell.

1 min later rang my local independent LR and now have the required bits for a fraction of that cost.

Do they really think we are that F#$%ing stupid !!!, unbelievable.

Regards,

George

[Mr H]

I thought I would share this with you guys. This does not get rid of "the plow" but at least allows me to tow a high offroad trailer level and it was a cheap solution. I used the Adjustable HR tongue in the configuration as shown.

I found the HR tongue to be loose fitting compare to the LR unit and as such had to find a solution. Being an engineer myself movement = wear. I was also not keen on drilling thru the cast piece instead I drilled and tapped a diagonal hole thru the bottom corner of the tongue at the rear and secured it from the inside with a 8mm bolt and locking nut. This solved the loose fit issue and I now have a solid adjustable tow hitch that works a treat for a total spend of $84.

Hope this helps a few of you.

[petesh]

I thought I would share this with you guys. This does not get rid of "the plow" but at least allows me to tow a high offroad trailer level and it was a cheap solution. I used the Adjustable HR tongue in the configuration as shown.

I found the HR tongue to be loose fitting compare to the LR unit and as such had to find a solution. Being an engineer myself movement = wear. I was also not keen on drilling thru the cast piece instead I drilled and tapped a diagonal hole thru the bottom corner of the tongue at the rear and secured it from the inside with a 8mm bolt and locking nut. This solved the loose fit issue and I now have a solid adjustable tow hitch that works a treat for a total spend of $84.

Hope this helps a few of you.

I looked at this option as a way of solving my issue. unfortunately the hitch is only rated for 2000kg even though the ball is stamped 3500kg. As my van is 2500kg it is too heavy to use as a process. I have managed to get my Hayman Reece WDH header to fit with a minor non structural adjustment to the HR. I will try that until I find a better solution that suits what I want to do. I am thinking of fitting a D4 mounting instead of the plough and then use a rapid hitch fitting. At the end of the day I think it will cost about the same as having a mitch hitch fitted but without the permanent fitting sticking out of the back of the bar. have only just arrived home using the existing fitting and have not had a chance to see if the extra height afforded by the HR solves my sway problems. If it does I will seriously look at the new D4 and rapid hitch.

[roamer]

Hi Petesh
Toyota have a 3.5ton tongue that will lift the ball around 75mm

Cheers Ken

[101RRS]

Petesh - dunno why you do not go the Mitch Hitch - $660 and easy to fit your self - the tow tongue is $70, pin about $15 and tow ball about $15. So all done for about $750 and no worries.

Too easy.

[roamer]

Not completely worry free, :angel:
if it isn't sitting level, :wacko: have a good look at it :eek:

[Mr H]

Can anyone tell me if the new higher D4 hitch reciever will fit the D3 without any modifications? Thanks

[Graeme]

The D4 hitch receiver fits the D3 and has superceded the D3 one, which I understand is no longer available from LR.

[DiscoWeb]

Can anyone tell me if the new higher D4 hitch reciever will fit the D3 without any modifications? Thanks

Yep, but need to spend $750 - $1000 to do so.

George

[jonesy63]

Or less - if you don't shop at a stealer!
LAND ROVER TOW HITCH BASE LR3 LR4 RR SPORT 06-12 OEM | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/LAND-ROVER-TOW-HITCH-BASE-LR3-LR4-RR-SPORT-06-12-OEM-/170688499644?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27bdd3cfbc)

[101RRS]

All this does not compute price wise - when I was looking at plows for my RRS (same as D3) I was quoted by the stealer $750 for the D3 version and $450 for the D4 version but they could not confirm the D4 version would fit a D3 so I went the Mitch Hitch version.

So has anyone actually priced the D4 plow?

[DM Disco]

Hi I have a 3l D4 and a 20ft Paramount van 2900kg full loaded, I have had the same problem with the van swaying in winds and passing semi's.
I have the Mitchel Bros hitch which is much better than the factor unit. My van has 6" chassis independant suspension and 15" wheels, so the
Mitchel hitch has the van sitting nice and level with it's extra height. I know that Landrover doesn't recomend load levelers and my van rides pretty level , but has anyone used sway control units. Trojan and HR have them, but use them with loadlevelers.
If anyone has had any experence with them I would appreciate some advice.

[DM Disco]

Hi, just an extra note I got the Mitchel Bros hitch from Kaymar in Lilydale Vic, $630 plus$100 to fit.
Did it in under 1 hour while I waited, much cheaper than quoted elsewhere, and doesn' set of reverse sensors until you put a tounge in.

[mowog]

Hi I have a 3l D4 and a 20ft Paramount van 2900kg full loaded, I have had the same problem with the van swaying in winds and passing semi's.
I have the Mitchel Bros hitch which is much better than the factor unit. My van has 6" chassis independant suspension and 15" wheels, so the
Mitchel hitch has the van sitting nice and level with it's extra height. I know that Landrover doesn't recomend load levelers and my van rides pretty level , but has anyone used sway control units. Trojan and HR have them, but use them with loadlevelers.
If anyone has had any experence with them I would appreciate some advice.

My van is around 3300kg loaded. When a truck goes past you know its happening but I never feel like its an out of control response. Same with cross winds.

The D4 has trailer stability control and the light will flash on the dash if it kicks in. Have you ever seen the light flash?

One thing that did improve the van moving around was a change from simplicity suspension to control rider coil suspension.

Are you trying feed in corrections when you feel something? If you are this can add to the problem.

Its hard to resist but when a truck passes I just hold everything steady and wait for the truck to be gone.

[DM Disco]

Hi mowog, No I haven't seen the light come on , but maybe too busy trying to keep things straight.
I haven't had the van or D4 that long, June this year and only had the van out a couple of times,
Seem to have picked a few windy day to tow and being pass by semi's in the next lane sucking you closer instinct kicks in to steer away.
I was used to towing a Jayco camper tailer with a 3ltr Patrol, so this a new experence having a much larger van and a vehicle that can easly tow the weight. A much better world though in the D4.
I assume the change of suspension was an expensive excersise, my van has the simplicity independant suspension.

[TerryO]

I'd be very surprized if it was the Simplicity suspension that is causing the swaying, I also have a Mitch hitch and our 2.5 ton van has Simplicity and there is no swaying.

Have you checked what your ball weight is both unloaded and fully loaded?

Anyone I have spoken with that tows a large van with a D3/4 have always been very happy with them towing, so chances are there is something in your set up that is not quite right.

I agree with Mowog though on just keeping it steady if you feel the van turning, counter steering only makes things worse in most cases.

cheers,
Terry

[mowog]

Ok I should qualify my comments about the simplicity suspension.

My van started life with 3 ton simplicity suspension. I towed it to Melbourne from Brisbane on the Simplicity. I had no problems with bad roads or cross winds or trucks the van never felt out of control but you defiantly knew it was there.

The Control Rider 3.5 Ton went on.

Bumps in the road that you feel in the car and then from the van when on the simplicity were very obvious. You could feel the van go over them just after the car.

On the Control Rider you don't feel the van when it goes over bumps its just simply amazing the difference. I was driving over roundabouts on a very tight section of road. I could see in my mirror the van putting wheels over them but I couldn't feel it.

The on road stability between the 2 is chalk and cheese and that covers conditions like cross winds and trucks and bad roads.

So from that perspective for me the stability issues improved not that it was bad its just that I never knew how good it could be.

[DM Disco]

Hi Terry I haven't been able to measure the ball weight when fully loaded but the plate lists a ball weight of 170kg which I think is a bit light for a tare of 2300kg. I have been tring to keep more weight over the axles or the front. the height of the van may be an issue as the combination of the simplicity suspensions height with the 6" chassis and a 2" raiser have made the van pretty tall. I have already swapped the 16" rims for 15" and swapped the airconditioner for a low profile unit. This put the overall height at approx 3m.
This was the reason I went for the Mitchel Bros hitch as the towball is at the level of the rear bumper. The standard LR hitch was about 7-8" to low when I went to pickup the van. So I do agree that the car isn't the problem, but I want to make the combination as easy to tow when I finally get do our lap of Oz (the sooner the better)

Regards David

[TerryO]

Geeze David if your vans hitch height is at the centre of the Mitch hitch which is at the middle of the rear bumper then that is very high it would seem to me.

I don't know enough to be sure that what I'm saying is 100% correct, but I though the max legal ball height was around 550 mm. If that is correct then that is quite a bit lower then the middle of the rear bumper if I remember right.

My Jayco van is a tandem axle Outback which means it also has a 6" chassis plus the extra 2" Simplicity lift and 16" rims and quite tall A/T tyres but the bottom of the ball is quite a bit lower then the middle of the rear bar when the van sits level. I'm not keen on tow balls so I have a Trigg hitch which makes for smooth quite towing without any jerking.

Might be best to measure your ball height which from memory should be from the where the ball touches the A frame. I'd also check your ball weight when the van is loaded including full water tanks,

Your van does sound very high though and I thought mine had much taller then normal ground clearance.

Might be an idea to put up some picks of the van on the back of the D4 including the hitch etc.

cheers,
Terry

[DM Disco]

Geeze David if your vans hitch height is at the centre of the Mitch hitch which is at the middle of the rear bumper then that is very high it would seem to me.

I don't know enough to be sure that what I'm saying is 100% correct, but I though the max legal ball height was around 550 mm. If that is correct then that is quite a bit lower then the middle of the rear bumper if I remember right.

My Jayco van is a tandem axle Outback which means it also has a 6" chassis plus the extra 2" Simplicity lift and 16" rims and quite tall A/T tyres but the bottom of the ball is quite a bit lower then the middle of the rear bar when the van sits level. I'm not keen on tow balls so I have a Trigg hitch which makes for smooth quite towing without any jerking.

Might be best to measure your ball height which from memory should be from the where the ball touches the A frame. I'd also check your ball weight when the van is loaded including full water tanks,

Your van does sound very high though and I thought mine had much taller then normal ground clearance.

Might be an idea to put up some picks of the van on the back of the D4 including the hitch etc.

cheers,
Terry

Hi Terry
I will have the van out this weekend (to Dargo) so I will get some picks and measure the height of the ball with the van connected.
With the tongue in the hitch and car at std ride height the base of the ball - top of the tongue is approx 500mm without the van on.
I will need to find somewhere to get te ball weight measured. The Van 2960kg when I last measured, GVM is 2990kg

Regards David

[DM Disco]

Hi Terry, here are the pics of the D4 and van, after towing this weekend I agree that the van is the problem not the D4.
Went to Dargo over the weekend and the car had no trouble on the hills and windy roads, just on the highway where
the van had a bit of a sway at times. I did have the drivers side mirror fold in a times by passing trucks along with the swaying. Anyone recommend towing mirrors for the D4.
The height of the bottom of the tow ball measures 500mm.

Regards David

[mowog]

I fold my mirrors when I see a truck coming.

[saatech01]

Hi Petesh
Toyota have a 3.5ton tongue that will lift the ball around 75mm

Cheers Ken

Hi Ken

The Toyota tongue with the 75mm lift will, I think, work well for me. It's a great suggestion; I'll go and look at one tomorrow!

I have just acquired an RRS TDV8, basically to tow a 22' caravan, ATM approx 2860kg, and with a ball height requirement of 485mm. With the std underslung green 50x50 LR hitch receiver, and the std tongue and ball I get to a ball height of approx 410mm which is 75mm shy of the target height.

I also considered the Mitchell hitch, which I am convinced would work well because its geometry effectively means a straight line transfer of towing loads. But it's much more of a permanent fixture thanthe QR LR receiver, and with its protrustion well past the bumper I just know I am going to swear like hell every time I crack my shins on it!

Anyway, it is a very worthwhile suggestion; I'll let you know how I go.

Cheers
John