It's Done. LR4 is gone. Compos, OEM Hitch for sale

[danrhiggins]

That is awesome that you finally got something definitive out of LR corporate, Mike! (They could have save a lot of people a lot of frustration if they had stepped up sooner. The 800 hitch weight is very encouraging - and finally something that makes sense. Did they say whether this would be with the OEM receiver or do you need something after market like the Rhino? "Never" use manual (trailer) brake controller. Never a good idea to use it; but "never"? "Never" use a weight distribution hitch? OK, I get that the LR4 can handle the leveling piece. (It actually does that quite well based on my experience.) But that is not the same as weight distribution to help put some weight back on the front axle and trailer. Oh well.

Can't remember which Rockwood Roo you have but pulling anything over Trail Ridge Road (12,000' for those of you not from Colorado) is very impressive. Well done!

 

[danrhiggins]

Thanks, Chris. I'll probably lurk from time to time. I may not be able to assist with technical LR4 stuff. But I'll still be doing some off roading and some adventuring. And I am very curious to see how the new Discovery works out.

Let's stay in touch. Maybe we'll run into each other on the trails or at a campground. I'll post a pick with the trailer and LC combination at some point. But our, now boring, white LC is not nearly as recognizable as our bronze LR4 with the roof rack and the Matrax was. I am sure one of these days I'm going to walk out of a store and not be able to find my truck.

Well Dan...Congratulations on the LC! (I had a feeling that you were heading that direction fairly strongly.) It looks great and will, no doubt, be able to serve you very well off-road (and I hope it provides you with confident towing). Your smile on that second pic indicates you are a happy camper, and that is really what life is all about IMO.

I agree that the information from Land Rover regarding towing is confusing and vague, and frankly, I still do not agree with towing anything that weighs over 5000 lbs without a Weight Distribution Hitch setup (so I will certainly continue to use my Equalizer hitch to tow our 6000 lb plus camping trailer).

It was really nice getting to meet you through our mutual love of the LR4 and talking about towing hitch options with the LR. I hope that our paths will somehow cross again, and all the best to you with the new Landcruiser!

I am very interested to here how the LC tows for you with your new camper and WDH, but we can continue that conversation via PM or email.

Happy Trails To You buddy!

 

[stew77]

Thanks, Chris. I'll probably lurk from time to time. I may not be able to assist with technical LR4 stuff. But I'll still be doing some off roading and some adventuring. And I am very curious to see how the new Discovery works out.

Let's stay in touch. Maybe we'll run into each other on the trails or at a campground. I'll post a pick with the trailer and LC combination at some point. But our, now boring, white LC is not nearly as recognizable as our bronze LR4 with the roof rack and the Matrax was. I am sure one of these days I'm going to walk out of a store and not be able to find my truck.

Thanks Dan. Absolutely, let's stay in touch and share our experiences regarding awesome Colorado camping and off-road adventures!

Like you, I'm very interested to see how the new 2017 Discovery turns out.

Ok, maybe your new LC in white is not as distinctive as your Bronze LR4 was, but don't fool yourself...the LC is a legend in it's own right (and you really don't see that many of them out in the wild IMO). Will be interesting to see how you like it as your everyday vehicle.

 

[machmike]

Use a brake controller absolutely, but never use the manual lever to straighten a sway. It will counteract the cars stability control system for stopping the trailer sway.

 

[cperez]

Dan, I will add my voice to those who have enjoyed having you as a member of this community. It was fun to follow your journey as you learned and gathered experience taking your Landy where it was designed to go. I got a vicarious ride-along experience through your trip reports!

I wish you all the best. My best send-off (technically speaking, since I hope and am confident that you'll still be at least an occasional presence around here) is this great piece from cowboy poet Edward Abbey:

“Benedicto: May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poets' towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through miasmal and mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red rock, blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and grottos of endless stone, and down again into a deep vast ancient unknown chasm where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled cliffs, where deer walk across the white sand beaches, where storms come and go as lightning clangs upon the high crags, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you -- beyond that next turning of the canyon walls.”

Stay well and may your adventures continue, my friend!

C.

 

[danrhiggins]

Use a brake controller absolutely, but never use the manual lever to straighten a sway. It will counteract the cars stability control system for stopping the trailer sway.

Agree! Can just make things worse. Even with tow vehicles that don't have anti-sway. I pretty much only use the manual lever to test/adjust the brake controller and trailer brakes on level ground.

 

[danrhiggins]

Dan, I will add my voice to those who have enjoyed having you as a member of this community. It was fun to follow your journey as you learned and gathered experience taking your Landy where it was designed to go. I got a vicarious ride-along experience through your trip reports!

I wish you all the best. My best send-off (technically speaking, since I hope and am confident that you'll still be at least an occasional presence around here) is this great piece from cowboy poet Edward Abbey:

“Benedicto: May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poets' towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through miasmal and mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red rock, blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and grottos of endless stone, and down again into a deep vast ancient unknown chasm where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled cliffs, where deer walk across the white sand beaches, where storms come and go as lightning clangs upon the high crags, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you -- beyond that next turning of the canyon walls.”

Stay well and may your adventures continue, my friend!

C.

Thanks, Chris. And, yes, I will be lurking. ;-)

 

[Surfrider77]

Heya Dan! We didn't chat much directly, but I echo the others. I really enjoyed reading about your trail adventures. I sincerely hope to hear back from you after a few off-road trips and hear an unbiased comparison about how you are getting along with your LC vs your experience in your LR4.

Best of luck and happy trails!

 

[mpinco]

I Finally got answers to all my towing questions. LR really needs to get their messaging clear. I would agree with that.

Answers:
I got 800 on the hitch from LR coprporate. Stability Assist is active and on all models. Never use manual brake controller lever, Never use weight distribution hitch. Towing assist requires vision package, all it does is provide guidance for your car AND red lines for your Trailer - its actually really helpful.

All of this was a horrible feat to get definitive answers on from LR dealer, and Corporate but I got it all (Finally). The amount of confusion is on a level unheard of from a company that charges so much for a car.

I just towed my new Rockwood Roo up through Estes to RMNP and over the pass to Grand Lake. The SCv6 towed better than my tundra 5.7 Flex. To be honest I was super nervous the LR would struggle. Nope. I was so enthused after my RMNP trip.

Glad you are happy! Life is all about not having that voice in the back of your head making you doubt safety or your car.

Yup, they need a trailer towing info page that brings it all together. As previously noted I run reese hitch and Rhino., nothing more.

I will add one item to the list. Maintenance of the LR hitch is important. I've seen several reports of the hitch dropping out of the wedge recepticle. Thinking about this, this is not soley a design issue. If the pins and locking mechanism's of the hitch are allowed to get dirty and corrode with no/low maintenance then all the rotating pieces will not fully seat themselves. I know, the key is suppose to finish the installation but I have to think the LR OEM hitch mechanics are susceptible to wear and corrosion. Not directly related to this thread but more a maintenance item.

Dan - the salesmen are sad. Enjoy the LC and maybe we shall meet someday on the trail.

 

[umbertob]

Hey Dan, I am on vacation with my family so have been neglecting my favorite automotive forums for a few weeks, and missed the news of you selling the LR4. Don't know much about trailers and tongue weights, but I do know we are "losing" a true gentleman and always knowledgeable contributor on this forum, so I am sad to see you go. Please keep in touch, with or without a Land Rover your overlanding adventures are always fascinating and entertaining to read, I'll miss them and your photos a great deal. Take care and hopefully we will meet on a trail somewhere one day.

Umberto