Longtime lurker, and have been very interested in the towing options for the LR4 (so, my apologies for the long first post). We purchased a preowned 2012 LR4 LUX mid last year (absolutely loving it by the way!).
Our previous tow vehicle was a 2002 Toyota Sequoia and it served our needs very well and very reliably towing our Hearland Northtrail 31QBS Travel Trailer. This is an ultra-light travel trailer with a dry weight of ~ 5400lbs (we figure all loaded up, we are running around 6200-6500lbs.
We purchased this vehicle as a replacement vehicle, serving duties transporting kids and dogs all over the place, but also as a vehicle that would also be serving as our tow vehicle for our camping adventures (also love to get off the beaten path offroad here in Colorado, and remain MORE than impressed with the offroad abilities of the LR4...but you all know that already!)
I bought the vehicle originally convinced that the LR4 was up to the task of towing heavy loads using the most recent LR4 branded "short" receiver hitch that has replaced the older, highly leveraged, "plow" design.
After seeing the Land Rover recall announced late last year (granted, only announced for the UK market only and not in the USA), it created some concerns for me in towing a relatively heavy load, especially with a Weight Distribution Hitch, over the long term as some of the language in the recall seemed to point to some long term "wear" issues that can result between the restraining pin and the hitch assembly.
link here:
http://www.lro.com/news/land-rover/1509/faulty-tow-bars-mean-major-land-rover-recall/
I'm not saying the LR4 hitch would not be up to the task of towing our camper, but it created some concerns in my mind, and when I'm towing, I place safety (and safety margin if I can get it) at the top of the list.
After looking at several options I made the decision to go with Todd's solution (username: "tlt" in the post above). His Rhino Hitch gives me a true Class IV rated hitch (rated at 8,000 lbs for conventional towing, and 10,000 lbs for weight distribution configuration towing), that is also a high-rise design that will not interfere with my full size spare (very important for us, as we do go offroad and need the reliability of a full-size spare). It also offers the advantage of maintaining the excellent departure angles of the LR4, and allows me to feel much more comfortable towing with our "Equalizer" WDH which I feel is a must for trailer loads over 5000 lbs.
Todd has taken the detailed time to design (and also optimize the design through prototype testing with real LR customers that are using both regular and Weight Distribution Hitch towing configurations). In additional, he has certified the hitch through testlink services in the USA (testing twice to different levels of certification, including WDH configuration).
I think it's the best design for my towing needs and will provide me with that extra level of safety margin as we tow our camper this upcoming summer.
Here are a few pics of Todd's hitch setup (including one of his customers towing with his LR3 and a Reese WDH):
, I finally installed the brake controller (I'm running a Tekonsha Prodigy P3) this week, and I'm ready for a test tow before we start our camping season next month!
