Community Forums

BigRiver · 08-02-2011, 07:37 PM

Still another question from a rookie.

Toad's.....

I see many Saturns, and a few Jeeps.

Are there any other auto brands out there that are towed without transmission modifications and such?

Can you use any vehicle that's 4-wheel drive and simply put the transfer case in neutral?

Thanks

goldwingerx2 · 08-02-2011, 07:48 PM

We tow our Smart car 4 down, just put it in neutral and make sure the key is not in the steering lock position which you cannot do with the shifter in neutral. I use a Roadmaster baseplate setup, no other mods needed. Of course it takes a lot of extra power for the Smart to push the MH up a mountain pass.

Never even know the Smart is back there if you don't look at the rear view monitor.

BigRiver · 08-02-2011, 07:54 PM

I've got an 09' Jetta with auto trans. Would hate to get another car just for towing, but we'll work out something.

Getting a tow dolly is another option, but again, once we get to the destination, we'd have the dolly to move and store somewhere.

wayne0 · 08-02-2011, 09:12 PM

We tow a 97 Jeep Cherokee with 4WD. Put the autotranny in park, transfer case in neutral, and key in accessory and go. I understand that most 4WD jeeps are flat towable but they must have a neutral position for the transfer case. We use a Roadmaster Sterling tow bar and base plate.

Since the Cherokee is getting " long in the tooth" I just purchased a Chevy HHR which is flat towable. Put the tranny, auto or manual, in neutral, key in accessory and pull one fuse and go. Many GM cars, trucks and SUV's are flat towable.

Jeff and Cheryl · 08-02-2011, 09:35 PM

Had a '98 Passat auto tranny. Loved the car. Wanted to tow 4 down. VW said "no". Called Remco, the folks that make accessories like lube pumps and drive shaft devices so cars can be towed 4-down that otherwise could not be. The customer service person I spoke with said that no VW products with auto trans can be towed 4-down. This was 4 years ago. Sold the Passat and bought a Honda CRV auto trans AWD. Easily towable 4-down (still miss the Passat). Motorhome Magazine has a yearly feature of vehicles towable 4-down. FMCA Magazine does also. There are a lot of choices out there, though some manufactures will have a model towable one year and not the next.

njs42 · 08-02-2011, 10:59 PM

Chevy Malibu I thnk and one of their larger SUV's.

randco · 08-03-2011, 05:03 AM

We have a like new 2004 Buick Rendezvous that's paid for. We couldn't see trying to sell it just to get another vehicle to tow. The vehicle weighs around 4,200 lbs. After looking into tow dolly's and thinking about the hassle of where to store it we opted to install the Remco Lube pump on the Buick. So far we have 5,000 miles of towing and have not had any problems.

To tow 4 down, I hook up the toad to our Toadmaster Sterling towbar, attach safety cables, attach umbilical cord, turn the toad ignition switch to on, place the gear selector in N, pop the hood and disconnect the battery using a battery disconnect switch.

For us it was the correct solution.

danf7 · 08-03-2011, 05:27 AM

I have a 2010 Honda Fit auto tranny that tows 4 down with no mods needed. Tows great and is only 2,500 #.

mikelm48 · 08-03-2011, 05:34 AM

The Honda CR-V is one of the most popular. Most GM vehicles can be towed 4 down, including all of their SUV/Crossovers.

wayne0 · 08-03-2011, 09:27 AM

Forgot to mention on my last post that motorhome.com and fmca.com publish an annual listing of towable vehicles. You should go on-line and look at this as, for example, not all Saturn's are flat towable.

Wayne
2010 Open Road 32 BA, Ford Chassis, 97 Red Cherokee Toad

sandpiper · 08-03-2011, 05:34 PM

Subarus are good toads - as long as you are OK with a manual tranny. Towed 2 over a 11 year period. It has no restrictions for speed and no "rituals" . Hook it up, brake off, tranny in neutral, key in the right position and go.

Dsouthw524 · 08-04-2011, 04:59 AM

Most Susuki 4X4s are towable. We tow a Susuki XL7 auto and have towed it many miles. Many others tow Grand Vitara 4X4 automatics with great success.

Road Pilot · 08-04-2011, 06:08 AM

We tow a CR-V which is AWD and requires no mods. We also tow a 4WD Silverado, with the transfer case in neutral.

NITEHAWK · 08-04-2011, 06:40 AM

We initially bought a 1996 Geo Tracker 1.6L, 5 Speed manual trans to tow with our Class C Georgi Boy. The Tracker weighs 1,600# so falls under the weight restriction of some states where you must have brake assist on anything over 2,000#.
Only modifications: added disconnect knob/switch on the battery, baseplate for Blue Ox towbar, wired from front of Tracker to the rear taillights.
Prep to tow: Hook up towbar. Plug in lights. Check lights. Open hood, turn battery disconnect knob. Trans in neutral. Ignition key in full on position. Parking brake off. GO!!