Well, Folks, I read all the posts from every RV forum, including this one, and came away with a feeling that the only way to know what truly was fact and what was fiction was to find out myself.
I have a 2004 Disco II with the towing package. Based on advice from this forum, I got the Trailer lighting conversion box from Atlantic British. Works excellent. Simple plug and play. Based on advice from the other forums, fitted a Reese Dual Cam Sway control with 1000 lb bars with a weight distributing hitch. I am towing a 4200lb loaded 23 foot trailer. After 1000 miles of towing on interstates and back roads, here are my results:
When the WDH is correctly set up with the Disco level, and the dual cam correctly adjusted, the vehicle is quite well composed and tracks very well. Crosswinds over 15 mph are best to avoid (i.e park and wait), but I have heard this from almost every other RV'er. On backroads under 60 mph, the trailer behaves very well and the Disco feels loaded, but very capable. On the interstates, speeds can be comfortably increased to legal limits, but two things I found out; Large trucks passing at a high speed difference will alternately pull and push the trailer and Disco combo, not causing a great deal of sway but in order to maintain lane position (very important when alongside a truck) careful steering was required, and a subtle touch was needed. Don't over steer! I was traveling with a friend with a 30' Travel Trailer and Dodge extended cab Diesel 2500, with wdh and sway bar, and he had the same issues, so I cannot attribute this issue to the Disco alone. The second thing is power. The Disco needs to be in sport mode, and unless you have very flat roads, in third gear. We went from Northern Kentucky to Gatlinburg TN and back, and most is gentle up and down with a monster hill both ways at the TN/KY border. The best situation was 3rd gear and 2900 on the tach, which was 63 mph. This was a very comfortable cruise, where the rig felt stable and controlled. On the monster hill we needed to drop to second, which meant 3500 RPMs and 45 mph halfway up.
Some of you may think this is a bit conservative, but I like my Disco and have a personal redline at 4000 RPM.
Even on the hill climbs the temp needle never moved, and when we stopped at the top of the mountain for a scenic overlook, nothing smelled hot or abused. Couldn't say the same for some other rigs in the park.
I also installed a clever device called Airtab (www.airtabs.com) for the trip back. I averaged 8.5 mpg on the trip to Gatlinburg, and 10 mpg on the way back. Check out the website, and you will see the premise. I also had better stability around the big trucks as well.
Now, would I go cross country with this rig? Probably not. Trips of 150 miles or less, no problem. Longer than that, and I will "borrow" my son's Dodge 2500 Diesel, like my friend's, and will likely be even more comfortable, and have far better fuel economy.
But I believe I have taken all the right precautions and equipment set up to keep me and my family safe, and I am within LR's limits, so I feel fairly confident with the rig. Watch your tongue weight, limit the load (4000lbs loads trailer), keep the trailer length at 20 feet or less, don't cut corners on hitches and safety equipment, keep the air pressures at max for trailer and tow (rear Disco at 48 psi!), and set reasonable distances and speeds, and you will be proud of your Disco and it's heritage of being a tough customer.
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