Tow dolly vs. Flat tow my 40 (1 Viewer)

[Goebeler]

Since I cant swing an alluminum trailer to tow my 40 behind my rv, i am now wondering if it is safer to flat tow or get a dolly and go that route?

I had a terrible experience flat towing so that concerns me. I am thinking tow dolly and removi g the rear shaft. Thinking of getting the rear axle fully serviced somehow as well.

Should I back it on the thing and just unlock the hubs?

The trips will be long so things will heat up?

Advice from those towing their heavy 40 needed.

Goebs

 

[Cdaniel]

Flat towed mine all over the SW with just the rear shaft dropped, hubs unlocked. Never a problem. Pay attention to sharp turns to make sure the front wheels follow on gravel/dirt.

However, early in my ownership, I flat towed with the rear shaft in and the trans and t-case in neutral. Not realizing neutral on the t-case is past the point where the front is engaged to the case.

A marginal front u-joint let go at highway speed. Real ugly.

Busted the nose off the case, yanked the pinion flange off, pasta for a drive shaft.

 

[OilHammer]

I flat towed a good bit with good results. Couple things to keep in mind. The angle of the tow bar relative to the tow vehicle.....always sloping down towards the tow vehicle. You want more pressure on the rear end when you hit the brakes. Second, make sure the towing vehicle is longer and heavier than what you are towing and give lots of room for stops and turns. Think tractor trailer, with limited brakes!
Backing up is very tricky...you can't turn much if at all. You need the 40 to have perfect steering angles or it won't track right. If everything is set up right, it's not a problem...one thing wrong and it will scare the pants off of you!

 

[coloradowhaler]

Flat Tow

My FJ40 has been towed over 3,000 miles in the last year with good luck and no problems. A heavy homemade (by Claudie) tow bar, a good front end alignment to make sure it runs straight and good tires all help. Don't make hard turns and do try to park where you don't have to back up. I have run this behind my 5.7l Tundra at 75 on the freeway and it follows me like an lonesome dog.

 

[luzercruiser]

i cant flat tow without someone sitting and stearing the 40... doesnt track right prob my caster

 

[Straightsixmiller]

I have never flat towed a 40 but, I have pulled my lifted 40 on a tow dolly. I pulled it to GSMTR one year behind an RV. no problem. My dad decided to pull it home from GSMTR with his suburban. At about 50 mph the tow dolly and cruiser would start swaying back and forth violently. The only way you could get it to stop was to go faster and slow down very slowly. This made for a very dangerous drive. I have since converted the tow dolly into a log skidder for use on the farm. No more road use for me.

Tripp

 

[cjgoode]

In general a tow dolly is much safer, will follow the vehicle. Flat towing will follow the vehicle pretty well, but vehicle or road problems can cause issues. As for the rear drive shaft removal and the transmission is not really a factor since both methods have the rear wheels on the ground. Backing up also will be the same problems. If I had the choice I would do the tow dolly.

 

[Goebeler]

What should i ask the service shop to service in terms of getting the cast and camber correctly? I have a 4" leaf spring lift and 33's. Otherwise all stock.

Thinking tow dolly but need to see what the total tow capacity is on the rv when it arrives. Thought it was 5000 and now think it is 3500. I dont mind being a little over, just dont want to be way over.

 

[woody]

Biggest issue on an RV is the rear frame rails...my old Lemon had added C-channel welded into place to add strength (down both frame rails), or my ultralite trailer and 40 woulda have torn it right off

IMO, flat tow...I only had one issue, and that was when something fell inside the truck against the t-case lever...do the 2wd low mod, and magically you have 2wd neutral too...safest is still to pull the rear shaft tho...

Put a cheap magnetic angle finder on the knuckles make sure they have enuf caster. Keep the tires on the FJ40 at max psi. I flat-towed mine behind a 1995 Toyota minitruck and was able to do u-turns. Just make a quick test-run well in advance, one trip around the block should do.

Best is a cheap ultralite trailer like the 14'er I rarely use...

 

[Goebeler]

How rarely and how light? I am cool with flat towing and removing rear shaft. Checking cast is new to me!

 

[Fast Eddy]

I have run this behind my 5.7l Tundra at 75 on the freeway and it follows me like an lonesome dog.

Wait until you have to hit the brakes on a wet turn. This is not safe. Get some towed vehicle brakes or a trailer.

Don't believe it's serious? Do some tests in a gravel parking lot with lots of room. This is a bad accident waiting to happen. Ask me how I know. Search "flat tow" and you'll find my story repeated multiple times.

I wouldn't tow without dual rear wheels and the weight of a vehicle that comes with them ever again, except maybe across town.

You could tow a 40 with another 40 as long as you didn't need to stop.

 

[60fj25]

If you do use a dolly, don't back the vehicle onto the dolly. Every thing I've read says that is a NoNo. Some dollys have brakes which is a plus. Supplimental brakes may be required by your state. The dolly will follow the tow vehicle better and some have wheels that directionally turn to better follow the vehicle. Backing up anything but a few feet in a straight line is impossible flat towing and if I remember correctly, not much better with a dolly. I used to take a yearly trip from Albuquerque to Lake Tahoe and used a dolly and later a trailer. With the dolly I would pull the rear drive shaft and if I needed to drive the vehicle for a short distance I did it in 2H front drive. Most dollys come with a small tire diameter wrap but any good trailer supply should be able to make you one to fit your tires. Remember to also use a safety chain between the dolly and the towed (40) vehicle. Now I travel from San Jose to Lake Tahoe and sometimes I flat tow but usually I use the trailer.

 

[huminajumina]

There is alot of good info here. Some key factors....

If using a dolly your tire size is key, you may need to mod the chains to get the tires to fit or they may not set propperly in the dolly altogether. and always put the vehicle on the dolly forward with the wheels unlocked so you it can track in the turns.

If flat towing, Big grippy mud tires to not track the road well, and may not turn back after making a sharp turn.... to avoid this, you can loosely run the seat belt through the steering wheel, this will let the front wheels turn with the vehicle enough to turn, but not enough to get stuck in the wrong direction after completing a turn...