newcyboots

newcyboots

New Member
Hi guys,

Right, i love my 99 XEDi.. its been bulletproof during my 2 years of ownership.. At the time i bought it, i couldnt quite stretch to a TD4 auto, (as im running 2 cars and a horse lorry)and ive always preferred autos, so bought my L series..

Now howver, ive come across a lovely facelifted HSE in silver, Td4 auto, 2004 for a lovely price.

I am very tempted.....

I tow my daughters horse box twice a week at least, so it will be doing its fair share of work, so would like all you guys and galls out there who have a Td4 Auto to let me know

A) how the JATCO box is in general to live with
B) is it ok whilst towing (escecially as im around the 1600kg mark all up
C) commomn faults to look out for
D) what car tax bracket is it?

If youve got one, had one or even better owned both a manual and the auto, let me know what you think in general of them..

Cheers,
Andrew
 
Mines a 53 TD4 HSE auto. Had the gearbox oil changed at 60K. No probs with it at all.
My only experience with towing in it is when I've had to tow vans & cars stuck on a hill near me in the snow & ice. Just does it!
 
I have an Auto 06 TD4 HSE, had it for over 5 years, putting over 100k on it.
I love the auto and wouldn't think twice about having another.
I regularly towed a 1300kg caravan with it, touring France on holidays, it performs great. 1600kg sounds a little heavy though, isn't that over 100% of the Freelander weight ? You might be better off with a heavier car. We have recently upgraded the caravan and as it weighs more than the Freelander I now tow with the wife's Jeep.
 
newcyboots said:
Phil,

Freelander can tow 2000kg max braked.. so i believe i am ok? Or do i need correcting?
Click to expand...

No you are right it is legal to tow up to 2000kg, if your trailer starts swaying you may wish you were sitting in a Defender !!

This is the caravan club view on car and trailer weight ratios:

"Leaving aside other considerations for a moment, for optimum towing performance, the principle must be to have the heaviest practical towcar for a given caravan, for otherwise the chances of a swaying trailer becoming an uncontrollably snaking trailer are very real. Aim for a towed load of no more than 85% of the car's kerb weight (KW) and never exceed 100%. Remember that the towed weight is the actual laden weight (ALW) that the car is asked to pull (empty weight of caravan plus what you add), not the theoretical maximum technically permissible laden mass (MTPLM). When you have established your caravan's ALW, multiply it by 1.2 as a guide to the
kerb weight of car to aim for.Remember that all the above are rules of thumb, not of law. Relating the unladen weight of the car to the laden weight of the caravan is an example of a simple formula, and the variable loading of the car is the reason why the car's laden weight is not suggested. Of course the more you can load in the car without unbalancing it or exceeding the manufacturer's stated axle loads and the less in the caravan, the more
secure you will be on the road."
 
One thing the Auto Freelander is really good for is reversing a trailer, you can move slower than walking pace without slipping a clutch. I don't think my wife's Jeep clutch will last that long with my reversing skills !
 
I've had a manual a currently have the auto - both great although I did have to have the clutch done at a cost £600 on the manual! Auto is great, commandshift is good, mpg obviously a little less for the auto, i get around 25 where I was getting 30 in the manual (all around town) get the oil changed (properly) and you should have no trouble with it :)
 
i think its more important to consider your trailer size rather than weight. if its 26' long then you will want something a bit more solid to to it with. If its short draw bar little overhang and all weight over the axles i dont mind towing 2t or slightly more.


Realistically though if your towing a horse and box then you wont be hooning around anyway otherwise you tend to end up with a big vet bill....
 
I have an 04 TD4 HSE auto, i used to have a 23 foot caravan and found that mine pulled it very well, get on the motorway and put the cruise control on at 62, no problems.
 
i have the td4 auto, I'd never had an auto before, as soon as I took it for a test drive, I knew I wanted it. It's just an absolute peach.

when it comes to towing, we have an old caravan, which I think runs 1675 all up, just hook it up and away we go. Once on an A road or motorway, not a lot different to driving without it hitched up.

I'd buy another with no hesitation.
 
I would suggest, given the reputation of the freelander, that you stick with your L series if you don't have much spare dosh. Better the devil you know and all that...
 
I've had both, currently have a manual and to be honest I prefer it over the auto, better fuel consumption and a bit more "ooomff" Road tax or as I was corrected a few months ago on another thread VED bandings, if I was you I'd check and then double check costs for that 2004 TD4 auto, my previous Td4 auto was band L (it was an 06) - £460 per year, my current Td4 manual is band K (a 54 plate) - £270 per year. £190 difference
 
I've had a TD4 manual and currently a TD4 Auto.

I'll never buy a manual again - auto is so much better.

I agree about the reversing with an auto/trailer combo - no slipping clutch - just nicely slow and easy.

A two-axle trailer/horsebox should be no problem - moving off on grass with it is a Freelander speciality.

In my experience a longer towbar means easier reversing.

I have towed my 2 tonne gross trailer to Greece and back with no problems, other than wind-resistance as it's as aerodynamic as the proverbial brick - see pics.

I found that when I had a roof-box on the resistance felt was a good bit less.

Not an issue for shorter journeys at all.

Singvogel. :cool:
 

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