Towing experience with the LR3
 

Hey All,

When I was thinking about towing with my LR3 there was some hit and miss info about its effectiveness as a tow vehicle.

Thought I'd share a little bit of first hand info with the forum about my recent vacation towing our travel trailer using an 06 LR3 SE (with rear seats, nav).

Some simple faqs:
• 3800 miles from Southern California to Idaho (Sawtooth mountains), Yellowstone, Cody and Tetons in Wyoming.
• trailer is a hardsided fleetwood 18 ft fiberglass box (total trailer is about 21ft) and weighs 4200ish with nothing...almost 5400 loaded with my family's gear (just the four of us (two little kids)). Its a light trailer because it has no sliders and it has a couch that converts to a bed in the front.
• Three bikes on Thule roof-mount plus a fairing to cut out the wind noise
• Tongue weight is about 300lbs on this trailer loaded...
• Did not attach any kind of left or right rearview mirror extenders to see around the trailer...I should have though...the LR3 mirrors don't reach around enough on their own to safely see anything directly behind you.
• Did not use any kind of equalizer/anti-sway bar system...just a 2 5/16 ball on the tongue.
• Using a genuine Land rover wiring harness I installed (it was quite simple--even for me!)

The Ballmount and Ball:
The real trick is configuring a 2 5/16 ball so that the height of the ball is roughly at the same height as the electrics box so as not to make the trailer front dip. I purchased a ball mount with a 10 inch drop that I reversed. A warning on this: the manual clearly says that the hitch can only drop 2 inches or so below or above the adapter...I am violating this directive in the manual and have had an LR dealer, (what do they know right?) a trailer hitch install specialist and an engineer all look at the setup and basically give their blessing. Of course they are not driving it...

Suspension:
If you think you are an expert at the suspension system, you'll learn quite a bit more once you put a trailer in the mix. The air-suspension notices you've attached a weight and automatically (assuming you have the doors closed---not the hatch though) raises the back of the vehicle to adjust. Sometimes I open one of the doors just so I don't have any surprises---if you get my drift). I've custom-configured (the manual taught me) my remote control to raise and lower the trailer by remote/blinkers on. Its handy for doing the attachment part...

Gas:
• Averaged 11.9 miles per gallon of premium (counted at least 14 serious grades---crossed the continental divide at least five times going back and forth)...
• Most tanks averaged 230-250 miles from full to a little below 1/4 left.

Drivability:
• Cross winds weren't a problem....even some of the really gusty ones.
• Trucks pushing hard in the lane next to me did push the trailer around some...but I saw other trailers on trucks (Fords/Chevys/Dodges) facing the same issues--and most of them had equalizer bars.
• Pulled well on all but the nastiest grades (there is a solid 10% grade coming out of Jackson Hole west (I think its 22). The toughest grade I had to handle by far...actually put the selectable transmission into 1st gear (about 25mph) just to make it up...there were no fifth wheels on that grade that I saw and no semi trucks...everybody who was up there was moving slowly.
• Most of the time on flats, the truck was in the 3rd to 4th gear and averaging about 3500-4000 rpms.
• I found that 55 was a great speed---very controllable...faster speeds made things progressively more complex. I did run some solid 75mph session but would not recommend it for the trailer we have.
• I noticed that with my cruise control on and in sport mode, the truck was always happily in a torque-y gear that worked well.
• It was important to me to select a trailer that came no where close to pushing the 550 tongue weight limit...wanted to be conservative on that...also, I think that 23-24 ft total is probably the longest I'd want to go...

• During the last 150 mile sprint home through hot vegas (110 degrees on the ground during midday, we had two passenger side trailer tires blow--each about 50-75 miles between each other). The cabin on the LR3 is so quiet, the only way I knew anything was wrong was a slight fish in the steering control and a look back to see tire pieces flaking off!

Rover reliability:
We had zero mechanical, electrical, power, transmission, overheating or otherwise issues during our trip. Turning radius was a total dream...Very happy indeed with this as a tow vehicle.

• Not to be different, but in all that trailering and traveling we never saw any other Land Rovers towing anything!

Hope this helps,

Reply with any questions/comments!

sworks4ken

Images in order are:
• Just the LR3 in Yellowstone
• Tow vehicle and trailer in Eagle Lake, California (near Susanville)
• Towing a family fishing boat around (felt like nothing was there)
• At the top of a gigantic mountain pass on the way into Sawtooth Mountains
• Set up in an Idaho RV park near Tetons

LR3 Towing
 

I tow a similar weight/length with my LR3 and found your information to match my previous experiences.

My fuel economy was a little lower than your since I replaced the factory GY's with larger Nitto's.

Looks like a fun trip! Thanks for sharing! :)

Great info

I pull a 16' Airstream with my 2008 LR3. The trailer weighs about 3500 lbs. No issues at all. I use just the ball - no weight distribution / sway - with no issues. I also flipped a hitch over to get the right height for the trailer tongue (but only needed 2").

I used to pull the same trailer with a Discovery II - with a weight distribution hitch. Towing with LR3 is night and day - it is a huge improvement.

Good to see other Land Rovers towing.

sworksken-Thanks for the excellent review. Am looking at getting a Keystone Bullet 180 that is about the same specs as your trailer. When towing a demo trailer experienced a fair amount of jouncing in Lr3 on highway and county roads. Any suggestions? Have you done any more trailering since your last post? Anyone done any towing lately? Any suggestions on type or brand of trailer to buy?

Thank you for the detailed towing report. I just purchased an LR3 and I am excited to be confident about towing my boat. Its a little heavier at 6700 lbs but the Discovery II i had before was able to do it, meaning this thing will have no problem.

I got 8-10mpg towing a 8x14 enclosed trailer with 2 harleys and 7pass in the vehicle from Michigan to Chattinooga TN and back running 65-75mph with 285 tires. Command shift works best and you can only run 50-55 in overdrive so you will stay in 3rd to 4th and 5th at times. The LR tows good if your used to a disco2 or similar but compaired to my 1/2ton GMC truck it is just ok. I usually tow with the truck unless we need the LR for extra passangers going along. If I remember correctly I bought a 3 1/2 drop and flipped it over seems just about perfect.Lines the ball up to just above the bumper.
The mirrors are way to small everytime a tow any distance I swear I am getting extenders for next time.

Recommendation for at tow hitch and electrical connections
 

I'm looking at purchasing a 2006 HSE LR3 and need to get a tow hitch with power connections. Can I get this done at a trailer service and supply (aftermarket)or do I need to order a specific one. -Thanks

Just had my LR3 converted to a regular 2" drawbar receiver and 7 pin trailer electrical installed in the bumper. The shop, located in dunn, nc took only 30 minutes and I spent only 220.00! Amazing right! I also had them put some bolts in that would allow easy removal of the drawbar prior to off road excursions. Towed my 7000 on boat like a champ! The stability made my jaw drop and somehow I got 10 mpg, I still have not figure out how.

What mirror extensions work well with the LR3? I just hate those useless little things on such a large vehicle. They seem about half the size of my third-gen 4Runner's mirrors! I would swap them out for larger mirrors if any were available (I did that on an old Dodge for the same reason).

I had discussed the mirror extender issue with one of our customers who owns a LR4 and tows a larger box trailer.
His concern was finding a mirror extender that was approved/sold by Land Rover.
My suggestion to him was to consider using a dual rear view camera setup instead of mirror extenders.
Just a thought....

I have towed my 27 foot altralight travel trailer (5,800 lb's dry) with my 2006 LR3 SE in Florida with no problem at all. No hills here but I have had plenty of power left over. I also have had about 11.5 MPG. I'm looking for nicer side mirrors but the good sam cheap ones I have work fine.

OK..I have been trying to decide on a trailer. Several year back I had a 24ft travel trailer I pulled with my GMC. Sold both and bought at LR3 HSE and love it....How ever I miss camping a lot so am buying a new trailer.. My wife likes the Keystone Bullet but it is 26ft and I was worried the length would be to much. The dry weight is 4,600 and with a hitch weight of 510. All the specs say I'm good to good but was a little worried about how the overall size would be handled by my LR3. I'm feeling pretty secure/comfortable now!!! Thanks

I have a Fun Finder F-242BDS. Dry weight is 5,150 and the hitch weight is 600lbs. Length is 27'7" total. I was extremely worried about the length as well, and did lots of research before I made the purchase. I discovered another LR3 owner that was towing one even longer that 27'7". He recommended a specific hitch - a Hensley Arrow (I went with the Hensley CUB model). It was very unique in design and very expensive, but well worth the investment and peace of mind I have towing a trailer with that length and my family in the car. Zero sway issues, even in the strongest wind. It sounds like your trailer has similar specs, so I'd recommend the Hensley CUB to you too. You will not be disappointed and will never second guess your purchase.

Thanks
 

Thanks for the info.....Is this a WDH as well? I know Land Rover does not recommend using one. Some folks do some don't. What is your thought on this

Yes, it is a WDH as well. As I mentioned, I did a ton of research on it and settled on the fact that the WDH was needed and wouldn't harm anything. My LR mechanic mentioned that WDH's are illegal in Europe and LR just left it in the U.S. owners manual for some reason. Don't know if that's true or not.

In my experience, it makes sense to use one as long as it's used in conjunction with an aftermarket receiver (Curt) and not the LR snap in receiver. The Curt receiver is bolted on to the frame and spreads the weight evenly. The WDH is designed to push some of the weight to the front, and the air suspension does a fantastic job of leveling the entire vehicle out on all 4 corners. I've never felt unsafe or had any impression that I'm overworking the suspension with the WDH. The Hensley with the Curt receiver set up works great.

If any of you guys n gals are interested in a better hitch solution, feel free to drop me a PM, e-mail, etc. If you are curious about why, here is an example.

Thanks for the shared experiences. Sounds pretty good except for the 3500-4000 rpm average bit. Too bad we have a car engine instead of a truck engine in these things. I think I'd have a hard time relaxing with the engine spun up like that all the time. I'd have anxiety and stress the whole time.

I haven't had my LR3 long but it's very clear that it doesn't make much power until it reaches the rpm range mentioned, and then it does pretty well, but that's really revving.

Wish it had a nice inline 6 turbo diesel, 4-5L or so. This heavy rig needs a tractor engine, not a sports car engine.

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Towing my Series 3 109 on a uHaul trailer. It was 6k or more in weight (109 is at least 4,000 lbs and that trailer, LOL those things are dumb heavy). Using my 05 LR3 SE V8. Stock wiring harness and later style removable trailer hitch.

I guess it depends on what you are expecting from towing. For me, I do not rely on vehicle towing. It is a "once a year" affair or so. Either towing my 109 or an enclosed uHaul trailer. I can definitely feel either back there. In comparison people I know with big 1 ton trucks and gooseneck trailers be like, "Oh with only one car on the trailer, I can barely feel it". On the flipside years ago I moved a home built car hauler and with it empty, it fought me the entire way.

Overall it towed just fine. Towing my 109 on a uhaul trailer, I put the LR3 in sport mode and kept her at about 65 mph for the 4 hour ride home. Towed just fine. Yes I feel it back there but I didn't expect to retain my 0-60mph figure. Held its own on hills. Returned 12 mpg.

Only towed uhaul big van trailers around town. I've never had one of those actually tow well. 109 pulls it just fine.

Maybe one day I'll get to tow a trailer that isn't a rental that gets beaten everyday. Also one of these days I'll convert the 109 over to be pulled via tow bar. That would save me ALL kinds of time, money, and effort vs. screwing around with a uhaul trailer. Also shedding a couple thousand pounds to pull is probably good also.

Overall I think they are a decent tow vehicle. If I was towing once a month or more, then I'd be looking at a diesel pickup. But for once a quarter or less, it'll do the job. My dad has a LR4 and has pulled a small (less than 2000lb) trailer with it. He said he didn't notice it. I have pulled that trailer with a 02 Yukon Denali and had a similar experience. Didn't even feel it.

I did get one of those hitch anti-rattle brackets, mainly for my bike rack but I can see that being a huge benefit when towing, just not to have the hitch rattling around in there.

So I have an 08 LR3 that I tow a 26 foot travel trailer with (30ft hitch to bumper). Its 6k empty, prolly 6700 loaded up ready to go. I am running a weight distribution hitch with the curt hitch (didn't feel comfortable running a WDH on the OEM hitch). I know I am at the top of its capabilities but It pulls really well, obviously wish it had more power but it can pull down the freeway at 65-70 no issues. I get about 9mpg with a mix of freeway and hills. Obviously down the road I will be upgrading but for right now...it works out well.

I know the V6 is rare and not used very often, but does anyone have any info on towing with that engine? I have a 2006 LR3 with a V6. When I look online it says the tow rating is the same. I would imagine I'd be fine with a boat or small trailer but just want to see what people have heard or experienced.