Land Rover Defender Towbars

Land Rover Defender Towing Specifics

The Land Rover Defender was first introduced in 1983 by the British manufacturer as a compact SUV, complete with impressive towing capabilities. Currently, there are two generations of the Land Rover Defender, 1983-1998 and 1999 onwards. We will cover the towing specifics of both generations below.

Land Rover Defender Towbar Electrics Kits

It is recommended that all tow bars fitted to a Land Rover Defender 1999 onwards are done so with a dedicated electrics kit, rather than a universal electrics kit. A dedicated electrics kit not only ensures all modern features such as; trailer stability and parking sensors are functional but also helps to keep your vehicle's warranty unaffected.

We offer both universal and dedicated electrics kits for the Land Rover Defender 1999 onwards towbars, but be aware that universal electrics kits can invalidate any manufacturer warranty your vehicle has and may also require a bypass relay.

Check your Land Rover warranty for more information.

Bypass Relays

All tow bars for the Land Rover Defender 1983-1998 and 1999 onwards will not require a bypass relay if universal electrics are fitted.

A bypass relay works by powering what it is you are towing through transferring power straight from the battery instead of taking too much current away from your vehicle.

Whereas a dedicated system works in harmony with your vehicle's ECU and all of its functions.

Coding

This is the coding of the ECU to accept the dedicated system, this updates your vehicles software to run smoothly with the new towbar. Land Rover Defender vehicles made between 1983-1998 may require coding.

Coding is used to update your vehicles software in order for it to run coherently with the new towbar through the dedicated electrics.

Bumper Cuts

Depending on the towbar, all Land Rover Defender vehicles will not require a bumper cut. A bumper cut is when a fraction of the vehicle's rear bumper is cut in order to fit the towbar.

Nose Weight

Nose weight is the amount of weight pushing down on the tow ball, it is important not to exceed the nose weight set on the tow bar, failure to do so could damage the car chassis and/or tow bar mounting points. For any Land Rover Defender vehicle manufactured between the years 1983-1998, the lowest nose weight is 150kg and the highest nose weight is 250kg. Nose weight varies depending on the towbar you choose and are displayed under each tow bar below.

Towing Weight

Towing weight is the weight that a Land Rover Defender towbar can tow safely, without any risk of damaging the vehicle. Towing weights are bar specific and displayed below each towbar.

For the Land Rover Defender range, the towing weight capacity for the tow bars is up to 3500kg depending on which towbar you chose.

You will need to check the towing limit for your Defender vehicle model as it may not be able to tow up to the weight limit that the tow bar can tow.