LR3 towing w/Weight Distribution System

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hrvc_NC

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I'm looking for an update from anyone who may be towing a travel trailer using any type of weight distribution hitch (mine is by Equalizer) on a LR3-HSE. Land Rover says not to use one, but the vehicle still looks to be sitting high in the front, with 610lbs of hitch weight.

I see some older forum responses, but that latest is about 2 years old.

Thanks,

John
 

joey

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Welcome to the forum, I moved your post to the LR3 section where it will get the most attention.
 

schafari

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A WD is tough on a truck with a self leveling air suspension. LR says not to clearly. The problem is that the air suspension does a pretty good job of leveling the truck by adding more pressure to rear and/or lessening pressure at the front. When you put a WD hitch you cause this to change. Not to mention, that funnly little LR hitch and pin that his holding your whole rig togetehr is only rated at 550lbs.

Does your truck self level when you drop the tongue on the hitch ball without yet connecting the WD arms? Mine self levels perfectly when I drop my 500lb hitch weight on the tongue. (Engine running of course) If it doesn't even do that, you may have bigger problems.

Are you sure you have "only" around 600lbs on the rear axle? Keep in mind that it is really everything at and behind your rear axle line that adds to this figure. If your trailer puts 600lbs on the hitch, then you load two people in the back seat, plus a generator and a big cooler full of beer in the cargo area. . .all that is really adding "hitch weight."

One of the more dangerous scenarios in towing is having your tow vehicle unlevel. You pretty much gauranty that you will have sway issues, among other things that are not greatly enjoyable.

One thing to ensure, check your rise/drop of the actual reciver bar that goes into the LR3 hitch to ensure it is the right size. You don't want your trailer unlevel due to this. If the trailer is unlevel it will either load or unload hitch weight as the center of balance shifts in the trailer.
 

hrvc_NC

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Thanks Schafari.

We just tested the "Equalizer" 4 point sway control hitch system verses towing without, there was a BIG difference, and It seemed to work well with the Self-leveling Air Ride. The Equalizer takes almost all of the sway out of towing, and made it so easy to drive, but it has WD too. But it seems that the WD does nothing since the LR hitch has some slight pivot to it, unlike hitches on a Yukon or Jeep. The only other way to get the sway out is to go with Dual Friction Sway arms, but those have to be undone before you can back up at any angle.
 

CoMclovin

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The Tongue weight on my LR3 hitch is rated for 770lbs.. :)
 

schafari

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Interesting. I am not sure what you are towing, but in almost every case, you don't want to use dual sway controls. Based on the wheelbase and towing capability of the LR3, it kind of limits the length and of course the weight with what you can tow. A single sway control is usually more than enough.

I have a Reese friction sway control on my 4klb camper and the LR3 tows like a dream. There is literally zero sway ever. Sway has never been an issue. The camper is a full travel trailer, 8ft wide and 22ft long (24ft with total)

In addition, I have reversed more often than not with the sway control still on. Now I generally take it off, and of course I do if I get into some crazy angle situations. However, you would have to have quite an angle to have a problem.

Taking it off is way simple. You pull to pins and you are done. The pins have zero tension or anything on them. It takes less than 10seconds.

Just some thoughts. . .
 

Rogo

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there does seem to be some confusion on the true hitch weight. I agree with schafari - there is much more than tongue weight to figure in. However, it is not clear whether its 550# or 770#. I've seen instances of both stamped onto the funny little LR hitch. Further, and I've posted this before, 550# is to light for a towing capacity of 7500#. 770# makes much more sense.

Had conversations with everyone who will listen at the dealer, and the most knowledgeable ones concur with me...
 

schafari

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Yes, if you look on the rating stamped into the actual LR3 hitch, it says 770lbs. They all do that I am aware of. However, that is susupect. It is not the class of hitch that can support that.
 

Rogo

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dealer says its class III, but I'm not sure I buy that.

I exceed 550 on my tongue weight. I have 25' travel trailer, I think its 5000 lbs. Dry tongue weight is 550, and I am very very careful about what I put in the front storage area and carry nothing but the kids in the middle row of the truck. I probably have 650 once you figure in LP bottles and battery.
 

schafari

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If you have dual propane tanks, the tanks alone will add 60lbs full. A single battery is usually right around 50lbs. Depending on your trailer, you have a tanks that add tongue weight as well (almost all do) So if you are carrying any water (waste/gray/fresh) you are likely adding tongue weight. The problem is that usually there is more stuff added to trailers in front of the axle rather than behind. Most have pass through storage up front, H20 heater, and fresh water. Go out with those with any amount of stuff, and tongue weight suffers.

The LR3 has no problem being a class III hitch, but the problem comes in that class three has a tongue weight rating of 500lbs. It is not a Class IV, which has a tongue rating of up to 1k lbs. (Althought some can be slightly more.) The stamping on the single part of 770lbs doesn't necessarily make the system (truck and all) capable of carrying that much weight safely.

Sway is almost always an unsafe loading condition, or an unsafe trailer mechanical condition. You won't have sway if your trailer is loaded correctly, hitched correctly, and in good mechanical shape. If you overlaod any rating. . .sway is usually the result and warning sign.
 

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