Flat towing a Tacoma

[tlcbtv]

Anybody flat towed a 4cyl auto?
I have a 96 tacoma 4 cyl auto, can I just put the transfer case in neutral and tow without hurting the auto transmission?

Any help would be appreciated.
tlcbtv1@aol.com

 

[Waggoner5]

Toyota's answer is NO. Now that we have that clear, I have seen many people that have been flat towing their v6 autos for many years and over 75k miles with no issues. I have not flat towed mine yet, but plan on doing so when ever the time comes. I will put the tcase in neutral and the tranny in park. It will be important to have the steering wheel unlocked in some fashion which I have not addressed yet. I am doing a front freewheeling hub conversion on mine right now for other reasons and plan on doing the rear hub conversion also in the near future. Although I am not doing this just to flat tow, it will alleviate any possible issues on flat towing.
G

 

[coonass]

Toyota's answer is NO. Now that we have that clear, I have seen many people that have been flat towing their v6 autos for many years and over 75k miles with no issues. I have not flat towed mine yet, but plan on doing so when ever the time comes. I will put the tcase in neutral and the tranny in park. It will be important to have the steering wheel unlocked in some fashion which I have not addressed yet. I am doing a front freewheeling hub conversion on mine right now for other reasons and plan on doing the rear hub conversion also in the near future. Although I am not doing this just to flat tow, it will alleviate any possible issues on flat towing.
G

My 96 was flat towed by the previous owner from the time he bought it. I got it with 112,000 miles reading on the odometer and have had no issues.


As far as leaving the steering unlocked, when I flat tow my 96 (v6 5spd) I just turn the key on and disconnect the battery.


Jacque

 

[SPDSHFT]

The key turned/battery disconnect is a good idea. If you are going to be doing alot of flat towing, I would suggest installing a battery disconnect switch (similar to the typed used in most race cars) and hide it in the cab for security reasons. I have also had a few customers tell me they also put the tranny in nuetral as well just incase.