Annie-Rent the 6x12 open trailer, you will have more than enough room for what you need. With the trailer wiring kit that I sent you thge link for from AB you will be ready to tow in 30 min. and it will fit your truck.
YOur Disco is rated for 5,000lbs. You can tow that without electric brakes you just need to pretend that you are back home in the dead of winter, in other words, leave extra room to stop.
If you were pulling a trailer once a month, then you would need the electric brakes.
Your stuff doesnt weigh that much, the trailer will weigh more than your all of your stuff.
Buy some rachet tie downs and bungie straps, drive slow and build your confidence, I have faith in you, YOU CAN DO IT!

 

Hi Annie,

Looks like you have an 03 or 04 Disco which is good for 7700lbs in high and low range. You can pull the largest trailer Uhaul can rent with no problems since their large trailers have surge brakes. All you need to work out are the lights, buy a receiver with a 2in. ball (less than $20) and Wallmart or even Uhaul themselves will sell it you you and go for it! I tow a 7000+lb boat regularly and have no problems.

Fred

 

Annie, just to make it clear. The overrun brakes mentioned in the RAVE manual and the surge brakes that have been mentioned are one in the same. Just different names for the same thing. Surge brakes use pressure against the hitch ball to apply the brakes rather than a signal being sent from a controller inside the vehicle. Apparently LR changed something with the D2 and it can tow 7700lbs in high range with brakes. My D1 is only rated for 5500 in high and 7700 in low. Not that you needed to know that but just an extra tidbit of knowledge for you.

You can get a ball thingie and ball holder thingie, with the pin dohicky to keep it in place already assembled at Walmart really cheap. It's heavy and would be more to ship it from AB then what Walmart sells them for. Uhaul will also sell them and probably help you install it in case sticking a square peg in a square hole gets too technical. LOL.

 

Ok, here are the correct names for the trailer hitch parts...the part on the truck is the reciver, the part that goes into the reciever is the draw bar, the chrome ball is called, are you ready...the ball. The pin that holds the draw bar in the reciver is call the the draw pin.
You can buy the draw bar and ball from Wal-Mart, U-Haul, any RV dealer, the LR dealer, GM dealer, almost anywhere. Tractor Supply would be another good place.
BUT, you MUST buy the wire harness from Atlantic Britsh, if you dont you WILL have electrical problems. The trailer wire kit from AB is specifically built for your Rover, it is a plug and play kit and it is gaurateed to work. It is a simple DIY install, I only mentined the entire trailer kit because it would be a one stop shop kinda deal.
You will need a pipe wrench to tighten the ball onto the draw bar.
And when you are not using the trailer hitch, remove the draw bar and keep it inside the truck for two reasons.
1, I am sick and tired of busting my shins on trailer hitches in the parking lot at the grocery store, and 2, it will rust and you will never get it out ever again.

 

I suppose I should have stuck to the technical terms after explaining the brake system names. Was just going for a laugh.

First time someone racks a shin on a hitch is the last time they leave it on. I use a pintle hitch in my receiver when I take any vehicle off-road as a recovery point but take it off as soon as I get back on the road. Too many times laying on the ground in pain from nailing my shin, or knee, on it.

 

Here is what's in the Owner's Manual for the specs ('03 and '04)....

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/k...e/D2towing.jpg

Annie, Spike is 100% right regarding the electrical... Go with the AB at a minimum... I went with the LR package since I knew I was going to do some regular (heavy) hauling and wanted to modify the LR kit for a 7-pin plug (I have a charge line and a brake controller)...

Jonathan

 

Hey AK Rover,

Thanks for chiming in - I was not familiar with surge brakes and was also looking for an explanation... I think it also helped Annie....

I just posted the specs. for the D2 ('03 and '04) and they are the same as your D1....

Jonathan

 

5500lb rating, here is where it gets really confusing, in the rest of the world the towing rating for the EXACT same truck is 7,700lbs in high and low range.

 

U-haul has all the info on your Disco II and will match
you with what you need.

You will need the wire plug from A.B.

I towed my car on a trailer from a U-Haul a few months ago
my car is 3100 lbs and the trailer was a drive-on 4 wheel one,,It had the hydraulic surge brakes stopped with no problems.

A Disco II 4.6L V8 will do better and you will have less than
a 1000 lbs of stuff in the trailer.

 

FYI i just bought ahitch thingand ball set from wall mart, the black hitch thing just slides around in the reciver, rusting it up. i have to sand it down and rustoilium it everytime i tow. when i tow a light trailer w/o stuff in it it slides back and forth every bump i hit and makes
ALOT of noise. when loaded it only slides durning heavy braking/turning.

Other then that, i have no problems towing my 22' ski boat w/o brakes. it weights a good 1/2 - 3/4 ton.