Subaru Forester as TOAD

[Edavis31052]

Hello all,

I'm looking for real world experience from other owners who might be flat towing their Subbie. I have a 2010 Forester non turbo with the 4EAT Trans that would be the perfect adventure / off-road vehicle.

A trailer or tow dolly is impractical for us since we will be full time travelers, mostly boondocking, and I don't want an additional axle or two with 2 to 4 more tires to keep up. Plus parking the damn thing.

As a side note, I have spoken directly with REMCO Towing Equipment, and sadly they have nothing for my car. However, after explaining that I have been an auto and truck service guy for over 30 yrs, the customer service guy said the most generic set up they sell was for a Dodge Grand Caravan and its a pretty straight forward set up. Price is slightly over $2K though.

Any suggestions or real world experience posted here would be greatly appreciated.

TIA, Eddie

 

[highdesertranger]

"A trailer or tow dolly is impractical for us since we will be full time travelers, mostly boondocking, and I don't want an additional axle or two with 2 to 4 more tires to keep up."

so let me ask you this do you think 2 simple trailer axles are more complicated than Subaru's complicated 4WD system.

if you ask me a trailer is much simpler and more reliable than a Subaru. I have been towing trailers since I was 16 almost 50 years and find no issues in towing them. in fact they are much easier to tow then to flat tow a vehicle. have you ever tried to back up a flat tow or a dolly for that matter? next to impossible, you must unhook the toad every time you want to back up. plus you need one of those complicated toad brake systems.

highdesertranger

 

[rm.w/aview]

I lean towards the trailer as well for the same reasons and including cost. I've added the cost of the base plate, tow bar, braking system, and depending on the vehicle there will be additional tasks to be done to make a vehicle 4 down towable. I've compared this ballpark figure to an open car hauler (an enclosed one could go for 3K to 5K more, or as much as you want to spend) and found the cost to be roughly a wash depending on the components of the 4 down method & how much I'd spend on a trailer. Another aspect of the trailer that I like, besides being easier all around, is the ability to put a cargo or gear box or two up front for the jerry cans, tie downs, and other items used on the exterior without infringing on the tow vehicle's storage areas, and additional tie down rings for the dirt bikes or push bikes are a possibility too. The towing capacity and the Gross Combined Weight Rating come into play here so there could be limitations on your end. The trailer will certainly have more weight than the other methods. Also have a look at some dinghy towing guides to find your vehicle and related information... http://www.motorhome.com/?s=towable+vehicles&x=0&y=0

 

[Gypsy Freedom]

what are the towing instruction for the subi? subaru should have instructions on what needs to be done to safely to that car. with the complicated all wheel drive, and maybe an auto transmission. i would not be surprised if subaru indicates the car must be loaded on a trailer before towing. i would check into it and make sure you follow the manufacturers directions. those directions are usually aimed at just getting the car towed in if broke down or something. so if they restrict doing that. i sure wouldnt want to break those restrictions to tow it all the time

but i feel you on the trailer. while i agree with others that a trailer is more secure and tracks better, backs up easy and puts no wear and tear on an expensive car. the problems i have with it is the extra time it takes to load and tie down and untie and unload. with a good tow hitch, it just takes a few seconds to drop some pins and hook the safety. the other big issue, once you unload your car from a trailer, you still have the dang trailer hooked up. if you go down a forest service road towing the trailer and find out you cant get through. you need a very large area to turn the whole mess around, or god like backing skills. with a flat tow you just unhook and back each rig out separately. if i want to go without the toad for a while, it is easy to just park the car on a street or friends house. lots of places to park a car for a few days, even if you have to move it periodically. but with a trailer, you are more likely to run into trouble leaving an unhitched trailer on the street. either from LEO of from theft.

no trailer or dolly for me. if i had a car that was not easy to flat tow, i would get something that was. manual transmision geo metro for now, thinking about a manual trans suzuki samuri.

 

[bullfrog]

A Samurai has been great and easy for us to tow as it is so light at around 2,200 lbs. but I really like how it performs off road with radical tread tires that quickly wear on pavement and I prefer to pull the rear drive shaft out when flat towing so a 24' (12' camper and 12' deck) trailer will be next for us. Hooking up a trailer and knowing if something does happen to the rolling part of the Samurai is worth it to us. Hopefully I'll get as good as Jim in Denver with boondocking with a trailer!

 

[txmnjim]

you could search or ask a question here; www.mnsubaru.com
there is something you can disconnect on the subie but i forgot what?
others have done it...
jim