Towing help needed

[kaybeejay]

I have some friends who will be driving across country next month. (From NY to CA) They will be going thru Chicago, and Minnesota on their way thru the country. It should be a great trip for them.They have two trucks that they need to transport. A 1997 4runner and a 1998 Frontier (with MT tires, and a lift). They want to avoid the $1500 to transport a car across country. They want to tow the Frontier with the 4runner for the flats and the open road. When they hit the city or mountains, they will split up and drive separately (to save wear and tear on the 4runner).Does anyone have any tips that I can pass along to them? Neither of them are experienced in towing anything, and any advice would be appreciated. (especially if your advice would be, DON'T DO IT)Or if anyone in the NY area (Anywhere close to Cornell University would be nice) can recommend a shop that can help them set up the Frontier for Towing, that would be appreciated.Your advice is appreciated.

[Vibe Rater]

For a long tow like that, I wouldn't just use a hunk of rope or chain or anything like that. Get a proper tow bar kit, like the kind you see on Motorhomes towing a little car behind them. Make sure all the lights work on both vehicles and they are fully insured.

[ragingfish]

Check and make sure whichever car will be towed is approved for four-wheel ground contact as well (if that's how you plan to tow it). Some cars, when towed with all four wheels on the ground, will actually add mileage to the odometer. Usually it says in the owner's manual if a car can be towed with all four on the ground.

[ragingfish]

quote:You can not tow a 4 wheel drive truck like that, it has to be on a flat bed. It will ruin the drive train.Really? Weird...what about it being towed screws it up? Just curious.

[ragingfish]

Now here's a qustion. My sunfire could be towed with all four wheels on the ground...Can't you just shift a car into neutral and tow it that way? Doesn't neutral essentially separate the wheels from the drivetrain?

[ragingfish]

I don't know anyone that did...But it said in the manual that the car could be towed on all four wheels, and showed a picture of it being towed on all four behind a RV...

[ragingfish]

Hmm...touché!

[kaybeejay]

It depends on the 4wd truck. Sometimes the manual will tell you to disconnect the driveshaft to the Rear wheels. Since most 4wd vehicles are RWD anyways, there is no need to disconnect the front shafts (CV joints) cause they are normally being driven on without power anyways.

[Chris]

Definitely read both owners manuals as some AWD vehicles like exploders and crv's are very different than a true 4x4 and I'm not sure what the frontier is.anyway, typically you place the transmission in neutral AND the transfer case and, of course, make sure the hubs are unlocked. this way, towing will only turn the diffs and the shaft up to the Tcase.Make sure to read the owners manual as some vehicles have difficulty lubricating when the motors not running... not sure if this applies but, before you go that far towing (!) you want to be sure!

[joatmon]

quote: Sometimes the manual will tell you to disconnect the driveshaft to the Rear wheels. I haven't towed a RWD vehicle for a while, so things may have changed, but I remember disconnecting the driveshaft. prevents the transmission from being affected. Not really needed for a short drag into the repair shop, but a good idea for a long tow. If the Frontier is a 4wd model, maybe use a tow dolly for the front wheels and disconnected driveshaft for the rear wheels would work. If you do disconnect the driveshaft, a couple of things to keep in mind:- If you leave it connected to the trans, tie it up securely with forward pressure to keep it from falling out of the trans. Would suck to get there and find the driveshaft missing, or to have the front drop out of the trans and pole vault the towed vehicle at highway speed.- If you remove the driveshaft completely, bag or seal up the back end of the trans to keep from losing too much trans fluid/oil. Better take some spare fluid/oil.- Be sure to bag/tape the exposed U joint caps too to keep them from falling off. Sounds like they're moving to CA. Be sure that the 4runner, loaded up with all the stuff that they will take with them, is rated as capable of pulling the weight of the Frontier with all the stuff that might be loaded in it. I don't know the vehicle specs. The $1500 to ship the Frontier would be a bargain if towing it with the 4runner would trash the 4runner's engine/transmission, or be so unstable that they have a wreck and lose everything. If they do tow it, they should try it out locally before they hit the big road to make sure both they and the 4runner can handle it ok.

[esjones]

quote:Can't you just shift a car into neutral and tow it that way? Doesn't neutral essentially separate the wheels from the drivetrain?It depends on the car, and there ARE differences from car to car. You MUST get it in writing from the manufacturer that it is OK to tow the car with the drive wheels on the ground before you do this. This is a constant topic in RV/Motorhome magazines, i.e., which cars can be towed on all fours.Check out this link for more (according to this, the Vibe with manual transmission IS towable with all four on the ground, with an odd requirement that the engine must be run at idle for more than 3 minutes after towing for 200 miles): http://www.motorhomemagazine.com/dinghy ... /index.cfm