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Towing Subaru Sambar

Discussion in 'General Truck Info' started by earl, Nov 10, 2008.

  1. earl

    earl New Member

    Can a Subaru Sambar 4x4 be towed long distances without causing transmission problems? I'm talking standard shift
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 10, 2008
  2. Subaru

    Subaru Member

    Are we talking on a dolly?tow truck
    They really hate it,my SC I had preferred to be on the road racing around:D
     
  3. boosted mitsu

    boosted mitsu Member

    i think you will kill the center diff.
    we had problems like that when our customers with 4wd vehicles get towed in on standard tow trucks. you need them on a flat bed or trailer. either all 4 are rolling or all 4 are not.
     
  4. Acerguy

    Acerguy Moderator Staff Member

    OK. But what about all those rav 4s and samurais, etc you see pulled behind motorhomes. Not disagreeing with anyone, but I wonder how it's done.

    P.S. the reason I wonder about this is that I've had the same question. My daily driver, a Subaru Legacy wagon with a 5 speed, is probably "big" enough to flat tow a kei truck but I know I don't want to pull a truck AND a car trailer with it. That said, I know several folks with big enough trucks to borrow. But still....just wondering. :)
     
  5. Badgerland

    Badgerland Member

    Keith,

    Alot of cars out there have a 2000-2500lb mfr towing capacity. While a 2000lb capacity is probably going to be max'ed with any utility trailer, you should look into a 5'x10' trailer and see what the weight is. One of my trailers is a 5' x 14' and weighs about 825lbs. If you use a weight of 1600lbs on your mini (which is a high estimate), you're at 2425lbs. I like the slim width because the trailer does not extend wider than my 1/2 ton pick-up. With 23" Bear Claws, there is about 1-1/2" of clearance on each side to the side rails.

    You could squeeze a mini on a 8' trailer if the rails were low enough and you had safe tie-down locations but it would be close. I would opt for a little longer.
     
    LAZ 1 likes this.
  6. Acerguy

    Acerguy Moderator Staff Member

    Thanks, Badgerland. I know I've pulled a good half cord of red oad (2000+ lbs) on my "heavy duty" 4x8 trailer (2000lbs capacity, probably about 500lbs) and it pulls and stops pretty good.

    But I'm curious about Earl's original question. Do folks that tow their Samurai behind their motorhome disconnect the axles?
     
  7. MiniBrutes

    MiniBrutes Member

    I know some vehicles people DO disconnect drive shafts.

    I am under the impression that if you have a transfer case with neutral, you should be fine. (If you actually put it in neutral that is!)

    Then both drive shafts are disconnected, and of course your hubs should be disconnected as well. Then only your rear diff and driveshaft would be turning, but not the transmission or front diff.

    For that reason, we always tell people that want to tow them to buy one with a transfer case, and not a honda, Subaru or 5 speed suzuki.
     
  8. teeshka

    teeshka Member

    Towing Subaru

    I posed this very question to the shop in Japan that reconditions my Sambars and they told me that you had to lift the front wheels on a dolly or disconnect the front driveshaft, but never tow with four wheels on the ground as it will damage the transmission.
     
  9. Acerguy

    Acerguy Moderator Staff Member

    Good info, guys. Thanks.
     
  10. MAXOUT

    MAXOUT Member

    Yup, you need a true neutral where the transaxle is fully disengaged. I tow a truck behind a class A motorhome and searched high and low to find a vehicle that was safe to flat tow and there are very few and most need mods like removing the drive shaft, fueses and running in TRUE neutral.
     
    LAZ 1 likes this.
  11. Timetripper

    Timetripper Moderator

    I have to put my two cents in here.

    If you go to the Subaru section you will see a line drawing of the Sambar transaxle.
    If you leave the front wheels on the ground and dolly the rear then nothing turns except for the front drive shaft.

    See for yourself.

    The disconnect is right in the snout of the transaxle with a dog clutch, it completely disengages the front drive shaft from the transaxle
    so the reverse must also apply when towing

    IMO you would be worse off on a Sambar leaving the rears on the ground because you turn
    all the gears in the transaxle that way

    If you still don't believe then jack up the truck [all four wheels off ground] leave the tranny in 1st gear
    park brake on to if you want.
    Must be in 2wd, then crawl under and turn the front drive shaft. Are you able to turn it? Yes
    Are all the gears in the tranny turning? No
     
    Last edited: Nov 12, 2008
  12. Badgerland

    Badgerland Member

    Reviving this old thread because I've seriously been looking into towing a mini around (mainly for marketing purposes).

    Here's a great link to towing a Samurai as a "Dinghy":
    http://www.rv.net/forums/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/22476747.cfm

    Note the whole "2nd gear" discussion. Seriously though, if you're towing a 4wd with a Hi-Lo transfer case that can be set to neutral than why would this be a problem? It's hard to believe that no one has towed a mini 4-wheels down!
     
  13. If you have a 4wd (manual trans), then you can tow with 4 wheels on the ground....

    It's no different than driving it at high speeds and letting it coast in neutral....

    Unlike auto trannies, manuals don't rely on a fluid pump and won't burn up without one....


    On the other hand, towing a 4wd vehicle using a 2-wheel tow dolly will ruin the T-case and/or center diff :frustration:

    Case in point....

    A few weeks back, I spotted this genius on the side of the road and just had to snap some pix :rolleyes:

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    AWD car + 2-wheel dolly = center diff BOOM!!

    Now, if he would've removed the rear driveshaft, he wouldn't be in a world of hurt right now :eek:
     
  14. Stuff99

    Stuff99 Moderator Staff Member

    a drawbar type tow is allot simpler, but for the hassle i would say a small trailer is the easiest. that way to if you got a hitch on your truck you could use it as a utility trailer for it when your where you want to be!
     
  15. RebarBox

    RebarBox New Member

    I might be thinking the wrong kind of towing...:eek::D:D
     

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