flat towing a FJ55

[jmylie]

I can't afford a trailer and the weight of a trailer and my FJ55 would exceed the towing capacity on my FJC. So, the thought was to flat tow the 55.

Even loaded with camping gear, I would be at or below the towing capacity.

What do I need to do for the 55 to prepare it for flat towing?

Are there any major concerns? I've seen cars towed behind RV's all the time, so, I assume there would not be any long term issues.

Even towing the 55, gas mileage would be no worse than driving the 55 and the FJC is a more civilized ride. We end up driving 4 hrs or more to wheel and the comfort of the FJC has an appeal.

Please, school me on flat towing.

Thanks for all the help.

 

[Degnol]

Remove the rear drive shaft. And do not put yourself in a situation where you need to turn and brake at the same time. Keep the towbar as level with the ball/towing vehicle as possible. I towed my '40 with my FJC and it worked just fine from Minneapolis to KC, with the above exceptions. Don't even try the cruise control, just feather the throttle.

JMO

Ed

 

[jmylie]

Would my HJ60 be a better choice as a tow vehicle?

I'm assuming the longer wheel base would help but I'm not sure about the brakes. The Northeast has lots of large hills and curves.

 

[CruisinGA]

I've towed my 40 all over the southeast with a variety of vehicles, mostly with my '93 FZJ80 on 35's.

It is slow, often painful, and has occasionally been dangerous, but I have never had an accident. Being more careful and not a teenager would have prevented all but one or two of the "dangerous" instances.

However, a stock 55 probably weights ~1000 lbs more than my 40 (hardtop/doorless mostly). A stock FJC also has a lower COG than my 80, which is better.

If your 55 is stock, or if lifted has proper caster, and you have a properly set up tow bar (flat), and you are careful, you should be fine.

Whatever gear/tools etc you pack, pack in the FJC. The heavier the back of the tow vehicle, the better. The towed vehicle will have a strong tendency to push the back end of the tow vehicle around.

Don't bungee the steering wheel, if you think you need to, there is something wrong with the steering geometry of the 55.

 

[gid1972]

I use to flat tow my 40 with my F150, and sure it could easily do it from power perspective, but it was illegal (not to mention not safe). that FJ40 had no problems pushing my f150 around whenever i had to brake suddenly. Braking and the ability to stop are your major concerns here, not so much power.

In most states, there is a law about flat towing, up to somthing like 3000 lbs, and above that, the toad (towed vehicle) needs some sort of auxiliarlly braking to assist the towing vehicle, though i know most people don't heed this one....

Personally, i will never flat tow something that heavy again. It just isn't safe or worth it for me.

Once the kids came around, i used the safety card to justify my new trailer...

Just my .02. Good luck.

 

[Jetboy]

Have you thought of a tow dolly? If you can find one with brakes it might be a good option. Cheaper than a flatbed, and a lot lighter. Just put her on there, pop the rear drive shaft and tie up securely and you're on your way.


If you really wanted to go crazy you could pick up a set of 6 stud knuckles from Trail gear. They have two sets of tabs for calipers so they can use one casting for both sides. You could add a second set of calipers and an electric/hydraulic trailer braking system. You would also need to add a trailer brake controller in your FJ cruiser. This would then allow you to have the front tires of your 55 brake. If you did get onto some icy roads you could put the rear shaft back on and put the TC in 4wd and the braking would slow all 4 tires. Then all the 8 tires would have braking force.

Another option that might be even easier to put a valve in your brakes and just plumb the hydro/electric brake controller into your stock brakes. I'm not sure how this would work or if the electric/hydraulic systems have enough volume to work all 4 brakes. Anyway, it's probably possible to set up your stock brakes to work when towing.

 

[CruisinGA]

If you're going to do auxiliary brakes, IMO the only reasonable way to do it would be with a "Brake Buddy." Someone on Mud installed one awhile back.

 

[FJ40Jim]

Joe, please don't flat tow a 55. It's just too big to be steered by a tow truck, or stopped by a tow truck.

Especially forget about towing the long, heavy 55 behind a mini-truck (FJC).

Consider an X-cab F350 duallie to be a minimum for flat-towing a 55.

 

[Jetboy]

If you're going to do auxiliary brakes, IMO the only reasonable way to do it would be with a "Brake Buddy." Someone on Mud installed one awhile back.

Never seen such a thing. Seems like a decent idea. BrakeBuddy Vantage Select | BrakeBuddy - Braking systems for motorhomes towing a vehicle Looks like the base model sells for about $800.

I've kicked around the idea of one of these COUPLEMATE TRAILER PARTS , but the brakebuddy is cheaper and a lot easier to install. A tow dolly is about the same price and may offer a little more utility, but the brake buddy is a good idea.

 

[jmylie]

I guess I'll just suck it up and continue to drive the 55 to wheeling events.

Safety before comfort. The short wheelbase of the FJC did give me some concerns. As usual, you get what you pay for. A tow vehicle and trailer cost but the level of safety required to tow 4500 lbs of pig require it.

One option is to buy a small trailer and put the MT's in the trailer and run quieter highway tires. I seen some do this but the tire change over is a pain.

Of course, I get more looks and waves in the 55.

Thanks to all for their thoughts and advice.

 

[CruisinGA]

Yeah, but you get twice as many looks and waves when you tow with a Cruiser too!

Jim (as usual) has a good point. I did not consider the added wheelbase of the 55 over the 40, just the extra weight; or the fact that an FJC is shorter than an 80; both facts are working against you.