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what is the easiest car to tow?

Yahoo Message Number: 4280
We are looking for info on a car to tow that does not require any additional equipment (if there is such a thing)

Any input will be greatly appreciated!!

Buddy and Lila
2003 Allure #30835

Re: what is the easiest car to tow?

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4281
I like the Jeep (Wrangler or Liberty).
All 4 wheels can be disconnected (4-wheel neutral).
When I ordered it I made sure to get the manual transmission, as the automatic easily clashes when you forget to do things in some perfect order. Also, I made the dealer disconnect the steering wheel lock thus no more forgetting to put the key in a very specific position. He wasn't inclined to do this (liability and such stuff). But when I said no deal, he did it.

There are good reasons to not have a steering wheel lock on a toad, as if you forget you're likely to get a tire blowout (I did with a fire to boot), also, when you turn the key on a bit to far, you may end up with a dead battery (also done that).
I learned from mistakes, now I don't even need the key in the ignition.
Another thing I now do (just out of paranoia), I wrap some shining material (e.g. aluminum foil) around a small portion of the toad's steering wheel, thus I can see through the backup monitor that the wheels are actually turning. This is even more important when you still have the steering wheel lock.

Quote from: ftum\[br\
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Re: what is the easiest car to tow?

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4282
I now tow a Jeep Grand Cherokee Larado 4wd. It only requires a tow bar, base plate and wiring for the tail and stop lights. I have also towed Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn. All of these vehicles are towable with automatic transmission but the Malibu does require removing some fuses. Depending on what type of tow mechanism you want the cost can be from $200 to $1,000. I have the Blue Ox aluminum tow bar that stays on the coach and find it very easy and quick to hook up. Just be sure you see in writing that a vehicle is towable without modification. Good luck.

Walt Rothermel
03Allure30811

Re: what is the easiest car to tow?

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4285
I've towed the Wrangler, the Cherokee and now a Liberty. In hindsight I wish I had bought an older lighter (97) Grand Cherokee. A fully equipted Liberty is heavier than their ads suggest and the seats are made for young i.e. small rear end, people. I thought the Cherokee was a great tow car.

Rob

02 36 Intrigue

Re: what is the easiest car to tow?

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4286
Quote
Buddy and Lila, as you can tell from the previous posts you will
have to buy a tow bar, diodes and wiring for the tail and brake lights and you should get toad brakes for insurance. The most populat toads are four wheel drive with a manual transfer case. You can find some two wheel drive manual transmissions that are towable also. I tow a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited for comfort and with enough power to tow my motor boat. The easiest tow is the Geo Tracker 4WD. It is very light weight and inexpensive. It is also very reliable. It is not very comfy but gets the job done. Hope this helps. jerry in NM, '00 Magna.

Re: what is the easiest car to tow?

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4288
Buddy,

We tow a 03 GMC Envoy, takes about 15 seconds to put it into freewheeling, you must also pull two fuses (haven't figured that one out yet, since you take the key out, don't know where the elec drain would be)that is the most inconvienent part of the process.
Roadmaster Sterling towbar, with Unified brake system on toad.
Bill Harris
03 Allure
30912

Re: what is the easiest car to tow?

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4291
For Bud and Lila. So far everyone seems to be mentioning Jeep...I would rather have a Honda any day and two automatic models, the CRV and the Element, are approved for toad duty by Honda. However, you will also see many Civics, Accords, and Odysseys being pulled four on the ground.
While they are not approved the transmissions are similar and people have been doing it for years. You have to decide what you want and need.
Regardless of what you buy you will need baseplate, tow bar, cables, and a brake system. Have fun. Mike 2000Allure 30493 98 Honda CRV.
On Wed, 26 Feb 2003 05:37:14 -0000 "jerry rawse@...>" rawse@...> writes:

Re: what is the easiest car to tow?

Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4295
If you want automatic transmission, get a Blazer, Trailblazer, Tahoe, or full size pickup (I have a GMC Sierra) with "Trac-Lok" and you can disengage the transmission with the push of two buttons and tow it. I have towed a Blazer for over 50,000 miles and a GMC Sierra for 20,000 miles. You will need a tow bar and a tow base plate on your toad to tow anything. I like the tow bar on the coach; the base plate on the toad is barely noticeable.

Gene Merryman
00 Allure

Re: what is the easiest car to tow?

Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4297
I agree! I have a Trailblazer, and the other aqdvantage is the steering wheel does not lock, so that means not having to leave the ignition on, and no pulling of fuses.
Regards,
Bob

--- Martha and Gene Merryman merryma@...> wrote:

Quote
If you want automatic transmission, get a Blazer, > Trailblazer, Tahoe, or full size pickup (I have a > GMC Sierra) with "Trac-Lok" and you can disengage > the transmission with the push of two buttons and > tow it. I have towed a Blazer for over 50,000 miles > and a GMC Sierra for 20,000 miles. You will need a > tow bar and a tow base plate on your toad to tow > anything. I like the tow bar on the coach; the base > plate on the toad is barely noticeable.

Gene Merryman
 00 Allure
Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more

Re: what is the easiest car to tow?

Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4298
Asking that question to a bunch of people is like asking a NASCAR person which is better: Ford of Chevy. Most, but not all, 4 wd vehicles are easy and accpetable to flat towing. I have towed using a Chevy Tahoe, then a GMC Denali, now a Chevy Diesel Pickup and a new Hummer H2. All have been automatic 4 wheel drive vehicles. All have excellent instructions in the owner manual telling you how to do it.

The reason you remove, if you want to, a fuse or 2 is to eleiminate battery drain when the fuse in in the "on" position and electricity feeds several circuits that cause battery drain. If I pull only for a day I don't bother with the fuse removal but overnite or longer I pull the fuse. Easy way to pull and find which fuse is to put a small "tie wrap" around it. Easy to find and there's a handle to pull it with.

I know there is a possibility of leaving the steering wheel locked but my wife and I double check each other and when I make the first corner leaving my driveway I am always looking for 2 things: make sure the front steering wheels are going in the correct direction as we turn and also that the car wheels are in fact turning. I would never want to have removed my steering wheel lock. It's not hard to rememember. If in doubt, make a check list like we carry and refer to sometimes.

I am very happy using Roadmaster tow bar and Roadmaster braking systems. This again is like asking a NASCAR person which car is better. Fortunately we live in a country where we still have a choice and here there are many choices.

But once important item is definately a toad car braking system AND a break-a-way system to put those toad brakes on should you ever become disconnected. (Now I know it never happens, but I don't want to be the first one it does happen to.)

Bill-PA-Country coach Prevost 40' 1998 XL

Re: what is the easiest car to tow?

Reply #13 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4308
In selecting a new or nearly new toad don't forget that towing many brands (Ford, Toyota, etc.) will void the warranty and leave you at the mercy of a generous dealer for many repairs.
Gene #30496

Re: what is the easiest car to tow?

Reply #14 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4309
Without appearing disrespectful to all the many people who responded to the request for the easiest car to tow, I believe we should have asked Buddy and Lila a very basic question before jumping in with suggestions.

"What do you expect the TOAD to do"?
If their reply is simply to use it for minor sight seeing and trips to the grocery store with no more than two passengers then they need to be looking at towable vehicles that fit that description.
If they want to use the TOAD to haul bricks and gravel when not behind the motor home, that requirement will definitely limit the range of vehicles to look at.
Do they like to "off road?" Maybe only 4 X 4 vehicles will fit the need.
Will they be traveling with four to six other people? Maybe looking at minivans would be appropriate.

And, do they have a budget limit?

I am also concerned that some information on this board suggests some vehicles are not towable four down when in fact they are.
Before making any final decision it is prudent that the prospective buyer contact the vehicle manufacturer direct (Not the dealer) and if they concur that that particular car can be towed four down have them send written confirmation.
I did exactly that when deciding on our 2002 Honda Odyssey and have in my possession written confirmation plus the exact sequence of events to perform when setting up the vehicle for towing.

David & Karen

2000 Intrigue 11062

Re: GMC Envoy Fuses-remove or not?

Reply #15 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4312
Rob,

On page 4-46 of the Envoy owner manual, under "Dinghy Towing" it says:

"When towing our vehicle, turn the ignition off. To prevent your battery from draining while towing, remove the ignition A and B fuses from the engine compartment fuse block." It then goes on to say that two wheel drive vehicles should not be towed with all 4 wheels on the ground. period The confusing part:

It goes on to say, under "towing four wheel drive vehicles": item # 4:

"Shift transfer case to NEUTRAL (see page 2-28 for steps)" item # 6:

"Turn the ignition off and remove the key. If the key is not removed, the battery will drain."
So......

with the key removed, where is the drain on the battery???? pulling and replacing the fuses takes more time than hooking up the vehicle
Bill Harris
03 Allure
30912

Quote from: rbessinger12\[br\
"]

Re: GMC Envoy Fuses-remove or not?

Reply #16 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4314
The manual is old. I tried to get them to change it but the person I talked to didn't understand what I was talking about. Several years ago GM quit locking the steering wheel, and before that time you had to leave the key in the ignition, and on, to prevent the steering wheel from locking, so the car could be towed on all four wheels. At that time you had to pull fuses to prevent battery drain, but now with the ignition off there is no need to pull the fuses.
--- "wmhar48116 bill@...>"
bill@...> wrote:

Quote
Rob,

On page 4-46 of the Envoy owner manual, under > "Dinghy Towing"
it says:

"When towing our vehicle, turn the ignition off. To > prevent your

battery from draining while towing, remove the > ignition A and B

fuses from the engine compartment fuse block." > It then goes on to say that two wheel drive vehicles > should not be

towed with all 4 wheels on the ground. period > The confusing part:

It goes on to say, under "towing four wheel drive > vehicles":
item # 4:

"Shift transfer case to NEUTRAL (see page 2-28 for > steps)"
item # 6:

"Turn the ignition off and remove the key. If the > key is not

removed, the battery will drain." > So......

with the key removed, where is the drain on the > battery????

pulling and replacing the fuses takes more time than > hooking up the
vehicle
Bill Harris
03 Allure
30912

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Re: GMC Envoy Fuses-remove or not?

Reply #17 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4319
Quote from: robert heaps\[br\
]
The manual is old. I tried to get them to change it...
Robert, thanks for the heads up. Makes sense to me, we just stopped for the night, did not pull the fuses, and the battery is fine.
Bill Harris
03 Allure
30912

03 Envoy tow