Flat or Dinghy Tow a Tacoma - why not?

Truck is 4400 lbs and with trailer over 5000 lbs. My max is 5K.

 

Its a risk assessment. The idea is what if I'm sued for medical damages, will my insurance company cover me, or will they let me twist in the wind, citing that the modifications went against the manufacturer thus my policy was invalid? I'm a realist. How often am I going to get sued? About as often as me winning the lottery. But it has the potential to financially cornhole me if it ever did happen. Is the risk big enough to warrant the colossal pain in the ass to haul a trailer to the campsite instead? For me, yes. I wouldnt call someone dumb for assessing that risk and proceeding anyway, though.

 

If you really want to know, go to a RV site and hear from someone who has done it or a shop that installs this stuff.
They know which books to believe and not.

 

It looks like my liability is a new/used transfer case if things go sideways. Can't see the manual transmission getting messed up. People have been flat towing manual transmissions forever.

Current theory is the lawyers don't trust you to leave it in 2 High and then flat tow it. I can see if it is in 4 HI/LO then you have issues.

 

or why not "N" and trans. in neutral?
I dunno again.

 

Gen 2's and up don't have a Neutral. Just 2 HI and 4 HI/LO. All operated by a silly knob.

 

that may be the cruxofthebisquit.

 

To those suggesting a dolly or trailer - BZZTT wrong answer. A lot of RV parks charge extra and/or don't allow them at all. (it's a space issue. Some guy shows up with a 40' motor home towing a 30' trailer, there just isn't room.)

To the OP the reason you can't flat tow a Tacoma is they do not have a neutral position on the transfer case. Manual and automatic transmissions are designed for the power to come in the front and go out the back. When you tow a vehicle that is reversed, power goes into the back. The oil is not pumped and bad things follow. If the transfer case has a neutral it isolates those parts and you are good to go. Maybe somebody does it and there isn't a problem, maybe that guy you saw on the freeway crawls under the truck and disconnects the drive shafts, maybe just after you saw that guy his trans blew up, ruining his day and wallet.

It's your truck, but I would not flat tow mine without disconnecting the front and rear drive shafts. A dirty PITA but it is free.

 

I just replaced all the u-joints and the center diff bearing. Dry u-joint. Had to undo the u-joints under the truck since some f???ing gorilla at the dealer had tightened the driveshaft bolts on both sides when the frame was replaced.

 

Transmission is lubricated by the rotation of the input shaft and countershaft. If you spin the output shaft and (via the tires, and therefore the transmission gears) without the input shaft and countershaft spinning (from the engine), the transmission will not be lubricated. Without disconnecting the output shaft you'll be spinning the transmission without lubrication.

 

But if I'm coasting down a long long hill then by your theory there would be no lubrication. Not sure....

 

I'll throw my two pennies in. I used to drive a tow-truck and was a mechanic for a short time. Do not tow the truck with all four wheels on the ground. Why? Well... The front differential lubrication issue that everyone mentions is the first problem. In older 4wd trucks you could put the transfer case in neutral which would make it okay because the internals weren't moving. I don't think you can put this one in neutral, so everything would be moving and the gears wouldn't get what they need. If you wanted to use a tow dolly for the truck you probably could, but you'd have to remove the driveshaft so that the transmission isn't spinning inside. The rear differential would be fine because it only takes a bath in the gear oil. For very short distances you could get away with putting the truck in neutral and not removing the driveshaft, but I wouldn't. You're better off just getting a car hauler and doing it that way.

 

I was setting my 05 DC/LB up to to behind my motor home I bought the driveshaft disconnect got it installed and had the baseplate ready to install. Then life changed, bought a house and sold the motor home. Try going to REMCO and they will tell you what you need to do.

 

The one thing every 4WD vehicle that can be flat towed have in common, is a transfer case that can be put in Neutral. Remco, the 4 down towing guru's, list a drive line disconnect for Tacoma's, for flat towing.

 

The transmission input shaft is still spinning. The short answer is that the engine running is what lubricates the transmission. Without the engine running if you spin the transmission by rolling the tires then the transmission will be rotating without proper lubrication.

 

Auto. trans. Nothing to do with his.

 

Your thinking automatic. Manual transmissions are inherently splash lubrication.

 

And that's why you never shift an Auto. trans. to neutral coasting a long way. I really don't see how a manual trans. gets much oil sloshed on it.
Manual trans. cars have been flat towed forever but I have a feeling 4WD is a no-no, just because of that damn electric transfer.
Call Remco, they'll know.