I see the symbols pop up on your posts fairly often

 

How strange. I have no idea. My posts look normal to me!

 

4800 lbs is the dry weight. I’m thinking I won’t pack 2900 lbs into it, however having it weighed at a truck stop would be a good idea before a long trip with the fam. My only 2 trips with it thus far, just me, solo, with very little gear.

This debate about the weight distribution set up has me curious. I don’t have a ton of towing experience but my Dad always took me on Camping trips, and always had WD. But he also, never towed with a Land Rover. How does the air suspension fit into the equation?

I did read in the manual that WD should not be used, but it didn’t quite seem to explain why. So I went with my gut and got the weight distribution hitch with sway bar. Seemed to be the right thing, and it did tow ok that way. Maybe I should try towing without the WD to see how it feels? But, the idea of an accident due to sway, scares the heck out of me.

 

Not discounting your advising against weight distribution hitches on the LR4, just trying to understand. Exactly how does it affect the air suspension system? What harm can it do, if all it’s doing is distributing weight? And what about the sway control bar? Can that be used without the Weight distribution set up? I worry about sway more than anything!

Also, you mentioned something about a “12 dollar harbor freight incandescent tow light set to activate the towing settings on her truck”. Does my LR4 have a tow setting? Still learning about my vehicle so,. I would like to hear that story.

 

i personally have no idea why Land Rover is anti in this regard, but having towed heavy trailers for more than 30 years, with a huge variety of tow vehicles over that same period, all I can offer is that every tow has been much safer with weight distribution than without. I don't see how a Land Rover defies physics. I've towed heavy trailers with F150's, F250's, Excursion, Grand Cherokee's, LR2's, and lastly LR3's. Never once did I feel safer without added equipment.

 

Heh guys,

why is a weight distribution hitch a bad idea on an air suspended Land Rover? - the hitch causes the air compressor to work continuously, something it’s not designed to do. It will eventually burn out from the abuse. Driving characteristics are that you’ll notice “porpoising”, the trailer nodding the rover up and down . It’s particularly bad with a single axle travel trailer.

sway control. As long as tow mode is activated, the lr4 has software to detect and counter sway.

Activating tow mode - it’s a passive system that looks for resistance on the lighting circuit of either of the tow connectors. If you don’t get a trailer icon on your dash when you hook up your trailer and turn on your indicator, towing mode is not activated. The harbor freight work around was worth it for us because tow mode alters suspension settings and shift points, plus disables the rear parking sensors when backing up.

bottom line, if you’re towing with an lr4, years of conventional “towing wisdom” will get you into trouble unless your replace the airbags with coils.

 

I tow a 2009 Dutchmen Areolite 24RBLS. This is a 4,500 unladen and 6,000lb fully laden with out sway bars or weight distrubtion bars. Due to the passive system on the LR4 they are not needed. In fact by putting them on you can cause issues with the compressor trying to compensate for the WD bars. As for sway:

 

what he said.
to recap:
if your tow vehicle has coil or leafsprung suspension, use a weight distribution hitch with sway control.

if your tow vehicle is a Land Rover lr4 or RR Sport - just hook up the trailer and drive it. The vehicles systems will do the rest.

 

I have a 2006 LR3 and tow a 1972 - 23 ft airstream safari. I took it from Rhode Island to Tennessee and back through New Orleans, Florida and Georgia. I don't use a wd hitch and it towed great! The wd hitch will screw up your compressor.