Discovery 4 front towing eye

[Robt]

ok, so I needsd some help today::::
Is there not s towing eye on s disco 4 MY 16 on the front? Ended up going around front wishbone..:
Have tried disco4.com too but no luck

 

[asm]

I think it is behind a panel in the middle of the lower part of the front bumper.

 

[Robt]

The one you have to unscrew!??? Bugger! Best keep out of norfolk as that's the only place in 37 years I've ever got stuck!

 

[asm]

Pretty sure it is took bloody ages to find it.
Never bothered to put the cover back on.

 

[Cowabunga]

There's a big plastic cover at the bottom of the plastic bumper iirc. I don't think the towing eye is very strong and certainly not meant for any kind of snatch recovery, so be careful. Less bother usually to tow these backwards using the trailer hitch. Unless you have a trailer attached of course.
My old Fiat Panda had a front towing eye that looked just as strong. What it was attached to might not have been as strong but the Panda is about a third of the weight of a Disco and unlikely to get quite as stuck.

 

[Robt]

Thanks duck,
Couldn't pull it backwards as going uphill with A trailer of wood on soft muddy grass so just sat and spun, could have got out eventually but didn't want to dig big ruts

 

[robandles]

Don't normally disagree with the duck however the towing eye is strong enough. Silly to say it isn't tbh.
It's behind the panel as said above.
You do get nice and manky finding it though.

 

[Robt]

Thank you

 

[Cowabunga]

Don't normally disagree with the duck however the towing eye is strong enough. Silly to say it isn't tbh.
It's behind the panel as said above.
You do get nice and manky finding it though.

It is strong enough for a carefull steady pull but I would not be surprised if there was some kind of warning about its use being for road recovery, or something similar, in the users manual. Please do check, just in case there is.

Disclaimer.
I have not owned a Disco4 and my recollection of the long departed and monocoque full-fat Range Rover might not be relevant and could even be flawed due to the passing of time and failing memory efficiency.

 

[bovine]

I'm sure I've seen a video of a Discovery hanging from a helicopter via the front towing eye?

 

[Cowabunga]

I'm sure I've seen a video of a Discovery hanging from a helicopter via the front towing eye?

That's only 2.5 tons of steady strain though, if you think about it.

 

[Grouse]

Seen it used on the LR Experience days - it is strong enough

 

[nick...]

Be able to try it out on your next visit @Robt .good job you not here today.its pissing down
Nick...

 

[Mur Huwcun]

Discovery 3 got stuck on beach locally few years ago, LR demo driver apparently!! Any how, I can assure you towing eye nor the front winch mounting was strong enough!!! As the tide was suprisingly coming in it could not be towed backwards so towing hitch could not be used. In desperation someone wrapped a chain around the subframe somewhere and with creaks and groans it was extracted out!!!

 

[Robt]

Really........ nick and I just put a strap around front axle and had it out in 1 minute 10.... so how did the landrover demo guy get so confused..... if he really did

 

[Cowabunga]

Anyone checked their user manual for correct use yet? Surely?

 

[Mur Huwcun]

Really........ nick and I just put a strap around front axle and had it out in 1 minute 10.... so how did the landrover demo guy get so confused..... if he really did

Well they were not strong enough as they were all, complete with the bull bar, bumper and parts of the front chassiss laid on the beach a few feet in front of the disco while it was still axle deep in the sand!!! When they finally got it out it had to leave on the recovery truck that was trying to winch it out!!!

 

[Grouse]

Are you sure that wasn't a Disco 1 or 2, totally diffferent construction

And if it ripped part of the front chassis off then no recovery hook fastened to it would have done any better

 

[Mur Huwcun]

Are you sure that wasn't a Disco 1 or 2, totally diffferent construction

And if it ripped part of the front chassis off then no recovery hook fastened to it would have done any better

No it was a 3!! I'm not knocking the things I'm just trying to relate to a post higher up that the towing eyes are ok for a straight tow etc but they're not made for recovery or to pull them out of wet sticky situations with a loaded Ivor behind them!!!

We've seen lots of vehicles damadged whole they're been extracted from stuck situations on local beach here. You should see the mess they're in when the tide has been over and they need pulling out at low tide!!!

 

[Paddington]

Seem to remember the difference in load of towing a vehicle on a nice smooth road and pulling out of a bog is something like 50% of the towed vehicle weight and a D4 must be near 3t without a trailer. Never understand why recovery points are hidden away on 4WD vehicles, "oh, no sir these never get stuck !"