Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Topic: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY??? (Read 3628 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #50 – June 16, 2013, 07:40:49 pm

I took my wrangler on one of the top ten off road courses a couple years ago. It is a bone stock sport wrangler and it went everywhere but two places the built jeeps went. One was a ledge that was higher than my hood and the other was a bowl where I did not have the clearance to get thru it. I went off 3 foot ledges climbed up old stream beds and crawled over rocks. Wranglers are amazing vehicles.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #51 – June 16, 2013, 08:58:53 pm

First time I took my 79 CJ7 Golden Eagle four wheeling (304 V8, quadratrac) I found it had more balls than I would ever have.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #52 – June 16, 2013, 09:10:50 pm

Craig and all who own Jeeps.....A dirty Jeep is a happy Jeep....enjoy the ride and thanks for pictures

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #53 – June 16, 2013, 09:12:28 pm

Quote from: Dave M – June 16, 2013, 04:22:41 pm

John, DW & I looked at the new Jeep with most of the options, seems it goes well into the $40's, so sticking with the CRV for the moment. What is the Overland ?

Willys-Overland Motors was the original company name. The founder was John Willys.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #54 – June 16, 2013, 10:16:30 pm

My first "Jeep" was a 1949 Willys CJ2A with a farmer installed 6 cyl Studebaker Champion engine. I think he used it for pulling tree stumps. I could chain it up to a stout tree and with the Jeep on pavement in low range and first gear and the clutch engaged all four tires would just turn. Paid about $800 for it in the late 60's. Kept the 8K Ramsey winch and sold it for $1600 in 1974 when I bought a 1973 CJ5 V8 for $3200. Big tires and engine mods made for a great back woods and river bottom mud runner. This was easily the most fun vehicle I have ever owned. Sold it after three years for more than I had in it to an 18 year old who just about peed in his pants when I started it up. Then a new 77 CJ7 for three years. Then our first RV. 33 years later we are in a Foretravel with our 98 Wrangler.

Wheee!

All these stories, great memories!

Thanks, Roger

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #55 – June 16, 2013, 11:50:37 pm

All that fun in a Jeep and you can still use it to go to the store... in every state!!!

Craig

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #56 – June 17, 2013, 08:57:29 am

I too had a 49 jeep, 4 cylinder that ran on two or three depending upon its mood. It too could pull up a tree or climb one if desired. Going down hill was lots of fun due to the full 1/2 turn play in the steering wheel. Needless to say, it never saw the road but it covered the 1400 acre back yard very well. No need for mosquito abatement either, it fogged every acre it saw.

Does anyone remember Nelly Bell?

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #57 – June 17, 2013, 09:46:31 am

Having been issued a M38A1 in the USMC, made wanting a jeep right up there with a bad headache. Little improvement in opinion since.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #58 – June 17, 2013, 10:10:53 am

Jeeps are tough according to what I've read here. However, there is some abuse that is just too much.

I seldom think of a military Jeep without thinking of the Chaplain's Jeep on Smoke Bomb Hill at Ft. Bragg, NC (1969). At Ft. Bragg they dropped lots of people and equipment out of the airplanes. They dropped the Chaplain's Jeep and the parachute did not properly deploy. The Jeep was only about 24" tall and didn't operate well after the drop.

You could put one like that in the storage bay, but it would not tow well.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #59 – June 17, 2013, 12:24:50 pm

Hi Kent,
Extending the memory a bit here. Was Nelly Bell the Jeep used in either Roy Rogers, or Rin Tin Tin?
Raymond

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #60 – June 17, 2013, 12:47:13 pm

Nelly Belle was from the Roy Rogers show ,and driven by Roy's side kick Pat Brady.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #61 – June 18, 2013, 11:37:58 am

I had a toy cast model of Pat Brady's Nelly Belle. Think it would be worth a few more dollars today if I had one.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #62 – June 18, 2013, 02:01:51 pm

I did not remember the jeep "nelly belle", so I did a search and attached. It certainly seems that a jeep is a dang good toad from the consensus. I may sound obtuse, I just wish they offered a diesel version jeep. I know they made and are considering making a Grand Cherokee diesel now (was with MB diesel, soon perhaps with a Fiat).

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #63 – June 18, 2013, 02:10:31 pm

I have a friend who tows a Jeep Liberty diesel. They made it for a couple years before discontinuing the Liberty line.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #64 – June 18, 2013, 04:15:49 pm

FWIW -- I've read a couple of places the diesel [Fiat] Wrangler will intro in '14.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #65 – June 18, 2013, 06:44:18 pm

Quote from: Chad and Judy – June 18, 2013, 04:15:49 pm

FWIW -- I've read a couple of places the diesel [Fiat] Wrangler will intro in '14.

I was going to wait until the 2015 model year for the Wrangler diesel. I believe the company has in mind that if the Grand Cherokee diesel goes well, they'll introduce the Wrangler diesel in the 2015 model year. Then I found out the diesel option for the Grand Cherokee is $4,500 !!!!!!!!! So, I bought the 2013 Wrangler. $4,500 buys a lot of regular gas!

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #66 – June 18, 2013, 06:47:30 pm

To get this thread back on track, I choose the Subaru Forester with a manual transmission (the automatic was not towable). Subaru said it was towable with 4 wheels on the ground. No modifications needed other than the towing equipment and wiring for the lights. I installed it, not too hard for a good shade tree mechanic. You just have to make sure the key is in the accessory position so the steering wheel is unlocked, burglar alarm off, gear shift in neutral, and the parking brake off. If the gear shift is left in gear, especially first gear or reverse, you will probably destroy the engine. The Subaru's have 4 wheel drive, but I would not consider them real off road vehicles. They are fairly decent cars. I have aux braking for the car when the MH brakes are on, but not the breakaway feature.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #67 – June 18, 2013, 08:44:06 pm

Met a nice couple towing a 5'ver with a shortened OTR Volvo sleeper, who triple towed their forester manual 4 down. Left in first gear by mistake, didn't notice anything abnormal as they went down interstate at 65. Engine clutch and tranny shelled. Estimate was engine was turning at somewhere short of 20,000 rpm, according to owner. Bought new Forrester to replace, expensive mistake any of us could make

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #68 – June 19, 2013, 07:30:26 am

The WHY of Toad .... or was it eye of newt??

I spent a fair amount of time looking on the Remco site at appliances required to tow 4-down.
I also spent a lot of time looking at braking systems.

Before deciding on the vehicle, I decided that the M&G braking system was the way (for me) to go. No wires to pull, no arms to push, direct connection to the FT's air system.

After deciding that, I looked over the list of vehicles that M&G made units for and cross-referenced it with the Remco site.
I wanted to avoid pulling fuses, stopping every so often to 'stir' the transmission fluid, pumps, etc.

With my 4X4 automatic Jeep Liberty I put the transfer case in neutral, check to make sure it is, put the valet key in the wheel unlock position, lock the door with the clicker, and we are done.
Well, not quite done. Mary walks beside the rig as I take the first corner to make sure I have the ignition key in the correct position. We haven't drug the tires since instituting that procedure

.

I looked at other Jeeps. The transmissions on some of the automatic 4X4s (the Cherokee for instance had two different ones, one worked, the other not) would not have worked.

I finally settled on the Liberty because of $$. I'm happy with the choice. A plus for it that I hadn't considered was that I could install separate taillights in the rear reflectors and not have to mess with the OEM wiring.

HTH

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #69 – June 19, 2013, 10:58:25 am

With manual transmission and floor shifter, be cautious about leaving anything in the front seats. We toasted a VW Beetle many years ago while towing. A tool fell forward from a front seat during a stop. It pushed the gear shift lever into gear. The V8 Chevrolet up front never notice the extra drag until the wheels on the VW locked up when the engine seized.

Our current towed vehicle is the '94 Grand Cherokee 4X4 with automatic transmission. It tows well with steering wheel unlocked, transmission in Park, and transfer case in Neutral. When we move for the first time after attaching the Jeep to the U295, I aim the mirrors down and look for Jeep wheels rolling and steering on the first turn of the journey.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #70 – June 19, 2013, 02:16:47 pm

Sage Advice Mr. Bray,
I did not note but I also always make sure wheels are turning well after hooking up the toad. I have someone watch and make sure wheels rolling freely. I too have bought a transmission (was not properly set up when I took off).

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #71 – June 20, 2013, 01:03:46 am

Hyundai Elantra Touring 2010 manual shift 5 spd.

-Lots of interior space and comfortable for a small car/ fun to drive/30 around town, so far 33-35 on the road. Nice looking/designed by Europeans and sold in that market for a few years prior to US entry as an I30. 10 yrs warantee or 100k miles. Online USAA deal for 15.5K out the door new. Like it better than the newer ones H builds, but it would be a better car(the new one's) with a 6 spd. manual... 40ish MPG but a bit less storage space.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #72 – June 20, 2013, 03:19:52 pm

Jeep Wranglers work for us, easy to set up to tow, great off road, and mostly my wife likes them.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #73 – June 20, 2013, 03:59:31 pm

Thanks for the discussion here. The new tires go on Thursday, and then the next "purchase" is trading the Town Car and Mountaineer for a toad. I'd like to do an even trade, but we'll see.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #74 – June 20, 2013, 04:52:21 pm

We tow a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid with an automatic transmission (CVT). Why: It's my daily driver (I don't fulltime) and I didn't want a separate car just for towing. It's also light at 2600# and doesn't need anything special to tow. We have a four point check (key position 1, radio off, brake off, shifter neutral) and always have the other person check our work. We've been towing it since the car was new with zero issues. Honda cars are normally never listed as towable, but when I inquired I found this letter (I can't remember where). My point is if there's a car you are really interested in do a little digging. If the owners manual says no, check for service bulletins or ask the manufacturer directly. Forums can be misleading too. On iRV2 I found a post that said my transmission would "self destruct" if I tow it like I've been doing for the past 9 years - maybe I've just been lucky?

Another thing about taillight wiring: Diodes are OK but they inherently have a voltage drop which makes your lights look a little dim. I used standard $8 auto relays. Again, they have been working fine for 9 years.

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