McB in the UK we have several companies who will fit an aftermarket tow kit to any make of car, including Land Rovers, usually they use good equipment and can fit for a fraction of the dealer price. There is a national chain of fitters here called Indespension who also sell trailers as well. Have a look in your local Yellow Pages or on Yell.com
under caravan sales or trailer sales. The only thing that can cause a problem is the wiring of the electrics which will require the trailer lighting indicator in the instument binnacle to be enabled. BTW I have suffered (and know of several others who have also had the problem) of the red plastic insert for the removable tow hook receiver falling out. On my last RRS I ended up putting silicone sealant on it to keep it in place when I wasn't towing! 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Thanks for the fast answer. Only problem: I'm not in the UK. In Germany we have aftermarket-companies, too, but they are not really cheaper than LR. However my biggest problem is not the fitting (that will cost about 100€ at LR stealer) it is to buy the correct parts. Since usually the users here know a lot more than the local LR dealers I'd like to ask here which parts to buy!


My point is: Which wiring kit and which tow bar do I have to buy where in the UK (online please)?
(Shipping to Germany won't be a big problem, costs just a few Euros. Due to sum of LRs there are much more dealers for stuff like that in UK than in D and due to the exchange rates they are also much cheaper.)

Thanks!


And thanks for the tip with the red plastic thing. In my case I think I will use gaffa tape which I always have with me since the army-days.  RRS TDV6 HSE, 2006, bonatti grey, ebony interior, rear diff, s/c grille and vents, stormers, privacy, tasmods, iphone integration

Those two links appear misleading - it claims manufacturer =LR then list towbar make as Thule / Brink. From the pic it is not the OEM part....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DISCOVERY-3-RANGE-RO...286.c0.m14

This is the towbar you want - £50 - £300, the electrics can be found the same way for around £80 normally....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Land-Rover-Discovery...286.c0.m14

Here is one with electrics

Thanks a lot, that's excactly what I'm looking for!

The thing that I didn't like about my two links was the Thule, I know them from roof boxes for various Mercedes models and there is a really big quality difference between the originals and the Thule-ones. With the originals we drove more than 200 km/h (ca. 125 mph), the Thule-Stuff already started shaking and moving at 130km/h (80 mph)... That's why I asked, I thought it might be they are the same, so thanks a lot for your links!
As I said I'll pull 3.5 tons and therefore I want to be sure to have the best stuff I can get to do so...  RRS TDV6 HSE, 2006, bonatti grey, ebony interior, rear diff, s/c grille and vents, stormers, privacy, tasmods, iphone integration

You are welcome

FYI re the electrics - there was a shortage recently as I beleive the supplier went under but there was talk of someone else stepping in (as they'd have to).... IIRC you'll see two configurations of electrics a single and double socket set referred to as N & S IIRC.... search on here though and you'll find plenty on the subject

Hi McBunny,

Watch out with buying non-original parts in Germany! In Switzerland the STVA (Strassenverkehrs- und Schifffahrtsamt) are incredibly anal when it comes to approving non-factory fitted tow-balls. The require a check for the paperwork to be in order, and I had an after-market tow-ball fitted to my Lexus RX300 three years ago, and it wasn't approved the first, or the second time. I ended up paying more than I would have for a Lexus dealer fitted tow-ball, and all of that with no warranty. The Lexus one is very very expensive (>SFR.1'500/GBP750), so I thought I could save a bit and go for a good offer from a camper dealer - but no.

I think the same rules apply in Germany, they are anal as well, so watch out.

KB RRS TDV8, black with ivory.

You're right, in Germany all this is very strict. Another reason to buy a tow bar with "LandRover" on it. Due to the fact that a factory fitted towbar will not apear in any of the car's papers nobody will be able to tell it is aftermarket, therefore no need for an entry in the papers if it is a genuine-part!  RRS TDV6 HSE, 2006, bonatti grey, ebony interior, rear diff, s/c grille and vents, stormers, privacy, tasmods, iphone integration

I fitted my own electrics (£80 from eBay) and providing you get the correct LR product for the RRS its a doddle to do. The electrics come complete with full replacement looms/gromets and amazing instructions to make the job easy for most people. I think my tow bar cost £150 (again from eBay).

One thing to consider is the ecu programming.....to do the job properly this needs to be done to cancel out the fog lights and possibly the reverse sensors when the trailer is attached.
I've not bothered doing this and cant say it has ever been an issue since I only tow small trailers and would want the fog lights to work with my trailer anyway.

Daz 2017 4.4 Autobiography FFRR - love this car
Gone - VW T5 Transporter
Long gone - 2009 Disco
Long gone but never out of my thoughts - 2008 TDV8 HST

Reversing sensors get 'cancelled' by the trailers presence through the electrics - ECU mod is fogs only and I agree with you Daz

I purchased a bar off ebay but the retaining pin only engages in the aperture approx 5mm - the key locks and removes all ok. Does this seem correct?
It's a lot of weight on such a small area of metal. Appreciate any comments

I cannot recall how far the pin engages as i tend to leave it on most of the time now..... handy if you get a rear end shunt as once happened to me..... I do recall thinking similar, there is a lot of load relying on a little - but i guess the load is against the 'vertical' faces in the horizontal plane ......

If the key is out sounds like you'll be OK - IIRC the key only comes out when engaged

thanks for the prompt reply MAW - and reassurance! You're right about the vertical loading.
Just managed to pick up a used trailer and I was imagining the worst as I turned a corner with full load of logs onboard.
This is my first forage into 4x4 ownership and so far, I'm loving it. Thanks again.

Just a note of caution. I had removeable fitted and it appears that they forget to programme the 'computer' to tell it that the electrics were fitted. Only thing that worked was fog light came on on caravan when side lights turned on on RRS. Apparently can't get the wiring wrong as is all plug and play! Going back this afto - hopefully sorted.

[Later] Cobblers - they put a 2010 wiring loom in instead of 08/09