Flat towing a 70 series , anyone doing it ?

[joekatana]

I need to buy a vehicle to flat tow behind our rv for our upcoming Baja adventure . Has to be 5000 pounds or less , 4 door so the dog can get in and out easy , 4x4 with transfer case that can be shift in neutral !

Seems like newer and most available options are getting a jeep wrangler or a new bronco . Neither of those options I really like so I thought about looking for a manual transmission pzj or hzj 77 for this .

Has anyone flat towed their 70 behind a rv yet ? I know people used to flat tow 40’s and 60 series so the split transfer case should be able to handle it .

Last but not least anyone know of any reasonably priced 77 models for sale ? The for sale section here on Mud seems to be not popular anymore since the last changes .

We just left Alaska and are hanging out in the Yukon now so I still have a few weeks to make up my mind on what to buy for flat towing .

 

[duncanrm]

Alan Borg - Driftwood Artist in Australia does..

I do seem to recall he munched a transmission (H55F given age) fairly quickly and had to modify something about his setup.. possibly dropping the shafts when towing.. I dont recall specifically. maybe hit him up on Facebook or Insta..

Driftwood Artist Alan Borg - Drift Art

Driftwood Artist Alan Borg - Drift Art. 30,429 followers · 173 talking about this. Local collected Driftwood combined to create sculptures and other art works.

www.facebook.com

 

[NOSAJ]

Following… always interested in Baja adventures. Hope to make it there one day. Even this evening was talking to some friends from California and they were talking about how unsafe it is now. I also am not a fan of the new classifieds. It used to be so easy to scroll for 70 series for sale!

 

[Broski]

I'm also curious about flat towing a 70

 

[fl4031003]

I had a buddy flat tow his 100 for 3 summers. Only thing he did was overfill the t-case and put it in neutral, said he had no issues

 

[Broski]

I had a buddy flat tow his 100 for 3 summers. Only thing he did was overfill the t-case and put it in neutral, said he had no issues

Still not a 70

Way closer to a 80

 

[Lead Head]

The 62 manual says for flat towing, leave the transfercase in "H2", put the transmission in "Neutral" and limit speeds to 30 MPH or 50 miles maximum. Any faster or further it says pull the rear driveshaft.

The FJ60 just says to leave the transfercase in H2 and the transmission in neutral. Does not seem to list any specific speed or distance limitations.

Many RWD manual transmissions cannot be flat towed because they receive lubrication from the countershaft splashing oil all over everything. The countershaft does not spin in neutral with the engine off, so the bearings on the main shaft will not get lubricated when being flat towed. It's okay for short distance, but they will overheat and fail after a while.

Many American 4x4s allow you to flat tow because their transfercases feature an oil pump on the output shaft that keeps the works lubricated (the oil pump is necessary on these transfercases, because the bearings otherwise would not get lubricated in 2WD mode).

On the traditional gear drive Toyota transfercases (60/70 series), none of the gears spin in neutral. The rear output shaft would be the only thing spinning. If the shaft and its bearings are above the oil line, they would receive no lubrication. I don't know off-hand where the oil line is, but I doubt it's that far up. You'd probably have to overfill the transfercase somehow.

 

[FJBen]

From the owners manual.

 

[Broski]

The 62 manual says for flat towing, leave the transfercase in "H2", put the transmission in "Neutral" and limit speeds to 30 MPH or 50 miles maximum. Any faster or further it says pull the rear driveshaft.

The FJ60 just says to leave the transfercase in H2 and the transmission in neutral. Does not seem to list any specific speed or distance limitations.

Many RWD manual transmissions cannot be flat towed because they receive lubrication from the countershaft splashing oil all over everything. The countershaft does not spin in neutral with the engine off, so the bearings on the main shaft will not get lubricated when being flat towed. It's okay for short distance, but they will overheat and fail after a while.

Many American 4x4s allow you to flat tow because their transfercases feature an oil pump on the output shaft that keeps the works lubricated (the oil pump is necessary on these transfercases, because the bearings otherwise would not get lubricated in 2WD mode).

On the traditional gear drive Toyota transfercases (60/70 series), none of the gears spin in neutral. The rear output shaft would be the only thing spinning. If the shaft and its bearings are above the oil line, they would receive no lubrication. I don't know off-hand where the oil line is, but I doubt it's that far up. You'd probably have to overfill the transfercase somehow.

Thanks for a detailed explanation.

 

[SNLC]

Hey Joeri hit me up if you want some Baja tips, I been there a bunch of times camping for up to six weeks.

The Baja Almanac has become ridiculously priced but I would be happy to snap you pictures from mine. It is still better than GPS for navigating the peninsula.

Cheers

 

[TreadingLight]

Have you seen the new one from benchmark? It is almost as good as the old almanac:

Baja California Road & Recreation Atlas | Recreation Atlases & Maps of The American West and Beyond

Maximize your travel experience with accurately detailed recreation maps and atlases of the American West, including this Baja California Road & Recreation Atlas.

www.benchmarkmaps.com

You can also download scans from the original almanac here:

Baja-Almanac.com

 

[Broski]

Traveled all of Baja Sur back in the early 80s with nothing but a couple old school paper maps and a sense of adventure.

And of course a surf board !!
It’s changed a lot

 

[hoser]

Alan Borg - Driftwood Artist in Australia does..

I do seem to recall he munched a transmission (H55F given age) fairly quickly and had to modify something about his setup.. possibly dropping the shafts when towing.. I dont recall specifically. maybe hit him up on Facebook or Insta..

One could also convert a rear FF axle to fit selectable hubs.

 

[joekatana]

One could also convert a rear FF axle to fit selectable hubs.

Already asked around for custom axle shafts and nobody seems to offer them . Having just one set made is costly and time consuming . I looked in to this before I shipped my HZJ73 to Europe.

 

[hoser]

Front Range? Email for custom sizes...

Full Float Axle Shaft

Maximize your off-road capabilities with Front Range Off-Road Fabrication's Full Float Axle Shaft. Reliable performance on any terrain!

frontrangeoffroadfab.com

 

[joekatana]

Front Range? Email for custom sizes...

Full Float Axle Shaft

Maximize your off-road capabilities with Front Range Off-Road Fabrication's Full Float Axle Shaft. Reliable performance on any terrain!

frontrangeoffroadfab.com

Custom ordering takes to long as we are already traveling and I don’t have weeks or months to wait on parts this time . It looks more and more I will end up buying a heep for this adventure

 

[thatcabledude]

Have you seen the old threads about flat towing an 80?

 

[joekatana]

Have you seen the old threads about flat towing an 80?

Haven’t look in to those but finding a affordable reliable 80 isn’t that easy these days plus I think they might be pushing the weight limit for towing on our rv . Living in a rv on the road without having a shop has it’s limits for things like this .

 

[thatcabledude]

Haven’t look in to those but finding an affordable reliable 80 isn’t that easy these days plus I think they might be pushing the weight limit for towing on our rv . Living in a rv on the road without having a shop has it’s limits for things like this .

I just meant it was worth a read because it had a bunch of different suggestions and an options listed from some people who have flat pulled them.