Flat tow or trailer?

[paulndot]

Searched and searched and searched - only found one post with no answer, so here it goes...

Does anyone know if a 4WD 5th Gen can be flat towed, or does it have to go on a car trailer? By that, I mean behind a motorhome. Can I leave all 4 wheels on the ground, or do all 4 have to be on a car trailer? Is there a tranny disconnect? Can I put the shifter and 4wd shifter in neutral and go?

Getting to a destination with a busted 4Runner NO ES BUENO.

 

[meltdown]

Per the manual, the 4runner can not be flat towed (dinghy).

 

[lunarsnowstorm]

Searched and searched and searched - only found one post with no answer, so here it goes...

Does anyone know if a 4WD 5th Gen can be flat towed, or does it have to go on a car trailer? By that, I mean behind a motorhome. Can I leave all 4 wheels on the ground, or do all 4 have to be on a car trailer? Is there a tranny disconnect? Can I put the shifter and 4wd shifter in neutral and go?

Getting to a destination with a busted 4Runner NO ES BUENO.

According to the owners manual, (2011 Trail ) you are never to tow your 4Runner with the tires making contacting the ground.

 

[Victor_inox]

I`d tor it behind a motorhome with front wheels off the ground and tranny in neutral. did that for about 3 thousand mile and truck was fine after that. SR5, not sure about trail or limited.

 

[wfo9]

The Toyota transmission is not happy without the motor turning the input shaft for lubrication.

You shoudl be able to flat tow without harm if you disconnected the rear drive shaft at the diff and held it up to the fame with a strong cable...

I've considered that as an approach for pulling with an RV, but trailer would be much easier.

 

[nevada]

Searched and searched and searched - only found one post with no answer, so here it goes...

Does anyone know if a 4WD 5th Gen can be flat towed, or does it have to go on a car trailer? By that, I mean behind a motorhome. Can I leave all 4 wheels on the ground, or do all 4 have to be on a car trailer? Is there a tranny disconnect? Can I put the shifter and 4wd shifter in neutral and go?

Getting to a destination with a busted 4Runner NO ES BUENO.

The Toyota transmission is not happy without the motor turning the input shaft for lubrication.

You shoudl be able to flat tow without harm if you disconnected the rear drive shaft at the diff and held it up to the fame with a strong cable...

I've considered that as an approach for pulling with an RV, but trailer would be much easier.

this was going to be my advice also.

it may be a PITA, but depending on the length of time being towed, it may be worth it. its only 4 bolts, it shouldn't take too long to unhook it.

 

[paulndot]

THANKS ALL!

I guess I should read all that stuff the dealer left in my glove box huh?

 

[DesertCanyons]

Flat tow behind a motor home

Any trailer big enough to carry a T4R is going to weigh almost as much as the truck. Consider another option, like the drive shaft disconnect mentioned above. I've seen Jeep Wranglers being towed. Not sure how they do it.

My 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee JK 4x4 can not be towed from either end. It has to be on a flat bed truck. Fortunately, I have not had to tow it very often.

 

[vicpick58]

With a Jeep or most other vehicles you simply put the transfer case in neutral to flat tow behind motorhome. I did this with my 4x4 1988 Chevy S10 pick up many years ago. it worked fine, except I had to leave the key in the ignition to keep the steering unlocked.

Simply used the other key to lock the doors while traveling.

For some reason Toyota does not want us to use a 4Runner for this purpose.

If you go to Camping World or someplace like that they have driveshaft disconnects that work with a cable and lever inside the vehicle. Not sure if Toyota is allowed to use something like that, but I don't see how that could hurt anything since the transmission would not be turning.

Of course you will need a tow bar and wiring for the brake and tail lights. And I believe that these days most states and provinces also require a remote brake device in the vehicle being towed. So that you are not over working the brakes on the motorhome. I never had any problems with my motorhome brakes, it was a 1989 and had disc brakes all the way around, stopped fine with the pick up attached.

 

[wfo9]

Any trailer big enough to carry a T4R is going to weigh almost as much as the truck. Consider another option, like the drive shaft disconnect mentioned above. I've seen Jeep Wranglers being towed. Not sure how they do it.

My 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee JK 4x4 can not be towed from either end. It has to be on a flat bed truck. Fortunately, I have not had to tow it very often.

First off, where are you coming up with your numbers? On avg, a 7k GVW trailer is about 2k lbs. That is less half of the t4R weight.

Jeeps can be flat towed without issues. Toyota's with automatic transmissions cannot be flat towed (at least it is not recommended or supported by the Mfg...)

The main reason I'm thinking of getting a trailer when I get an RV is that it also gives you a way to limp home if something breaks on the truck.... Also, depending on how your rig is equipped.... The overall towing effort may be less pulling the street tires of a trailer vs the 4r.. plus you are saving all the wear on the tires/ CVs...... Just another thing to consider.

 

[radlynx]

once, my truck got towed and I think they did the towing with the front lifted up and they got them on neutral. so far, there was no damage that I'm aware of. or maybe they towed it with the rear wheel lifted up.

 

[wfo9]

once, my truck got towed and I think they did the towing with the front lifted up and they got them on neutral. so far, there was no damage that I'm aware of. or maybe they towed it with the rear wheel lifted up.

I don't think short distances would be a problem.

 

[wanderMT]

Not sure, but think the 'No Flat Tow' has to do with lubrication of output shaft bearings in T-case. Hope someone has definitive answer???

 

[paulndot]

First off, where are you coming up with your numbers? On avg, a 7k GVW trailer is about 2k lbs. That is less half of the t4R weight.

Jeeps can be flat towed without issues. Toyota's with automatic transmissions cannot be flat towed (at least it is not recommended or supported by the Mfg...)

The main reason I'm thinking of getting a trailer when I get an RV is that it also gives you a way to limp home if something breaks on the truck.... Also, depending on how your rig is equipped.... The overall towing effort may be less pulling the street tires of a trailer vs the 4r.. plus you are saving all the wear on the tires/ CVs...... Just another thing to consider.

That's more or less what I was thinking. A friend used to tow his race car on a flat bed with spare wheels, fuel, tools, etc. Overall it was about as much as the T4R. I figured the mileage on the tires, CV joints, etc. would also be saved on a trailer. Now, I suppose the quest is finding the right MH with the tow capacity I need. Planning an "epic" trip out west - Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce, Zion & of course GCNP. For now, we're towing a small 5x8 trailer with our camping gear, but seriously looking at a MH with the capability to tow the T4R on a trailer.

Many thanks for all the information guys - so far this forum is on par with the big blue forum I used when I had the FJ.

 

[DesertCanyons]

Towing a vehicle

First off, where are you coming up with your numbers? On avg, a 7k GVW trailer is about 2k lbs. That is less half of the t4R weight.

Jeeps can be flat towed without issues. Toyota's with automatic transmissions cannot be flat towed (at least it is not recommended or supported by the Mfg...)

...

I got my numbers from the seat of my pants. And 2000 is "almost as much as" 4700 in horse shoes and hand grenades. :boxing: I once wanted to rent a vehicle trailer and was told it weighed more than my 1976 Toyota pickup truck. I was trying to tow a small cargo trailer home from a trip that had sheared an axle/bearing. I eventually found a trailer for hauling a small bobcat and towed the cargo trailer on top of that.

I've never been able to tow my 1995 Jeep GC with automatic trans and 4 wheel drive, 4hi and 4lo. Even when I put the tranny and the transfer case in neutral, towing with the front off the ground, the wheels lock up and drag on the pavement. I had to put it on a flat bed two years ago just to tow it a mile to the shop. I may get the owners manual out again. It says something about towing, but the manual is poorly written to cover 4 different models of the Jeep.

Having the T4R on a comfy trip in a motor home would be nice. I just think it's easier to tow a lighter car that's more adaptable to flat towing. Towing the T4R will add a lot of miles to the odometer. It'd be cheaper to do that with a cheaper car, one that loses value quickly anyway. The T4R holds it's value well.

 

[wfo9]

That's more or less what I was thinking. A friend used to tow his race car on a flat bed with spare wheels, fuel, tools, etc. Overall it was about as much as the T4R. I figured the mileage on the tires, CV joints, etc. would also be saved on a trailer. Now, I suppose the quest is finding the right MH with the tow capacity I need. Planning an "epic" trip out west - Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce, Zion & of course GCNP. For now, we're towing a small 5x8 trailer with our camping gear, but seriously looking at a MH with the capability to tow the T4R on a trailer.

Many thanks for all the information guys - so far this forum is on par with the big blue forum I used when I had the FJ.

For the MotorHome.. You will want a diesel pusher... Obviously pricey... but worth it in the long run. A MH with a trailer is in my long term plans for sure. They are very much like boats... Huge money pits with stuff constantly going wrong. Just know that going into it.

 

[paulndot]

LoL… Yeah, I kinda figured as much. We have a boat, and been VERY luck with it in 7 years, it's really just been yearly maintenance (oil change & such) and I just got around to replacing one of the impellers, and the other one will be done this summer. Not too bad considering it's 100% salt water use. But I digress…

The 4Runner is double and triple duty for us. It's our family hauler, adventure camping transportation, and our off-road toy. We once put close to 200 miles on our FJ on ONE off roaring trip. Every mile was in the back-country.

It's not at the TOP of the list, but one of the reasons I would go with a trailer, is like Wfo9 said - if I break something, I can trailer it and bring it home or get it to a repair shop easier.

Doing the White Rim Trail and Tower Arches Trail in Canyonlands next year.

 

[Borebrotherbore]

That's more or less what I was thinking. A friend used to tow his race car on a flat bed with spare wheels, fuel, tools, etc. Overall it was about as much as the T4R. I figured the mileage on the tires, CV joints, etc. would also be saved on a trailer. Now, I suppose the quest is finding the right MH with the tow capacity I need. Planning an "epic" trip out west - Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce, Zion & of course GCNP. For now, we're towing a small 5x8 trailer with our camping gear, but seriously looking at a MH with the capability to tow the T4R on a trailer.

Many thanks for all the information guys - so far this forum is on par with the big blue forum I used when I had the FJ.

I knew I recognized your avatar from somewhere...

 

[paulndot]

I knew I recognized your avatar from somewhere...

LoL.. I don't think I had it on the FJC forum… I was using a "cartoon" FJ - voodoo blue

 

[BigredTEX]

Let's resurrect an old thread....

I am very near bringing a friend back from the dark side and getting him into a T4R TE. He has one requirement that it must be able to be flat towed behind his motor home. The owners manual says NO WAY. I've been searching around the interwebs, including this thread, and can't find a technical reason why not other than the manual says not to.

Sine this thread is a couple of years old maybe someone has a definitive reason they can share.