Flat Tow Vehicle

Winnie03 · 03-06-2021, 08:11 AM

Just accuired a 2004 winebego adventurer 35u. Have had bumper pulls for years but this is the first motorhome and looking for a tow vehicle. Found a 98 Sazuki sidekick with 78000 miles and 5 speed manual Transmission. Wondering if that would make a good tow vehicle.

DavidM · 03-06-2021, 08:24 AM

Should be good. Curb weight is low- 3,000 lbs and manual transmission should let you flat tow (4 wheels down).

David

hank857 · 03-06-2021, 09:28 AM

Do you want NEW or USED? The suzuki is 20+ years old and you may or may not get a good maintenance history. But it will probably be ready for some major maintenance? We have a 13 Hyudai Elantra that we tow, less than 3000lbs, gets good mileage but it is a manual transmission vehicle which is no biggie for me. I posted a day or so ago an ad from craigslist for a couple of tow ready hondas a minimum of 10 or so years newer and I thinl they may be automatics if that makes a difference. Dont forget all tow accessories (bars, cables etc) are readily found on Craigslist making them more affordable. Dont limit yourself to your immediate area when searching, reach out to other areas.

Morich · 03-06-2021, 09:58 AM

Lots of small points to make a difference as we each may do different things. So how do you see the use of this vehicle?
Will you be going on vacation once twice or so a year and just need the toad for reasonable low miles, occasional use when you get to a campsite and want to tour the area with less hassle than the RV? Does that mean it sets at home a fair amount with very little use and possibly in the way?
Or do you look at it as a everyday driver that you want to multi-use as a tow?
We kept a tow car and drove it a lot while home when we were both out and about doing separate things, so having two was important but as time went on, the second car got to be a pain and I would rather have an open stall in the garage, so we sold two cars and moved to a newer single car and it works much better!
The newer the year model, the less options you will have as so many of the newer cars are moving to CVT transmissions which do not work for flat towing.
We went with the 2018 Honda HRV with manual trans. for ease of setting it to tow as well as still new enough to suit what we plan for the next few years.
I do HIGHLY suggest looking at the online owners manuals of any car before buying rather than asking as so many will not get the answers right!
Things that "should" work are not nice to find out they don't after buying!

Winnie03 · 03-06-2021, 10:44 AM

Thanks for the responses so far very helpful info. For the time being we will maybe be going on one longer vacation per year and several long weekend trips. Not retired yet. I think I would prefer not to have a tow vehicle but so many people say they wouldn't go without one. Another question can any manual shift be towed flat?

Mtn Charlie · 03-06-2021, 10:50 AM

A big decision that needs to be made before selecting a toad is how you want to configure your tow, Towing 4 down, limites you to the toad that you are set-up to tow. Dolly towing allows you to tow a wide range of vehicles, without doing any reconfiguration or added expense. Dolly towing also enables you to tow front wheel drive automatic transmission vehicles, and a lot of light weight toads fall into that catagory. I've dolly towed a Hyundai Tucson coast to coast, with no problems. A dolly with a braking system is probably a good idea and may be required by some states.

Mtn Charlie · 03-06-2021, 11:02 AM

Any time you use the term any or all, there is ALWAYS an exception. Most manual transmission vehicles can be towed flat but I believe there may be some 4 wheel drive vehicles that may have transfer case issues. That is why it is important to read the owners manual or contact the manufacturer. Flat towing also presents braking issues on some vehicles. Depending on the weight of the toad and differing state laws, active brakes on the toad may be a requirement. Dolly towing with brakes on the dolly, eliminates the necessity to have active brakes on the toad.

Mtn Charlie · 03-06-2021, 11:10 AM

FYI Regarding brake requirements by state. https://rvibrake.com/pages/flat-towing-law

DGundy · 03-10-2021, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winnie03

Just accuired a 2004 winebego adventurer 35u. Have had bumper pulls for years but this is the first motorhome and looking for a tow vehicle. Found a 98 Sazuki sidekick with 78000 miles and 5 speed manual Transmission. Wondering if that would make a good tow vehicle.

Refer to motorhome.com for current and previous years suggestions.

peggwn · 03-10-2021, 04:19 PM

Mtn Charlie,

What kind of rig do you tow with?

Rez · 03-10-2021, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winnie03

Another question can any manual shift be towed flat?

I'm prolly late to this answer, but --

NO.

I have a Mitsubishi Evolution X GSR (the manual version), and it can never be towed unless it's on a flatbed, period. Can't just put one end or the other up on a dolly and get away with it, because it's an AWD car.

For AWD cars, typically unless the manufacturer states explicitly that it's okay, it's almost never okay. I think some, and only some, Subaru AWDs can be flat towed, but I believe they've got a differential system that allows for that.

That said, we flat tow our Jeep Grand Cherokee and LOVE it. It's crazy easy (can hook up / unhook in sub 3 minutes) and gives us an easy way to visit all the surrounding areas when we've got the MH parked somewhere.

JimStreit · 03-10-2021, 04:32 PM

Looks like it will work but has some speed and distance limitations that you will want to keep in mind. (FYI we have the same 35u rig and love it)
https://images.goodsam.com/newmotorh...inghyGuide.pdf

Mtn Charlie · 03-10-2021, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peggwn

Mtn Charlie,

What kind of rig do you tow with?

I tow with a 2012 Itasca Suncruiser 37F. It is a Ford F-53 chasis with a V-10 and 6 speed tranny. Max tow is 5,000 lbs and The Tucson with tow dolly is just under. I'v seen others tow larger vehicles but I follow mfgrs specs.

Rez · 03-10-2021, 05:02 PM

The max tow amount is an important number to remember and respect as much as possible. Ours is also an F53 with the 5K max tow mfg spec. That said, our Jeep is 4,886 lbs with 1/2 tank of gas, so we're right up on that limit most of the time when we're towing, and unless we're climbing mountains, it's virtually undetectable behind us.

Also, as already pointed out, I believe an active braking system is a requirement for vehicles towing anything over 1,500 lbs in the majority of the US.

TKep · 03-10-2021, 05:16 PM

I am still getting accustomed to this site, so I am late in responding. I know that there are some really popular toads that folks have been using for years. We had one of them, a 2012 Honda CRV (AWD-automatic). We also had a 2005 MINI Cooper (manual). We were shopping for a newer toad this past December 2020 and decided that we wanted a used automatic sedan and settled on 2018 Ford Fiesta SEwith 30k miles, still under warranty. It is light 2,700 lbs and tows great at 65 MPH behind our 2012 Aspect 28T.

As far as towing laws, I find it helpful to post a link. They vary from state to state. If someone has a better one than this, please reply.

https://brakebuddy.com/towing-laws.html

James Black · 03-10-2021, 05:50 PM

We have a 2003 35u adventurer and have been towing a 2008 malibu
Automatic and in great shape. We have the tow bars, cables and breaking system. I just turned 85 a selling. Will separate car from adventurer. Thank you for your service, MSGT James Black, USAF Ret

Bo Walker · 03-11-2021, 04:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winnie03

Just accuired a 2004 winebego adventurer 35u. Have had bumper pulls for years but this is the first motorhome and looking for a tow vehicle. Found a 98 Sazuki sidekick with 78000 miles and 5 speed manual Transmission. Wondering if that would make a good tow vehicle.

I had a 1998 5 speed Chevrolet Tracker which is the same as the Suzuki. I towed it many miles 4 down behind a 1996 Winnebago Adventurer. I was towing a 1969 VW bug when I bought the Tracker.

After many years of enjoyment, I sold the Tracker to a lady in Douglas, Georgia. Later she sold it to a RVing guy in Pensacola, Florida. The Pensacola guy purchased the base plate form me for $100. I hope he is still enjoying the 1998 Tracker.
Yes, it should be a great tow vehicle.

jerichorick · 03-11-2021, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winnie03

Just accuired a 2004 winebego adventurer 35u. Have had bumper pulls for years but this is the first motorhome and looking for a tow vehicle. Found a 98 Sazuki sidekick with 78000 miles and 5 speed manual Transmission. Wondering if that would make a good tow vehicle.

It seems your looking for used. Many of us tow a 2014 or earlier CRV AWD or 2WD automatic. Great reliable car with plenty of room.