TOADS

[Demonknight]

Now that I have a bus I can travel in..it comes down to what I can drag behind it for local drives...right now I have an older pickup and it has the auto tran...not the nicest thing to drag.... I'm also on the bigger size both tall and wide *S* and small cars just don't "fit". So I was wondering what everyone else has or has used...

[crazycal]

How about a extended cab 4wd pickup. I'd think you could put the transfer case in to neutral even with an auto.

[Steve]

I prefer to put a small car on an open trailer and tow that because it is not much more work to unload, you don't wear your car tires, and you can get one with a front that will protect your car from all of the oil, rock, etc that you will coming from the back of your bus.

If you pull a car without protection you could find it completely covered in oil and dirt when you get where you are going.

Tomorrow I am going to go help my friend pick up the car he bought, an Austin Healey Sprite for only $750. You could get a fun little car like these for cheap and fit them on a small trailer.

[paul iossi]

I agree with steve, you can have the proper trailerbuilt on a 6k capacity drop axle with brakes that will carry just about any passenger vehicle safely, use tires rated to carry 3k ea, probably 16 inch 1ton pickuptires that are readily available (cheap). I use 2" rachet straps for tiedowns, locate D-rings so that the straps run from the inside of the tires to the outside of the tires across the tire front to back, rachets @ outside ends of vehicle for ease of use. Trim the excess strap length with a hot knife to prevent unravelling and/or having the excess flapping in the breese. Enjoy the towing experience. also you can backup with a trailer, not so easy with a towbar or dolly.

[the_experience03]

How far are you wanting to tow? Many vehicles have different safe distances you can tow them using different methods.

When it comes to towing my truck I just leave the transfer case in 2-hi and put the tranny in neutral with the hubs unlocked. Putting the transfer case in neutral actually disengages the transmission from the driveline, but locks the front and rear outputs on the transfer case together. The gear driven Toyota 'cases are tough, but there is just no way to truly twin stick them because they don't have a real neutral.

The preferred method for towing over greater distances for my truck is to pull the rear driveshaft as was mentioned before. I have it really easy because I have flanged yokes so I don't even have to worry about losing u-joint caps.

Someday I will be able to afford the full floater conversion kit for my axle. Then I'll have locking hubs front and rear making flat towing REALLY easy.

As long as we're talking about toads, does anyone know anything about what Honda thinks of you flat towing their cars? I bought a 1989 Honda Civic hatch for $200 in the fall. It is the most base model you could get. D15B1 (the restrictor plate model 1.5 DOHC at 70 hp), 4 speed manual tranny, and no passenger side mirror even! The thing has 272,000 miles on it, but I'll be damned if it doesn't still run great. Can I flat tow it in neutral for shorter trips? I know Toyotas, not Hondas.

[GoneCamping]

I'm assuming you are considering four down towing... rather than try and guess at what you might want to tow, check the Motor Home Magazine 2006 Dinghy List for some good info. They have other years available too...

[Demonknight]

yeah...well my trucks getting old and so am I..the thought of crawling under to take the drive shaft off doesn't appeal to me much *S* and I doubt the wife would like me trying to teach my 6 year old how to do it.

That said I was just getting an idea of what to look for when we go car shopping in a few months, and see what everyone else used here...I will look at that site though.

[GoneCamping]

Well, the site in my link above will provide a list of cars & trucks that are 4 down towable... I myself have a Jeep Grand Cherokee, it is great for 4-down towing, parts & pieces are readily available.

BTW, tow bars, base plates, and supplemental brake systems are NOT cheap...but if you search around ebay you can find some deals. I found a base place to fit my Jeep brand new for $105 and a brand new never used Blue Ox Range Finder II Tow Bar for only $50....

[sportyrick]

remember you can't tow a vehicle with an automatic transmission, you'll ruin it in short order (been there done that). disconnecting the driveshaft is the only safe way to haul one. the trailer idea sounds good that way you will have brakes to slow the rig down too! sportyrick

[delbertinie]

I plan on either bulding a carrier or a ramp into the back for the harley