Chris wrote:
: Just curious as to what everyone's experiences have been with towing... I
: know that a good full size 4x4 pickup truck is ideal, however, for those of
: us with toy trucks (smaller 2x4's) there could be some issues...


I've hardly ever used a 4WD vehicle for towing. I'm not hauling a real
heavy load (about 2,500 Lbs with a 17 Ft. Galaxie I/O). Tried a small
Toyota pickup at first but the back end was too lignt (scary braking it).
Then went to a '66 Dodge with a 318 CI. Towed great! Now, I'm using
a Toyota T100 w/manual transmission (automatic is better due to
torque amplification). No problelms.

b.

Two wheel drive is almost always enough.

Most don't know how to create a locker rear in a 2WD setup. Too bad,
because it's a very, very useful trick.

All thats necessary is to apply the parking brake until it provides
resistance to the drive wheels. When both drive wheels encounter resistance
the differential will provide power to both.

By applying the parking brake only enough to provide power to both drive
wheels damage to the parking brake is avoided.

Give it a try and practice a little. You may like it.

Butch
wrote in message
roups.com...
Chris wrote:
: Just curious as to what everyone's experiences have been with towing...
I
: know that a good full size 4x4 pickup truck is ideal, however, for those
of
: us with toy trucks (smaller 2x4's) there could be some issues...


I've hardly ever used a 4WD vehicle for towing. I'm not hauling a real
heavy load (about 2,500 Lbs with a 17 Ft. Galaxie I/O). Tried a small
Toyota pickup at first but the back end was too lignt (scary braking it).
Then went to a '66 Dodge with a 318 CI. Towed great! Now, I'm using
a Toyota T100 w/manual transmission (automatic is better due to
torque amplification). No problelms.

b.

Works great with an automatic, but with a standard I would think the clutch
wouldn't enjoy it much...

Fortunately I have a locker rear in mine already.. so they'll both spin...


"Butch Davis" wrote in message
link.net...
Two wheel drive is almost always enough.

Most don't know how to create a locker rear in a 2WD setup. Too bad,
because it's a very, very useful trick.

All thats necessary is to apply the parking brake until it provides
resistance to the drive wheels. When both drive wheels encounter
resistance the differential will provide power to both.

By applying the parking brake only enough to provide power to both drive
wheels damage to the parking brake is avoided.

Give it a try and practice a little. You may like it.

Butch
wrote in message
roups.com...
Chris wrote:
: Just curious as to what everyone's experiences have been with towing...
I
: know that a good full size 4x4 pickup truck is ideal, however, for
those of
: us with toy trucks (smaller 2x4's) there could be some issues...


I've hardly ever used a 4WD vehicle for towing. I'm not hauling a real
heavy load (about 2,500 Lbs with a 17 Ft. Galaxie I/O). Tried a small
Toyota pickup at first but the back end was too lignt (scary braking it).
Then went to a '66 Dodge with a 318 CI. Towed great! Now, I'm using
a Toyota T100 w/manual transmission (automatic is better due to
torque amplification). No problelms.

b.

Chris,

I agree it's less easy to use with a stick. But I learned this trick in the
snow of Germany with my old VW bug in 67. Worked very well with the bug but
it probably helped that the parking brake was a handy lever between the
seats. On my Titan it's a not so handy foot actuated device under the dash.
I'm glad it's an automatic. Got to the point where it was second nature
to use it with the bug. Same with a Porsche I had in North Dakota. With
eight inch treads in the rear and a mountain of torque that hummer could be
a handful.

A locker rear is the best answer, IMO.

Butch
"Chris" wrote in message
.. .
Works great with an automatic, but with a standard I would think the
clutch wouldn't enjoy it much...

Fortunately I have a locker rear in mine already.. so they'll both spin...


"Butch Davis" wrote in message
link.net...
Two wheel drive is almost always enough.

Most don't know how to create a locker rear in a 2WD setup. Too bad,
because it's a very, very useful trick.

All thats necessary is to apply the parking brake until it provides
resistance to the drive wheels. When both drive wheels encounter
resistance the differential will provide power to both.

By applying the parking brake only enough to provide power to both drive
wheels damage to the parking brake is avoided.

Give it a try and practice a little. You may like it.

Butch
wrote in message
roups.com...
Chris wrote:
: Just curious as to what everyone's experiences have been with
towing... I
: know that a good full size 4x4 pickup truck is ideal, however, for
those of
: us with toy trucks (smaller 2x4's) there could be some issues...


I've hardly ever used a 4WD vehicle for towing. I'm not hauling a real
heavy load (about 2,500 Lbs with a 17 Ft. Galaxie I/O). Tried a small
Toyota pickup at first but the back end was too lignt (scary braking
it).
Then went to a '66 Dodge with a 318 CI. Towed great! Now, I'm using
a Toyota T100 w/manual transmission (automatic is better due to
torque amplification). No problelms.

b.