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

Originally Posted by weeds

Doesn’t confused me, I just look at GVW or GVM, don’t really care what included as it the maximum you can go to.

LandRover are the only ones that mention it.....and I don’t see why they need to and seems to create confusion. They are saying here is your GVM and we assume you’re towing so we have factored in 150kg.....wonder how they come about 150kg

Much easier to measure you TBW and subtract fro vehicle GVM, pretty simple.

So I’d ignore, load up, and go to the a weigh bridge.

TAX, the way they want you to do it is..

tare weight of vehicle +maximum net load +150KG ball = GVM.

Hypothetically it could be because the tray space or body can only support the max net load. the leftover 150KG can be directly supported on the chassis via the towball.

BUT the vehicle can handle a 350KG ball load. so the extra 200KG has to come out of the NET load OR you take it out of the GVM which does exactly the same thing because essentially the only place you can make the savings is in the net load anyway...

It (and the fact that your driver and fuel is part of your tare) is because landrover are a touch more honest than some other companies who sell a 1t vehicle as a 1t vehicle but only if you have 10% fuel load, no driver, no spare, no tools, no rear seats etc etc etc.. Landrover sell you a 3/4 T vehicle that can take 1T

Originally Posted by weeds

Reading some comments I believe owners read it as...I can add 150kg to the GVM, could be wrong but that’s the way I read some replies.

I read it the same way.. and some replies read doing the subtraction twice.. take the 200KG out of the GVM and then out of the tare as well.

Originally Posted by tapda01

Hi, I am a little frantic and would appreciate some validation of my calculations please.... I purchased a single axle off road van with ATM of 2,700 kgs and a ball weight of 270kgs. I calculate when sensibly loaded with full water tanks that the ball weight will increase to about 320 kgs. I also purchased a 2013 SDV6 Disco 4 to tow the van with, assuming (wrongly I now believe) that it had ample power and as it was rated as 3,500kgs max tow weight and 350 kgs max ball weight it would handle the van with ease. If only I had done the calculations fully beforehand....

The Disco 4 has a Tare stated in the handbook of 2,546kgs.
The tank takes 82 litres of diesel. 10 litres I understand are included in Tare so the remaining 72 add 60kgs giving kerb weight of 2,606
The manual states the CGM of 3,240 is only valid with a ball weight of 150kgs or less. For every kilogram of ball weight over the 150, the CGM decreases by 1 kg. This means that the CGM if towing a 3,500kg van with a ball weight of 350KG will reduce to 3,040kgs.
This gives us a legal payload of 3,040 minus the kerb weight of 2,606 minus the ball weight of 350 equalling 84kgs!!!! Â… the wife and kids will need to stay at home and I will need to go on a diet to legally drive the rig... So, are my calculations incorrect, have I misunderstood the manual or did Land Rover have brain fade? Â…. you can tow a big van Mr customer,but you have to do so by yourself ....not fit for purpose I suggest....

I think my calcs are correct, but I would love them to be wrong...

With the van I purchased, I can just about squeeze in my wife and an esky... it has to be empty.. all recovery gear moved into the van.... Do I replace the car or the van?

Thanks

David

Just backtracking, if 150 is included in the GVM, and the vehicle is at GVM, then if the towball was at 350kg, then you would deduct 200, not 350, from the GVW, so that immediately saves 150kg.
What is your actual GVW?
What is your actual towball weight!