- D5Comm
- Member Since: 03 Oct 2018
- Location: Suffolk
- Posts: 33
Could others post hitch height of removable and deployable tow bars with engine running in normal height mode.
I will measure and post height options on multi height.
- Russell
- Member Since: 26 Jun 2016
- Location: Lydd
- Posts: 1094
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al cope wrote:
Ahh - I wondered why yours seemed to be a problem, but I never went for the bevelled pads, stayed with the flat standard ones (with the rubber on the bracket "mod" to help grip) which have been fine.
Al
Al I had the original flat pads first which didnt seem to work, went to bevelled which were even worse then went to the LR specific pads with inner tube on bottom bit and am very pleased with them
Namib Orange 1st Edition with black roof and wheels.
Privacy, tow bar, drive pack, surround camera, heated front & rear seats, auto dim door mirrors, side steps, remote Pro, RSE, arm rest fridge dash cam front and rear.
- Russell
- Member Since: 26 Jun 2016
- Location: Lydd
- Posts: 1094
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I have towed a lot with the D5 all a large TA caravan and here are my findings.
The D5 tows as well as the D4 and D3 and in many ways better, more power/torque. H
However as per the D3/4 the tyre pressures are important as is then nose weight.
When towing the nose weight needs to be close to maximum and rear tyres at least need to fully inflated, 45/48
If you dont follow these things I find that the ride/towing ability is not as good as when ou follow them. However I found exactly the same issues with the D4 and D3
Namib Orange 1st Edition with black roof and wheels.
Privacy, tow bar, drive pack, surround camera, heated front & rear seats, auto dim door mirrors, side steps, remote Pro, RSE, arm rest fridge dash cam front and rear.
- Craigp
- Member Since: 10 Nov 2016
- Location: Hull
- Posts: 690
I've wrote many times probably on this thread that the D5 is shall we say different from the D4 WRT towing. I also get a lot of creaking from the tow ball area when driving. You mentioned taking the paint off the tow ball its not necessary if you have a greased cup which i believe you have. Its only a requirement if their are friction pads fitted in the tow hitch.
- Russell
- Member Since: 26 Jun 2016
- Location: Lydd
- Posts: 1094
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Craigp wrote:
I've wrote many times probably on this thread that the D5 is shall we say different from the D4 WRT towing. I also get a lot of creaking from the tow ball area when driving. You mentioned taking the paint off the tow ball its not necessary if you have a greased cup which i believe you have. Its only a requirement if their are friction pads fitted in the tow hitch.
Correct on the tow ball grease front. However for most caravns now you have to have a cleaned ball.
As for noise or creaking, I dont get any noise or creaking when towing but I do clean by ball frequently and often clean/scuff friction pads on hitch
Namib Orange 1st Edition with black roof and wheels.
Privacy, tow bar, drive pack, surround camera, heated front & rear seats, auto dim door mirrors, side steps, remote Pro, RSE, arm rest fridge dash cam front and rear.
- al cope
- Member Since: 02 Jan 2019
- Location: Oldbury
- Posts: 372
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if anyone needs the LR specific Milenco pads they are on offer in Towsure for £9.95 a set
Decided for that money I'd get a set even though I havent suffered any mirror movement on last D4 or D5 both with the same door mirror design.
Al
Now gone - D5 HSE 2Ltr in Corris with black roof, black & dynamic packs & 22" black alloys, a bit of a change after 2 D3's and 2 D4's
- pdes
- Member Since: 11 Oct 2016
- Location: Cambridge
- Posts: 231
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I installed these pads last year. I find that the lip on the pad never engages with the groove on the mirror.
D5 HSE SDi6, 2019, Santorini Black, privacy glass, HUD, loads of gizmos!! 😃😃😃
Series 1, 1953, 86"
- al cope
- Member Since: 02 Jan 2019
- Location: Oldbury
- Posts: 372
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OK, so I tried fitting these LR specific pads yesterday, and found that as the width of the front part of the mirror isnt the same size all along, the pads dont fit all 4 locations. What I ended up with was this:
On the drivers side, a flat pad fitted closest to the door and a LR pad with lip on the outside.
On passenger side a flat pad fitted on the outside and a LR pad with lip closest to the door.
It was the only way the little lip on the pads would get anywhere near the groove in the mirror housing
Al
Now gone - D5 HSE 2Ltr in Corris with black roof, black & dynamic packs & 22" black alloys, a bit of a change after 2 D3's and 2 D4's
- mordred1973
- Member Since: 08 Jan 2019
- Location: Northamptonshire
- Posts: 758
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glad to hear that Yorkietiger, at the end of the month I am using our 2017 TD6 to tow 1800kg down to Tuscany, looking forward to seeing how it does on a very long trip.
2023 D300 Metropolitan, Hakuba Silver, Low Range, Solar screen, Deployable towbar, FBH, sidesteps.
- Wolfpack
- Member Since: 25 May 2019
- Location: England
- Posts: 325
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What a relief...
I read all 25 pages of this thread and was in a state of near panic at the prospect I had traded in my faithful D4 for a D5 that was a problem towcar. So with trepidation I set off on my first tow.
I increased tyre pressures on my 22” rims to 38/45psi in line with my long towing tradition of 4-7psi increase over solo pressures. I left the tms set at low load to avoid potential confusing alarms.
Towed my 7.5m single axle 1600kg caravan (90kg noseweight) on a mix of UK A and M roads ...in the latter case at 60mph (clock reading62mph) in cruise mode but getting up over 60 (one point touched an indicated 70) when getting past slower convoys of lorries and the like. I dropped down to slower speeds at another point to experience large vehicles overtaking me at higher speeds.
So what was my feeling.
There is no doubt the D5 is more susceptible to wind turbulence than my D4. But...it’s perfectly stable and a very polished tower. It’s just different.
In my opinion, the difference is simply that the D5 is a big car whereas the D4 was a small van.
I remember once using a Freelander courtesy car and being astounded how light the steering was compared to a D4. The Freelander is after all ....a ‘car’. The D5 steering is much lighter than the D4. IMHO
The D5 also over steers more than my D4. This means if/when a correction needs to be made there is a tendency to over compensate. This is when it felt more twitchy....when I drove it like the D4.
Once I got use to this difference I reacted much less vigorously to the occasional wind sway. On only one occasion did my wife comment ‘it wagged a bit there’ ....when we were overtaking an empty car transporter....a known enemy of stable towing.
So I need not have panicked. Apart from the electric deployable towbar transmitting more noise from hitch to car the only issue I encountered was the little green trailer warning lamp only flashing when I indicated right. I pulled over to check the caravan was flashing left ok...so I am guessing something is not right with the towbar wiring on the left indicator?
Hope that calms the nerves of other yet to tow members.
- pdes
- Member Since: 11 Oct 2016
- Location: Cambridge
- Posts: 231
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When I started this thread, I was one of the first towers and as time went on, I became more accustomed to the difference between the D4 and D5 but was still a bit wary of the stability when towing. I tow a 2 ton, 8 metre twin axle so expect some sideways movement especially at speed and when the wind is up. However, a few months ago, I got caught in a very tricky situation where, when joining the A14, another caravanner forced me to accelerate hard to avoid a collision. As soon as the speed reached something around 66mph, the rear end started to yaw to the point at which it became really scary. I slowed rapidly and luckily stability was restored. Now, with an Alko-based caravan with the stability control and the advertised Land Rover stability capability, I would have thought that the "brains" of the combined systems should have prevented any yawning before it became scary!
Anyway, I am now on my second D5 and guess what, I have had the same issue!
While overtaking a lorry on the motorway at just above 60mph, the caravan started to yaw. I accept it was windy but again, I would have thought the electronics would have smoothed things out.
Tyres were correctly inflated and the van was light but balanced.
Am I the only one having these issues? Are there any other towers of long twin axle caravans that have noticed this?
D5 HSE SDi6, 2019, Santorini Black, privacy glass, HUD, loads of gizmos!! 😃😃😃
Series 1, 1953, 86"
