Thread: What gear to tow a caravan in?

Hi Mowog,
At home today playing Nurse to my little munchkin,
I have the same info you have from Topix that says how the system works.
I will check my course info to see if I have anything extra to add & let you know
Cheers

Originally Posted by Disco4SE

Terry, I have been told that the gearboxes are made for hard work ie towing etc.
The advice I was given is "stick it in drive and let the vehicle do the rest".
Cheers, Craig

That is fine but more than a few have failed and they often are the ones that have towed heavy vans etc. So I would rather limit the risk if I can especially on a older D3 with no warranty to fix the problems if the advice turns out to be wrong.

As for the WDH arguement on the van sites if someone wants to use it then below is the email I got from the tech manager at Haymen Reese regarding their use with D3/4's. Quite self explanatory that D3/4's don't need a WDH and what he says should shut them up, or they will have to say he is wrong and they know more then Haymen Reese which makes them and their arguement look daft.

By the way what site is it that is having this debate?

cheers,
Terry

Hello Terry,
Thank you for your enquiry regarding towing with the Discovery 3/4. We are lead to believe that the majority of vehicle manufacturers recommend that a WDH should not be used on their vehicles that have Self Leveling Suspension. This recommendation should be adhered to, if for nothing else other than for warranty reasons of the vehicle.
In the case of the Disco 3 and 4 I completely agree with the recommendation, these vehicles appear to tow better when the WDH is not installed, the SLS on these vehicle does a very good job at correctly distributing the ball load being applied across both axles.

I hope this information has been useful to you and if I can assist you any further please feel free to contact me.


Gary Gardiner
Towing Technical Support Rep. QLD

Cequent(tm), a division of TriMas Corporation Pty Ltd

E-Mail: ggardiner@trimas.com.au Cequent
Mobile: PO Box 4050
Phone: Dandenong South VIC 3164
Fax: Australia

Originally Posted by TerryO

That is fine but more than a few have failed and they often are the ones that have towed heavy vans etc. So I would rather limit the risk if I can especially on a older D3 with no warranty to fix the problems if the advice turns out to be wrong.

Terry, the person that gave me that advice knows that I have the D4 3.0Lt with the heavier transmission (probably should have mentioned that).,
Cheers, Craig

The modern auto box (old ones too) take a range of inputs such as engine load, revs, speed etc and selects an appropriate gear. Towing a van is no different - the box effectively senses then load via the engine load and changes accordingly so I can so no reason to not leave it in drive or sport if you want.

As far as sport mode was concerned I thought it removed 6th gear but I was set straight on another forum and have tested it myself. As said it only engages above 80kph (but will stay then if slowing) but only after about 30secs above that speed. I drove on a freeway up to 100kph and it did not go into 6th but after about 1km of steady driving it then changed to 6th. However any actions to increase speed etc will delay it going into 6th.

Garry

2 things in on line manual,
Ambient temp warning over 40c when towing, which could be something to do with these "reduced performance" issues.
and low range under 30km\h

Cheers Ken

Originally Posted by Dahai

Good morning
My question is what is the recommended gear to tow a 9 metre caravan with a legal weight of 3500 kg. I asked the dealer, and his response was that there was some debate, some say tow in Drive, others say Sports mode. Nothing in the owner's manual.

Best wishes
Bruce

Dear Bruce , have a great time. Now everyone has given the right advice my ten cents worth. Shorts and a nice short sleeved shirt. Bright print only if in northern climates. Sandles are a must for me.

Sorry - cannot help myself some times. Enjoy the trip.

Originally Posted by roamer

2 things in on line manual,
Ambient temp warning over 40c when towing, which could be something to do with these "reduced performance" issues.
and low range under 30km\h

Cheers Ken

Hi Ken, while towing a nice hired Far and Wide camper trailer into Wonangatta last year I saw a high temp gear box warning which was over come by using command shift on very steep big long climbs. Not sure if that is the same warning?

Originally Posted by weakestlink

Hi Ken, while towing a nice hired Far and Wide camper trailer into Wonangatta last year I saw a high temp gear box warning which was over come by using command shift on very steep big long climbs. Not sure if that is the same warning?

Maybe, but it goes on to mention ECT, and air cond may go into heat cycle to dissipate heat,

Ambient at 40c easily achievable at this time of year off a hot black road


Ken