IntroductionThe RR III/L322/LM is a great tow vehicle. In advertising literature
it is sometimes shown towing horse trailers or boats, and it has been
featured on the cover of Trailer Life magazine (August 2003), towing a
hefty
28 foot travel trailer (caravan in British and Colonial parlance) with
an empty
weight of 5,900 lbs. The accompaing article extolled the virtues of the
near-300 HP powerplant with low speed torque that allowed the combo to
ascend a 7% grade at 55 mph in 3rd gear. The authors were also amazed
at the
RR's ability to soak up appalling terrain whie towing -- on a section
of freeway with "the worst surfaces in the state" they cooed
admiringly: "What would normally be a tooth-rattling experience in
other vehicles turned out to be a magic carpet ride". My L322 has to
tow the family 24-ft travel trailer, with a dry, empty weight of 3,400
lbs and a loaded weight (with full tanks and all our junk) probably
around 4,500lbs (2,000 kg).
Like its forbears, the Range Rover LM comes equipped (in the US)
with an
excellent built-in Class III hitch receiver, immensely strong and
cleverly designed not to interfere with ground clearance and departure
angle. Unfortunately, in the electrical department (as with past
models), US Range Rovers still lag behind such lowly makes as Chevy,
Dodge, Ford and Toyota. At least the latest trailer wiring harnesses
avoid the total embarrassment of earlier ones that used purely Euro
plugs. Thanks to the Ford takeover, at least there is now a 7 pin US
plug (complete with the Ford logo), but still no provision for the
trailer brakes, even though the owner's manual admits they are
essential.
You still have to wire these manually, or get an RV or truck shop to do
the job.
These pages are intended to guide the L322/LM owner in making the
trailering setup process as easy as possible, in spite of
the obstacles unintentionally placed in our way by Land Rover.
The rear overhang results in a distance of about 47 inches from the
rear axle to the trailer hitch ball. This means if oyu are towing a
heavy
trailer it is highly desirable to use a sway
controller. The standard friction type of sway controller (examples are
available by Hidden Hitch, Reese, Putnam and other makers) is just
a telescoping bar with an adjustment to control the amount of friction
applied. A special miniature (1 1/4 inch diameter) hitch ball is
installed a few inches to the right of
the main ball of the hitch on the tow vehicle, to use as an anchoring
point
for the front of the device. The other end of the sway controller, is
anchored
to a similar ball located about 2 feet back on the trailer drawbar. The
resulting friction resists and dampens turning movements between the
trailer
and tow vehicle. The stabilizing effect is quite amazing --
especially when a huge truck overtakes you and you are biuffeted by the
suction pulling you in towards it!. Overall, use of a sway control is
highly recommended.
Many weight distributing hitch ball mounts come with the auxiliary
sway bar ball already installed. Standard hitch ball mounts can easily
be modified to accept the sway control by welding a small sway control
ball mount plate (available from the sway control makers) on one side.
The center of the sway control ball is usually positioned about 5.5
inches to the right and 1.5 inches forward of the main ball.
The sway control might need to be removed during tight manoevering
to
allow enough freedom of movement for the trailer.
When towing a heavy trailer, most tow vehicles require a load
equalizing hitch to prevent the rear sagging and move some of the
trailer weight to the front wheels. On Range Rovers, the
air suspension keeps the vehicle level regardless
of load. This greatly simplifies the process of hooking up a trailer
(ask my wife, whose vehicle does not have air suspension). The
suspension really does keep the rear from
sagging
even a fraction of an inch.
On earlier model Range Rovers, the owner's manual warned against use
of
load equalizers, presumably in case they interfered with the built-in
self-levelling suspension. On the RR III, I have found no such
prohibition, so if you are towing a really heavy trailer it is probably
a good idea to use one in order to put more of the trailer weight on
the tow vehicle's front wheels, ensuring optimal steering control and
handling.
Wiring the Trailer Brake
Controller
For heavy trailers over about a ton, you should definitely make sure
the trailer has brakes, and make whatever provision is needed to
operate them. In the
US the brakes on heavy trailers (such as travel trailers) are usually
electric. Unfortunately, Land Rover is still a day late and a dollar
short compared with its competitors in this regard; the new Range Rover
III wiring
kit still has NO PROVISION for trailer brake wiring. The blue brake
wire is connected to the (Ford branded) 7 pin plug, but the
instructions
say "not used".
Accordingly, an electric brake controller must be purchased and
wired in by hand. Due to the electronic complexity of the new model,
this is not as easy as on older Range Rovers, but can be done with a
little persistence. Full details on this procedure are provided on the RR III Trailer Brake Controller Installation
page which depicts my own
installation (photo at right).
RR III Trailer Wiring Harness Installation
page
RR III Trailer Brake Controller
Installation page.