Towing in lower height range

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stevebrookman

stevebrookman

Well-Known Member
Posts
388
Hello all,
Would it be more stable towing a caravan if the rangie (P38) was in the motorway height range.
I've always locked it in normal ride height.

Any opinions?
 
Land Rover say lock at normal height. However it would depend on your caravan. If I locked mine in motorway position the caravan would be towing nose down, not good for nose weight or stability, the caravan chassis should be roughly level. I'm sure L/R would have designed the tow hitch height to be at the appropriate EU standard level with the car at normal height, it certainly matches my caravan nicely at normal height.
 
I have a 24' twin axel and running on normal height mode the van is tilted backwards with most of the weight on the rear tyres. I tend to lock mine on motorway mode now and in my opinion it tows much better....

I have fitted a standard tow hitch,, but am looing at ways of maybe fitting a plate to lower the height of the tow hitch....has anyone else done this on a P38?
I have seen the plates on Discos' and classics etc but not on a P38
 
hoarec said:
I have a 24' twin axel and running on normal height mode the van is tilted backwards with most of the weight on the rear tyres. I tend to lock mine on motorway mode now and in my opinion it tows much better....

I have fitted a standard tow hitch,, but am looing at ways of maybe fitting a plate to lower the height of the tow hitch....has anyone else done this on a P38?
I have seen the plates on Discos' and classics etc but not on a P38
Click to expand...

That comes back to what I said, the caravan chassis should be level when hitched.:D You might like to check that the standard ride height on your car is set correctly.
 
Thanks
The Rangie has always been a little jiggly towing-would a worn steering damper cause this?

Thanks
 
Yeah, if its jiggly then you've got bushing issues, Rangie should be rock solid when towing. As said above, just use whatever heights sets the trailer level and lock it at that.
 
Since having the Rangie, I've tried it both ways. On our first run to France with the caravan, I locked the suspension in "normal" mode - the van was roughly level but didn't feel stable at motorway speeds. I checked the noseweight etc. but all was as it should be.

On our second trip to France, I decided to try letting the suspension adjust itself normally. In my opinion, stability at motorway sppeds was much better, with the nose of the van slightly down. (Out of interest, the Caravan Club favour a slight "nose down" over any setup which might be "level" at best or "nose up" at worst).

The latter approach was a good compromise - stable at motorway speeds, but lots of ground clearance for the slower stuff around towns/cities with their spped humps etc.
 
Look at the drag link and track rod ends first. Get someone to wiggle the steering and look.feel for play in the ball joints. A very little play caused a lot of undesirable effects on mine
 
richwp said:
Since having the Rangie, I've tried it both ways. On our first run to France with the caravan, I locked the suspension in "normal" mode - the van was roughly level but didn't feel stable at motorway speeds. I checked the noseweight etc. but all was as it should be.

On our second trip to France, I decided to try letting the suspension adjust itself normally. In my opinion, stability at motorway sppeds was much better, with the nose of the van slightly down. (Out of interest, the Caravan Club favour a slight "nose down" over any setup which might be "level" at best or "nose up" at worst).

The latter approach was a good compromise - stable at motorway speeds, but lots of ground clearance for the slower stuff around towns/cities with their spped humps etc.
Click to expand...
Read your ****ing manual towing is quite clearly explained
 
richwp said:
Thanks Fanatic - Yes I've read the manual where it says you should leave it in standard height. I'm just sharing my experience. Unfortunately, the manual doesn't explain WHY you should leave it in standard height!
Click to expand...

Mine stated locked in motorway mode and use sport mode as required on hills p38 bag of ****-happiest:p day seeing it gone
 
richwp said:
Thanks Fanatic - Yes I've read the manual where it says you should leave it in standard height. I'm just sharing my experience. Unfortunately, the manual doesn't explain WHY you should leave it in standard height!
Click to expand...

Why should it be explained. That is Land Rovers recommendation after hundreds of hours of testing. Motorway setting is for use on motorways or roads where sustained use over 50 mph is possible. That is why it automatically reverts to standard for normal road use below 50 mph. Do you also want an explination of why that feature is included. Try driving with your suspension at this setting at up to 50 mph on a potholed road, the reason will soon be obvious.
 
wammers said:
Why should it be explained. That is Land Rovers recommendation after hundreds of hours of testing. Motorway setting is for use on motorways or roads where sustained use over 50 mph is possible. That is why it automatically reverts to standard for normal road use below 50 mph. Do you also want an explination of why that feature is included. Try driving with your suspension at this setting at up to 50 mph on a potholed road, the reason will soon be obvious.
Click to expand...

Hi Wammers - I'm not questioning why the suspension changes height - it makes perfect sense. What I would like to understand is why you wouldn't want it to do the same when towing the caravan. In my experience it worked well when towing, making the outfit more stable at motorway speeds.
 
richwp said:
Hi Wammers - I'm not questioning why the suspension changes height - it makes perfect sense. What I would like to understand is why you wouldn't want it to do the same when towing the caravan. In my experience it worked well when towing, making the outfit more stable at motorway speeds.
Click to expand...

So it's OK for you, problem is you are doing 50mph when it drops, if that destabilses the rig and it starts to snake you could be deep in the ****. Avoiding the change of height eliminates the possibility and thus eliminates LR's potential for liability:) I have actually seen a disco towing a caravan turn over after it developed a death snake on the motorway, no serious injuries but the caravan was reduced to a chassis:eek::eek::eek:
 
Datatek said:
That comes back to what I said, the caravan chassis should be level when hitched.:D You might like to check that the standard ride height on your car is set correctly.
Click to expand...



No it shouldnt. Im a salesmanager at one of the biggest caravan retailing groups in the UK so I know a bit about it!!! Caravan should be slightly nose down. If you really cant do anything about it , level is OK but you wont get the best tow. Never ever nose up. This causes instability caused by the air going under the van and having to escape from the side or be comressed under the caravan. You can use a plate to lower your towball (assuming its a bolt on ball- if its a swan neck you are stuck). Never use a plate to raise your towball... its illegal and dangerous and if you have an accident the insurance company will walk away.
 
alfaitalia said:
No it shouldnt. Im a salesmanager at one of the biggest caravan retailing groups in the UK so I know a bit about it!!! Caravan should be slightly nose down. If you really cant do anything about it , level is OK but you wont get the best tow. Never ever nose up. This causes instability caused by the air going under the van and having to escape from the side or be comressed under the caravan. You can use a plate to lower your towball (assuming its a bolt on ball- if its a swan neck you are stuck). Never use a plate to raise your towball... its illegal and dangerous and if you have an accident the insurance company will walk away.
Click to expand...

OK - so I'm going to use a plate to reduce the height of the ball and then lock the suspenion in standard height mode when towing! Simples!:)
 
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