Curly wrote:

I would love to know what your procedure is when changing from lo to hi with a D3 as im worried i might end up crunching gears

Simple.

Slip into neutra, press the low gear button. All done electronically l

MadJax wrote:

I suppose there is a bit of a stigma in the UK regarding Auto's. In the old days Auto gearboxes could never match a manual, now I think they are almost as good as a manual.

They are better
Who wants a DIY gearbox when you can have an auto?

M3DPO wrote:

MadJax wrote:

I suppose there is a bit of a stigma in the UK regarding Auto's. In the old days Auto gearboxes could never match a manual, now I think they are almost as good as a manual.

They are better
Who wants a DIY gearbox when you can have an auto?

People who like to have a knob in their hand

sj9011 wrote:

That I believe is a Larson 26 or similar max 2.5t i have towed much larger boats than that all the way to the med or further, you most defiantly do not need low range for any movement
I towed a 2 t airstream caravan twin axle back from Barcelona a couple of months ago, no brakes on the caravan as it had the USA electric brakes, coming down mountains into Bilbalo, used manual command and did not use the brakes on the downhill section
The disco is a brilliant tow vehicle auto I believe is better for if nothing else reversing tight positioning.

Yes that was a Larson, quoted as 2,650kg dry with petrol engine, that one had a heavier diesel in it plus air con, holding tank, anchor, chain and other kit. If you include some fuel and water it is very soon right on the limit, you obviously can't arrive and launch with no fuel in it or expect the tank to be totally empty when you recover it, so a margin has to be allowed for that. Of course you then have the hefty twin axled trailer so right up to the 3.5T limit, some people forget the weight is dry and forget to add on the daily kit you leave on it when towing, plus the liquids.

I don't care what people say about towing, but the clever bit is stopping, all you have in some cases between you and death is the rubber on the wheel between you and the road, add to that the chunky defender tyres and a wet road, well that means you can't afford to lose concentration. As for towing I would use low range for manoevering, it was less stress on the clutch and the short wheel base acted like a tractor unit, the weight balance and set up is critical to ensure correct weight on the hitch. The Defender was specially adapted power wise for the job and had enormous torque with much bigger Twisted Performance Air flo Sports Intercooler, straight through Tornado Sports stainless exhaust and chipped with power raised from: 122 Bhp to 155 Bhp, 90 KW to 114 KW and torque raised from: 221 Lbft to 269 Lbft, 300 Nm to 365