Thread: Can a Disco 4 tow a van with 350kg ball weight... I think not fit for purpose..

most landies have a generous ball weight...

most landies have a 750KG payload.

did you know that it costs more to tax a 1t payload vehicle than a 750KG one (in the UK at least from what I'm told when the earlier landies were out)

so landrover made a 1 tonner, labeled it a 750KG and then let you have your tow ball weigh outside the payload.

same sort of thinking that came up with the commy knocker 6 piston 3 cylinder diesel, cause a 3 cylinder is cheaper than a 6...

Not fit for purpose? One thinks that you should have asked the question and done your calculations before buying the vehicle and the van. Sorry but WTF?

Originally Posted by Blknight.aus

GCM doesnt change regardless of how you load it.
'

Yes GCM is always the same. But every kg over 150kg ball weight adds to the vehicle’s GVM therefore reducing the available payload for wife kids etc. Re-distributing the weight of the caravan does not change GCM but increases the available payload by reducing the tow ball weight. If tow ball weight is reduced from 350kg to 250kg that is an extra 100kg for the wife and kids which what the OP is concerned about.

Just to clarify. GVM + 3500kg = GCM is only true if ball weight is 150kg or below. Possible but not advisable.

Payload and tow ball weight aren't necessarily linked. The Euro caravans sold here, even the large ones, have very light tow ball weights - because the weight is centred around the axles and isn't over the draw bar. So increasing the weight in the van doesn't change the weight at 10%, which is what you appear to be presuming.

Edit: your numbers don't look right to me:

"Australia only: The nose weight must be a minimum of 7% of the gross caravan/trailer weight, up to a maximum of 250 kg. When using the detachable trailer hitch receiver, see FITTING THE DETACHABLE TRAILER HITCH RECEIVER (Australia only), the nose weight can be increased to 350 kg if the GVW is reduced by 200 kg."

GVW is 3,240 kg. Take away 200kg = 3,040kg.

At that point you can have a ball weight of 350kg - which in Australia typically means a tow weight of 3,500kg.

The D4 weighs 2,589kg, so 3,040 - 2589 = 451kg. Even if you take away another 70kg for fuel you still have 350kg of payload. You don't have to subtract the ball weight from that, it's already accounted for.

The GTW/gross train weight is 6,740kg. Take away the weight of the D4 = 4,151kg left. Take away the caravan weight of say 3,000 kg = over a ton before you hit the GTW. Even at 3,500kg of caravan weight you'd still be 651kg short of the GTW. And if your caravan and what's in it is more than 3,500kg you're breaking the law in any case.

"Fit for purpose"? I'd suggest that it was. And that's before you take into account the torque, the fuel economy and the stability when towing that comes from the weight of the vehicle.

I have a large 22.68ft van which is dual axle

it has three 80L water tanks, one infront of the axles and two behind

All water tanks full:
van weight is 3060kg
Tow ball weight is 200kg (well below the 10% recommended)

front water tank full only
van weight is 2920kg
tow ball weight is 220kg

unless I plan on adding bricks on the A-frame it is impossible for me to get to the 10% rule - also during weighing the van was full except for clothes and fridge/food but most of this stuff is kept above or behind the axle anyway so it wouldn’t help.

It tows just fine so I don’t let it worry me.

Like many others I have been towing (upto) 3500kg trailers for most of my driving life and have never put so much TBW on my car. Typically 150 (max) has always worked for me even at freeway speeds (with someone else's race-car on my trailer). IIRC one of my Disco's (Series 1) has a TBW of 160 stamped on it.

Personally, I believe the 10 % rule (not law) was to try and "idiot proof" the towing process. My 0.02c anyway.

If anyone really wants to have some fun, go post a thread like this on the Australian Caravanners Forum - it’s like a shark feeding frenzy... 😁😇

a single axle with a weight of 2700 is right at its limit. (I actually thought a single axle could only be about 2.5t) I have a off road single axle van which weighs 2.5t and my D4 tows it with ease. I have no problem driving at speed limits and when overtaking road trains I have been able to get well over 160kph. I have never felt any problems towing and going up many hills I pass most (if not all) vehicles towing any type of van if they are not at the speed limit. It was one of the reasons I bought the d4. I have toyed with notion of a remap, but as yet have not done so. Recently I put the shunt on wiring so that the car recognized a van was attached. It has made an immediate impact in that I now get 1.5l p 100 kms better fuel economy. I dont understand that but it has lowered it from 15.8 down to 14.3, And that is driving on highways at the speed limit not at 90kph!