The (world famous) Defender and Trailer Thread
#11
It seems like there is no way to stay within the LR guidelines/requirements for the distance from hitch pin to tow ball here in USA/Canada. (6.9" max)
The designs of trailers are geared toward pick-up truck tow vehicles and have a much shorter tongue than UK/Euro/Australian trailers.
Fitting a NAS trailer to a tow ball < 6.9" from the hitch pin will be very difficult on the Defender.
I picked up this ball mount. In it's longer setting the ball sits just below the outside edge of the spare.
WDH seems to be contra-indicated with the Defender. All that fancy air suspension electronics does its job there. Plenty of weight on the rear axle already. Sway is another issue perhaps.
Here is a video that covers a few things relevant to this thread.
I'm new to all of this. I've not towed anything ever. That will be changing soon.
The designs of trailers are geared toward pick-up truck tow vehicles and have a much shorter tongue than UK/Euro/Australian trailers.
Fitting a NAS trailer to a tow ball < 6.9" from the hitch pin will be very difficult on the Defender.
I picked up this ball mount. In it's longer setting the ball sits just below the outside edge of the spare.
WDH seems to be contra-indicated with the Defender. All that fancy air suspension electronics does its job there. Plenty of weight on the rear axle already. Sway is another issue perhaps.
Here is a video that covers a few things relevant to this thread.
I'm new to all of this. I've not towed anything ever. That will be changing soon.
#12
It seems like there is no way to stay within the LR guidelines/requirements for the distance from hitch pin to tow ball here in USA/Canada. (6.9" max)
The designs of trailers are geared toward pick-up truck tow vehicles and have a much shorter tongue than UK/Euro/Australian trailers.
Fitting a NAS trailer to a tow ball < 6.9" from the hitch pin will be very difficult on the Defender.
I picked up this ball mount. In it's longer setting the ball sits just below the outside edge of the spare.
WDH seems to be contra-indicated with the Defender. All that fancy air suspension electronics does its job there. Plenty of weight on the rear axle already. Sway is another issue perhaps.
Here is a video that covers a few things relevant to this thread.
I'm new to all of this. I've not towed anything ever. That will be changing soon.
The designs of trailers are geared toward pick-up truck tow vehicles and have a much shorter tongue than UK/Euro/Australian trailers.
Fitting a NAS trailer to a tow ball < 6.9" from the hitch pin will be very difficult on the Defender.
I picked up this ball mount. In it's longer setting the ball sits just below the outside edge of the spare.
WDH seems to be contra-indicated with the Defender. All that fancy air suspension electronics does its job there. Plenty of weight on the rear axle already. Sway is another issue perhaps.
Here is a video that covers a few things relevant to this thread.
I'm new to all of this. I've not towed anything ever. That will be changing soon.
#13
4500lbs or so. First time hauling
First time hauling anything with the Defender. Probably only about 4500lbs and ~25' trailer
The 12" length of the draw bar allowed the spare to be cleared.
Any shorter with this setup would mean removing it.
The safety chains fit in the hitch receiver. Only just.
Probably a case of the Indian blaming the arrow here, but the advanced tow assist feature was about as useful as **** on a bull.
Arm and head out the window did the job. At least I gave the other campers a chuckle, watching me struggle so.
Last edited by GavinC; 07-02-2022 at 12:50 PM.
#15
People do use weight distribution hitches, there are quite a few threads here in which folks talk about it.
just know that you are going against jlr’s strong recommendation. To my limited understanding, the monocoque frame is ill suited to the torque a weight distribution hitch can and will apply to it in some situations. So I guess you have to balance the risk of total loss (doubtful if the full frame is bent that it can be repaired) versus less sway as you load up your trailer to the max.
#16
We regularly tow a TAB400 trailer at about 3500lbs with a hitch weight if about 400lbs. I would avoid long draw bars (they add excessive strain to you hitch and mess up the built-in anti-sway algorithms) and WDHs (because they are a pain to use and you don't need them if you have air suspension). I solved the spare tire overhang problem this way:
https://landroverforums.com/forum/20...e2/#post826111
When looking for a new trailer I'd pay special attention to making sure it will work with the LR recommended hitch length.
https://landroverforums.com/forum/20...e2/#post826111
When looking for a new trailer I'd pay special attention to making sure it will work with the LR recommended hitch length.
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GavinC (07-03-2022)
#17
#18
The Curt EchoSmart Brake controller worked perfectly well.
Great for folks like myself who tow infrequently I reckon.
Fun little trip with the clan in this rented trailer. I'd prefer to stay within the JLR specs for the drawbar, but needs must, and the 12" worked. No WDH.
Last edited by GavinC; 07-03-2022 at 06:52 PM.
#19
The Curt EchoSmart Brake controller worked perfectly well.
Great for folks like myself who tow infrequently I reckon.
Fun little trip with the clan in this rented trailer. I'd prefer to stay within the JLR specs for the drawbar, but needs must, and the 12" worked. No WDH.
#20
Not towing now, but I've got a 25' Airstream which should be delivered in September. The 7,300 lbs GVWR of the trailer is well within the P400 specs of 8,200. However, the trailer tongue weight of 880 exceeds the specs of 771. To address that, I had the hitch attachment strengthened. I'm using a Eaz-lift Elite weight distribution hitch with sway control. And yes, the manual says trucks with air suspension should not use WD hitches, but the towing experts with whom I've been working recommend this setup and folks with an identical setup are reporting an excellent towing experience. The spare will get in the way of the trailer jack. The hitch was shortened to improve the leverage so I've moved the spare to the roof rack. I chose the Redarc Tow-Pro Elite brake controller and installed the control in the spare knock-out below the dash dimmer switch.
Last edited by POPTOPP; 07-04-2022 at 10:55 AM.