Land Rover Discovery 2.5 litre (Manual) for towing a speedboat

David
French/Germans/UK are OK, if they are driving their own vehicle :
i.e. A Spanish vehicle requires a Trailer with all it's own docs/plate etc (matriculated/separate vehicle)

A very recent law change, requires 'something' like that.
Yes, a International Certificate of Competence is fine.
(a response, I am told, to shed load of Spanish re-flagging their boats abroad! : Licencing Mafia will never tighten their grip and make Spanish boat ownership less complicated/costly: as they facilitate meeting the laws they make)
 
Towed a 3500kg sportscruiser/trailer to Menorca a few times with both a TD5 and a 4.0L. Both will tow yours easily, auto easier to tow with and much stronger than the manual box which was prone to failure (I lived next door to a landrover dealer for 10 years, lots of failed manuals).

Put more weight on the ball for a better towing experience, would suggest 75-100kg, an anti snake device is also a good idea if you are not used to towing big loads. , Be careful about the weight. The figure on the trailer will refer to the maximum weight of the load and the trailer, with a trailer of this size it will weigh 6-700kg on its own. I think your rig will be very close to the max load, and would suggest a trip to the weighbridge to confirm.
 
As others have said, the auto box is better for towing than the manual. Man gearbox also ok if not abused. Needs auto fluid instead of gearbox oil, and an oil cooler for towing.
I towed a 25 footer behind a 4 litre auto disco. Never had any problems at all, other than trailers, which tended to rot the brakes.
 
This is my 4.0 Auto on it's way to Greece. Hardly noticed the boat was there although weight is only 1.3kg. Probably 1.5kg that day as it was holding a fair bit of packing.

The LR range is superb for towing and the only time I got a auto box overheat warning was on a day with temps over 40c.

Interesting that the manual boxes on the Disco are made of cheese. I use a lot of LR forums and it doesn't get a lot of bad press. Grumbly bearings on the R380 but not a lot else. Now, auto boxes on the X5 diesel, another superb tow vehicle, are a different story. Never get much good news on t'internet.

 
Denis O said:
Interesting that the manual boxes on the Disco are made of cheese. I use a lot of LR forums and it doesn't get a lot of bad press. Grumbly bearings on the R380 but not a lot else. Now, auto boxes on the X5 diesel, another superb tow vehicle, are a different story. Never get much good news on t'internet.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that it's a widespread problem, I did 170k in mine with a huge amount with a big load on the hook!! Re X5, yes, and also the Range Rover 3.0d, seems that you are lucky to get more than 100k without a autobox change, same engine and box as X5!
 
The very worst thing about the disco zf auto box is the fact it will clonk into top gear until about 52mph, very annoying if forced to sit at just under 50.
The R380 gearbox is really good better than the LT77, you can get some very nice syn oils that make the changes lovely, look on the difflock site.
I ran a highl;y tuned TD5 disco for 4 years and approx 50k with no problems from the gbox.
As with all land rover gearboxes, change the oil often and they will quite literally last for ever, they do wear out like anything mechanical, but the sad fact is most people think land rovers are bullet proof and so dont need servicing.
 
​​STEVEDUNSTABLE
2.5l? cheers 2.5 TD5 manual 175k on the clock !!!!

Good to hear... pretty much what we hope to use.
Top man and thanks to all for the advice. Very much appreciated.
 
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