Hi everyone,

My first post as we picked up our new to us RRS last Saturday. What a car, so comfortable and it's lovely to drive. We have bought it to replace our BMW 525d touring and will use it for towing our caravan.

The car has never towed as far as I can tell but the previous owner didn't have the bung in the receiver so there is some corrosion but I think I've dealt with that.

I have bought a Land Rover towing neck for it which came today and this is what my question concerns. In the instructions it says that when you lock the neck in place the red ring must be completely covered by the green handle. On mine it appears to lock in place, there is no movement and I can take out the key. However there is around 1mm of the red ring showing. Is this right or should it really be completely covered?

Perhaps someone who uses the detachable one could kindly let me know. I have to be sure all is ok before I put the caravan on it.

Many thanks and regards

Steve

Where did you purchase the towbar from?

There was a recall on them and LandRover converted the factory ones to a fixed towbar which is what you want with a caravan

They will only change them if the play is above a certain amount which is quite a lot if you cant move the tow bar in the socket it should be locked in if you can stand on it and try and push down on it hard and it does not move it should be fine

If you can remove the key then I am fairly sure the towbar is safely locked.
I towed our caravan twice with the detachable towbar before deciding a fixed bar was the safer option. With the detachable in place it felt very solid, in my mind nothing would shift it, however after towing the van (a 1900kg twin axle) when it came to unhitching the towbar was found to be lose in the socket, only around 5mm of play but enough to be a worry.
Remove and refit the item and it was solid in the socket again, until the next time the van was unhitched...
After reading a few of the stories on the internet about detachable bars wearing the socket away with prolonged use and seeing a few you tube videos of some very loose bars, I opted for safety and had a fixed bar fitted. Yes it's ugly, but the van isn't going to end up causing a very big messy accident on a motorway.
I had the detachable bar checked at a dealer and there wasn't enough play in it to warrant a Land Rover freebie, so I ended up paying for it myself for peace of mind.

Andy K wrote:

Where did you purchase the towbar from?

There was a recall on them and LandRover converted the factory ones to a fixed towbar which is what you want with a caravan

GodivaNige wrote:

If you can remove the key then I am fairly sure the towbar is safely locked.
I towed our caravan twice with the detachable towbar before deciding a fixed bar was the safer option. With the detachable in place it felt very solid, in my mind nothing would shift it, however after towing the van (a 1900kg twin axle) when it came to unhitching the towbar was found to be lose in the socket, only around 5mm of play but enough to be a worry.
Remove and refit the item and it was solid in the socket again, until the next time the van was unhitched...
After reading a few of the stories on the internet about detachable bars wearing the socket away with prolonged use and seeing a few you tube videos of some very loose bars, I opted for safety and had a fixed bar fitted. Yes it's ugly, but the van isn't going to end up causing a very big messy accident on a motorway.
I had the detachable bar checked at a dealer and there wasn't enough play in it to warrant a Land Rover freebie, so I ended up paying for it myself for peace of mind.

I'll need to check my detachable hitch too then, I wasn't aware of it. I think I'd rather just tow with my other LR's rather than fit that unsightly contraption to the RRS.

stagfinder, If you don't mind me asking, what kind of trailer do you have that has a 250kg noseweight (or above 150kg) rating, as my local aggregate yard often loads my trailer to be vastly nose heavy so a heavier limit could be handy, although not ideal to drive this way?
You may well know this but incase you don't then if it's an Ifor Williams then although they may have 150kg/350kg stamped on their heavier trailers, All IFW trailers are restricted to the 150kg noseweight rating (I mention this being that IFW seem to be the most popular trailer manufacturer). I emailed IFW asking why the 150kg/350kg on the hitch plate and below is the reply. I also asked about their website FAQ saying for in my example a 1.5t rated vehicle can legally tow a 2.5t gross trailer providing the laden trailer gross was not above 1.5t, so I've included this part of the answer as this seems to be opposite to the vast majority of information/rumours out there.


Apologies for the delay in getting back to you with your query.

· Both values on the coupling plate are a maximum.
· The Knott over-run couplings (and also the Knott heads/eyes) were historically approved to EC regulations – e1, in this case: S-value – 150kg.
· They were recently re-approved to UN-ECE regulations –E1, in this case: S-value – 350kg.
· They now have dual-approval to both sets of regulations, hence the two figures stated.

Ifor Williams Trailers are EC Whole Vehicle Type Approved, which references the relevant EC over-run coupling approval. Therefore the figure from the EC approval is the one to use. This figure also appears in the trailer Certificate of Conformity – Item 19.

So in effect, though the coupling is approved to a higher level, the trailer is approved to a maximum nose weight of 150kg.

Note, the nose weight of the unladen LM126 is about 91kg, and when it’s fully laden (evenly distributed) it’s not going to differ much from that at all.

With regards to licences, the website is correct. If you passed your test prior to 1997 (or have done your trailer test) you are okay to tow a trailer with a maximum gross weight of 2.5t with a vehicle that has a towing capacity, as long as the true weight of the trailer (including load) is less than 1.5t.

However, if you passed your driving test after 1997 and do not possess the B+E section of your licence, the above is illegal. If this was the case, the trailers maximum gross weight would need to be down plated to 1.5t (Using your example weights) – Ifor Williams offer down plating as a service. If needed, a down plated plate can be purchased through our Spares Department for £40 + VAT.

In summary:

Licence obtained prior to Jan 1997 (or B+E) – Towing limits go on actual, true weights.
Licence obtained post Jan 1997 – Plated weights come into effect. 13MY Range Rover Sport Autobiography SDV6 - mine
14MY Range Rover Evoque Dynamic SD4 Black Pack - wife's
99MY Defender 90 TD5, Soft Top Conversion - my toy, and bairns favourite

Hi,

Many thanks for the replies. I had read up on q393 and as I understand it Land Rover are saying that the main reason for the problem is that the towballs were being left in the receiver more or less permanently and this lead to premature wear and consequently the movement of the towballs in the receiver. I've always used detachable bars and never had an issue. It was a Westfalia removable bar on the beemer we just chopped in and that was still solid after 7 years of towing.

Mine is certainly solid at the moment and I'll be towing the caravan to the dealers in a couple of weeks so I'll see if any play develops. I would still like to know if seeing 1mm of the red collar is normal if anyone uses the detachable version.

Cheers

Steve

The Westfalia detachable towbar on my previously owned Toaureg was faultless, always solid. The LR towbar I had the issues with was not in the same league. It was new, never used and my car was never used for towing prior to me owning it as far as i'm aware as it didn't have electrics fitted and no evidence that electrics had previously been fitted and then removed.

Steve, only you can judge the suitability of the LR detachable in comparison to the Westfalia. After you have towed your caravan with it, when you come to unhitch check it is still as tight in the socket as it was when you started your journey. As recommended, I applied a liberal dose of grease to the blade and the locking pin prior to installing into the socket, to try and prevent too much wear happening but I still couldn't bring myself to trust it.

In answer to your question about the visible red ring, sorry can't help by doing a comparison as I sold the item, hopefully someone else can confirm this for you.

Stevieg330 wrote:

Hi,

Many thanks for the replies. I had read up on q393 and as I understand it Land Rover are saying that the main reason for the problem is that the towballs were being left in the receiver more or less permanently and this lead to premature wear and consequently the movement of the towballs in the receiver. I've always used detachable bars and never had an issue. It was a Westfalia removable bar on the beemer we just chopped in and that was still solid after 7 years of towing.

Mine is certainly solid at the moment and I'll be towing the caravan to the dealers in a couple of weeks so I'll see if any play develops. I would still like to know if seeing 1mm of the red collar is normal if anyone uses the detachable version.

Cheers

Steve

Hi all,

Thanks GodivaNige and Samd. Yeah I'll be checking it as soon as I detach the caravan although this will only be a 30 odd mile trip to drop it off at the dealers. If I do get play in it then I will definitely have to have a rethink. I don't want a fixed towball if I can avoid it but safety has to be paramount.

Thanks again

Steve

Hi Steve,
at the end of the day only you can decide which tow bar you are happy with

Did you buy a new or second hand towbar?
book into a L/R dealer and get it checked (they also check how far the lock rotates when fitted) would they sign it off as OK and give you a yellow label with instructions on if there was a chance of failure (potential claim)
L/R just like most other companies provide a Detachable towbar for "Occasional use" a caravan maybe !
if you tow a trailer everyday then may be that is not "occasional" and a fixed towbar is more appropriate
I don't think L/R make towbars themselves but buy them in, have a look at Thule bars

My removable bar is fitted 1/2 hour before connecting the caravan and removed when we get to site and the red plug put back in, more to stop it being nicked than anything else it is kept clean with the taper dry and the pin lubed I also push the little pin when removed so I can lock and take the key out before putting back in the boot
from memory you can still see a smidge of red

everyone has their own thoughts just Don't leave it in all the time

Thule in Nuneaton produce the LR tow bars Just bought a RRS 06 MY HSE TDV6 136,000 miles, to be a second car to my bland, boring Mitsubishi Outlander 68 plate 2.0 petrol 4

Can always use one of these for extra piece of mind

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152509328385 2003 BMW M5 - 5 Litres of V8 Optimax Slurping Goodness in Carbon Black

2013 SDV6 HSE Black Edition- Orkney Grey with Ebony & Ivory. LR Facelift RAI, Genuine G4 Expedition Rack, 4x Warn SBD-160 Spotlights, Warn 9.5XPS Winch, Mantec Underbody Protection and Sump Guard, Full Easy Lift Suspension Module, LR Light Guards, Light Force HTX230 Hybrid spotlights, 18� Compomotive PD1881 on 265/65/18 BF Goodrich KO2, ARB fridge, TuffTrek awning 😎

Stevieg330 wrote:

Hi everyone,

My first post as we picked up our new to us RRS last Saturday. What a car, so comfortable and it's lovely to drive. We have bought it to replace our BMW 525d touring and will use it for towing our caravan.

The car has never towed as far as I can tell but the previous owner didn't have the bung in the receiver so there is some corrosion but I think I've dealt with that.

I have bought a Land Rover towing neck for it which came today and this is what my question concerns. In the instructions it says that when you lock the neck in place the red ring must be completely covered by the green handle. On mine it appears to lock in place, there is no movement and I can take out the key. However there is around 1mm of the red ring showing. Is this right or should it really be completely covered?

Perhaps someone who uses the detachable one could kindly let me know. I have to be sure all is ok before I put the caravan
on it.


Many thanks and regards

Steve

Give the tow bar a good whack with a rubber hammer or stout piece of wood to make sure it has fully seated, I used to do this every time I fitted the towbar, check the bar for movement after 2/3 miles.
Book it in at any LR main agent for a free check, if there is any wear they will replace the towbar and/or the rear crossmember without charge particularly if you tell them you use it for towing a twin axle trailer, the removable towbar has been downgraded to occasional light towing only.
I have towed a twin axle 000's of miles with a detachable bar on a D3 until it started to rattle loose, LR sorted it free of charge.