Hello all,

I've been towing my 18' ski boat (1900lbs) for a couple of years with my '01 Disco and have never had a problem. This June I'm planning on towing the boat from Eugene, OR down to Lake Shasta, CA. I've never pulled the boat over a big mountain pass like Siskyou Summit. I was hoping to hear some good techniques for going up (and down) the steep grades. The trailer has surge breaks only. I've read through the threads here and the truck is running great. All the fluids, belts and hoses are new, and my independent LR mechanic has checked and double checked the brakes and cooling system. So, any thoughts on a proper technique?

 

Other than the basics as you mentioned, maybe switch to a heavier weight in the diffs and t-case (85/140 or similar)

More on diff oils...
Land Rover gear oil? - Bob Is The Oil Guy

Dont over think it....what is more important will be changing them more often.

A 180F soft spring t-stat wouldnt be a bad idea and something to monitor engine temps (ultragauge or similar) im sure you are aware the one on the dash is just there to look cool.

Do you have the 4.0 or 4.6. The 4.0 has an oil cooler installed, just a perk...i went ahead and added one to my 4.6, but that might be a bit over kill if you arent towing a ton... then again you can get one cheap from any rover parts guy and it bolts right on. Maybe an 1-1.5hr job.

Pump up the tire pressure, i run 40 psi pretty much all the time...if you run lower it will start to feel a little loose.

Use the shifter to keep the tranny from hunting up big hills.

Take her easy and enjoy the ride.

 

Maybe do a tranny fluid change (3-4 quarts) without filter before and after the trip.

 

Make sure you do not have any air in your brake lines, and pads and rotors are in good shape. If it has been a while since you have changed your brake fluid, do a full swap and bleed with some top grade Dot 4 Synthetic. This is a good time to upgrade to SS braided brake hoses, so you do not get any fade. There are also two additional brake hoses that come from the the master cylinder to the solid brake lines that are often not changed, and are a nice upgrade if you tow very often, IMO. I tow a 23' camping trailer that weighs in at about 3800-4000 lbs. loaded. The tranny will hunt going up hill if you do not downshift it manually, so find a lower gear that works for you. Also, when running in D when not on the mountain, I use the Sport mode on the tranny to keep the RPMs up.

You also want to make sure you cooling system is in good shape, 180 degree t-stat as mentioned is good to have as well. Flush and fill of radiator if you have not done it in a couple years would be recommended. I would agree a freshing of the tranny fluid might be a good idea as well.

These are just some good ideas, but if your D2 is well maintained, you should be good to go, just take it easy. I find that on longer trips, I tend to get too confident sometimes that the trailer is towing well, and get a wake-up call that brings me back to reality that even though things are going smooth, I need to stay on top of things, and not get as comfy as if I were not towing.