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

[David Read]

Hi Geoff
How old was the 3.5L (215ci) engine?
The early units used to suffer badly with their plastic camshafts.
I replaced my '76 2 door's with a 3.9 cam and it went like a startled 
gazelle!
;-)

The old unit had only approx 60% of it's original lift left!

Comparing petrols and diesels is a tad unfair.
My 2.5L diesel Defender will out-tow petrol vehicles of higher engine 
capacity.

Cheers
Dave
South Oz

Geoff Kirkpatrick wrote:
> 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