Thread: Mitchell Bros hitch and Reverse sensors

There called mirrors.

They are located on the front driver and passenger doors.
Sometimes there is even one in the middle of the windscreen aswell!!

Sorry for being such a smart arse but I just couldn't help my self.

We have the same problem with the factory tow bar on my work car, a Holden Adventura.

Originally Posted by maca

There called mirrors.

They are located on the front driver and passenger doors.
Sometimes there is even one in the middle of the windscreen aswell!!

Actually, sometimes they are externally mounted outside above the rear window as well.

Until yesterday, I had never actually driven a vehicle with working rear sensors (it was a loan vehicle, my "S" does not have them). Well I still prefer the external rear mirror trick I used on my old troopie.

Now to just locate a suitable unit for my D3...

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As to the real topic, change the alignment of probably the inner two sensrs to adjust their field of view NOT to include the hitch.

There are instructions on disco3.co.uk. Two ways to do it:

I went to the hardware store and found some sticky back plastic discs that are for putting on the bottom of chair legs. They are grey in colour. I cut them in half with a hacksaw, painted them black and stuck them on.
They are a prefect size. Stick them on with the straight edge (the cut edge) vertical facing the outer side. they still work but the as the caps are on the inner area of the circle, they ignore the hitch.

and

You need to do this modification before installing the hitch or remove before doing so.

Undo the screws holding the bottom of the rear bumper skin, the skin is the plastic bit over the top of the steel bumper bar. The screws are along the bottom of the rear bumper to the left and right of the hitch.

The sensor is housed in a plastic housing that clips into the bumper skin with slits as guides.

Put hand between steel bar and plastic skin, ( don't be afraid to pull hard on the skin, it will go back!) unclip the sensor from the housing and push in from the outside, (towards the inside of the bumper skin) you will find it easier to see what you are doing with someone with a torch helping you.

Now you need to remove the housing. This is done by pushing the clip inside the housing from the outside of the bumper skin and push the housing out (towards the outside of the bumper skin).

You will need to turn each sensor housing 75 degrees away from the tow hitch. Mark where the guide slots will need to be and cut new slots for the new position of the housing.

Replace the housings in new position, push the sensors back into the housings.
Replace bumper skin screws.

I unclipped the bumper but couldn't easily get the sensors unclipped. Given I will need to remove the bumper entirely anyway for a rear wheel carrier (hopefully this weekend) I decided to leave it and do the hitch and carrier as one job.


http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/topic10853-375.html

Slightly off-topic, but apparently the revised tow hitch for the D4 (which sits higher) will be a retro-fit for the D3. Should be of interest to people as Land Rover Australia are now requesting dealers to note any "non-genuine" fitted accessories. Hmm .......

Cheers,

Gordon

Originally Posted by gghaggis

Slightly off-topic, but apparently the revised tow hitch for the D4 (which sits higher) will be a retro-fit for the D3. Should be of interest to people as Land Rover Australia are now requesting dealers to note any "non-genuine" fitted accessories. Hmm .......

Cheers,

Gordon

Gordon, I hope they do. maybe then they will get some ideas to fix some ridiculous oversights like:
1. the tow hitch weight rating at 750kg for off road...
2. 84 Lt fuel tank...
3. underbody spare tyre...
to name a few

Don't hold your breath. Those are disadvantages only for offroaders like ourselves and we aren't sufficiently a large market to worry about. We'd buy the car anyway and fix it. The 750kg rating for offroad; well LR actually give an offroad rating, try finding that for other manufacturers. Some, like the underbody spare, are actually an advantage for most customers. 82L (diesel size) is fne around town in a stock D3. Loaded and accessories in the sandy outback it's small though.

The new LR hitch is slightly higher and further back than the existing plough.
It will allow you to remove the spare tyre without removing the hitch.
I saw the drawings for it and it will only improve the departure angle by just over a degree.
LR cannot do any better as it would be outside the design paremeters set by LR. They would have to get it approved and LR would have to re-tesrt and re-calebrate and re-test the elecronics to suit.
Aust (and SA) is really the only place it is a problem and we are too small a market for them to make any major changes.

The answer the question about the sensors.
They can be adjusted by rotating the sensors away from the hitch.
Check:

DISCO3.CO.UK - View topic - Towing Hitch

You have to pull the bumper out to get at the rear of the sensors.

Thanks all
I will try the cut down stick on protectors for now