Towing

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

danrhiggins

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2014
Posts
1,126
Reaction score
81
The hitch is genuine OEM, the ball mount pictures is Reese (as it says). The trailer light wires plug in behind the bumper cover (typically), so you'd have that cover removed as pictured when you tow.

As roverman said. I actually leave that plastic cover off all the time as I tow fairly often and I need the plug for the electronics. I also use the recovery point loop to anchor the emergency brake for my trailer.
 

stew77

Active Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2014
Posts
28
Reaction score
2
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):
 

Attachments

  • RhinoHitch1.jpg
    RhinoHitch1.jpg
    199 KB · Views: 66
  • RhinoHitch2.jpg
    RhinoHitch2.jpg
    96.2 KB · Views: 72
  • RhinoHitch3.jpg
    RhinoHitch3.jpg
    234.9 KB · Views: 66

danrhiggins

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2014
Posts
1,126
Reaction score
81
Does Todd have a website or something? I couldn't find anything. The name Rhino is primarily associated with hitch steps. And how does that work? How deep is it - in other words, how far in can my tow bar go? (I have a proprietary tow bar for my Hensley hitch.)

Trailer looks nice, BTW. We, too, are in Colorado. We should compare notes some time. ;-)
 

stew77

Active Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2014
Posts
28
Reaction score
2
Does Todd have a website or something? I couldn't find anything. The name Rhino is primarily associated with hitch steps. And how does that work? How deep is it - in other words, how far in can my tow bar go? (I have a proprietary tow bar for my Hensley hitch.)

Trailer looks nice, BTW. We, too, are in Colorado. We should compare notes some time. ;-)

Thank you! I agree with you...when I was searching for details on his new hitch (which is extremely new btw...his first shipment of production hitches arrived only a few days ago even though he has been testing pre-production versions over the past 8 months or so), the only web reference that comes up is associated with Rhino hitch steps. With production hitches just arriving, it does not look like the website is fully updated so I will defer to Todd (who has been very responsive to my PM initially, and then email communications after that).

Your concern about the depth of the tow bar is a valid one, especially with the Hensley hitch setup as the WDH configurations tend to be deeper than a standard, non-WDH hitch. My Equalizer WDH requires 3" of depth from the deepest point in the hitch to the center of the retainer pin. I believe the Reese WDH shank requires approximately 4" of depth from the deepest point of the hitch to the center of the retainer pin, and I know that his pre-production tester (shown in my pic above) required a small notch in his Reese hitch shank of approximately 1/4" to clear the attachment at the main frame recovery point to avoid any interference, so I think I've got approx 3/4" additional clearance (but please don't take that as fact until I have a chance to receive my hitch and confirm myself).

I should receive my Rhino Hitch soon and will definitely post up pics and confirm the depth available when it arrives, so stay tuned. I also plan to hook everything up and take some towing test runs prior to the start of our camping trips this summer, so I promise some pics and info on that too.

Glad to meet another fellow Coloradan! Love your towing setup as well! The pics of your setup and trailer inspired me to feel confident in the capabilities of the LR4...would love to compare notes with you.
 

danrhiggins

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2014
Posts
1,126
Reaction score
81
Stew, I heard from Todd who sent me a great email and a ton of pictures including the ones you show above. Thanks for pointing all of this out. I am going to PM you about arranging a meet when you have yours so I can see it in person. I'll buy you a coffee or beer and we can share thoughts on where to trailer/camp with an LR4 in CO. (We've only been doing it since last August so very new to the trailering/camping thing.
 

Ksyrahsirah

Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2015
Posts
17
Reaction score
0
The hitch is genuine OEM, the ball mount pictures is Reese (as it says). The trailer light wires plug in behind the bumper cover (typically), so you'd have that cover removed as pictured when you tow.

Thanks! Right now it's only for a bike rack but in the future we might need to tow a trailer of some sort. That is, as soon as Friesian horses come off back-order (yes, my husband says they are on back order indefinitely). LOL
 

Ksyrahsirah

Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2015
Posts
17
Reaction score
0
Drop me a PM with your e-mail, and I'll send you some info on a Class IV that will allow you to keep your spare down under.

????? does the OEM hitch not allow the spare to stay right where it is?
 

stew77

Active Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2014
Posts
28
Reaction score
2
Stew, I heard from Todd who sent me a great email and a ton of pictures including the ones you show above. Thanks for pointing all of this out. I am going to PM you about arranging a meet when you have yours so I can see it in person. I'll buy you a coffee or beer and we can share thoughts on where to trailer/camp with an LR4 in CO. (We've only been doing it since last August so very new to the trailering/camping thing.

Awesome Dan! Glad to hear that!

Let's definitely plan to meet up after I have mine installed.
 

tlt

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2011
Posts
727
Reaction score
5
shipped today guys... thanks guys.. web site is in the works. PM w/email for more information in the meantime.
 
Last edited:

danrhiggins

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2014
Posts
1,126
Reaction score
81
????? does the OEM hitch not allow the spare to stay right where it is?

The OEM hitch will not interfere with a normal full size spare (30") diameter. In fact, it works with the new tires I put on this weekend that are 30.5".

The spare tire issue occurs if you need to go to the Curt Class III hitch which is sturdier than the OEM hitch but, again, protrudes about an inch into the spare tire area. This is what happened to me.

Why go to a Curt hitch? Because there are questions about how well the OEM hitch will stand up over time with tongue weight loads over 550 lbs or with a Weight Distribution hitch. If you are only using the hitch to hold a bike rack the OEM hitch is more than enough.

If you plan on pulling a trailer over 5,000 lbs or over 550 lbs tongue weight then you may consider the one Todd is introducing here. That said, some people use the OEM hitch for heavier loads. It depends on how much risk you want to take.
 

Latest posts

Staff online

  • joey
    Custom Rover Accessories

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
36,266
Posts
218,039
Members
30,497
Latest member
TeriM
Top