Towing that much weight with the 4Runner can be done better with a bunch of mods: overland rear coils, scan gage to watch the trans temp, aux transmission cooler, re-gear the front and rear to 4.88 or 4.56, and of course, a brake controller. You can get a supercharger for the ultimate 4Runner and improve your towing fuel economy at the same time.
We tow with a 2020 4runner and have ome heavy duty springs. We have a 2 inch lift in rear and it runs pretty straight. To cut down weight we went to lithium batteries and dropped the spare off the trailer since the 4runner spare is same lug pattern
We really wanted to switch to the Basecamp and tow with our Runner, but after a lot of research could not find a way to do it safely. One dealer was even honest and flat told us to come back with another tow vehicle. Sorry you had the issues. Hopefully the fix isn’t too pricey.
Have a p400 defender, have towed 4700lbs dry weight camper about 10,000 miles in all sorts of mountain weather. We ended up moving the tongue Jack to the side, so we could keep the spare tire in its place. The defender tows really well, can’t even tell you’re towing a trailer. The only “thing” is the fuel economy really drops, making western states a bit challenging in fuel range.
I hope you figured it out on your Defender. We have a 110 P400 and just got our 23 Flying Cloud . The defender tows like champ. We used a drop hitch setup and lots of clearance The air suspension in the Defender will automatically level it out. We are excited for our adventures . Happy camping
Towing it winter weather is a nightmare on vehicles especially air bags, salt on the roads, nasty build up etc, isn’t good in general but especially on your car being maxed out, towing heavy for it and sagging lower than usual. Be safe guys!! Get a truck :)
My wife and I just purchased our Airstream Basecamp and we have a Land Rover Discovery. We have not gotten our hitch put on yet but you all have me wondering if we will have the same issue with the weight distribution hitch. I guess I’ll have to check to see if it’s a unibody design.
From my understanding, all land rovers are unibody and cannot use a weight distribution hitch - I guess it’s a European car thing. But check with Land Rover and make sure to read the User Manual!
thank you guys for all the information and comparison. I have a 2016 limited 4runner and currently trying to decide to keep it or get something different to begin my nomadic life dream When towing how many miles per gallon does your 4runner get?
The problem is not the defender, the US trailers are way too short of a tongue area. Look at the off-road trailers from Black Series and other foreign market campers, they have twice as much as tongue length.
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Towing that much weight with the 4Runner can be done better with a bunch of mods: overland rear coils, scan gage to watch the trans temp, aux transmission cooler, re-gear the front and rear to 4.88 or 4.56, and of course, a brake controller. You can get a supercharger for the ultimate 4Runner and improve your towing fuel economy at the same time.
We tow with a 2020 4runner and have ome heavy duty springs. We have a 2 inch lift in rear and it runs pretty straight. To cut down weight we went to lithium batteries and dropped the spare off the trailer since the 4runner spare is same lug pattern
Smart thinking! We’ll likely be selling the Airstream after this winter or else we would totally do that! Thanks for the tip!!
We really wanted to switch to the Basecamp and tow with our Runner, but after a lot of research could not find a way to do it safely. One dealer was even honest and flat told us to come back with another tow vehicle.
Sorry you had the issues. Hopefully the fix isn’t too pricey.
Fortunately we just need a basic hitch for the defender and we will be good to go!
Have a p400 defender, have towed 4700lbs dry weight camper about 10,000 miles in all sorts of mountain weather. We ended up moving the tongue Jack to the side, so we could keep the spare tire in its place.
The defender tows really well, can’t even tell you’re towing a trailer. The only “thing” is the fuel economy really drops, making western states a bit challenging in fuel range.
Oh that’s awesome to hear! The tongue Jack on the side is a great idea
I hope you figured it out on your Defender. We have a 110 P400 and just got our 23 Flying Cloud .
The defender tows like champ. We used a drop hitch setup and lots of clearance
The air suspension in the Defender will automatically level it out.
We are excited for our adventures . Happy camping
Towing it winter weather is a nightmare on vehicles especially air bags, salt on the roads, nasty build up etc, isn’t good in general but especially on your car being maxed out, towing heavy for it and sagging lower than usual. Be safe guys!! Get a truck :)
Thanks! Agreed, definitely not worth risking. No need for a truck when we have the Defender (:
I hope you have safe travels, wonderful experiences, and your overall Best winter yet! ❤️ Cute hat Taylor!
thank you!!
Great Info - thanks for sharing! Hope you guys get back in the road again soon!!
My wife and I just purchased our Airstream Basecamp and we have a Land Rover Discovery. We have not gotten our hitch put on yet but you all have me wondering if we will have the same issue with the weight distribution hitch. I guess I’ll have to check to see if it’s a unibody design.
From my understanding, all land rovers are unibody and cannot use a weight distribution hitch - I guess it’s a European car thing. But check with Land Rover and make sure to read the User Manual!
thank you guys for all the information and comparison. I have a 2016 limited 4runner and currently trying to decide to keep it or get something different to begin my nomadic life dream When towing how many miles per gallon does your 4runner get?
The problem is not the defender, the US trailers are way too short of a tongue area. Look at the off-road trailers from Black Series and other foreign market campers, they have twice as much as tongue length.
We have a 2020 defender. What hitch did you buy to use with the spare tire?
Can you put the spare tire in the base camp while traveling? It wouldn't add that much weight
That’s one of our ideas! 🎉
Thank you!
spare wheels on roof rack?
We had the same idea but lifting a 70-80 lbs tire into the roof rack would be a little tough 😅
The old Landover had the spare on the hood but that created other problems :(
Toy tech 2 1/2 inch lift. I have that my FJ Cruiser and pull much heavier loads without sag.
new Toyota sequoia or LX600
Get the New Ineos Grenadier that replaces the defender.
test
Too much work. Stay home.
😂😂