I do like the Rhino setup, but I don't really think it's necessary. LR does a ton of research and these vehicles are obviously tested to more extremes than is considered "normal" - for a hitch like this I'm sure they considered many failure modes and tested it at least 20%+ past it's max rating. Perhaps that's why there have been different versions, but it's more likely that the newer models and bumper changes, vehicle heights, suspension geometry and frame lengths required a slight tweak.

From the few times I've examined my unit (I have the newer shorty one that doesn't go "under" at all) it seems like the release handle will ONLY conceal the red "warning" area if the locking pin is fully extended and locked in place.

The pin is in a tapered casting which would appear to imply that it is fully extended as long as there's no gap between pin and casting/housing hole. Likewise, if the sleeve the main hitch mount slides into is basically entirely flush (ie. hitch is in correct location) and the receiver tab that "holds" the lock pin in place isn't bent or damaged, that would be considered the normal / optimal location for the lock pin.

It looks scary but just keep in mind the pin really does nothing except hold the hitch in a location that allows all forces to be transferred to the main "sleeve".

I think the recall someone mentioned was due to some weird stuff happening with the european "swan neck" style hitches, BUT it's important to remember that most of the rigs over there are very unusual and have mostly neutral tongue weight with a lot of up/down movement on the ball and hitch.

I've towed a 5500lb 24' boat many times on 3hr trips each way, and a large 2 horse w/ changing room w/ 2 horses on an 8hr round trip loaded up to probably 6500lbs, felt wonderful. *knock on wood*

Worst case just sell this hitch on ebay or CL and pick up the newer style at the dealer for $100 more. The resale on them is generally very good.

Also, if you can jump on the hitch after you "snap it in" - or use a bicycle mount, cooler mount etc etc with no problems, it really shouldn't matter if you throw something with an 800lb tongue weight on there. If it's locked it's locked.

We had to lift a 40' triple axle trailer at work because it had started moving down a hill, and none of the trucks had traction. I hitched that thing up, closed the door, and it lifted this thing out of the mud and up to ride height. I only moved it a few feet, but it must have had over 1000lbs on the tongue (this was with the Range Rover Sport) - same hitch though.

 

There is a recall on the LR hitches. The fix looks something like this. So +1 for the thoroughly tested design 20+% beyond capacity. I'm not sure where you are getting the data on the testing standard used. I've been through the testing process and have a good idea of how it works. At this stage for some folks, ground clearance becomes an issue.



On the Vehicle;

 

Is there really a recall on the hitch adapters?

 

Yes, there is. There is a link about it on this facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/DifferentialPartsUS

I don't feel that the solution is that good, which is why the Rhino. I can't say for sure if the recall has caught on in the US, however the same general problems have been reported. At a minimum it is worthwhile to be aware of the risks. http://landroverhell.com/article/419...he-discovery-3

 

Great info, thanks for the detailed reply on what your experience was. I have the same belief regarding LR engineers, if its used correctly it should be more than capable in regards to design/capacity. Of course there is always a few horror stories that get all the attention, humans like drama. Going on the forum and reading about towing successes would never be popular, but a hitch snapping sure would!

To live with 100% confidence I sold my gen 1 hitch (long neck) for $387 on ebay and purchased a Gen 3 (newest model) for $272 with shipping. If anyone has a hitch to sell, the prices on Ebay are trading at the highest levels I've ever seen for used hitches.

I am happy with Gen 3 hitch overall and seems a fraction more secure. Lock engagement seems "stronger" and the short neck gives me structural confidence.

 

I skimmed the Facebook link and did not see the recall link?

 

Uhm, +1 on the sarcasm as well lol.

So where are you getting all of your information on exactly then? I've been following this on the overseas boards for a while, including the trolls and moms who don't know anything about towing screwing stuff up and blaming LR. Safety chains anyone?

Anyways I can guarantee you that the weights have been tested well beyond the stamped values. The recall is APPARENTLY a result of wear damage as stated by LR - unclear if a hitch problem caused the wear. Considering it was issued almost a full decade after the first D3 rolled off the lines over in the UK, that would seem to make sense. Never once have I seen a correlation of the failures to excessive weights. Some of the failures on the tracking website were with TINY trailers. The dealerships overseas are instructed to "measure" for wear BEFORE fitting the contraption to the vehicle. This isn't simply a blanket-recall. I also feel the need to call out the people trolling the internet about failed hitches on UK rigs "careening down embankments" and such - anyone who just completely ignores safety chains, safety brakes, etc etc and throws a hitch on and drives away doesn't sound like a qualified source of info to me. There are plenty of idiots out there who shouldn't be towing in the first place. MANY MANY reports involved rigs with NO safety chains.

In my post above, I specifically stated that it pertained to European vehicles (which are using the swan-neck style hitches - carrying with them a completely different usage and wear/tear profile to the hitches here). There's a reason a draw bar / ball system is standard/universal in the USA, and why tongue weights are almost always 10-15%, as it controls movement and stability on the hitch and should prevent any up/down excessive leverage movement. Tow vehicles in Europe usually can't support these weights, and the caravans/trailers have their wheels in the middle for a neutral tongue weight (nose weight as they say). This has the adverse effect of HAMMERING the hitch area up/down. I mean people tow caravans with 20 year old compacts over there, it's a completely different culture. Over here people think I'm crazy because I tow horses with a 6k LB Land Rover w/ air suspension instead of a diesel dually pickup.

It's also worth noting that the "nose weight" is only ~330lbs / 150kg (OE LR part # and documentation) for the Euro "swan-neck" hitch part # usually involved in UK incidents. All 3 variants of the US-spec 2" receiver are rated at 7700lbs and 550-770lbs tongue weight (there's some weird documentation on the actual tongue weight limits). From the govt. safety document, it sounded like the problem may originate in the actual removable hitch itself which THEN allows play and THEN damages the cross-member receiver part of the vehicle and requires fitting of the bars. If that's the case, that's an entirely different hitch part with different ratings.

Again to re-iterate, THERE IS NO ACTIVE NHTSA RECALL FOR USA LAND ROVERS (or any other market as far as I know) regarding the hitch system. US dealers don't even know what you're talking about if you ask (then again that's fairly normal lol).

I'll be the first to admit that it's scary and not good for LR, but from an engineering point of view it doesn't worry me much. This play can be measured, as is stated by the document. If they're actually telling the truth, when the play is adequate, the lock pin can apparently move. Again though it may not even be something we can detect on US vehicles if the hitch is to blame.

 

Here's the actual shop procedure for the checks.

http://www.disco4.com/gallery/albums.../WSM-16779.pdf

As you can see, the hitch unit "tow ball in Brit terms" is totally different than our "HD" units. As I mentioned above it's spec'd at 150kg nose weight max.

In the original letter from DVSA in UK the causes were excess nose weight and (oddly) leaving the tow ball on the vehicle. Definitely sounds like the UK "tow ball" design is at fault.

I'm sure something similar is CAPABLE of happening to all removable hitch designs in theory (for our LRs) but this seems to be the current failure mode many people are talking about on the web.

EDIT: Saw something on the UK boards that new documentation with the swan neck "tow ball" being sold to Discovery 4s and such over there state that you MUST remove the tow ball from vehicle when not in use, as it will cause it to wear prematurely. Definitely has different mechanisms going on in there than ours. Sounds like the swan neck units just flop around lol.

 

Upper right hand corner.. links to Faulty Tow Bars Mean Major Land Rover Recall | LRO.com UK

 

Agree.