F.A.O LUTZ

[lolly_5087162]

Hi Lutz - please could you help me?

I have just bought a Land Rover Freelander 1.8i on a 2000 W plate and I have the manual with the weights in it but I really dont understand what I am looking for!

I wondered if you could help me by telling me what weight van I can tow up to please as we are looking at buying a van.

Thanks in advance

Lolly x

 

[Lutz]

According to the information I have available, the maximum permissible towload for all Freelanders is 2000kg. However, a 1.8 would probably find it hard to cope with pulling such a load.

The kerbweight is probably somewhere in the region of 1450kg, so sticking to the 85% recommendation you'd be around 1250kg which sounds a bit closer to its realistic capability. I certainly wouldn't exceed 1400kg with a caravan even if more is allowed, but I'd still recommend that you check in your manual whether my figures are right.

 

[Robtel]

Lolly

I used to have a Freelander of that year although it was a 2ltr diesel. I'm fairly sure the kerbweight was around 1550kgs.

I had a check on the what tow car website where it lists the kerbweight for that make.model and year as being 1620kg but I think they use the EU way of calculating kerbweight which includes approx 75kg for driver. That would equate to around the 1550 kg kerbweight British style.

 

[Lutz]

That figures. The 2 litre diesel is about 100kg heavier than the 1.8, but either way you won't be far off.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Robert,

The only websites or sources of information that you can trust are those operated by the manufacturer.

You have no guarantee that any of the information on any of the third party sites such as All other third party web sites such as 'what tow car website' and others is accurate.

Kerb weights in particular are rarely correct, as they do not reflect all the factory added bits and pieces, and tolerances allowed in materials which usually add to the basic weight.

The only true kerbweight has to be ascertained by actually weighing the vehicle.

 

[RogerL]

Having towed 1200kg with my previous 1254kg Astra 1.8 which had 113bhp/125lbft - you'll have to make a 1.8 Freelander work even harder to tow 1250 + 1450 with it's 117bhp/118lbft. Sounds like a recipe for head gasket failure - to which they're prone.

I wouldn't want to go above 1200kg MTPLM - it's got the kerbweight to go higher but not the engine.

 

[Robtel]

Hello Robert,

The only websites or sources of information that you can trust are those operated by the manufacturer.

You have no guarantee that any of the information on any of the third party sites such as All other third party web sites such as 'what tow car website' and others is accurate.

Kerb weights in particular are rarely correct, as they do not reflect all the factory added bits and pieces, and tolerances allowed in materials which usually add to the basic weight.

The only true kerbweight has to be ascertained by actually weighing the vehicle.

Hi John L, I agree with your comments about the accuracy of these websites. I used it on this occasion as I no longer have the handbook of the vehicle previously owned and wanted to see if I could confirm what I remembered. The same website was,up until fairly recently, giving incorrect weights of both my current car and caravan although I see that they have now amende the car kerbweight.

The car manufacturer's websites are not always much better. For example Land Rover's web site lists the Freelander 2 has having a kerbweight of "from 1770kg", the handbook lists it as 1820kg. I ended up phoning customer services dept to have this confirmed.

Weighbridge is definitely the most accurate option ( providing its properly calibrated! )