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sivy28

Member
Posts
38
hi had my freelander since feb and since then spent lots on repairs battery, starter , 2 wishbones , vcu (bell eng) clutch, rear shoes, tyres etc

i tow a twin axle at 1.5 ton unladen so close to max when loaded from what ive read the freelander drivetrain is weak which makes me think should i get rid of it while it working or keep it and risk trashing the ird or diffs etc . is the freelander suitable for this weight as max is 2 ton ? most sites slate the freelander which makes me think sell for something more robust before more expense what do you guys reckon

ta sivy
 
also last outing blew intercooler hoses , its done 109000 miles 2001 td4 im just really suspect about the ird , diffs gearbox etc its got a slight whine at 50mph but a few ive driven seem the same from gearbox

:confused:
 
The Freelander's IRD and diff are far from weak. They won't tolerate a stiffened VCU for long however as the front are rear axle ratios are different.

However if the plated gross weight of the trailer is more than 2 tons, it's illegal to tow it with the Freelander anyway.
 
y think the gross weight is 1.8 ton but i must admit the freelander pulls it but it seems to much for it , it may be me being paranoid but wanted to see how others got on towing heavy loads and how durable the freelander was in reality and not some biased review

thanks sivy
 
Your trailer's unladen weight is about the weight of your FL. When laden it would appear to be around 1800kg +. It's too heavy. Others will guide you re the legality of that, but you must also consider the extra work the brakes, transmission, rear suspension and cooling system will be put to. There's no doubt the FL will pull such a load but you are above the maker's stated maximum and likely over the legal level for you vehicle too.

Search the forum, there recently was a discussion re this and another discussion re tyre rating and vehicle loads too.
 
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The transmission problems you're worried about are not valid. The IRD/VCU issues have nothing to do with the towing - unless your trailer is very nose heavy possibly (which might squash the rear tyres?).

The Freelander can be a great tow truck. I pull my boat loaded with all camping gear without any problems. That though probably max's out at 1.25T.

However, you are very near its limit and if you're towing that weight regularly I wouldn't have thought it was the most ideal tow truck. It is after all a 2L diesel car engineered as such and no low range box etc.
 
y think the gross weight is 1.8 ton but i must admit the freelander pulls it but it seems to much for it , it may be me being paranoid but wanted to see how others got on towing heavy loads and how durable the freelander was in reality and not some biased review

thanks sivy

It can't be 1.5ton unladen and 1.8ton gross weight. that's a payload of 300Kg.

It it the maximum admissible Mass that is used to calculate whether you are allowed to tow it or not. in laymans terms that is the maximum fully loaded weight of the trailer and it's load. It matters not whether you are towing the trailer empty or full. Plod will prosecute either way.

check the data plate on your car. It will give you the kerb weight and the loaded weight of your car a 3rd figure will give you the max towing capacity.

On my 110 that's 3050KG max weight 3500KG towing capacity and the MAM is 6550Kgs
 
thanks for the replies guys

just checked the van its MTPLM is 1685kg and the MRO is 1431kg it gets confusing but with this van loaded and 4 people plus bikes on the roof just think i might be better off with a bigger truck as it might mean early wear and tear for the freelander not sure if this weight is breaking the law ?
 
I regularly towed 1.7 tons with mine without problems. The addition of a Synergy 2A tuning box did make a massive difference though - the torque increase was a big help when pulling the trailer.

The Freelander now needs welding and the clutch is on its way out too, so its languishing at the back of the garage for now and I am using my Mazda 4x4 pickup, which tows a lot better (heavier car, 2.5 litre engine and a low box for the tricky bits) but is way too bouncy for my liking when driving unladen. When work slows down in winter time I will hopefully get the Freelander rebuilt.
 
I have the pierburg maf too. Its set on either 9 or 10, I cant remember which. The difference is very noticeable. Its not "set your pants on fire" fast, but just much more powerful and driveable. The access road to the farm has a very steep hill which used to be a second gear slog for it, but after fitting the synergy it will breeze up the hill in third gear.
 
Been out and put the dash switch on. Did a few runs and yes there is a noticeable difference between Eco and setting 10. Measured it via dash command which showed it up significantly.
 
I was towing for the first time this weekend a caravan plated at max 1250kg. The (remapped Freelander coped with it better than the Yeti comfort wise, but the Yeti had much more power, but felt a little less stable as it is about 200kg lighter. I only did 2 trips of 25 miles including a 10% hill. Almost all B roads with a little A road action. Average 20mpg as the terrain is quite lumpy. I would expect more on a longer motorway/A road journey, maybe 25mpg.
 
I was towing for the first time this weekend a caravan plated at max 1250kg. The (remapped Freelander coped with it better than the Yeti comfort wise, but the Yeti had much more power, but felt a little less stable as it is about 200kg lighter. I only did 2 trips of 25 miles including a 10% hill. Almost all B roads with a little A road action. Average 20mpg as the terrain is quite lumpy. I would expect more on a longer motorway/A road journey, maybe 25mpg.

My boat laden with camping stuff aint shaped like a caravan brick, but weighs about the same. The L Series shifted it over mountains and twisty stuff with ease. It also didn't crap out on the MPG either - stayed up in the high 30's I'm sure. It sounds a bit stupid cos different roads you drive at different speed, but in the twisty hilly stuff 3rd gear I found awesome - it just pulled and pulled. admittedly in 3rd I'm not getting high 30's - but down hill I'm getting 50's :)

I think KevLm put up a thread here recently where he went touring round Europe in his L Series with caravan and got high 30's.

Probably a mix of TD4 and auto (and possibly some of those electric goodies you've attached) knocking your MPG.
 
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