Towing with a Disco 1

Just passed my B+E trailer test earlier this week, chuffed with that.

Now preparations begin for my 500 mile drive north from Portsmouth to Scotland in early July that I'll be making in my 300tdi auto. And then the return trip a few days later.

Just booked trailer hire, gone with a 16x7 foot tri-axle tilt bed.

My worry now is that will my poor ol' Discovery coupe with pulling such a huge trailer, plus a 1250kg car, plus 1ton of spares?!

Any advise? Should I go with a twin axle instead?

Just leave me to work out and combine imperial weight plus metric weight and I'll be back, maybe.

Sorry

From reading more into this, I think the trailer unladen is 830kg
My car (the trailer's load) will be 1250kg
= Trailer gross weight = 2080kg

Spares actually around 500kg
Discovery itself 2100kg
= Tow car gross weight = 2600kg

Should be fine, shouldn't I?

For a Tdi or V8 The max towing weight for a 4 wheel trailer with coupled brakes is 4000kg , with overrun brakes a bit less at 3500kg according to my owners handbook.

Spares are going in the disco?
Doesnt give a massive train weight but you'll know its there. Well done on passing the test, can I ask how much it set you back?

Daze said:

Sorry

From reading more into this, I think the trailer unladen is 830kg
My car (the trailer's load) will be 1250kg
= Trailer gross weight = 2080kg

Spares actually around 500kg
Discovery itself 2100kg
= Tow car gross weight = 2600kg

Should be fine, shouldn't I?

Click to expand...

No problem with that, I moved more (a P38) with a Transit and that was a struggle

discool said:

For a Tdi or V8 The max towing weight for a 4 wheel trailer with coupled brakes is 4000kg , with overrun brakes a bit less at 3500kg according to my owners handbook.

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EU limit is 3.5tonnes for a braked trailer.

No problem with the weights etc, but if it's your first real towing trip it's a long way to go to learn how to tow .. whatever the certificate says!!

I'd suggest you make sure to load the trailer evenly, weight distributed across however many axles. I'd certainly try to take a second driver, or at least a drivers mate, 'just because' ... If it's the Discos first time at towing large weights for a long while I'd also take plenty water/coolant, and a few bits and bobs of tools etc, again just in case (and 'cos I always do anyway!)

Good luck .. have fun ..

Transit towing weights are poop(nearly swore not AG). And the four ton is for air brakes but no one has those

Daze said:

Just passed my B+E trailer test earlier this week, chuffed with that.

Now preparations begin for my 500 mile drive north from Portsmouth to Scotland in early July that I'll be making in my 300tdi auto. And then the return trip a few days later.

Just booked trailer hire, gone with a 16x7 foot tri-axle tilt bed.

My worry now is that will my poor ol' Discovery coupe with pulling such a huge trailer, plus a 1250kg car, plus 1ton of spares?!

Any advise? Should I go with a twin axle instead?

Click to expand...

weight is weight dosent matter if 2 or 3 axle. 3 axle will carry it better, and if loaded proper will not tail wag as quick. 3 axles if braked will help also

Make sure your cooling system is 100% radiator, thermostat, water pump. Make sure your fan belts are good and maybe even carry a spare. and a couple extra gallons of coolant. make sure the tyres on the disco and trailer are at proper psi. You might want to add a extra 5psi to the rear tyres of the disco

Paul D said:

No problem with the weights etc, but if it's your first real towing trip it's a long way to go to learn how to tow .. whatever the certificate says!!

I'd suggest you make sure to load the trailer evenly, weight distributed across however many axles. I'd certainly try to take a second driver, or at least a drivers mate, 'just because' ... If it's the Discos first time at towing large weights for a long while I'd also take plenty water/coolant, and a few bits and bobs of tools etc, again just in case (and 'cos I always do anyway!)

Good luck .. have fun ..

Click to expand...

Yes indeed, some sound advice!! Thanks very much. It'll be my first towing experience apart from doing my licence earlier this week! I'm pretty nervous about the whole thing, defiantly. I do have a passenger with me, but he won't be able to share the drive as he doesn't have his B+E licence. The Disco will be loaded with tons of tools & fluids, defiantly!

Thor1950 said:

weight is weight dosent matter if 2 or 3 axle. 3 axle will carry it better, and if loaded proper will not tail wag as quick. 3 axles if braked will help also

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That's good to hear! Thanks

Thor1950 said:

Make sure your cooling system is 100% radiator, thermostat, water pump. Make sure your fan belts are good and maybe even carry a spare. and a couple extra gallons of coolant. make sure the tyres on the disco and trailer are at proper psi. You might want to add a extra 5psi to the rear tyres of the disco

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Cooling system seems good on mine. I've done a couple of long-ish distance drives already and it hasn't missed a beat. Belts were changed not too long ago, new tyres going on my Disco on Saturday, and I'll be sure to check the trailer's tyres when I collect it. Thanks for the tips, really appreciated! Spare belts just incase sound like a good investment!

Daze said:

Yes indeed, some sound advice!! Thanks very much. It'll be my first towing experience apart from doing my licence earlier this week! I'm pretty nervous about the whole thing, defiantly. I do have a passenger with me, but he won't be able to share the drive as he doesn't have his B+E licence. The Disco will be loaded with tons of tools & fluids, defiantly!


That's good to hear! Thanks


Cooling system seems good on mine. I've done a couple of long-ish distance drives already and it hasn't missed a beat. Belts were changed not too long ago, new tyres going on my Disco on Saturday, and I'll be sure to check the trailer's tyres when I collect it. Thanks for the tips, really appreciated! Spare belts just incase sound like a good investment!

Click to expand...

Driving by itself will usually be fine, towing a heavy trailer will test the system for you. Your engine and drive train has to work twice as hard

just take it steady, it will pull fine but will be slow. lugging my twin axle caravan around I often end up down to 45mph on some motorway hills.
just remember not to thrash it if you are loosing speed on a hill dont just drop gear to smash up the revs let it drop then select the lower gear and let it pull up comfortably at that speed without being over revved even if it is 40mph as you dont want to be foot flat at 4000rpm as it wont accelerate for you anyway, work to your vehicles comfort zone if that makes sense and drive like you are towing heavy not driving.

well done on the B+ E heard they actually make you tow a loaded trailer now.
i did mine couple of years ago when i bought a bigger van and car (been towing caravans since 18 but kept in legal weights).
cost me about £400-500 back then for a little bit of training and the test, their trailer and vehicle.

Nice one, sounds good. I'll defiantly bare that in mind. I'm giving myself well over 24 hours to get there, so I won't be in any rush. Also to note, mine is an automatic, so I'll just keep it in D and basically never floor the throttle completely ever? Keeping an eye that it doesn't rev too high if it kicks down

Spares on my list to to buy/bring
Set of glow plugs, fan belt (serpentine belt?), diesel lift pump inc gasket, sedimentor seal kit

If I have time before, I'll change the lift pump & clean the sedimentor before I go, just for peace of mind.

I realised that goonarmy asked me how much the B+E licence was. It cost me £499 which included 4.5 hours course before test.

And as you say, its done with a loaded trailer now. They use a mini horse box style trailer which is about 450kg unladen, plus around 1t of water as a weight.

ahh the auto will definitely be nicer

good luck and enjoy the journey