Towing a "Toad"

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ELeland

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 21, 2017
Posts
211
Location
Jupiter, FL
I'm getting my 2016 4x4 Tacoma set up for being towed and had a basic question:

How do you guaranty the steering wheel is absolutely straight when it is locked in position?  I could see peeling off a good bit of rubber on a long trip if it is off slightly.  Am I missing something?
 
Most (if not all) vehicles with steering wheel locks require that a key be kept in the ignition in the ACC position so the front wheels are unlocked during towing.
 
On my 2015, if the key is in the ACC position the odometer will log miles. I keep it in between off and ACC. This unlocks the front wheels and keeps from logging miles.
 
I assume when you say you're setting your Tacoma up for being towed, you mean towed with all four wheels on the ground as opposed to on a tow dolly.  As Doc said, you don't lock the steering wheel in position.  You absolutely don't want it locked.  The car needs to be able to "follow" the coach as it turns.  With the wheels locked, it would be dragged through turns.

Others can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe there are some tow dollies where the front wheels can be locked in place, while others require the steering to be unlocked.
 
Yes on the drive shaft disconnect.  The Tacoma has no key, it's one of those keyless push button thingy's.  If I push the start button without my foot on the brake, it goes into accessory mode.  I THINK it turns itself off after a period of non-use though.
 
ELeland said:
Yes on the drive shaft disconnect.  The Tacoma has no key, it's one of those keyless push button thingy's.  If I push the start button without my foot on the brake, it goes into accessory mode.  I THINK it turns itself off after a period of non-use though.

Interesting.  Does it definitely have a steering lock?  I have a Buick Regal GS that I am getting ready to set up for flat towing that also has the "keyless push button thingy" and it does not have a steering lock.
 
jagnweiner said:
Interesting.  Does it definitely have a steering lock?  I have a Buick Regal GS that I am getting ready to set up for that also has the "keyless push button thingy" and it does not have a steering lock.

Yes it does have a lock.  I just went out and pushed the button to put it in accessory mode as I want to see if it does time out and shut itself off.

Edit:  It does time out and locks up.
 
Well, that's a conundrum.  You may have to talk to the manufacturer about a way to keep the steering wheel unlocked, although they may be reluctant to provide advice for liability reasons.  I did a little searching and it appears that some vehicles with push button start have steering locks (like yours) and some do not (like mine).  Without a key in the column, I'm not exactly sure how they lock.  I suspect maybe via a solenoid, so I wonder if disconnecting the battery would disable the steering lock.  (just thinking out loud)
 
My Car the ignition has the following positions:  ACC-LOCK-OFF-ON-Start

I tow in the OFF, but not locked position.. Since I tow 4 Down and in neutral I have to be in the OFF position or I can not move the transmission selector out of PARK.  The Wheels track.

A Tacoma. .. Can that be towed 4-Down or did you modify it with a lube pump or Drive Shaft Disconnect?  IF you use a disconnect you tow in PARK, but once again, you must leave key in OFF, nto Locked

If you trailer it.. The above does not apply.
 
jagnweiner said:
Well, that's a conundrum.  You may have to talk to the manufacturer about a way to keep the steering wheel unlocked, although they may be reluctant to provide advice for liability reasons.  I did a little searching and it appears that some vehicles with push button start have steering locks (like yours) and some do not (like mine).  Without a key in the column, I'm not exactly sure how they lock.  I suspect maybe via a solenoid, so I wonder if disconnecting the battery would disable the steering lock.  (just thinking out loud)

Thanks for the reply.  I bought the whole setup through Just for Towing out of AZ.  They must have done other newer Tacomas because they called to question one of my drive shaft dimensions as it didn't jive with others they have done.  I called them and they said it can be done and will call me back with the "sequence" to achieve the free steering.  I will let you know what they say.
 
John From Detroit said:
My Car the ignition has the following positions:  ACC-LOCK-OFF-ON-Start

I tow in the OFF, but not locked position..
 

John, Leland's issue is that there are no ignition positions because it is a keyless ignition.  In order to start, you just have to have the "key" fob in the vehicle and press the ignition button.  There's no place to actually stick or turn a key, and therefore no way to use the "key" to manually unlock the steering column.  In his case, the column unlocks when you push the start button.  In my case, the steering column never locks.
 
I found this in the Manual:


Steering lock
After turning the engine switch off and opening and closing the doors, the
steering wheel will be locked due to the steering lock function. Operating the
engine switch again automatically cancels the steering lock.


It worked until I opened and closed the door to get out, then locked up again.
 
Most likely the programming in the ECM can be hacked to defeat the door locks.
 
ELeland said:
Thanks for the reply.  I bought the whole setup through Just for Towing out of AZ.  They must have done other newer Tacomas because they called to question one of my drive shaft dimensions as it didn't jive with others they have done.  I called them and they said it can be done and will call me back with the "sequence" to achieve the free steering.  I will let you know what they say.

It will be interesting to see what they have to say.  Found this link to a thread on another RV forum with the same question:  https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28988100/srt/pa/pging/1/page/2.cfm.  Initially the poster says he heard of someone grinding down a pin in the steering column, which disabled the lock.  His final post provides a different solution, similar to the thought going through my head:

"I finally saw a message on a Truck forum from a new series Tacoma owner. He tried to get at the factory locking pin on the steering column but it is not easy. The bolts have no head. They break the head off at the factory after installation. He then tried the following: "I added a battery disconnect switch, so after pushing the starter button once to put the truck in accessory (unlocking the steering wheel) I just pop the hood and throw my battery disconnect switch. Steering stays unlocked until battery power is restored. A setting saver maintains most of my settings while the battery is disconnected.""

Sounds like a battery disconnect would work, but it would create an issue if you wanted to use a supplemental braking system like a "Brake Buddy" that relies on 12V power from the toad to power a compressor.  There could be workarounds to that too; just makes things more complicated.
 
jagnweiner said:
It will be interesting to see what they have to say.  Found this link to a thread on another RV forum with the same question:  https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28988100/srt/pa/pging/1/page/2.cfm.  Initially the poster says he heard of someone grinding down a pin in the steering column, which disabled the lock.  His final post provides a different solution, similar to the thought going through my head:

"I finally saw a message on a Truck forum from a new series Tacoma owner. He tried to get at the factory locking pin on the steering column but it is not easy. The bolts have no head. They break the head off at the factory after installation. He then tried the following: "I added a battery disconnect switch, so after pushing the starter button once to put the truck in accessory (unlocking the steering wheel) I just pop the hood and throw my battery disconnect switch. Steering stays unlocked until battery power is restored. A setting saver maintains most of my settings while the battery is disconnected.""

Sounds like a battery disconnect would work, but it would create an issue if you wanted to use a supplemental braking system like a "Brake Buddy" that relies on 12V power from the toad to power a compressor.  There could be workarounds to that too; just makes things more complicated.

I did the same search and found the thread you mentioned on Tacomaworld.com  Not the answer I was looking for, but it looks like it gets around the problem. 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/towing-4-down-with-at.434159/ 
 
Arch Hoagland said:
What kind of supplemental braking are you installing in your Tacoma?

I have the SMI stay and play.  It's still in the box.  I may start tackling the installs on all the components this weekend.  anything I should watch out for?
 
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