Thread: Disco 3 S & Hayman Reese weight distribution hitch

My 2 cents worth
I have a 2006 S model and tow a 6 metre caravan.

On this issue of WDH, LR are the masters of double speak and circular discussions. Despite many phone calls, emails (and at least 1 letter to the GM) I could not get any advice on why I couldn't use WDH and whether it applied to all models or only those with air suspension. It always ended up with 'talk to your dealer' or 'that is what the manual says'.

On the other hand the Haymann Reese dealer who supplied the WDH said that they were not aware of any problems. (Because I specifically asked)

I drove to Adelaide and back and around North NSW with the WDH with no problems.

My other issues were that the receiver was too damn low (over 10 cm below the coupling) and the receiver regularly plowed up driveways. The new HR receiver accepts WDH but was unsuitable because the receiver is the same height as the LR original

Anyway I bought Mitchell Bros receiver. It is a great piece of engineering - better height, easier to fit chains and hitch and very easy to install. I will probably paint it black to match the bumper but that is my issue.

That feels better

Originally Posted by geoffo

I tow a 25 foot van with bikes and 2 kayaks (bikes also sit on the hitch) and I've just been 3000 k's and guess what? We made it. I use a hayman reese
hitch and apart from weghing 3 times as much I can't see how this can possibly affect the sleeve it slides into. The torsional effect would be minimal in comparison to the loads already placed on the hitch. My guess is that LR won't comment because they don't know the answer. Don't panic because you attach your chains to the GREAT chunk of metal that is firmly attached to the back of the car. If mine breaks I'll make sure I post it here first. Trust me this car is magic when towing. As an interesting aside: I met a LR owner who mentioned they used the manual overide to change into 6th gear because the auto was often reluctant. I tried this on the way home and my fuel consumption was way worse. When I let the auto work its magic it slipped from 5th to 6th as required and fuel consumption improved.

Hi geoffo,
I'm moving even further into the realms of speculation now, but the LR receiver has a small lateral spread, meaning that it is possibly more susceptible to torsional loads (as I believe are applied by WDH). This, I think means that the applied loads MAY break the LR tow hitch. The Mitchell Bros tow hitch receiver has a wider spread & is made from thick (12mm?) steel & so could be expected to accept the torsional loads more readily.

Best Wishes,