Electric Brake control, and towing

I hope someone can help out. I am taking delivery of my new LR3 (2008) this next week and this vehicle will replace my Disco 1 as my tow vehicle. What I can't seem to find out is some details about the LR3 and towing, the technical stuff.

On my Disco 1 I have an electric brake controller, sway control and weight distributing hitch. Works great.

On the LR3 I am wondering what will be required. I primarily tow a Fleetwood E2 popup camper the weight when we hit the road is about 2500 pounds sometime more depending on the gear load. The E2 is heavy for a popup and the weight can vary 400-600 pounds based on the gear we take.

Electric brakes - Required, this is to much weight to not have them, but I can't seem to determine what is required for the controller. I visited the Land Rover shop manager and he did some research and he found a wiring diagram in the service manuals that shows a brake controller. Everything I read seems to indicate that there is a plug for the controller but no controller. Can anyone clear this up. If I need a controller please post with what has been used.

On the sway control, there is no way to attach this to the factory hardware do I need to find something else. I don't normally need the sway control on my Disco 1 but there are times in a heavy cross wind that it sure makes things better.

Weight distributing hitch - I have read that Land Rover says no on this one comments, thoughts. I use it on my Disco 1 really seems to help with the sag and handling but my understanding is that on the LR3 the air leveling is all that is necessary.

Thanks

A Prodigy controller works great. Just get the Ford adapter cable. It plugs into an existing trailer plug that is clipped up under the dash by the steering column. You'll also need the trailer wiring harness, which is easily installed in the rear of the truck. Check around the usual vendors for the best price.

I cannot help on the sway control or weight distribution issues.

I pull a 7,000 lb enclosed car hauler with my 2007 with great success just using the standard hitch.


ChuckD

WD will conflict with the air suspension trying to level the car. Do not use it with the LR3. You can use a friction sway bar if you want to control your sway.

Check and see if the towing wiring is already installed. It was in my 06 HSE. Just pull the middle back bumper cover off (there are two plastic screws in the bottom of the cover that you can twist open with your key) and see if the plugs are there. If they are, all you need if the controller (I have the prodigy as well) and the controller wiring harness for Ford (It is about $15) which plugs in to a plug that is located under the steering column and easy to get to. If not, you will need to purchase the towing harness kit as well.

I tow a similar Starcraft version of the Fleetwood E2. As stated above, any brake controller will work and the wiring is the same as an F150. It takes about 5 minutes to install the controller at the bottom of the knee panel. Unfortunately, there is not much extra room here if you are wearing large boots. My controller was installed on the right side, above the accelerator, I may move it to the left side over the the dead pedal foot rest.

If the trailer wiring was not factory installed, buy it form one of the many LR vendors. it takes about 15 minutes to install yourself. To remove the left tail-light, open the hatch, remove the two clearly visible screws and pull the entire unit rearward.

There is no need for a WD hitch. But, with the high tongue height of your pop-up, you may need to use a hitch with a drop of 4" or more TURNED UPSIDE DOWN. The manual says to limit the drop to something like 2 1/2" higher of 1/2" lower. I have used a 4" lift and towed my pop-up for over 6000 miles without a problem. It is VERY important that the trailer sit level otherwise it will tend to sway