Nice shots.

You don't know how analogies work, do you? My point was if you don't follow the instructions, don't complain if the result is something you don't like. The Land Rover manual for that tow ball (LSB 10 02 99 122) says: ESSENTIAL TOWING CHECKS • DO NOT exceed the revised nose weight limit...

I had the carpet up on my seven seater when I needed to move the tank, and it doesn't look like it has been touched.

Don't drive a car then.

No I don't - and you agreed with me on another thread when I criticised Land Rover. But the point in this case is that the tow hitch as supplied needs regular maintenance and thought over its use, which is made abundantly clear by Land Rover in their literature. From the picture posted, it...

Doesn't look particularly well-maintained to me. My feeling is that the unfortunate owners were just using the wrong tool for the job.

Again, how FREQUENT was the use? How often was the hook removed? When was the last time it was greased? Without that information we can't really say. Unless the hook or receiver snapped, it didn't fail on the towed weight.

It depends also how it failed. Ultimately though, if your horses lives depend on a solid tow hitch - fit a solid tow hitch.

It IS rated for 3500kg, just not every day. There's a difference between heavy towing (i.e. large weight) and heavy duty (frequent). The detachable is not intended for frequent use.

Well, again, it depends on the purpose. It would be perfectly fine for towing a caravan on your holidays, or a trailer with garden rubbish in it, or for attaching a bike rack. I'd say that a horse box, or a plant trailer used daily would be a case where a permanent bar would be better. In the...

I rarely tow with mine (maybe two or three times a year), and I'd rather keep the overhang as small as possible, which is why I fitted the low profile "swan neck" plate and a detachable hook (which lives inside the vehicle when not in use).

It depends how the word "occasional" is defined. I'd say once a week was occasional, as opposed to a work vehicle pulling a loaded trailer every day. That said if I were towing horses I'd want something permanent, if only because they were living creatures.

I've said for a long time that Land Rover have the best designed vehicles in the world, built by the worst workforce in the world.

Best way to check if the viscous coupling is working is to try and stop the fan with a rolled-up newspaper. When the engine is cold, you should be able to do so - and naturally when it is hot, you shouldn't :)

I'm on petrol, and I certainly see a difference in Switzerland. It's possible that the French make sure all fuel is the same, whether it's from a supermarket or a branded filling station (it would fit with the philosophy of Egalité), but TBH I drive so rarely in France that I'd rather not take...

Good cameras, Olympus. Got a set of the top end bodies and lenses that I use professionally.

Depends what you mean by "long drive". I regularly drive a 400 mile trip in my D2 V8, and I'm going to be covering 1600 miles next week. Aside from checking fluids before each leg, I don't prep it any more than any other vehicle, and I don't carry a whole list of spares "just in case". Even...

I thought that was the case already? When I lived in France a few years ago, my Sankey trailer just avoided needing one.

Shell V Power is 100, at least it was last time I bought some - hence the Shell App :) Even if I was running 98, I'd still be looking for BP over supermarkets. Yes, the per litre price is lower, but so are the kilometres per litre. It works out more expensive using the cheaper fuel.

I'll be crossing France next week - 1000kms each way, entirely on Petrol. Handy Shell app for locating their stations, 'cos she runs more efficiently on 100 octane (equivalent)