McGyver/Billy -
The Land Rover Discovery has a couple properties that give me pause. As a New Car Review in 1995 stated, The Discovery has a short wheelbase, high center of mass, and a soft, very outback-capable suspension. It offers excellent handling when used within its design parameters, but fast cornering is a bad idea. That thing about fast cornering is a clue to its behavior - the short wheelbase and high center of gravity make it tend to overcorrect in tight corners, and to roll, and that will only get worse with a trailer trying to push it around. The wheelbase is indeed short at 100 inches - much shorter than I am comfortable with - and it had not changed in 2003. And I have no idea where the center of gravity is. But both of these parameters make a vehicle quite susceptible to over-correction in steering, which is a natural result of trailer sway. That's what your trucker friend was talking about.
The question of sway control comes up fairly often, and I usually advise people "TMs don't sway - don't worry about it." In the case of the Discovery, I might have to make an exception. By the way, Shandy's Suburban has a wheelbase of 131.5 inches - almost a yard more than the Discovery.
The tow rating of the Discovery, at 5500 pounds, is adequate in most situations, so that should not be an issue. So go ahead and use the sway control. As you point out, it is good insurance.
Bill
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