Towing a outback all wheel drive

Bobbo wrote:

tenbear wrote:
I have towed a Subaru for years. As mowermech said, only the manual transmission is towable. It has no other restrictions. I set the key to 2, that unlocks the steering and turns on the power, and away we go. Great car to tow.

Do you have a need for the power to be on? I put the key on 1, steering unlocked but no power. That is what my owner's manual recommends. However, I don't have anything that requires power, like a Brake Buddy. I use a Ready Brute Elite with built in surge brake.

Yes, I use a Blue Ox Patriot brake box which needs to be plugged into the 12v socket.

tenbear wrote:
I have towed a Subaru for years. As mowermech said, only the manual transmission is towable. It has no other restrictions. I set the key to 2, that unlocks the steering and turns on the power, and away we go. Great car to tow.

Do you have a need for the power to be on? I put the key on 1, steering unlocked but no power. That is what my owner's manual recommends. However, I don't have anything that requires power, like a Brake Buddy. I use a Ready Brute Elite with built in surge brake.

I have towed a Subaru for years. As mowermech said, only the manual transmission is towable. It has no other restrictions. I set the key to 2, that unlocks the steering and turns on the power, and away we go. Great car to tow.

imgoin4it wrote:
Caution, Not all 4X4 jeeps are towable 4 down. There are two different transmissions. One is one is not.

Actually, there are more than 2 different transfer cases that have been used in Jeeps over the years. The transmission is totally irrelevant to towability. The important thing is to have a NEUTRAL position on the transfer case shifter. However, even that doesn't always mean it is towable! For instance, the 1979 CJ-7 is not towable four down, so I have been told, due to lack of lubrication when being towed. However, the transfer case can be disassembled, and vanes welded to one of the shift sliders to splash the lube around, and it can then be towed.
In 1977 the Quadra-trac without low range reduction unit can be towed only if the drive shafts are removed(page 70 of the Owners Manual).
I don't know of any Jeep Wrangler or Liberty since the mid '90s that can not be towed IF the transfer case has a NEUTRAL position.
Of course, the instructions under Recreational Towing in the Owners Manual should be followed. Yes, some later models that do not have locking steering will say the key has to be in the ignition to unlock the steering. Nobody is perfect, mistakes can be made!

Wife has always owned Toyota,hence mistake,suburu outback is what I meant.Plus we might buy daughters old Toyota as a pull behind. Thanks for info ,her suburu is automatic,so I guess I will have to think of something else.

pa traveler wrote:
Thinking about towing behind a truck camper,never towed any vehicle before. Can you tow 4 wheels down? Someone mentioned you turn key to on position so steering will work,is this correct? If you cant tow a Toyota outback this way,will consider a different small vehicle. Any info for first time towing appreciated,thanks.

I don't know if a Toyota Outback can be towed, your owner's manual is the answer there. Look under "Recreational Towing" or something similar.

DO NOT TURN KEY TO ON POSITION! Some keys can be left removed. Some can be turned 1 click to unlock steering. Some can be turned to ACC and a fuse removed. But, NONE are towed with the key ON. Again, your owner's manual will specify the proper procedure.

I have a Subaru Forester, which is similar to the Subaru Outback. It is towable 4 down as long as you get a standard transmission. The Subaru automatic transmission is not towable. For what it is worth, I will always have a Subaru as my tow vehicle. I like its ease of towing setup and symmetrical 4 wheel drive.

Caution, Not all 4X4 jeeps are towable 4 down. There are two different transmissions. One is one is not.

I had an '06 Liberty once. I strongly recommend you check your Owners Manual about dolly towing. IIRC, it is strictly forbidden!
I know it is in the Manual for my '06 Wrangler Rubicon.
There are only a few models of transfer cases. The same ones that Jeep uses and has used are also used in many four wheel drive pickups and SUVs.

Yeah, check the owner's manual for details. I don't have either Subarus or Toyotas, or for that matter their owner's manuals, but in general, all-wheel drive requires either 4-down or on a trailer and NOT a dolly. And in general, auto transmission requires a modification to the tranny (which may or may not be available for a given model) to tow with drive wheels down. But there are exceptions, for example the Jeep Liberty I DO have, which has both an automatic transmission, and also has a transfer case that can be put in 2 wheel drive, so you could tow it on a dolly, and a neutral so you don't need to modify the transmission. But I've never seen such a transfer case on any vehicles other than Jeeps.

A Toyota Outback?
I have heard of the Subaru Outback, sedans and wagons. They are towable four down in the MANUAL TRANSMISSION models ONLY. They are NOT towable on a dolly, period!
The automatic transmission models MUST be towed on a trailer.
The above applies to ALL Subaru models, not just the Outback.

Yes, the steering MUST be unlocked in ANY vehicle when towing four down. the method of unlocking the steering varies according to the vehicle and the year of the vehicle. Many vehicles have an "OFF, not locked" position in the ignition switch. Some later models with locking steering don't have that position.

IMO, the BEST vehicle to tow four down is the Jeep Wrangler.

Always read the Owners Manual for instructions on Recreational Towing.