Lets suppose for a moment:

You have a 1996 3.4L 4Runner and you also have a late 84-95 Runner or a 85-95 truck.. You want to tow the 2nd vehicle, do you think its wise to tow it with the 96 4Runner..

-Even if you were to supercharge the 4Runner for power, and spend about 5-7k making it able to tow?
-Would it be truly stable on the road?
-Would it be worth it?

Or would it be worth to buy a fullsize truck/suv and a trailer or in the very least a tow dolly or tow bar?

I ask this because a friend of mine is convinced s/c his 96 4Runner and making it a tow rig is a good idea. He would be towing an offroad only 4runner or truck behind him.

I said no because the 96 isnt wide enough to be stable at speed, isnt strong enough to handle the weight without extra help in the rear and to spend all that cash supercharging it to tow seems like a waste (although he does cite he wants to s/c anyways). I also do not feel using a tow dolly or a towbar is a good idea at all!

So what do you think?

 

I tow my race car with my 86 4Runner every weekend...

And its the most ˟˟˟˟˟˟˟ scary thing I have ever done!! I am currently in the market for a new Tundra or Cummins Diesel because a 4runner just isn't set up to handle towing a trailer with a car on it, let alone another 4x4 vehicle.

 

btw all the supercharger will do it make it go faster. It will not help the trans cool down, will not help the combo stop, and will not make it any more stable on the road.

 

StrechASU tows an 80's LWB Pickup with his '99. You should ask him how it handles.

Gerdo tows around a Jeep with his 3rd gen.

 

Well he says he is gonna upgrade to the tundra brake swap, no idea about a trans cooler.

All I know is it doesnt have enough power, brakes and trans to handle it. He bases his claims off this guy who dolly's his trail rig around with a supercharged taco, cause if he can do it so can my buddy..

Whatever the case, I told him it will fail.

 

Not safe.

See the link in my sigline for potential results.

He doesn't have the wheelbase, the weight, or the brakes.

 

don't do it...towing a 4450 pound load to the local dump with my 98 4runner wasn't what i'd consider "good towing". save that cash and buy a good used powerstroke or cummins for the tow rig, as they're already set up to tow 3x as much as the 4runner or pickup...

 

i towed my little jeep trailer cross country, about 1500lbs total with my taco. and it had problems with that in some places out west. putting a s/c on a runner to tow seems like a waste of $$.

towing with these rigs, just isn't stable enough for me. but thats me.

 

x2 on all of this...our 4runners and pickups are mainly little utility-type vehicles, not hardcore tow rigs...

 

I mean if it was just once in a blue moon it might be ok but I'd opt for a Tundra V8. Wider, more stable, and the 4.7 V8 will get the job done.

 

The combined weight of the trailer and truck being towed will probably outweigh the 4Runner. Not a good idea.

 

I would be more worried about the tranny. I towed my 240sx with the 4runner *2000 3.4L 145,000 mile at the time*. It was a 100 mile or so route with a tow dolly. We weren't exactly going easy on it though. The tranny got a little hot and spit some tranny fluid but its perfectly fine. The engine handled it perfectly though.

 

Thats what I been saying. I consulted with my boss who has been a tow truck operator/mechanic his whole life. The dolly will take the weight of the other truck quite well and place almost all of it on the dolly wheels and a little on the Tongue.

However the engine isnt gonna be peppy and it would be a very good idea to add a trans cooler and take it easy..

I will tell you what, adding air bags in the back would be a good idea too..

 

x2 on the airbags, as i sure wish i had them the day i pulled 4450 pounds...lol! that thing was only 1 inch from the bumpstops and was wondering on the road a hellova lot...lol!

 

Ya my shocks are done...time for a lift.