Discovery 3 & towbars

[Jam]

Gidday,

The hitch receiver on the Disco 3 is low -lower than the spare wheel. It seems that compared to my car (LC) it is about 140mm closer to the ground.
It also looks like it would the first thing to drag on the ground....


Problem is that I cannot have the tow ball height any lower than it is on the LC. So, the question is - is there any options available to get it higher? I already use a H/R hitch that is at it highest rung....Mind you - the local dealers do seem to get the picture about the hitch height off the ground - seems strange that it is so low.

Thanks
John

[Redback]

All the Disco's come with that silly low slung hitch tongue if they have the Rover towbar, just replace it with the Hayman Reece tongue, i did for our off road camper, i only use the Rover one when i'm towing our box trailer to the tip or when i go bike riding as it has a ball and not a trigg hitch for the camper.

Baz.

[Disco300Tdi]

Whereabouts are you located Jam??

[Jam]

Location is Canberra,so there is only one dealer here to work with.

The showroom here has one car with a towbar on it, and all it shows is the lump of metal sitting very low and under the car. the plastic cover is still on the bumper with the hitch receiver hanging below that. The salesman doesnt seem to clued up that with a raised van, the hitch on the van sits higher than normal.

It seems to me that the shank on the hitch needs to very long and would sit very low. Does the plastic cover hide another box hitch receiver?

As much as I like the car - this is a show stopper if it cannot be resolved. As mentioned in my first post the hitch receiver needs to be about 140mm higher off the ground...

Make sense?
Thanks
John

[Maggot4x4]

Have you allowed of the air springs to come up once running? Call Hayman Reece and find out if they have a bar out yet, or ARB for a full replacement rear bar with hitch.

[George130]

Don't rely on the local Canberra dealer. I am still waiting for the call from them to test drive a Defender. This was before I found and bought the secondhand one I now have. I pick it up in early march. Silly really as I told then it was a lease plan so if I was happy all I needed was the vehicle details and their info and the company would order and pay them for it.

[Jam]

Oops - small typo in the last post - it should read 140mm higher not 14 mm!!

Thanks
John

[101RRS]

Why no see Haig Park 4wd at Mitchell - they might be able to help.

[ARISTOS]

hi
how old it the camper

[pug303]

I'm surprised there hasn't been more about this from people looking at D3s. I noticed the same problem when looking for a replacement for the tdi we've used to tow a camper off road for years.

I reckon it is a really stupid arrangement for a 4WD. After a lot of agonising I found a solution.

I bought a new Pathinder instead and have 20 grand in my pocket as well. Maybe not quite the finish of the Disco but I bet it's more reliable.

Cheers

Jim

[Grizzly_Adams]

Originally posted by pug303
I bought a new Pathinder instead and have 20 grand in my pocket as well. Maybe not quite the finish of the Disco but I bet it's more reliable.

Time will tell :?

[DEFENDERZOOK]

<span style="color:blue">on some cars this is done on purpose.....


so the back door can open whilst the trailer is hooked up....
if it was any higher and you had the trailer hitched up would it have enough room to let the back door open.....?</span>

[DiscoTDI]

I had the same problem with my D2, I just got a hayman reece hitch to pull the camper and use the LR one for normal trailers 8)


Originally posted by Grizzly_Adams+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Grizzly_Adams)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-pug303
I bought a new Pathinder instead and have 20 grand in my pocket as well. Maybe not quite the finish of the Disco but I bet it's more reliable.

Time will tell :?[/b][/quote]

It did rate better than the 100 series cruiser, but did not come near the land rover 8)

[dilli]

Also wondering about towing with a Disco3. Have previously successfully towed a 2 tonne off-road van with a DiscoTD5 using a Hayman Reese hitch receiver, along with weight distribution hitch.
Looking at the Disco3, the hitch receiver adapter fitting supplied with the vehicle seems to be far too low, (a) such that I would not be able to adjust my Hayman Reese hitch high enough to have the van level for safe towing, and (b) the resulting poor departure angle of the vehicle when towing would also mean that the tow fittings could frequently hit the road/ground when driving in even some mild off-road conditions.
Does anyone know if there is a hitch receiver available for the Disco3 that would be like what is used on other heavy duty tow vehicles, including my TD5? I have looked at the Hayman Reese web site but there was nothing in their catalog under Discovery later than for the TD5.

Dilli

[Steinzy]

Just give the landy a suspension lift - that kills 2 birds with one stone :wink:

[discomaniac]

Hi Jam,
I have 2 tow hitches for my D3.

I have the standard Hitch that came from Land Rover for regular box trailer use (taking that load of garden clippings to the dump once or twice a year)

http://www.aulro.com/albums/album280/IMG_0369_001.sized.jpg

and I also bought a Raised hitch that was about 140mm higher from my local Towbar specialist here in the Sunshine Coast.

http://www.aulro.com/albums/album280/IMG_0370.sized.jpg

The Standard Land Rover Hitch has a 3.5t rating with a 350kg ball weight. The raised hitch comes from Hayman Reece and only has a 2.5t rating with a 250kg ball weight. This should be fine for towing my Coromal camper.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/


Happy Towing https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

[brightsmarty]

I am new to Discoveries and still learning, so its great to be able to read about other peoples problems and solutions.

I haveta tow a Coromal tandem offroad poptop weighing in at around 1800kg and am still trying to resolve the very low Disco 3 towball. I need to use a Treg fitting as well.

Also, being new to the LR systems, I can't fathom out the two 12v trailer plugs, wot goes where for which system. Auto Elec had same problem so just fitted the large rectangular standard plug onto bumperbar.

Could someone point me in the right direction as to where I could find the wiring diagram for these 2 rear plugs, please.

[101RRS]

Using a Mitch Hitch tow bar gets the tow bar up at bumper level. Discovery 3 - Hi Rise Tow Hitch (http://store.mitchellbros.com.au/discovery-3-4-and-rrs/discovery-3-tow-hitch)

Most D3s had the wiring and socket fitted as standard - if not you need to use the genuine wiring loom with the black socket (is a common size) that is behind the removable panel in the rear bumper.

Do a search in the D3 section and you find heaps of information.

Garry

[Bushwanderer]

As Garrycol says, go the "Mitch Hitch". It's a very common item amongst the D3 community.

Best Wishes,
Peter

[Sadie]

To those of you with a Mitch Hitch:

What do you do about the plastic cover on the rear bumper that covers the lighting plugs? It seems that you would have to leave it off when the Mitch Hitch is bolted on. I'd rather be able to cover that stuff up when not actually towing, but to do so would mean unbolting the hitch??

I'm worried about spending $630 on something that is really not going to be used all that frequently. I may go with a Hayman Reece height adjustable tongue which is about a quarter of the cost....

Steve

[101RRS]

You cut the cover in half removing the required amount of plastic from the center - then put each piece back in. When you tow you only need to take the piece off that covers the trailer socket.

[101RRS]

I'm worried about spending $630 on something that is really not going to be used all that frequently. I may go with a Hayman Reece height adjustable tongue which is about a quarter of the cost....

Steve

If you already have the landrover hitch that plugs into the slot under rear X member then I agree there is not much point in getting the mitch hitch but if you do not have it then it will most likely cost more than the mitch hitch anyway. The mitch hitch does not come with a tongue so you will have to buy one. The Hayman Reece height adjustable tongue will fit both. Note the mitch hitch is high so will need a lifted trailer or a height adjustable tongue or don't worry about it.

Garry

[Sadie]

Thanks Garry.

Yes I already have the LR hitch receiver, whic is just way too low. Ridiculously low, really. I know it'd be a problem if ever I towed on any serious offroad situations, but that probably won't happen very often, if ever. I have an offroad capable camper trailer and the towbar height on my previous tow vehicle was about 50cm off the ground, whereas the LR one is only about 35 cm off the ground.....

[Bushwanderer]

If you already have the landrover hitch that plugs into the slot under rear X member then I agree there is not much point in getting the mitch hitch
SNIP

Garry
Hi Garry,
I disagree with you here. Many of us with "Mitch Hitches" have done so after dissatisfaction with the LR product.

Best Wishes,
Peter

[Bushwanderer]

Hi Sadie,
I agree that the LR hitch is way too low, commonly being termed a "plough".

On the D3, the Mitch Hitch sits further out than on Garry's RRS. All that's required to fit the "electrics" cover back in place is to cut a suitable slot in the cover.

Best Wishes,
Peter

[101RRS]

Hi Garry,
I disagree with you here. Many of us with "Mitch Hitches" have done so after dissatisfaction with the LR product.

Best Wishes,
Peter

I know what you mean.

If I had spent $750 buying the landrover product - then another $100 for the actual tow tongue and found it cause me issues - only when off road I would probably stay with it rather than fork out the $650 for the Mitch Hitch. That is why I researched it a lot before plunging in. I have since found out that here and in the UK the landrover product also falls out of the hole in the rear x member often when towing a monstrous great caravan with disastrous results - even if the safety chains work most of the towing vehicles got damaged. Why were these not given a safety recall??

Garry

[Sadie]

Hi Sadie,
I agree that the LR hitch is way too low, commonly being termed a "plough".

On the D3, the Mitch Hitch sits further out than on Garry's RRS. All that's required to fit the "electrics" cover back in place is to cut a suitable slot in the cover.

Best Wishes,
Peter

Thanks Peter.

Any chance you could post some pictures, or send me some via email?

Thanks.
Steve

[101RRS]

Any chance you could post some pictures, or send me some via email?

Thanks.
Steve

It is all on the Mitch Hitch website

Mitchell Bros 4x4 & more - Online 4x4 Store - Discovery 3 Hi Rise Tow Hitch (http://store.mitchellbros.com.au/discovery-3-4-and-rrs/discovery-3-tow-hitch.html)

[Sadie]

Thanks Garry.

I've had a look at all the pictures on that site, but was hoping for a couple of pictures of what is required re cutting on the plastic cover thingy. Just trying to weigh up how many $$ and how much 'damage' I want to do to my car...

If anyone has a pic of the cuts necessary on the plastic cover, I'd really appreciate seeing them.

Thanks,

Steve

[ADMIRAL]

Thanks Garry.

I've had a look at all the pictures on that site, but was hoping for a couple of pictures of what is required re cutting on the plastic cover thingy. Just trying to weigh up how many $$ and how much 'damage' I want to do to my car...

If anyone has a pic of the cuts necessary on the plastic cover, I'd really appreciate seeing them.

Thanks,

Steve

The cut for access to the hitch will be a little different from vehicle to vehicle. Use a suitably shaped piece of cardboard to get it close, and final trimming to neaten the job up once cut.