To tow or not to tow Samurai

[Dano3]

I would like to tow a Samuri with all four on the ground.
I have heard 3 different stories.

Can some good hearted person give me the real info

Thanks Dano3

[jimkola]

I've towed my 1986 a lot-4 flat. I put the transmission in second gear and the transfer case in neutral. I then disconnect the negative post at the battery and put the key in the "on" position. This way i can release the steering lock, but don't have the ignition system energized.
I had spent some time determining which gear selection was best. Neutral on the transfer case was sort of a given, but the transmission gear selection was a bit of a debate. Second gear does help move some fluid to help keep it lubricated. the longest I've towed it without starting/driving under it's own power is about 500 miles(I know some manufacturers recommend starting the towed vehicles periodically)

[my996duc1]

You have a few options.....
1. Get a rear driveshaft disconnect from Trail Tough.... it will disconnect the rear driveshaft with a throw of the lever and then reconnects it back with the throw of a lever. WORKS GREAT but costly ($399).
Rear Drive Disconnect, For Samurai
2.Tow like "jimkola" stated but I thought is was suggested to stop towing and drive samurai ever 200 miles.
http://www.petroworks.com/pdf/How%20...%20Samurai.pdf
3. Get set of wrenches and take off rear driveshaft.

I use method #1. It works great !
Good Luck

[jimkola]

I know some recommend driving the towed vehicle every couple of hundred miles. After I returned from my first trip I drained the transmission fluid to inspect for any discoloration-or worse. looked fine. But the if the opportunity presents itself it definitely wouldn't hurt to periodically start and drive.
The one disadvantage I can think of is if you get just ONE of the shift levers in the wrong position it's all over, carnage to the nth degree. When I initially take off i check the tires and make sure everything is rolling ok, and this is after I've checked the levers about three times.

[Merlin93]

How much lift do you have? Driveshaft angles get worse with additional lift, which can & does cause U-joint breakage and other resulting carnage (imagine what would happen if the front-most U-joint broke, letting the driveshaft drop to the ground and jam into the asphalt, at 70 mph).

For several years I towed in T-case Neutral in 2nd gear, as the Samurai owner's manual recommends. But the stock T-case shifter locks the front and rear output shafts together in neutral, spinning the front, steeper driveshaft from the rear -- NOT a good thing at 70mph!

Now, with a small-ish 2" lift, I've installed twin sticks to get a true (2WD) neutral. The front driveshaft is now disconnected from the rear while being towed. The TrailTough disconnect would still leave the rear driveshaft spinning, so at really steep driveshaft angles (i.e. large lift) disconnecting the rear driveshaft at the rear flange is _always_ the safest method. They're mostly trail rigs anyway, so it's pretty reasonable.

I've towed 4-down for about 45K miles these two ways since 2004 (towed to Alaska and Newfoundland from LA). I still stop and run the engine and transmission through the gears every 200 miles or so (while gassing up), as Suzuki recommends. It is not necessary to drive the vehicle, just run through the gears with the T-case in Neutral to stir up the transmission oils and splash-lubricate the internals.