Thread: Mods for Towing a Caravan

Kev has pretty much written the manual for heavy towing with a TD5. Should have been included in the owner's manual & would have saved many transmission rebuilds.

I had a medium Bruce Davis chip in mine & I found that the torque dropped off drastically below 2000rpm. Along with 245/75 tyres, it made staying in the torque curve difficult while travelling at 100km/h.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Here are some of the things I have found important, so I hope they help.
My approach is not to stuff around with shortcuts, but to fix it right the first time, as it's cheaper in the long run.
Does yours have rear air suspension and does it keep it level when towing? If you don't have rear air get airbags in the rear springs. If you have it but it's not working properly get it fixed.
The auto and transfer case should be thoroughly serviced with fresh oil, make sure the filter inside the auto is replaced and if the gears are slipping get that fixed. An auto oil cooler is an excellent idea.
The cooling system will need a thorough test and don't hesitate to replace hoses or the core if it shows even the slightest problem, as it's cheap insurance.
You might want to get gauges fitted for engine and exhaust gas temperatures.
The brakes will be working harder so they need a thorough service. You will need a good brake controller such as Redarc or Tekonsha if you don't already have it. Get the van's brakes serviced too.
Are your wheel bearings, axles, flanges and CVs up to the extra load?
Only after all those are done would I start seeking more power. If the basics are not right then more power might just make the problems worse.
You might also consider a dual reversing camera with a second camera on the back of the van to make reversing easier.
Also, maybe a set of 6 tyre pressure warning system to warn about deflating tyres.
Do you have wider mirrors to see around the van?
As was said above, check you have a jack which can actually lift the van.
Towing puts extra pressure on tyres, so make sure they are up to the job.
BTW I didn't tow in third auto in our D1 but I did intervene more frequently to manually pull it down to avoid lugging. Find the sweet spot in the revs and use the shifter to keep in that range, I recommend.

Thanks for all the information! Takes a while to sink in but great stuff thanks to all.
I decided to reply to this post more comprehensively as covers just about everything I think.
This is where I stand at the moment

I have rear suspension bags with new bags fitted and running level no dramas
Car has FSH from new and serviced by Landy specialist regularly, Gearbox and transfer case have been well looked after with new fluids etc.
Cooling system has all new fluids in runs fine so far but have not towed anything yet so will need to keep a close eye on that.
I don't have gauges for Engine or EGT just standard gauges.
Brakes are about to get all new hoses fitted, flush and new fluid in. Redarc Tow Pro Elite just fitted.
Wheel bearings, axles etc, no problems all seem fine but again something to watch.
I am getting new gearbox aux cooler fitted in the next week or so prior to towing
Caravan comes with reversing camera fitted just need to link to my car, I have rear camera on D2 with Wi-Fi transmitter to my iPhone for car
Wide mirrors taken care of.
The jack I will have to check when I get delivery of the van on 20th April. Good point, hadn't thought about it!
Tyres all good, no pressure indicators will consider this.

Oh and for the moment I am not doing any mods except gearbox aux cooler, keep standard for now.

Thanks again for all the information very much appreciated!!!