New to TOAD

[Bozopolis]

I finally found a vehicle to use as a TOAD. It's a 1997 Suzuki Sidekick JS with manual transmission. Luckily the car has been used for this purpose before and it came with the baseplate and a tow bar. The tow bar attaches fairly easily to the base plate with 3/4" diameter pins. I know this is a stupid question but why are the pins so long? With the pin in place there's about an inch or more on either side of the pin. I'm sure there's a reason I'm just curious. Anyway, I'm excited to finally have a vehicle that's light and easy to pull so I can have something to drive when I get to my destination without having to rely on a dolly or renting/borrowing a car. I like the car so far. It has the comfort of air conditioning and a removable hard top for feeling the breeze.

Sorry for the dumb question. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help. I've attached some pictures of the car.

 

[SeilerBird]

Please do not apologize for asking a dumb question. There is no such thing as a dumb question except the one you never asked. The only reason online forums exist is to ask and answer questions. So ask away. And since about 90% of the people using the forum never register and only read, you are getting a question answered that other people are also wondering about. It adds to the knowledge base here.

 

[HueyPilotVN]

There is no real downside to the pins being too long.

Hitch pins are used a lot on farm equipment and such and can be found at places like "Tractor supply" if you lose one.

I would also say that it is much better for them to be an extra inch longer on each side that even a 1/4 inch too short when inserting the cotter pin to secure them.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Mostly just robustly designed and sized to be easy to handle. As HueyPilot says, it's patterned after industrial & farm equipment, not consumer products.

 

[Bozopolis]

Thanks to all!

 

[IBTripping]

I've owned a Sidekick. It is lightweight, fuel efficient, and reliable although it won't win any races. Plus, it'll go any place a Jeep can.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

We ran Chevy Tracker 4-doors as toads for several years.  Those are badge sisters to the Suzuki Vitara 4-door, 4WD automatics that are easy to drive and very capable. A little shy on ground clearance compared to a Jeep, but more comfortable and quite versatile.

 

[GeorgeandTheBear]

There is no such thing as a dumb question

Apparently, you're not on FaceBook... ;D

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I think there are many dumb questions, but if you don't know the answer, you still have to either research the topic yourself or ask somebody else to help you out.  Many people choose the latter, which is of course the easier method.