[ROVERNET - UK] Re: Need to know about Land Rovers for pulling?

[Geoff Kirkpatrick]

I briefly had an early Range Rover that was surprisingly useless as a tow
vehicle.  It was a 1972 model that had been privately imported to the US
and converted to LHD.  I towed an MG Midget using a tow dolly, which
should have been a pretty low-stress task.  It was OK on the flat, but
climbing over the Santa Cruz Mountains it would barely maintain 25-30 mph.
 My old Mercedes diesel wagon could tow heavier vehicles over the same
route at that speed. I sold the Range Rover soon after.  

Last year I sold the Mercedes as well and replaced it as my utility
vehicle with a big ugly 1981 Dodge D350 cargo van.  It cost all of $550,
has a 5.8 liter V-8, can swallow the entire contents of a house and then
pull the house off its foundations.  I drove it to LA in November to haul
back a Peugeot 404 parts car.  It didn't even break a sweat. 

Anglophile though I am, I don't think there is a better tow vehicle than a
big American V-8 pickup or van.  If you need to tow things, don't bother
with a Land Rover or Range Rover.

Geoff

"This is the final test of a gentleman: his respect for those who can be of no possible service to him."
- William Lyon Phelps

Geoff Kirkpatrick, 382 Riverside Avenue, Ben Lomond, CA 95005, USA

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