Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum

Every truck I have ever owned in the past had a section on Towing in the owners manual. In that section, every one said that when towing, lock out the torque converter, i.e. do not let the vehicle use overdrive.

I can not find anywhere in the FJ manual that addresses this issue. Recently I towed a 2500 pound boat from Atlanta to Florida. During that trip, I kept the tranny locked so that it could not use 5th gear (this is an automatic we are talking about).

I want to know if this is the right thing to do or not??

Does anyone know? Toyota will not say.

GypsyJon

I'm looking but I'm with you on this and that's what I would have done to keep from overheating the Tranny. Do you have a gauge?

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Please Click for Sarah's Wish

According to the FJ owners manual you cannot dinghy tow an FJ cruiser, but the guy in the photo has logged several thousand miles with the REMCO drive line disconnect. Here are a couple of threads that discuss the topic in more depth. If all goes well after the wifey has the baby in a couple of months we will be taking a RV trip up old RT 66 to Chicago to visit some of her family and then down to Florida to visit mine, I hope to have this REMCO setup in place before then.



http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forum...ighlight=remco

Also, squid you may be interested in the unit that lifts the motorcycle!

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forum...ighlight=remco

i tow a boat and still use the overdrive. seems the tranny down shifts enough to keep it self cool. tranny is suposed to sense a load and compinsate for this. per owners manual

As I recall, the issue with towing in overdrive on many vehicles with automatic transmissions is because the overdrive clutches are not designed to withstand the torque needed under towing conditions, and tend to slip when under that type of load. This causes excessive heat and wears out the clutches quickly. Some automatic transmissions are designed to tow in overdrive (the one in my Ford F350, for example) and the owner's manual clearly states that it's OK to do so. I'd recommend putting the FJ automatic transmission in 4th gear, preventing it from shifting into overdrive, while towing. This will not hurt anything, and will ensure that the overdrive clutches are not overloaded.http://www.toyotafjcruiserforums.com...lies/smile.gif

I too towed about 2,000 lbs recently over 900 miles from N. California to Wyoming with a 07 FJ automatic. What I did was just kept it in 4th instead of "D" to avoid unnecessary shifting on slight hills and grades....worked like a charm and averaged 18 MPH with some pretty strong winds across the Nevada stretches.

overloaded.http://www.toyotafjcruiserforums.com...lies/smile.gif [/quote]
The fj is rated at 5,000# towing capacity.I just purchased a 27' travel trailer weighing 4,400# and was wondering if anyone has actually towed the maximum amount of 5,000 pounds as I will and would appreciate any feedback as I am concerned about such a heavy load.I will be using sway-bars and electric brakes on the unit towed....

I am looking at purchasing an FJ and want some additional information on towing. I will be towing a 15' V-nose Aluminum Pace trailer with a Lola T342 Formula Ford. The trailer is about 1700#, the car about 950#, and about 500# of tools, parts and stuff in the trailer. I have pulled this with a 1997 4 Runner with a 5-speed tranny. So the question is, will the FJ pull all of this stuff? Also what is recommended about sway control. Do I need a tranny cooler? I had bought a Equal-i-zer. However, it would not fit my trailer. The 4 Runner's manual said not to use downforce control. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Mike

The fj is rated at 5,000# towing capacity.I just purchased a 27' travel trailer weighing 4,400# and was wondering if anyone has actually towed the maximum amount of 5,000 pounds as I will and would appreciate any feedback as I am concerned about such a heavy load.I will be using sway-bars and electric brakes on the unit towed....[/quote]


I recently pulled a 5000 lb. travel trailer with my FJ with no problems at all. I have the sway bars and brake controller. I climbed a rather long and steep hill without trouble.

I found it interesting to read the suggestion to keep it in "4" instead of "D" to keep it from going into overdrive. I didn't do this, but it's not a bad idea. My trip was just a "trial run" in the area in preparation for the 8 hour drive to OC with the trailer next week.

I just traded in a 14' 1600# travel trailer for a 19' 4200# trailer. The little trailer was barely noticible and pulled like a dream. The new 4200# pulls nicely but you do know it's there and the FJ has to work a bit on hills. I have anti sway and a brake controller that are must haves for pulling a large trailer with a short wheel base vehicle.