Adding a Lube Pump to my Toyota 4 runner vs purchasing a cheap lightweight toad

[Unicorn Driver]

Good morning,

My Toyota 4 runner cannot be flat towed without a lube pump and my wife's AWD VW cannot be flat or dolly towed.

My 4 runner weight is supposed to be 4675lbs, I have not validated this. My MH is a 2005 Damon Daybreak F53 on a 20500 chassis.

This is not for full time use, and mainly in Michigan.

I envisage towing maybe 7-8 times a year.

My options are to get a lube pump for the 4 runner and be close to the 5000lbs tow limit or get dedicated toad to either dolly or flat tow.

If we did get a dedicated toad we would more than likely get a 10 year old VW Eos hard top convertible, they sell for about 5-7k and have seating for 4 (we have a dog).

Would appreciate any advice.

Cheers,

Stephen

[Skip426]

Other expenses to consider; insurance and license fees for what would be a forth vehicle ( coach,4 runner and VW AWD ) + the used VW Eos.
Fluid pump for the 4 Runner ( and base plate , tow bars, AND toad brake system) could be the best option ; particularly if you plan on keeping the 4 Runner for any length of time .
I'm in my 8th season of towing my van with lube pump, average 5,000 miles a year , with no issues.

Another option could be an even cheaper, even older toad , like a Pontiac G-5 , that doesn't require a pump on the automatic, and used base plate could be available to save even more.

[Unicorn Driver]

Originally Posted by Skip426

Other expenses to consider; insurance and license fees for what would be a forth vehicle ( coach,4 runner and VW AWD ) + the used VW Eos.
Fluid pump for the 4 Runner ( and base plate , tow bars, AND toad brake system) could be the best option ; particularly if you plan on keeping the 4 Runner for any length of time .
I'm in my 8th season of towing my van with lube pump, average 5,000 miles a year , with no issues.

Another option could be an even cheaper, even older toad , like a Pontiac G-5 , that doesn't require a pump on the automatic, and used base plate could be available to save even more.

Thanks Skip,

I will check out lube pump pricing.

Another option is a cheap sub compact car.

[Minidb]

We ran into this as well this year when we upgraded to our first A class. Its a Sunstar 36Y on a F53 chassis. Neither of our daily driversion are towable. Even with an ultra light trailer, our 2012 Tacoma would put us over the 5K limit.
We decided we didn't need a 4x4 and after factoring in insurance cost of the extra vehicle and oof season storage we ended up with a cheapish 2012 Fiat 500 with a standard transmission. Great on gas (40mpg average), absolutely nothing to do but hook it up, put it in neutral and go. At 2400 lbs it's not noticeable when towing.

[l1v3fr33ord1]

1stMH-

You've started threads more than once on toads, including this similar thread. Advice seems to have fallen into two camps:

1) Weigh your 4Runner. If it's below 4,700 pounds or so, feel free to spend on modifications (lube pump, driveshaft disconnect, etc.) to tow it, or

2) Buy a lighter toad that can be towed without unusual modifications

I'm not sure the advice will be much different this time.

[Unicorn Driver]

Originally Posted by l1v3fr33ord1

1stMH-

You've started threads more than once on toads, including this similar thread. Advice seems to have fallen into two camps:

1) Weigh your 4Runner. If it's below 4,700 pounds or so, feel free to spend on modifications (lube pump, driveshaft disconnect, etc.) to tow it, or

2) Buy a lighter toad that can be towed without unusual modifications

I'm not sure the advice will be much different this time.

Thanks for finding it.

[lllkrob]

Or you could trade in your present 4Runner and get a 2012 or later 4Runner Trail Edition base model or 4Runner TRD Pro model that has a manual shift transfer case with neutral. These are 4down towable as is even though Toyota doesn't certify them for it.

[Triker56]

Check out used Chevy HHR's. Easy to pull 4 down.
Around 3,300 lb.

[Unicorn Driver]

Originally Posted by lllkrob

Or you could trade in your present 4Runner and get a 2012 or later 4Runner Trail Edition base model or 4Runner TRD Pro model that has a manual shift transfer case with neutral. These are 4down towable as is even though Toyota doesn't certify them for it.

Thanks,

That certainly is an option if I could find a used one, can not afford a new one at present.

[Unicorn Driver]

Originally Posted by Triker56

Check out used Chevy HHR's. Easy to pull 4 down.
Around 3,300 lb.

Thanks, will check it out.

[Peto]

Why not just get a trailer?

[Unicorn Driver]

Originally Posted by Peto

Why not just get a trailer?

I could not find a light enough trailer to tow my wife's car.