Episode 8: Towing / Land Rover LR3 / Air Vs. Coil Shoot-Out / Military Mobility
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- čas přidán 29. 08. 2024
- The FINAL episode of the series compares two 2008 Land Rover LR3 HSE’s, one with the stock air suspension against an aftermarket coil conversion.
In this episode we hook up a 3500 lb. trailer and test out the on and off-road towing capabilities of both rigs.
Join Military Mobility founder, Brian Ribera (former Navy SEAL and Master Training Specialist that has conducted mobility operations in over 40 countries) as he tows 3500 lbs. with both vehicles.
Be sure to subscribe to our CZcams channel and get notifications when a new episode drops each week!
Military Mobility is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization specializing in off-road expeditions and resiliency training for veterans and civilians.
Learn more or sponsor a veteran at: www.militarymo...
/ militarymobilityofficial
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Kudos to the videographer, doing an amazing job up there. I can see him shooting with the rig and piloting a drone at the same time. Awesome !
Great eye!! Thank you, we will pass along your compliment. Our media are supremely talented, doing photography/ videography/ drones/ editing!
Great video.,,At least now I am much more aware of the advantages of the air ride over the coil ride. Amazing
Thank you, this is why we make these videos for folks like you 🙌🇺🇸
Great series. Thank you for sharing this with us. I personal go 100% for the air.
Thank you Raymond, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! 🙌❤️
I have a 2006 LR3 HSE with 33x12.50r18’s with the Rhino Hitch and a P2 Prodigy break controller. Here recently me and my wife bought our new to us camper a 2012 Keystone Vantage 32QBS. We used my LR3 to pull it back home from the dealership. The trip home took around 5 hours and 150 miles. We took our time and took back roads for 85% of the trip. The rover done really good pulling 6,850lbs with no weight distribution hitch. But now we have put a Hensley Hitch onto the camper and there’s no sway from the camper at all. My daughters have went from calling my LR3 Rover to Beast 😂. I’ve enjoyed watching the videos that y’all have been doing keep up the great work.
Great story Joe!! This is the kind of stuff we love to hear and have shared with the greater audience! With that weight I’m sure the weight distribution hitch helped immensely; they really are a must have when towing anywhere near your upper tow limit (regardless of vehicle). That was a smart move I wish a lot of others would do, it adds a HUGE safety factor for stability. It’s an extra expense and after buying a camper the last thing folks want is to spend more but towing accidents do not go well and you can’t put a cost on a life.
We hooked up our coil the other day to our enclosed trailer that was maxed out near 7k and It was pretty much doing a wheelie and not drivable for anywhere other than our shop parking lot to move the trailer. If doing any significant towing keeping the air is a smart play. Thanks again and have fun sharing adventure with your family! 🙌🇺🇸
I found this series fantastic. I often tow with my Disco3. I had a hitch made up that takes a NATO pintle so that I can tow military trailers. It's amazing having a hitch that can rotate 360 degrees. Not that I want to test it and roll the car though :) I have had the car at around 30 degrees and the trailer 30 degrees the other way. Looks kinda cool.
Nice! We have a pintle hitch too however have only had the opportunity to use it a few times. We’re looking at building a supply trailer with a pintle for next season.
Thank you again for your generous compliment; it makes us feel like a million bucks and is why we make these videos 🙌
@@MilitaryMobility No problem. Now subscribed. Any LR3/LR4/Discovery3/4 content is good for me. Have you watched LRTime (German couple). They are currently doing body off rebuild on the driveway! That's a great watch. Some good stuff around which oil pumps, oils etc.
We’ll be sure to check them out, thank you! Think I may have seen them do an install of their snorkel. Very through!!
Really, I have to tell you thanks again. I love your videos and what you do. Even if I stay with my diesel and don't get a Land Rover, you've given me a lot to think about in terms of a rig. You've also made me think a lot about veterans and needs. I've missed my team since I got out a long... long... long time ago. I never saw the kind of experiences a lot of others did - my deployment was very peaceful. But you still miss your team. I had kids to fill in that role, and I know it sounds corny, but watching some of what you do made me realize that being a father replaced being a member of a team for me (not a SEAL team - not trying to steal any glory here).
Awesome work! Hopefully I'll see you on the trails!
Oh wow you’re hitting so many incredible aspects here. Yes, the rig doesn’t matter, it’s the mindset. I did more wheeling and had more adventures in my youth in a 2WD 86’ GMC Safari minivan then most do with their $100k rigs.
Spot on about the Team aspect, regardless of what military service consisted of. I’d always said it’s a warrior’s way to be prepared; doesn’t matter if a war came or not. Again it’s mindset.
We created Military Mobility to create that team environment and inspire others to keep it going in their lives; with us, their family, friends, other veterans, whoever. Being a dad has been the greatest joy of my life and we call our family “The Adventure Team”!
My best to you and would love to have you out on the trail with us! 🙌🇺🇸
@@MilitaryMobility Xterra is in for some work (it's my daughter's), then the 4runner (my son's) - they're both out of the country for a year or so. Then it's time for work on my duramax. It's not agile, but I get to haul everything I want! See you out there!
you guy are awesome i live in gj and just bought my first lr3 for $ 2000
Score!!! Best of luck and thank you for the positive vibes! 🙌
Awesome series, I am personally Land rover owner for so many years, I own Lr3 2006 with 155plus miles and I love it.
Thank you.
Oh that means the world to us! Thank you very much for the kind words and encouragement 🙌 Keep rallying that LR3!
I've enjoyed this series a lot. Learned so much. Even though the air's won out off-road ( figured they would ) I'd still go with the springs because of the low maintenance aspect and the fact they kept up with the air's pretty well.
It all comes down to experience with the LR3's ( and how much cash you can afford for repairs! ).
Would really like a mud test if you guys can do it.
Cheers guys, you rock! ❤
Oh thank you very very much for the compliment; that means everything to us! Yes the point was really to explore these two variants side by side and have lots of worthwhile discussions along the way and have folks feel empowered to choose what’s best for them. We’ve since picked up another LR3 since the filming and it came to us on brand new coils so we’ll most likely keep it this way.
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Mud, this would be fun to do! Moab wasn’t offering a whole lotta mud during filming but we’ll keep our eye out for late spring rains…
Nice video series! I would like to know more about the rhino hitch and the comparison with factory tow hitch. Also, in the first chapter, you mentioned about modifying air suspension to connect to external air compressor in emergency. I would like to know more about that. Thanks so much for bringing these high quality videos to the Land Rover community!
You’re welcome and we’re so stoked you enjoyed it! We haven’t released the hitch videos or deep dive on the “Rescue Me” recovery system we developed yet. Catching up on editing and getting our website store in order first! Will be sure to notify here when it drops so please subscribe and ring the bell to get motivations 👍
Great series! Not sure if you guys knew it or not at the time but the Land Rover hitch comes in 3 versions. Ball on a hook LR071295, drop hitch low mount receiver KNB500023 and high clearance mount receiver LR040248. I do really like the protection the aftermarket mount provides though.
Thanks for adding some depth to the conversation 👍 In our LR3 Fins and Things episode (not part of the air vs coil series) we discuss the hitch a bit more. It was a fun experiment that’s been working out. The Rhino hitch has been amazing and is a great alternative if someone is ready to spend some 💰. We had thought at some point we’d get the steel rear bumper but after wheeling these rigs for a long while now can’t stomach all that extra weight, not to mention the cost. If we add weight it’ll be with a roof rack to carry the spare outside the vehicle and extra cargo.
@@MilitaryMobility yep I watched every episode! You guys did a wonderful job. Terrafirma4x4 makes a swing away tire carrier for the factory rear bumper. And prospeeduk makes some great under armor, concealed winch mount and a roof rack.
Great series, have LR4
That’s an incredible rig you’ve got there! Thank you very much for the compliment, means the world to us! 🙌🇺🇸
@@MilitaryMobility keep doing reviews you guys did a great job, better than the rest. Mine not as reliable as your LR3’s, 2011 85k miles engine seized, pick it up any day with fresh remanufactured engine, and spent 6k in repairs before that
@@homeydirt2278 ouch! Which engine did you have, the 5.0?
@@MilitaryMobility yep 5.0
I just discovered your channel when searching for LR3 clips on YT - how come you aren't more popular? You're doing a great job, your content is both informative and approachable, with pro shots and great insight. Hope your program is doing well and you'll be able to pursue as long as you want to. Looking forward to seeing more LR content. BTW. You forgot to talk about the super extended mode - you should make a video in which it engages after hitting an obstacle with the frame. That's where the air suspension excels!
Funky666, all we can say is THANK YOU! It has been our hopes folks will see this series and what we’re capable of in terms of subject matter expertise and content delivery to enable us to further our mission of saving veteran lives. You’re helping us make that happen and for that we’re grateful.
Great point on covering the Super Extended mode, think we may have given it a quick mention somewhere but didn’t dive into it; a lot was left on the cutting room floor trying to cover a topic this broad. As you may know if you have the GAP programming tool you can select to go into super extended at the touch of a button 👍. Thanks again and we’ll see you on the trail!
Headed to Hells Revenge in July to tackle Hells Gate in my LR3 with rear locker. Comparison between HD and non HD on a few obstacles would be sweet!
Stay in touch with us on your travel dates. If we’re around let’s do it!
@@MilitaryMobility Will do 👍🏻
It was a really great series! Lets check out the terrain response system vs. vehicle without any helpers vs. an comparable system like in a Jeep grand cherokee (select terrain). That would be interesting too!
Good work in any way! 👍
That’d be fun. Today it’s very common for many manufacturers to have the selectable modes for sand, mud, rocks, etc but not many know it was the Land Rover that first came out with this concept. I’ve worked the releases of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee and their terrain system is pretty darn impressive, and reminded me of the LR. I’d also like to compare a new Defender (to me it’s a rebadged Discovery) against the LR3/4 and see what advancements, if any, have been made to their system. And a new Defender against a Grand Cherokee would be fun too! Lots of options…🤣
Congratulations, the series was amazing!
Thank you sir!!! Really appreciate this 🙌
Nice videos, Im going to incorporate my lr3 in my videos soon. I definitely like the air ride.
Thanks Josh! Keep on adventuring and getting after it 🙌🇺🇸
I recommend a weight equalizer hitch and anti sway system for the coil LR3; in fact an equalizer and anti sway setup for both would be wise.
Good advice Frank. We just did another 12 hour highway tow (each way) to Moab with the Air LR3 towing another vehicle in a flat trailer at near its max capacity and it performed flawlessly without any equalizers. However we hooked up the same setup to the coil just to move it around our lot and see and it was a very dangerous setup that you couldn’t drive down the street with. The coil just isn’t meant for serious towing near the max capacity and an equalizer is a smart way to tow if you’re going to be at 4-5k plus on weight.
Waiting for more episodes!!
Oh thank you Ken! That means so much 🙌. We’ve got lots of material still being edited and will release as soon as possible.
We’re entered into the Land Rover Defender Service Awards, which gives a brand new Defender 130 to a deserving non-profit with the most votes. Voting starts Oct 21st so be sure to vote for us! We’re excited to make some videos with this new rig and what it’s doing to save veteran lives!
awesome series!
🙌We love this!!! Thank you!!
love it keep them coming
THANK YOU!!! ❤️🙌🇺🇸
Another great video!
How many miles on your LR3’s?
Thank you!!!
Lots and lots! Right now we’re at 190k on the black one and 110k on the grey. They’re both still going strong!
Once again - thanks! Awesome video, even though towing is my least favorite thing.
I have to ask - how much of your experience translates to the LR4, do you think?
For sure! Thank you!! The LR4’s saw a couple different engines than the LR3’s had so I think you’d see better performance in that realm as horsepower (and I believe torque) was improved in both. Suspension is the same, there were some small changes to refine the interior like a knob to select drive modes instead of the shifter, etc.
We tow ALOT and all of our builds, Land Rover and other brands focus on maintaining max tow capacity so you can haul toys and work gear.
What do you think of the frame less Discoveries that replaced the LR3/LR4?
We don’t have firsthand experience with those rigs but can share that we absolutely love our unibody 02’ Jeep Grand Cherokee. It’s had a lot of mods done to it throughout the years (you can catch a glimpse of it on our Instagram) and is one of the more capable vehicles we’ve had. We go hard with that rig and it always comes back for more; it was actually totaled by the insurance company after being rear ended by a semi truck and we brought it back to life. The War Wagon lives on!
Can you explain why the lr3 has a tow bar fitted and not using the factory/ stock one that is clearly there ?
We explain this in one of our other videos, I believe the one where we’re on Fins and Things. A couple things to recognize; first the factory one is clearly not there, that’s a receiver that the OEM towing attachment hooks into. Next is the factory attachment is garbage because it hangs low at a single point and will get caught up in the rocks like crazy. Third is the pin system on those hitches is sketchy.
We paid a ridiculous amount of money for the Rhino hitch because we liked the the low profile nature of it and the fact that it maintains the max tow rating. So in the name of experimentation and always looking for options for the veterans we train we got the $130 hitch from Etrailer because 1) it maintains max tow rating 2) the wide stance of it allows it to act as a skid of sorts so the plastic bumper doesn’t get ripped off and 3) we don’t like the massive weight and cost of the steel rear bumpers (although they do look cool!). We know that this hitch reduced some of the departure angle (but not as much as the OEM one) so that’s why we put it on the air suspension which can raise much higher than the coils. It’s been working great for us for awhile now.
@@MilitaryMobility hi team, thanks for the detail there and I agree the Landrover one does hang down too far, but the hitch you are using on the test rig is also a low .. anyway it was a great series. Well done.
I have an discovery 3/LR 3 in Australia and tow a large caravan, the air suspension is certainly benefit do best choice. I sometimes feel the LR 3 is not great on sand compared to other 4x4.. but a great vehicle.. keep up the good work.
@@peterbullen3347 Thanks Peter! Australia is one place we haven’t had the pleasure to visit…. yet! Yes the LR3 is a heavy girl and sand can be a challenge. Try the tip Webb mentioned in the sand episode; when you feel the engine bogging a bit and feeling unresponsive, ease off the gas just a bit to (re)gain power. Seems counter intuitive but works! Best of luck out there and thanks for tuning in 🙌
Wonder what brand coils you converted too
We cover that in the series 👍
@@MilitaryMobility what episode?
@@MilitaryMobility i only heard after market coil conversation. Didnt cath the brand
Quite honestly guys i. I have terrafirma coils on mine and carry at least 150kg in the back ie'; huge tool box full and a 70ltr dual zone fridge. My measurements are totaly different than what yours are . For example the correct measurement from center of hub at standard height is Front 465mm and rear is 485mm. (20.86") mine with the coils read 540mm both of your reading are wrong . your Air reading is 558 which is 73mm over standard road height .therefore your air suspension is 20mm higher than the coil .Do you consider this a fair assessment? especially when you are rock climbing . Ok thats how it is but you should state that the coils are a little more capable because of the extra lift not a comparison of coil v airThey should both be at the standard off road height . Those Atlantic Brittish coils are crap. you have to buy them from Brittain where the Land Rovers are made LOL !! Besides you have a 3" lift compared to the coils you have which are actually LESS than 2" lift. You refer to the air suspension LR3 as stock when it is nowhere near STOCK LOL!! I travelled Australia for over 20000klm with the coils towing a 2700kG caravan.The rear of the LR was loaded to the max at 830kg with gear on the roof and i can tell you what it never felt like i was towing and never faultered off road . Just as good as air albeit not as smooth as the air which i had previous but no worries for the air crapping out on me . Makes it totally reliable with Coils .
Telling us what we should do is annoying, enjoy our series or bugger off. Telling us our measurements are wrong because they don’t match yours is really silly and we really think you should find another corner of internet to complain to.
@@MilitaryMobility Mate that is not the sort of answer i expected from ex military personel.I am merley just pointing out a fact. Land rover Calibrations are the figures i have quoted Standard on road height Front 465mm Rear 485mm center of hub to underside of flares . I am not trying to be smart .Why dont you go argue with Land Rover LOL !!! If you don't like opinions stay off You tube !