Road Cholesterol Question

"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
10/08/2019 at 12:17 • Filed to: None

My brother-in-law has a Sprinter-based Winnebago RV. He’s interested in a tow-behind, possibly a Suzuki Samurai. What would any of y’all recommend? Would you tow it wheels down, or would you use a dolly?

DISCUSSION (38)

boredalways > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/08/2019 at 12:27

Slightly off topic (since I know nothing of towing), but for all the years this GIF has been available (15+?), I have never paid attention to the amount of damage inflicted on the truck cab until now. Man, I hope they didn't get seriously hurt.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/08/2019 at 12:27

i still cant believe nobody died in that one.... lucky fucker

anyhoo...i’d use a dolly

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/08/2019 at 12:30

I know TJ wranglers can have their driveshaft easily disconnected or whatever to make it easy to tow. Apparently 4WD Jeep Liberty models are fine for flat towing too.

I’d only use a dolly over a trailer for a short in-town tow. Maaaaaybe a half hour or so on a smooth highway. I’m sure plenty of people have towed cars much further on a dolly, but a proper trailer is way safer than a dolly. I think a properly maintained vehicle that can handle flat towing would be safer if it was flat towed.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/08/2019 at 12:32

1995 Suzuki Swift on a tow dolly.

Kinja'd!!!

someassemblyrequired > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/08/2019 at 12:34

If he’s looking at Samurai’s, I’d probably look at Suzuki Sidekicks/Geo Trackers. They tend to be a bit cheaper, and nearly as capable, though they do have independent front suspension instead of a solid axle.

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/08/2019 at 12:36

An older Honda CR-V are popular choices for the RV crowd, especially the 2WD versions. Fairly light, plenty of space and reliable.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/08/2019 at 12:44

Kinja’d!

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/08/2019 at 12:48

There’s advantages and disadvantages to both. The advantage of flat towing, is when you get to your camp sight, you don’t have to deal with unhooking, moving, and stowing the dolly. The disadvan tage is that it puts big limits on the selection of vehicles you can use. Your choices are basically 4x4's that can have the transfer case put in neutral , or little front wheel drive manual trans vehicles. You also typically cannot exceed 55mph, although some are rated for 65 mph. Also, you really cannot back up your rig, with a flat-towed vehicle hooked up.

That said, I wouldn’t hesitate to flat-tow another Metro/Swift. I could not believe how tough that stupid little thing was!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > boredalways
10/08/2019 at 12:48

Complete destruction.

vicali > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/08/2019 at 12:48

Grand Vitara; or the like

Kinja'd!!!

http://www.motorhome.com/dinghy-towing/towing-the-grand-vitara/

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
10/08/2019 at 12:49

They make aluminum trailers, too. I’d go that route, personally, before I’d flat tow.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > vicali
10/08/2019 at 12:53

Thanks for the suggestion; would never have occurred to me.

MoCamino > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/08/2019 at 13:07

Yep, these and the related Chevy Trackers are highly valued in the RV world because they are two of the few 4x4 vehicles with automatic transmission that you can tow with four wheels down without disconnecting driveshafts. They do require stopping every 200 miles and going through a few steps to circulate the fluids in the tranny.

Beware the 2.5L V6 in the earlier models.They are notorious for timing chain tensioner failure around 100k miles and are an interference engine. I actually have a pile of parts on the floor next to me to do the timing chain job on the 2000 GV we just bought. They quote it as an 8.3 hour job. I figure it will take me more like 20, as I’ll end up pulling the engine to do it. (Only because I’m replacing the oil pump, water pump, and tranny filter while I’m at it.)

and 100 more > MoCamino
10/08/2019 at 13:18

Also: The GV could be had in RWD or 4WD configurations, and a manual trans was an option.

That’s a shame about the timing belt issues. I’ve always had a soft spot for these, and first-gen Kia So rentos (also RWD/4WD)

MoCamino > and 100 more
10/08/2019 at 13:32

Ours has 116k on it and is pretty clean, especially after the deep (interior) clean my wife and I did last week. We’re pretty excited to get it back on the road. It’s comfortable, has great visibility, and at 165" is no longer than her old Toyota Echo. From everything I’ve read, the timing chain issue was a design flaw with poor materials on the tensioner. I’ve read of several people that got 300k miles out of the engine once the timing bits are replaced . That job is going to be a challenge though. :)

Thomas Donohue > boredalways
10/08/2019 at 13:41

According to SNOPES, t he driver and his 10 year old son were fine.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/truck-bank-drive-through/

Luckily, the driver of the Dodge, Mickey Miller of Garrison, and his 10-year-old son were able to exit their vehicle uninjured. According to Miller he was circling the bank to park on the other side when the corner of his travel trailer caught the corner of the bank awning. Next thing he heard was a rumble as the awning started falling against his driver’s side door. Somehow he was able to unbuckle the seat beat and exit the other side of his truck as it was falling. Mark Ivy of Texas State Bank stated that the main lobby would be open for business while the drive-in is being repaired.

boredalways > Thomas Donohue
10/08/2019 at 13:45

Thx!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > MoCamino
10/08/2019 at 13:52

Sounds like you’ll do it the right way. And save yourself a pile of dough in the process. You’re going to tow yours?

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/08/2019 at 14:16

Did that guy die?

MoCamino > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/08/2019 at 14:18

Actually we won’t tow ours. We bought it to be my wife’s car. I just know about the RV creds because 1) my dad had a Tracker he towed behind his RV and 2) I read about it on a Suzuki forum. It will take longer to get it on the road this way, but given the difficulty involved, I want to make darn sure I only have to do it once .

MoCamino > boredalways
10/08/2019 at 14:22

Serious Code Brown™ . I’m glad to see in the article linked below that they were unhurt.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
10/08/2019 at 15:20

IDK. If he didn’t, he only has 8 lives left.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > MoCamino
10/08/2019 at 15:21

No, I’m all about renovating versus just repairing. The money you save in labor is worth much more than the cost of the parts.

facw > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/08/2019 at 16:33

I’m impressed that the bank builder managed to build something less sturdy than a camper trailer...

MoCamino > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/08/2019 at 16:40

Exactly. I am fortunate in that I have a shop building to work in and most of the tools necessary to do it (mostly thanks to my dad’s generosity). I’ve done head gaskets in the snow in an empty lot next to a storage unit. Even though our shop building is pretty run down, it’s way better than THAT nightmare.

and 100 more > MoCamino
10/08/2019 at 16:43

I still see them on the road occasionally. There was a 1st-gen XL-7 in my neighborhood not too long ago, which is just a stretched GV...

I’va always been partial to the 2nd-gen GV, even though that it a completely different beast.

shop-teacher > facw
10/08/2019 at 22:05

I know, right !?!

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/08/2019 at 23:22

Wheels down and tow dollys are a pain in the ass, for different reasons. I wouldn’t do either unless I no other choice in an emergency . Pulling a car on a trailer is a far superior way to go, and $1500 will buy a good enough trailer.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > facw
10/09/2019 at 10:44

I wish I could see some after pictures.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > MoCamino
10/09/2019 at 10:46

Do you watch Roadkill? They’ve done some pretty involved jobs in parking lots, but never in the snow.

MoCamino > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/09/2019 at 11:00

I’ve seen a little of it. I’m always torn between “hey cool a car show” and “ugh more scripted drama”.

The head gasket in the snow really sucked. I’d bundle up and work for a couple hours and go in to warm up when my hands stopped working from the cold. It was on a 91 Geo Storm and wouldn’t have been THAT bad a job if I’d just had some shelter to work in. #apartmentlife

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
10/09/2019 at 11:01

Yes, that’s how I’d want to go. And for more, you could buy an aluminum trailer and load up a mid-200s CRV or RAV4 and have a very efficient setup.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > MoCamino
10/09/2019 at 11:08

I don’t think you’ve seen much of Roadkill, then. Of course, they have to figure out what they want to say before they start filming, but what is there to script about making an old clunker run down the road? It’s precisely the unscriptedness of Roadkill that makes it so appealing.

And #apartmentlife? It could be worse: homeownership and homeowners association.

MoCamino > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/09/2019 at 11:25

I’ll have to check that out again then! And yeah, there are pros and cons on both sides of the living quarters game.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/09/2019 at 11:30

Indeed. Even a brand new wood-deck flatbed trailer with a beavertail for easy loading runs around $1800 brand-new and weighs around 2000-2500 lbs .

I custom ordered my current racecar trailer for $2700 from Carson Trailers in CA that is just about the perfect setup for towing a smaller car/SUV (although one Escalade will also fit on it, barely). 16 foot deck , all steel runners so there is no wood to rot/dry rot , 6" narrower than a standard car hauler so everything other than the fenders tucks in behind a half-ton truck aerodynamically, open center, 4" drop axles for easier loading of low clearance vehicles/lower center of gravity towing, weighs 1600lbs. I found it to be a very good sweet spot for price/performance/wight. The aluminium open car trailer options are very, very nice, but they also generally cost $ 5-6k and they’re not that much lighter than my trailer

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > MoCamino
10/09/2019 at 12:13

I despise overscripted faux drama. IMHO, Roadkill is NOT THAT. At all, though many, if not most, of the other offerings on MOTD definitely are.

Grindintosecond > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/09/2019 at 12:33

dear god it really look slike the cab is totally flattened. i see the door skins crinkle before the end. Hope the drivers surviving at least.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Grindintosecond
10/09/2019 at 12:34

Not pretty. I think it maims the side of the truck, but not much of the cabin.