Discovery Sport Towbar

[dane_w]

I have just put a deposit on a Discovery Sport, what options have people found for a tow bar?

The dealer fitted one is $2k which I assume might be the only option this early in it's release.

Does anyone know any other options?

Car gets delivered in mid-October, so I have a bit of time to do some research.

[Tombie]

Factory bar, factory warranty... Thats certainly worth the value for money :)

[dane_w]

I'll have to head into a stealership to have a look at how they look. I'd prefer to have it as hidden as possible.

[sniegy]

Depends on the vehicle.
5 seater rather hidden
7 seater because of the spare wheel the towbar wraps around the spare wheel & has an extra plastic cover beyond the factory bumper.

See Here
http://accessories.landrover.com/gl/en/discovery-sport/towing-carrying/towing/vplct0143-tow-bar-armature-nasaus-5plus2-seat-with-spare-wheel/

[scarry]

Lots of interesting accessaries there,baby seats,battery chargers,and on it goes.

Note some not available in Aus.

[dane_w]

Interesting thanks for the link sniegy! Annoying that a lot of the options are not available in Australia though.

I wanted the 5 seat option only so hopefully I can get one relatively well hidden.

[mikehzz]

A salesman I spoke to on the weekend couldn't tell me whether it was a 40mm or 50mm hitch. The FL2 has a 40mm hitch.

[discopinoy]

Has anyone had any luck with aftermarket towbars?

[dane_w]

Has anyone had any luck with aftermarket towbars?

No not yet, have you made any head ways?

[discopinoy]

dealer is charging me 2800. called arb the other day and they said it will take a while to come out as they need to do testing, etc... since its a new car but price will be around 1500.

[FisherX]

IMO I think the Factory bar although expensive would include the nice tech stuff like the Trailer Stability Assist, the Tow Hitch Assist and I can't tell if it would also come with the Trailer guidance.

I pretty sure a ARB would just be a metal bar bolted to the arse end.

[Jack6]

Yeah the ARB square towbars are pretty ugly.

Thinking about a detachable Euro towbar.

They look quite good, but do not think they suit the 7 seat as the spare gets in the way.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/12/850.jpg

They want about 1000 bucks for one here>> (http://etowbars.com/au/Towbars/Land-Rover/Discovery/Landrover-Discovery-Sport-Towbar)

Cheaper than the stealership. Not sure about the wiring though.

Anyone fitted one?

[Tombie]

Not legal in AU... or at least weren't...

[Tombie]

IMO I think the Factory bar although expensive would include the nice tech stuff like the Trailer Stability Assist, the Tow Hitch Assist and I can't tell if it would also come with the Trailer guidance.

I pretty sure a ARB would just be a metal bar bolted to the arse end.



Yes but it would likely be a 50mm receiver and strong as can be....

Tow bars are ugly - that's all there is to it..

But No one notices them..

[Disco225]

It is probably a bit late but Hayman Reese now have towbar available for the Disco Sport.I have been quoted $1450 fitted.

[TTTTTT]

I spoke to HR late last year and they said it was "under development". Laughed it off and thought that's typical manufacturer talk for we might one day. Really nice to see them go through to the next step. Quick search on the internet and best I could see was around $1100 for the kit (without fitting). soon as I can afford it.

[Romeo]

I am new to this site, and new to LR. Just took delivery of MY17 HSE Lux (5 seat). Love many things about it, disappointed with others. But one of the first things I needed was a TowBar. (Didn't buy it OEM fit to avoid LCT).
Went for a genuine LR, locally fitted. All up $2260. Bit steep, but didn't see this site till it was too late, and was unaware that HR was an option. And even then, I probably would have still gone genuine.
Very neat installation, quite hidden. The receiver is 50mm. The tongue sits out well clear of the bumper. The load rating is 2200kg, 150kg down. (On FL2 thread, there is some discussion, and suggestions that HR rating (for FL, at least) is somewhat less.) There is a really fancy key-lockable thingummy to retain the tongue in the receiver - that's probably the $700 difference compared with HR:-).
Electrics are a standard 12-pin flat, which swings up behind the bumper when not in use. Neat! I had to make up a 12-pin to 7 pin large, but this was no big deal (not a standard SuperCheap part).
But then the fun starts. My trailer has LED lights, of course, and I supposed that, like my previous car (MY13 Audi), it would just work. No such luck.
There is a long (30+ pages) thread about this on the FL2, but I found that my car behaved somewhat differently (and unlike many assertions on that thread, (at least some) Audis do not have an issue with LED lights).
What I found is:
1. Each indicator lead needs a minimum of 9 ohms to activate that trailer icon on the dash. But this alone does NOT get the car to recognise that a trailer has been fitted - it simply enables the icon to flash.
2. The car requires a minimum of 11 ohms across the brake light for it to recognise that a trailer is fitted, and to then disable rear sensors, activate Tow Assist and who knows whatever other trailer-related functionality. This sensing appears to occur OK even if the indicators are disabled.

This is quite different from what the FL2 folk appear to have found. Looks like LR are continually playing with the logic across models.

I wired a couple of load resistors into my trailer on the weekend, and it all seems to work like an Audi now.

roman

[Tombie]

Roman. Check again; the genuine kit has a 40mm receiver... if you got a 50mm receiver that's a recent change..

Further confusion - genuine tow bar rates to a little over 1500kg..

Can you please post a photo......

[Tombie]

For the record - the 7 pin flat to 7 pin large is designed to fit in the 12 pin flat [emoji41]

[BobD]

Roman. Check again; the genuine kit has a 40mm receiver... if you got a 50mm receiver that's a recent change..

Further confusion - genuine tow bar rates to a little over 1500kg..

Can you please post a photo......


Tombie, why would the LR towbar rate to 1500kg when a DS is rated for towing 2500kg?

[TTTTTT]

Information from the various Websites. 3 towbars with ADR compliance (might be more, but can only manage to see 3).

Disco Sport - Towing capacity listed as up to 2500kg.
(LR Website).

1. Genuine LR: Towing Receiver Max Cap 2200kg, RRP (fitted) $1601.20
Need to add Tow Hitch $414.00 (fitted) and Electrics $300.00
Remember reading 40mm receiver (but need to confirm).
(LR Website).

2. Hayman Reese: Load Rating 2200kg. Around the $1200 area (unfitted kit).
50mm receiver (not listed so will confirm).
(Hayman Reece Website).

3. Euro Towbars: Load Rating: 2500kg (max trail weight). Price: $1186.00 (unfitted kit).
Euro style system with receiver hidden behind bumper.
Says ADR compliant, but the way I read it; this is inferred because of official EU certification.
(Euro Towbars Australia website).

I'll ask a few more questions and correct any of the above if needed in the next few days.

[Tombie]

That's the weird part - go to LRA search towbar accessory and the site shows them at 1500kg..

[Romeo]

Tombie
Sorry for the delay - been away. Here's a pic of the installation - pretty subtle - and the electrical connector swung down. (I suspected that a 7 pin might fit into the 12 pin socket, but SuperCheap couldn't confirm, and the 12 pin plug was not expensive, so a few minutes work to make up the adapter.


Towbar is definitely 50mm. (The tongue really is smaller than the receiver - I ran out of hands to hold the calipers snugly:)

Looks like I can only load 5 pics per post. So I'll continue in a new post.
Just looked at the preview -some of image rotation attempts didn't work - Sorry!
Roman

[Romeo]

Here are some pics of the lockable bar; the descriptor on the bag suggests it may be stainless steel - time will tell (and I will point out that I am aware that there are mainly varieties of CRS - eg, 400 series grades - that are used for machined parts ets, that ARE magnetic, so simple magnet test won't say).

The Load labels speak for themselves. Notably, the alternate label for MY15 has a slightly higher down load allowance on the hitch. But no label in the box for MY16 or MY16.5.
For the record - Tow Bar is VPLCT0141, Hitch is VPLCT0162 and Electrics loom is VPLCT0184.

Roman

[Tombie]

Thanks Romeo..

Nice looking ride too.....

[willem]

Tombie
Sorry for the delay - been away. Here's a pic of the installation - pretty subtle - and the electrical connector swung down. (I suspected that a 7 pin might fit into the 12 pin socket, but SuperCheap couldn't confirm, and the 12 pin plug was not expensive, so a few minutes work to make up the adapter.


Towbar is definitely 50mm. (The tongue really is smaller than the receiver - I ran out of hands to hold the calipers snugly:)

Looks like I can only load 5 pics per post. So I'll continue in a new post.
Just looked at the preview -some of image rotation attempts didn't work - Sorry!
Roman

The 7 pin plug does fit the 12 pin socket. The genuine Land Rover towbar as fitted to my Disco Sport is a neat installation.

[Alan1974]

I am new to this site, and new to LR. Just took delivery of MY17 HSE Lux (5 seat). Love many things about it, disappointed with others. But one of the first things I needed was a TowBar. (Didn't buy it OEM fit to avoid LCT).
Went for a genuine LR, locally fitted. All up $2260. Bit steep, but didn't see this site till it was too late, and was unaware that HR was an option. And even then, I probably would have still gone genuine.
Very neat installation, quite hidden. The receiver is 50mm. The tongue sits out well clear of the bumper. The load rating is 2200kg, 150kg down. (On FL2 thread, there is some discussion, and suggestions that HR rating (for FL, at least) is somewhat less.) There is a really fancy key-lockable thingummy to retain the tongue in the receiver - that's probably the $700 difference compared with HR:-).
Electrics are a standard 12-pin flat, which swings up behind the bumper when not in use. Neat! I had to make up a 12-pin to 7 pin large, but this was no big deal (not a standard SuperCheap part).
But then the fun starts. My trailer has LED lights, of course, and I supposed that, like my previous car (MY13 Audi), it would just work. No such luck.

roman

Hey Roman,

I'm a newbie here. My DS MY17 is due for delivery sometime next week. :-) Can't wait to get behind the wheel. This is my first LR.

I just asked them to quote for a towbar and they have come back with $2650. This is what they have come back with.

VPLCT0141KIT-TOW BRACKET
VPLCT0162KIT-TOW BRACKET
VPLCT0184TOW BAR ELECTRICS

Can you please let me know what was the model number of the towbar you had installed for $2260 because I think $2650 is just absurd.

Many thanks
Alan!

[swissinoz]

I'm contemplating adding the hitch to my DS MY16 5+2 (with spare). Does anyone know how far down the hitch goes and reduces ground clearance?

[frankl]

Hi All,

I just bought Disco Sport last week and the first thing I'd be interested in installing is towbar.
Read through this thread got me wondering how it will look like when it comes 7 seater with dynamic pack..

[PRicho]

Picked up my DS last Friday and have booked it into a caravan place in Croydon Victoria for a Hayman Reese towbar and electrics. All up $2200.

I have had two previous towbars installed by this place so am comfortable not getting other quotes - and based on what I have seen in this thread.

Is anybody aware whether or not a Hayman Reese Weight distribution kit is required/desired? I had one on my previous car, Ford Falcon, and think it will carry over. i am towing a 16' caravan, approx 1500kg with 130kg on the towbar.

Cheers

Peter

[Mamil]

Published price from LandRover is $2392.87 incl. GST and fitting, although dealers are free to set their own prices. Mine quoted $2,500.

It may be a bit more expensive than the alternatives, but the LR one does come with a locking hitch pin, fold down 12 pin electrics rather than the usual 7 pin, a flat to round plug adapter, and a rather nice case to keep it all in.

125469125470125471

If it's fitted by the dealer at the time the car is purchased it's also covered by the car's three year warranty.

The Hayman Reese wasn't available when I bought my car, but if there's only a couple of hundred in it, personally I'd still go for the original to save potential hassles in the future - you know how dealers love to blame any problems on non-standard equipment!

[Mamil]

With regards to towing capacity and nose weights, this is what the manual has to say about it:-

125477

[sunwest]

Picked up my DS last Friday and have booked it into a caravan place in Croydon Victoria for a Hayman Reese towbar and electrics. All up $2200.

I have had two previous towbars installed by this place so am comfortable not getting other quotes - and based on what I have seen in this thread.

Is anybody aware whether or not a Hayman Reese Weight distribution kit is required/desired? I had one on my previous car, Ford Falcon, and think it will carry over. i am towing a 16' caravan, approx 1500kg with 130kg on the towbar.

Cheers

Peter
Would you be able to post a photo of your Hayman Reese towbar ? - I am deciding whether to go HR or Land Rover genuine Tow-bar on my new Disco Sport, there is an $800 price difference. Also does yours work with LED trailer lights, it seems to be an endless land rover problem - I have a Disco 3 with constantly flashing indicators already !
Thankyou,
Ben

[PRicho]

Would you be able to post a photo of your Hayman Reese towbar ? - I am deciding whether to go HR or Land Rover genuine Tow-bar on my new Disco Sport, there is an $800 price difference. Also does yours work with LED trailer lights, it seems to be an endless land rover problem - I have a Disco 3 with constantly flashing indicators already !
Thankyou,
Ben

Hi Ben

The car is booked in for mid August so will post photos once it is done. For interest sake I did get a quote from Land Rover and it came in at $2700 - but that did not include the brake controller.

My caravan doesn't have LED taillights, so can't help with that.

Cheers

Peter

[TTTTTT]

I fitted the Trailmaster one last month (Hayman Reese). The kit was less than $1K and I am more than happy with it.

Took a good 4 hours of fiddling around (pretty much everything at the rear needs to be removed) - if any DIY'ers are looking to tackle it. Was a little cutting of the undersheild involved. Most difficult thing was getting two stubborn bolts undone that hold the factory tow point in (go figure). Bumper cover was also fiddly reinstalling (but not difficult).

Wiring harness plugged into the factory connection.

[jobyn]

I fitted the Trailmaster one last month (Hayman Reese). The kit was less than $1K and I am more than happy with it.

Took a good 4 hours of fiddling around (pretty much everything at the rear needs to be removed) - if any DIY'ers are looking to tackle it. Was a little cutting of the undersheild involved. Most difficult thing was getting two stubborn bolts undone that hold the factory tow point in (go figure). Bumper cover was also fiddly reinstalling (but not difficult).

Wiring harness plugged into the factory connection.

Hey,


I have the same but with the designer pack also getting the Hayman Reese towbar fitted and was wondering if you had some photos of what yours looks like?

cheers

[Lenny07]

Hi All, I'm new to the forum and to LR ownership.

I'm pretty happy with my DS MY18 HSE, aside from the dodgy bluetooth which has now been replaced.

I have been off road and the vehicle is certainly more than capable. However, someone mentioned that adding a tow bar lowers my ground clearance. Can anyone confirm if this is correct?

Cheers

[Mamil]

Hi All, I'm new to the forum and to LR ownership.

I'm pretty happy with my DS MY18 HSE, aside from the dodgy bluetooth which has now been replaced.

I have been off road and the vehicle is certainly more than capable. However, someone mentioned that adding a tow bar lowers my ground clearance. Can anyone confirm if this is correct?

Cheers

I can only talk for the genuine LR one, not the Hayman Reese, although I'd expect that to be the same. The tow bar doesn't hang down any lower than the lowest point of the undercarriage (212mm), and in fact the exhaust muffler just in front of it and the rear diff in front of that are both quite a bit lower than the tow bar, so no it doesn't lower ground clearance. However, it does reduce the departure angle (normally 31 degrees), and even more so when the hitch is installed, so you can scrape it when exiting a gully. That's one reason the genuine LR setup has a fold-up arm for the electrics socket, so it doesn't get ripped off.

[PRB63]

I'm getting a Hayman Reese tow bar fitted tomorrow. Will post photos when done.

[PRB63]

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/921/0YJ2ZR.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/921/qrTxLc.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/922/VuOHgT.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/921/PEFRbA.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/922/hIHnVA.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/922/w00Z72.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/923/9LAACG.jpg

[Mamil]

You're so lucky they didn't hack out half the black plastic undertray like the LandRover dealers do when they install a tow hitch!
By the way is that a 7 pin trailer socket or a 12 pin?

[PRB63]

7 pin

[Mamil]

7 pin

Fine for most trailers, but if you plan on towing anything which needs an auxiliary 12v supply, like a caravan or camper trailer, you'll need a 12 pin plug or a separate Anderson.

[Brisso57]

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/921/0YJ2ZR.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/921/qrTxLc.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/922/VuOHgT.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/921/PEFRbA.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/922/hIHnVA.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/922/w00Z72.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/923/9LAACG.jpg

Looks like a tidy & professional installation. Would you mind PMing me with the supplier’s details? (I’m also in Brisbane.)
Thx
Doug

[Peter60DS]

I just had a towbar fitted by the LR dealer to my 2020 Disco Sport (diesel).
Its a pretty neat job, cost about $2,400 but it was thrown in to make the deal!

The tow bar electrics integrates with the car. When towing a trailer the blind spot monitoring turns off and a little trailer is shown on the dash when the blinker or stop lights go on.

It came with a new piece of silver bumper around the tow bar hitch. Its not as round as the original one and I can now carry a full size tyre as a spare BUT it hangs down in the front about 40mm. That's OK for driving around town or on a trip but no good for the dirt or rocky 4WD tracks.

[Sparklo]

Hi All,

Hoping someone in Brisbane can recommend someone for a towbar installation. Was quoted $1,600 for Class 4 towbar and wiring. Does that sound about right?

[Andych]

Hi all, I am picking up my MY20 D250HSE next week and need to get a tow bar fitted at some stage.
Factory kit complete is $2400 plus $1100 fitting.
Hayman Reese kit is $2790 fitted BUT....... their wiring setup doesnt shut off the rear parking sensors and has its own ECU so I doubt that it interacts with the Disco system for Trailer Sway etc.

Anyone out there have a Hayman Reese on an MY20 model that can give me any insight into that?
I guess I could always have the bar fitted without the HR electrics and then buy the LR electrics and use it that way.

Any advice on this would be appreciated.

[Andych]

Well I finally managed to squeeze a quote out of my Land Rover Dealer.... glad I was sitting down. $4300 fitted which is just over the top for what is a 2200kg rated Tow Bar.
I can get all the items (tow bar, wiring loom, module and new rear valance) for $1750 delivered in Australia through LR Direct.
Allow 2 very easy days to fit it and then code it (I have SDD as well as GAP ID Tool) and it will be done.

[Andych]

Time to update my Tow Bar situation... I ended up buying a Hayman Reese bar and did the installation myself.. It isnt too hard, you just need to take your time and read the instructions..
For the electrics I decided I wanted to try and use the Land Rover electrics as I did want the parking sensors etc to turn off automatically as well as have trailer stability etc.
I bought most of the bits needed through LR direct in the UK but sourced the Towing Module second hand from eBay.
The hardest part to source was the final part of the wiring which has the trailer connection on it... The Land Rover cabling from the Module has 2 connections with special plugs which then connect to the final section with the relevant trailer connection. That final section does not have a seperate Land Rover part number but is part of the actual Tow Bar... Luckily I happened across the exact cable I needs again on eBay... It had a 13 pin round (Euro) plug on it.
When I got it here I checked all the colours against a 13 pin wiring diagram, identified them all and then cut it off and wired it up to a 12 pin flat trailer connection.

Last task was to update the CCF on my car to allow the all the correct functionality as initially all I got from the 12 pic connection was 12 volt unswitched power and 12 volt switched power.
I was lucky in that I have a G3 GAP IID tool which does allow me to change the CCF even on my MY20 DS.
Patrick from GAP IID was fantastic and advised which files needed to be changed.
The only issue was that it took a few days for the changes to take effect.. not sure why but apparently later model cars are a bit like that.
Suffice to say now all my trailer lights work, the little green trailer light shows on the dash even though my trailer lights are LED. Rear sensors are turned off Automatically with the trailer connected and while I am yet to try out the Hitch assist etc I am pretty happy with the result.

[smokah]

Does anyone have any more experience/insight with the nose/ball weights limits?

Manual for our L550 21MY P250 R-Dynamic HSE says 100kg, but up to 145kg on the on the basis you dont exceed axle weights.
Interestingly, theres something similar in the manual for our 2013 Freelander2 SD4 that says 150kg, but up to 350kg for Australian versions.

Romero's posts show some variance in the different models too.
Seems like they have been derated over time?