New Member and Question

[chrismct]

Hey everyone I'm new to the motorhome life with a new to me 1999 Holiday Rambler Vacationer. The family and I are planning a shakedown cruise at the end of the month to Missouri, NC and then back to Florida. I had planned on using out 2011 Dodge Nitro 4x4 as our toad but all forums I have visited say no no no. The owners manual even says no to any form of towing. I was a mechanic for 20 years and think it can be towed. As long as the drive shaft is removed the rear wheels should spin freely so a tow dolly should work. Thoughts?

[sundance_8]

Not familiar with your toad but I towed our Landcruiser to Alaska and back with it backed onto the dolly and the steering wheel tied down. Four wheel drive was in neutral. They said it couldn't be done but the Landcruiser is still going strong.

[wa8yxm]

WHile I do not know the car you are speaking of I do know a bit about cars in general and towing..

But first go to RemcotowingUSA and on the Store Link enter your purposed towed's vital stats (Make model. year. engine. tranny body style) and see what the experts say on the big frame to the right.

Now... Some cars today have weird steering .. Towing them 4 down will seriously stress the steering system..

others have strange suspension and they need to have the engine running if they are going to bounce down the freeway.> EVEN IF ON A FULL TRAILER there is something special you need to do to tow or they will be damaged. That something special may be as simple as flipping a hidden switch. but I'm not going to risk liability by naming makes, models or where switch hides.

[Horsedoc]

Make sure the dolly is big enough to handle the weight of the SUV you are towing. Can't recall the name of the dolly from 2001 but a Camry would go front wheels on it, but it was very tight. short story, tighten the straps very tight, the auto can slip sideways on a bouncy/rough road. Sold the dolly after our first or second trip

[Bill_Satellite]

That's strange that I have a 2012 Jeep Liberty 4X4 (the Dodge Nitro Twin) and it is fully towable 4 down with the push of one button. Maybe you could trade for a jeep.

[time2roll]

As this will be an ongoing issue I recommend trading for something that will go four down. RV life will be far better.

If this is a single destination trip consider just renting a vehicle when you get there. Or rent a U-Haul trailer for now.

[Bird_Freak]

Put it on a trailer. Done!

[opnspaces]

If it was me I would put the vehicle on the tow dolly and disconnect the rear drive shaft. Check the transmission now and see if the driveshaft is bolted to the output shaft or is it just slipped into the back of the trans on a spline shaft. If it's bolted you're good to go. If it's splined you'll have to plug the tailshaft hole to prevent the ATF from leaking out. Either way you're still going to have to figure out how to securely hold the rear of the shaft off the ground, or remove the shaft entirely and plug the tailshaft hole. My gues sis the vehicle will move in 4x4 with the rear shaft disconnected. I would only go a short distance slowly to a spot where you can connect the shaft again.

[bigred1cav]

do what manufacture says

[Airdaile]

Get a blank spline shaft for the transfer case so you don't drip oil out of the case when you remove the drive shaft. It might me worth a visit to Remco to see what they would recommend.

[oldave]

Don't guess he made it clear but what I got was he wants to use a tow dolly
by disconnecting the rear drive shaft .
The front wheels will be on the tow dolly .

I'm not at all sure about this but he may be able to move the car around
by having it in 4 wheel drive and using the front wheel drive .
Who knows he might be able to drive it as a front wheel drive car .
He would have to figure something out at the trans where the drive shaft connects .

[ferndaleflyer]

It can be done but a PIA. Be sure and plug the trans where the driveshaft comes out. Friends wife has a S-10 she put the driveshaft disconnect in and she has had it all over the country by her self. Might look into that.

[Two_Jayhawks]

Hello & welcome!!! Others have already covered the pros & cons but I thought I'd also throw in my two cents. I also like the idea of trading the vehicle out for one that is towable four down with no hassle. 😉

[way2roll]

scbwr wrote:
Do yourself a favor....either get a tow dolly or different vehicle that can be easily towed four down. Getting a tow dolly would probably be less expensive and you probably have the skills to prep the truck for towing (lights). And, there are used tow dollies for sale if you look around.

Can't use a dolly with this car. Per the manual:

Recreational towing is allowed ONLY if the driveshaft is removed. Towing with the rear wheels on the ground while the driveshaft is connected can result in severe transmission damage.

[way2roll]

Welcome to the forum. I am no mechanic - by any stretch - but are there other implications than removing/disconnecting the shaft? Lubrication, charging, steering, etc? If it's a simple matter of disconnecting the shaft then I would think as a mechanic it would be an easy task to install a disconnect kit - I think Remco sells them. As others said, crawling under a car in even in optimum conditions (never mind dirt, mud, gravel, rain) every single time you hook and unhook the car will get old FAST. But, as others said, everything is a compensation. maybe you'd rather do the work than buy a new toad or a trailer. To each is own and I certainly respect someone who even knows how and is willing to do that.

On edit: If you are adamant about keeping your car, you may want to look into a trailer to tow your car. You could back it up, no drive shaft disconnect etc. Of course you have to have a place to store the trailer but everything is a concession. And rather than buy one, rent a trailer to see if that's an option that works. Also you may want to consider leaving the car at home and renting one at various destinations. We will do that on small trips. You can get deals as low as $25-35 a day.