Lighest Truck As A TOAD

As Bruce MC describes above, The market availability of new small tow able pickups has totally disappeared. I searched hard for a week and have decided that used is the only solution.

--- Suzuki Samurai ---
- weighs about 2000lbs.
- Super easy to flat tow.
- Rear seat can fold up (or be removed) for a truck like bed in the back.
- 4wd if you want to go check out some fire roads / trails.
- older and cheaper

_

We purchased a new 2012 GMC 4wd Canyon for many reasons, but one was with the some-day intent of flat towing. It's about 4100 lbs, so it's on the heavier side as far as mid-size pickups go. We would have purchased a 2013, but there's one small problem: They don't make 'em anymore. Nor does Ford make the Ranger, and Dodge hasn't built a mid-size or compact for some time. Strange world we live in.

I would have thought any older compact pickup with a manual would be flat-towable, but that's what I get for thinking w/o researching.

Interesting thread....

In 2009 we drove new Ranger, Tacoma and Frontier. All 4-cyl, 5-spd, 2-wd, base model. Nissan had the tortuus back seat called King Cab. They've stopped offering the standard short work truck cab. Ranger and Tacoma had the sort cab.
Ranger just seemed "eager to please." Spunky acceleration (2.3L) and tight turning, lots of underhood access. But the seats and ride were uncomfortable. Then we hit a hump in the road. When we Came Down (that's right, at least the rear of the truck went airborne), the front wheels were in our lane but one of the rear wheels was in the lane next to us.
Taooma shocked me by not impressing me at all. Biggest engine (2.7) but not as lively as the Ranger. The real deal breaker was "towing not recommended" but I was disappointed in what I went into this thinking was the best compact pickup.
Frontier base model looked dressed up. Carpet, cloth, CD radio and raised height like most of the Tacomas. Only one of the 3 with 4-wheel disc brakes. Tacoma we drove was a "low boy." Drove over "Mount Ranger" with the bounce you'd expect in a truck but stayed put on road and in lane. 2.5L ran stronger than Tacoma even though we had the bigger cab and a third person aboard. But not as strong as the Ranger ran. Edmunds.com review said it "drives like a larger truck" and I think that's accurate. I read that it "shares parts" with Titan. I don't know Which Parts but maybe that's why the Frontier has an annoying drawback - Very large turning circle for a compact truck. I drove a Dodge 1500 4x4 (short cab, short box) that turned tighter! Wheelbase matters, and possibly if Ranger and Tacoma had been stretched for the extended cab it've been the same.
Ranger was the Price Leader as you might expect, but equipped the same, the trucks carried very close to the same prices. At 12,000 miles and the 4th year, I still really like the truck.

j-d wrote:

The last of the Rangers, 4-cyl, 5-speed, standard cab, short box, make a nice toad. But they are uncomfortable. Be sure to drive one first.

Sure are uncomfortable!!! Cut off circulation in the legs.

DougE wrote:
Shouldn't any 2wd manual transmission small pickup be towable 4 down?

No. There are output bearing lubrication issues for many modern manual transmissions. Nissan is OK with their 5-speed, and is Ford with the Mazda-sourced M5OD (which still wants a lube cycle at about 200 miles).

Upper shaft gears and bearings get lubed by splash from the countershaft. The countershaft is spinning only when driven by the input on the upper shaft. So the question becomes, how long can we run this bearing dry.

Your generalization works pretty well for FWD manual transaxles. The output shafts almost always spin the differential gears, and splash well enough to lube whatever needs it.

That being said, I know people towing 4 speed and 5 speed Toyota pickups from the 70's and 80's. When your small truck is 30-40 years old, you won't be having discussions with the manufacturer about what is or is not covered under warranty. If you break it, you fix it.

I towed a 2001 Ford Ranger ext. cab 4cyl 5 speed manual for several years with class A gasser. Blue Ox baseplate and bulb kit were easy to install. At 3200 lbs. it weighs as much as my VW Beetle I now tow. Towed it all across this country and it never let me down. It also doesn't register mileage while towed. Sold it to a friend who uses it for a daily driver and towes it behind a class C now.

Had an 88 Mighty Max and per Edmunds it weighed 2500. Our current 09 Nissan Frontier weighs about 3500. We can feel the difference. Our Max didn't have power steering and it was awful to maneuver. If it had been extended cab (that tiny "back seat") and/or power steering I think we would have kept it. Lacking both was just too much. What's worse it blew head gaskets. I changed three of them.
The last of the Rangers, 4-cyl, 5-speed, standard cab, short box, make a nice toad. But they are uncomfortable. Be sure to drive one first.
If you can take the time to search, older manual shift Toyota or Nissan. V6 and extended cab add to weight fast, and the automatics aren't towable without a driveshaft disconnect.

Check the older toad guides 2010 Ford Ranger regular cab 2WD 4cyl with manual trans is 3030 base weight and towable as a toad. I used a 1985 Dodge D-50, 4 cyl., manual trans compact pickup truck by Mitsubishi and a 1989 Mitsubishi 4 cyl., manual trans Mighty Max pickup truck as toads with no problems. They were both regular cab and light weight. I wish I still had the 89 mighty max it was a great little truck. Regards, Dick

Shouldn't any 2wd manual transmission small pickup be towable 4 down?