# Transmission Cooler For A 06 Land Rover?



## braaady (Jul 1, 2007)

I finally got a good t.v. for my 26ft ob. The dealer is telling us we have to put a transmission cooler on a 06 land rover. Do any of you have a newer tv. Do you have to put transmission coolers on all tv's. I only ask because the dealer will not do the Land Rover. I have to have it done by a Land rover dealer? Thanks for the info. Happy 4th


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## shake1969 (Sep 21, 2004)

Congrats on the new tow rig.

You will probably want to install a tranny cooler on your LR, if it doesn't have one already. The trans fluid will get good and hot on a steep climb, to the point your trans will implode. Happens all the time on old and new alike, doesn't matter. They can crater on you even with a cooler. If you don't have a trans temp gauge, I recommend one of those, too. I put one on because I like to know what my temp is. If you've ever bought a new transmission you would, too.

I recommend at a minimum matching your total GVWR to the cooler capacity, just ask the guys down at Napa, they'll find the right one for you. Probably a 10,000# unit would suffice. Bigger is better.

The answer to your next question is "it depends". You may void warranty unless a manufacturer approved cooler is installed, and even then, who knows. Even if you have a warranty, you would still want to protect your rig as much as possible.

But the big question that is raised is "why won't the dealer put on the cooler?" Is your rig designed to tow? What gear ratio are you running? How long is the wheelbase? What I am trying to say it that the dealer may have reasons other than warranty that he will not do the install. Like liability.

I hope this works out for you.


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## gerrym (Oct 23, 2006)

No offence but your Landrover is kinda light to be towing a 26 footer. Especially when you take the wheelbase vs track into account.


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

If you tow, you need a trans cooler...

Whats your wheelbase on that rig?

Carey


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## braaady (Jul 1, 2007)

O.K. the wheelbase says 118" It's an LR2 towing capacity is 7700 with heavy duty package? Please tell me if this is not good. I have no warranty on the camper. But I do on the LR2. The camper dealer says he doesn't work on foreign cars? He doesn't know if the LR2 has or needs a tranny cooler. I thought it wouldn't because of the heavy duty package. I guess I was thinking the heavy duty package was the same as a tow package. Thanks you again for all your help. I hope I don't have to trade in the LRS because I am keeping the outback!!!

p.s. I bought the land rover because, I went on edmunds top ten TV's for towing and the land rover was on there.#7 I guess I should have went with the dodge Ram.


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## dougdogs (Jul 31, 2004)

gerrym said:


> No offence but your Landrover is kinda light to be towing a 26 footer. Especially when you take the wheelbase vs track into account.


what he said! "tail wagging the dog" can be ugly on the highway


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Lots of people tow 26 footers with Durango's, Expeditions, and Tahoe's.. Those vehicles are all around 119" wheelbase..

Heck give it a try.. Make sure and get either a Equalizer, or Reese Dual cam weight dist hitch..

If your rig is spec'd for 7700 tow, it should be good to go.. It should have a tranny cooler installed already. Take it to the Rover dealer and ask them though, to be sure. Lots of people put bigger coolers on though.. I know little about Rover's same as most people do..

Rovers do have decent engines anymore. I bet that Rover weighs the same or more than a Durango, or Expedition.. I bet it weighs around 5000 lbs..
Carey

ps just went and checked out msn autos.. it says it could have a 3.2 inline 230 hp 6 cylinder... If this has that, go get the ram.. You will kill the engine and tranny.. You need 300 hp and a v8, nothin less. The LR2 is a compact vehicle taking the place of a Freelander..

I hope you bought a Range Rover Sport for $60k or a Range Rover for $80K.. No other Rover will tow an Outback safely.... The LR2 is no good, as its a compact weighing 4000 lbs.. Hope you made a mistake on what you are telling us..


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## braaady (Jul 1, 2007)

It is a v8 300hp. Thanks though, I wouldn't have known. I thought they were all v8's. Manybe the LR3 is a v6?


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Ok, just done a lil research..

LR2 is a compact weighing 4000 lb, wheelbase 104... This replaces the compact Freelander... No good. $
LR3 is there larger vehicle, weighing 5500 with a v8, or 5300 with a v6.. Wheelbase 113.. $$
Range Rover Sport has a wheelbase of 108, weight 5400. No good.. $$$
Range Rover has wheelbase of 113, weight 5550.. $$$$

Best pick is the LR3, but a 113 wheelbase is pretty questionable.. I wouldnt even think of towing with this, unless I had a hensley wd hitch..

If you bought a LR3, they cost 40-50K... Why not just get a 3/4 ton 4 door shortbed pu, you could get a top of the line 3/4 for that price..

Carey


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Echoing what Carey said, If you do have the 113" wb model, you have a problem. On the bright side, if you can afford an LR3, I would think that you can afford a Hensley (website says that LR3's start at 50k). I tow a 23RS with a 138" wb F150 Supercrew. The chart on rvtowingtips.com shows a 138" wb matching up to a 27' trailer. Our trailer is 25' and honestly, is all my truck can handle at times. I wouldn't want to pull anything longer or heavier in the typical conditions we face. With your 113" wheelbase you have a mismatch and you will experience "tail wagging the dog". You might experience worse.

I also have to wonder why a 3/4 or 1ton crew cab pickup wasn't a choice here. You could get one, whatever brand you wanted, obscenely decked with every option, get a bunch o' fancy things added to it, add a Hensley and still have 5k left over. 'Cept a King Ranch - getting a decked out F250 King Ranch would put you in the neighborhood of a LR3 but only if you failed to haggle well. X-Plan pins are easy enough to come by if you know where to look so you still would have come out ahead even then.

Then again...I have to wonder about a LandRover towing an Outback. I mean as a LandRover owner, wouldn't you be more in the market for something like a MobileSuites 5er instead of err...a camper like an Outback?







Seems kinda out of place or something but then again, I do live in Lubbock freaking Texas where the LR owners are doctors and the only thing they tow are soccer balls, groceries and trophy wives. Flat ground as far as you can see is not what you would call "challenging terrain". Even the Hummer dealer here had to have an obstacle course built just to demonstrate the capabilities of those things.

If you have a 300hp V8 then you have an LR3. LR2's come with a V6.

-CC

ps I apologize if this was a bit punchy, I have been working in the yard all day and this evening, Mom hauled us out to the Country Club to do a 4th celebration out there with that hi-dollar crowd (of which we ourselves are not part of). I really do wish you good luck with your tow vehicle and trailer situation. If you are going to keep the LR3, get a Hensley.


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## braaady (Jul 1, 2007)

Yes I just asked my husband it is the 05 LR3. I thought the LR3 was the smaller one. Kinda like the Hummer h3's are the smallest Hummer. Trust me I cannot afford the LR3. It was my father in laws. He will sell it to us for 30 = payments to him+no interest= my dream car. It was either this or buy a older model pick up for $10k. I will put the hensley see what it will do. I actually thought about trading it in for the hummer. If we could we would really like to stay with the suv type of TV, we will use the tv all year and travel with the kids and a large dog. are ext cabs big on a pick up? Big enough for the two kids and 100 pound dog. The ones that I have seen have only two seats in back facing eachother. 
We don't go far maybe a hour away from home in Ct. We are Using the LR3 the first time sat. I will let you know how it goes. If not I will need help again from all of you again, when I trade it in.


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## gerrym (Oct 23, 2006)

The fullsize ext cabs are just enough seat for kids under 10, and the dog is questionable. The seat faces the front but is upright with a short seat cushion.
I went up to a crewcab when we got the OB as the kids are giants now (15 year old son 5'11" 180 lbs, daughter 14 and 5'5" ). I had an ext cab previously but only got the OB this year, we used to tow a popup with a van. As for the dog it travels in the OB in a crate. It is happier there but has ridden in the back seat with the kids. If you are getting a truck for any amount of time get a crew cab, unless cargo space issues outweigh passenger space issues. Kids grow but the cabs are a fixed size.


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

We use a CrewCab pickup - '02 F150 SuperCrew. We just did a 4 day trip and in the back seat were my mom, my aunt and DD in her carseat in the middle. Course mom is like 5'1" and my aunt is like 4'9". Heh.

The new Ford Superduty crewcabs are very big - lots of room. Dodge Megacabs are, well... Mega big.

-CC


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## Airboss (Jul 14, 2007)

Braaady,

I have a LR3 as well and I just purchased a 25RRS that I intend to tow with it. There are many, MANY, happy LR3 owners that pull TTs as well. Most of us do it without $3000 hitches.

Here are some things to consider:

o Make sure your LR3 has the V8. The V6 was offered in this model as well and isn't suitable.

o Although you are correct and the LR3 has a 7700# towing capacity (with the V8), the max tongue weight is only 550#. When you add in the weight of the propane and batteries, the only choices that you are left to consider are the 18RS, 21RS, and the 25RSS. The plug-in hitch receiver is the weak point. I have no idea what LR was thinking when they came up with this ridiculous excuse for a hitch!

o The LR3's wheelbase is only 114". I don't know the exact formula, but I was advised to stay under 25' because 114" is considered too short for anything larger.

o Land Rover insists that you DO NOT use a WDH. SC is okay. There is no reason stated in the owners manual and this has been the subject of considerable debate on the LR forums, but most agree that the air suspension is the culprit. LR still will not comment. However, even without a WDH (let alone a $3000 one), every LR owner I've spoken with states that the LR3 is a fantastic TV. I can't wait to find out for myself!

If you have any more LR specific questions I'd be happy to help any way I can. I highly recommending checking out the forums at LandRoverWorld.org


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## Highlander96 (Mar 1, 2005)

Airboss said:


> Braaady,
> 
> I have a LR3 as well and I just purchased a 25RRS that I intend to tow with it. There are many, MANY, happy LR3 owners that pull TTs as well. Most of us do it without $3000 hitches.
> 
> ...


God bless you and anyone around you when you get on the 405 with a LR3 and no WD hitch. You will kill your pretty little toy and possibly yourself.

I am sure that there are plenty of people who tow Pop Ups with them.

Think of it this way...........

If the manufacturer does not want you to tow with a WD hitch, they don't want you to tow anything that need to have the tongue weight distributed.

It is not rocket science people.

Good luck and please be safe.

TJS


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Uhh...the LR3 has a 550lb maximum hitch weight?







I don't know definitively what Outback you bought - saw an earlier post where you mentioned that it is a 2004 Outback and you mention above it is 26ft. so I assume that it is a 2004 26RS. That Outback has a 600lb tongue weight (dry) and I would bet that after loading it, getting full propane tanks and battery(ies), the hitch weight will be substantially more.

*You will blow past that 550lb limit just by hooking up an empty trailer with no propane and no batteries. You could be exceeding that limit by as much as 50% when you are loaded, going down the road*

Perhaps the Land Rover people can point you to an aftermarket hitch that is stronger?









No weight distribution? I hope that the LR3's air suspension can compensate (read somewhere that air suspension is not a substitute for weight distribution..







) so that you are not "light in the nose" which can cause safety issues due to not enough weight being on the steer wheels. God help you if this is the case and your trailer starts swaying with that 113" wheelbase. You already know that your hitch weight is going to be more (possibly alot more) than the vehicle mfg. allows - combine that with the fact that SUV type TV have a tendency to produce a "nose high" ride plus the "no weight distribution" thing.









Also - will it level the TV so that you are not blinding oncoming traffic when pulling at night?

You already have the wheelbase issues mentioned above. Just my opinion, but I don't see that LR3 as being a good match for a 26.5' trailer in multiple categories.

Just from how I see it...

Short wheelbase for 26.5' trailer =








Hitch weight (dry trailer) exceeding mfg. rating =








Mfg. says no W/D on the hitch =









I wouldn't do it for not only my safety but for that of my family and those around me. This setup just has bad juju written all over it.

-CC


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Ahh, the fun with European Cars!








The 550lb limit is most likely beacuse it is just a class 3 weight carrying hitch. That's sort of a typical amount for weight carrying. It sounds like Land Rover may have missed the American target by not designing the air suspension to handle a WDH.

For those that are being overly critical, I recommend you stroll out to a Land Rover dealer to check out the suspension on these things. It is really an engineering marvel, and probably worth the money they charge. European cars are sometimes a little quirky with the towing (I used to tow a PUP with a Volvo so I'm aware of some of the limitations), but they can do a great job if you size things correctly (You see a lot of small lightweight fiberglass trailers in Europe, but not to many the size or weight of the larger outbacks or especially a 5'er







).

That being said, it might be a little too much trailer for this vehicle. I'd check out the Land Rover specific forums since most of us consider a suspension to be Leaf Springs holding up a solid axle







, not some sort of computer controlled airsprings. Perhaps someone is pulling a similar trailer over there and can provide pointers.

Otherwise, like other's said, a full size Pickup (super cab or supercrew) would be the simple choice.


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Is being "overly critical" pointing out several pieces of factual information that not only could impact safety but also reveals that the setup is exceeding mfg. ratings? After all of the "nearly crashed" and "crashed" threads on here recently, I'll take the side of staying within mfg. ratings and safe setups when posting a response to a question about tow vehicles.

Apologies if I sounded harsh above. Just trying to be helpful.

-CC


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## Airboss (Jul 14, 2007)

collinsfam_tx said:


> Is being "overly critical" pointing out several pieces of factual information that not only could impact safety but also reveals that the setup is exceeding mfg. ratings? After all of the "nearly crashed" and "crashed" threads on here recently, I'll take the side of staying within mfg. ratings and safe setups when posting a response to a question about tow vehicles.
> 
> Apologies if I sounded harsh above. Just trying to be helpful.
> 
> -CC


Maybe I should clarify a few items. First of all, I know that everyone's intentions are well meant. Honestly, thanks for you concern for my safety.









Next, the TT I bought is the 25RSS. 370# hitch weight, even with propane and batts is well within limits. Properly loaded, the TT meets all the towing capacities of my TV, which, by the way, was checked an double-checked by the dealer before they let me roll home.

Third, I did a LOT of research before buying this TT. I would never put my family's safety on the line. EVER! We went against LR's warnings and installed a WDH. That along with the marvelous suspension already a part of this incredible truck (yes, the suspension automatically leveled), sway control, and a Prodigy brake controller made a great combination.

The short wheel base is a factor that I did not consider. On that note, and ONLY that one, am I considering a different TV.

We drove home from the dealer last night with our new TT. 150 miles later, thru I-15 traffic, up the San Bernardino mountains, with 20-30kt crosswinds, we arrived home safely. I've been in some pretty treacherous places with my LR before and it has always brought me home. Last night was no different. It towed marvelously! No sway, no squirm, no pitching and rolling, and no white knuckles upon arrival.

I am not trying to pull an "I told you so!" and please don't interpret my response as me being a smart a$$. I am only trying to clarify a few points and let the rest of you nay-sayers know that I did research this purchase and I am confident that the LR3 is a suitable TV.

Cheers!
Dean


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Airboss said:


> We drove home from the dealer last night with our new TT. 150 miles later, thru I-15 traffic, up the San Bernardino mountains, with 20-30kt crosswinds, we arrived home safely. I've been in some pretty treacherous places with my LR before and it has always brought me home. Last night was no different. It towed marvelously! No sway, no squirm, no pitching and rolling, and no white knuckles upon arrival.
> 
> Cheers!
> Dean


Dean,

Again, congrats on the new trailer! Just remember to unhook before you go too far off the road with that Land Rover!!!









Best of luck, and definetly keep us updated on the performance. It's interesting to see the different options out there. (Don't worry everyone, I know I'm already at my minimum for a 28 RSDS!)


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## Highlander96 (Mar 1, 2005)

Did you really weight the tongue?

My 21RS used to go almost 600 lbs on the hitch. My 28RSDS is almost 1000 lbs. on the hitch. You may really want to find a good scale. Using the brochure is not an accurate reflection of tongue weight. Take the 370 and add 60lbs of propane, you are now at 430 lbs., add a battery at at least 30 lbs., you are now at 460 lbs. without one thing in the trailer.

You may have done your research with the brochure. Unfortunately, the brochure is not as accurate as it should be.

I am not saying "I told you so". Just be careful, since you are about to exceed the GVW rating of the LR.

Check out this thread:

Clicky

Good Luck,

Tim


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## outbackgeorgia (Jan 28, 2004)

Braaady,

Back to the original question, trans cooler for the LR.
My experience is many miles towing with Dodge Durango's, both the 4.7 liter 116 inch wheelbase and the new 119 inch wheelbase 5.7 liter. 
Both Durango's have trans coolers from the factory as part of the Tow Package. Your LR probably has one also and it should be sufficient.
I have towed in 104 degree weather in Pheonix area with no overheating or trans issues (140,000 miles on 2000 Durango without problems)
You "may" want to install a larger cooler in place of the factory one, but it might disturb airflow and not really help. As it is not a safety issue, why not tow as is and watch temps? Your (OBDII) computer will likely warn you of high trans temp. 
I have a 25RS-S now and the best answer to all of the posts and questions are a reasonable speed. Both TV temps as well as mileage are markedly worse as speed increases. You will not keep up with Dually Diesels going uphill. So what.
I do not think you are compromising safety in any way, as you seem to be well within ratings.
We, as many Outbackers, use our TV for daily use and it is a compromise. If we were full timing, we probably would have a dually Diesel. 
Our Outback experiences are priceless (Grand Canyon, Rushmore, Topsail and others).

Congratulations on your Outback!
BTW, does the LR have the Euro 6-pin trailer connector and did you just put on an adaptor for the 7 PIN US style connector?

Dave


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## azthroop (Jun 16, 2007)

Going back to the original question about the tranny cooler. I just put a B&M transmission cooler (the super cool) and an extra large Mag-tech pan. This was a tremendous help.

Also, trying to read through all of the threads, but I would go with a 3/4 ton Suburban with the 8.1L. It is awesome! They stopped making them in 2006, but you can still find some good used ones. I planning on keeping and rebuilding mine whenever that time comes.

Jim and Sandy


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