Thread: 96 ES 3.9 Disco, Tow Vehicle??

Hi, I have a 96 disco 3.9 but mines a manual, I have a old man emu 2" spring and shock lift kit, I have a smart bar that keeps the weight down, I have a full length roof rack which helps when camping, a straight through one muffler exhaust helps a little with power and sound sweet, other wise thats about it and it pulls my winsor van no probs, for yours a heavy duty trans cooler is a must ...Gary

sorry to hijack your thread but, where can i look at aftermarket transmission coolers? im very keen to browse

Originally Posted by steelo

Hi peoples, we have just bought a 96 (10/96 build) ES 3.9 auto Disco with 165000k's, I was just wondering what do I need to turn it into a good tow 4b (van comes in at just under 2.5t) but also have a bit of fun on w/ends, we are doing a round Oz trip next year. It is stock except for those weak looking scrub bars, so am thinking 2" lift with slightly "harder" rear springs, also maybe tranny cooler, what else?
We are pensioners so are on a reasonably tight budget so no over the top stuff please guys
Thanks

It does have a tranny cooler as standard (hedgehog looking thing that sits in front of the air con condenser), though some have upgraded it to a Range Rover model which is larger.

After your lift, and a good set of tyres, it'll be good to go anywhere you want to take it.

We have a 95 disco V8 auto. It is basically as it came out of the factory. It too was bought to be a tow vehicle plus we were getting a bit bone weary to be bumped around in the LWB series 2A. We have towed over 20 cars 450km each . It has towed a Kubota tractor twice over the same distance. It has made 6 trips of 130km each when my daughter moved house. The viscous fan failed and was replaced, it too failed within 3 months and was again replaced with a Ford unit. After 387000km the coolant pump died. Shock absorbers have been replaced along with the steering damper. We once met a couple with a TD5 Disco towing a 25ft van. This Disco too was as it came out of the factory. Do not go down the louder exhaust route, it will drive you mad when you are towing, been there done that. Spend your money on maintenance and it will look after you. Oh, and buy the workshop manual and be one of the few of us that reads the instructions. This is my opinion from my experience.

We are currently fitting our v8 Disco for a big trip. The vehicle has aftermarket suspension, and other mods, but check your tyre's load rating.
We are getting a van of about 1.22 tonnes and we need at least 106/s if not 107/h rated tyres. 106/s are rated to 950 kg per corner, but if your van is 2.5 tonnes you'll need to consult a tyre person for the correct load rated tyres, otherwise you may have flats or worse, you may have an accident and the insurance may choose not to pay up if the tyres are wrong. I HAVE seen this happen before and it causes a lot of stress and other probs.

Wish you well on your trip and do EVERYTHING!!!!!

Steelo,
I had a pedders 2" lift kit through mine with Coopers tyres on and it ran like a charm.
You don't here much on here about Pedders, but I can't fault them for ride and handling, and I did a lot of towing, from several caravans, and cars for various mates, as well as my own stuff. Big trips too, Melb to Syd etc.
I've never had any cooling or heating problems with it, and I treated it poorly, but she was just beau to drive.