Dinghy towing Toyota FJ Cruiser 4x4 AT

Question

I have a 2010 Toyota FJ Cruiser 4x4 AT It CAN be flat towed with the transfer case in neutral and the transmission in park. You have to leave the transmission in neutral till you switch the engine off; then put it in park. Turn the ignition to ACC. The battery needs to be hooked up to your RV 12 volt system to keep the Toyotas battery happy.
The output shaft to the rear wheels drives the lube pump inside the transfer case.
You can test this by seeing if you can drive the car with the transfer case in neutral......mine does not move.
I have a friend who has a 2009 FJ 4x4 auto and after 9000 miles of trouble free towing he is quite happy.
Because the front wheels will drive the front axles,front differential and transfer case front wheel drive output shaft Off Road Solutions are working ona locking hub kit for the FJ Cruiser.
The Toyota FJ Cruiser with MANUAL transmission CANNOT be flat towed.

oldmattb · Answer

Lots of information, lots of misinformation, and lots of controversy about towing the FJ. I have a 4WD AT, and I remove the driveshaft before I tow. Takes five minutes.

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/trailers-towing-tech/151068-flat-tow-6mt-yes-can-done.html

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/trailers-towing-tech/91557-can-you-flat-tow-fj-3.html

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/trailers-towing-tech/144096-i-have-flat-towed-over-36-000-miles.html

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/trailers-towing-tech/343826-if-you-had-flat-tow-your-4wd-fj.html

mowermech · Answer

I would go by what the Owners Manual says.
Does the manual transmission unit have a different transfer case than the automatic transmission one?

If you remove the lock pin from under the steering wheel, there will be no need to put the switch in the ACC position.

oldmattb · Answer

mowermech wrote:I would go by what the Owners Manual says.Does the manual transmission unit have a different transfer case than the automatic transmission one?If you remove the lock pin from under the steering wheel, there will be no need to put the switch in the ACC position.+1 on owners manual.The manual trans is available with full-time AWD, very different setup.I put my key in first position, and make sure radio and fan are off.  No problems with 8-10 hours of towing.  I can see an argument for not removing the lock pin.  Putting the tow bar on the car makes a lot easier to steal - that lock pin might save ya'!Matt B

bumpyroad · Answer

well if your friend is happy doing it, go ahead regardless of what the owner's manual says.bumpy

kyshadow · Answer

beavermarquis wrote:I have a 2010 Toyota FJ Cruiser 4x4 AT   It CAN be flat towed with the transfer case in neutral and the transmission in park. You have to leave the transmission in neutral till you switch the engine off; then put it in park.  Turn the ignition to ACC.  The battery needs to be hooked up to your RV 12 volt system to keep the Toyotas battery happy.  The output shaft to the rear wheels drives the lube pump inside the transfer case.   You can test this by seeing if you can drive  the car with the transfer case in neutral......mine does not move.   I have a friend who has a 2009 FJ 4x4 auto and after 9000 miles of trouble free towing he is quite happy. Because the front wheels will drive the front axles,front differential and transfer case front wheel drive output shaft Off Road Solutions are working ona locking hub kit for the FJ Cruiser. The Toyota FJ Cruiser with MANUAL transmission CANNOT be flat towed.Beavermarquis,  very interested on how the FJ cruiser is working as a dinghy, I plan on doing this with my FJ, I thought I would need to disengage the driveshaft.  Hope to hear from you.Thanks,

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Dinghy towing Toyota FJ Cruiser 4x4 AT

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