Samuri Towing Problems

[JRickey]

I have a 86 Samurai that I have towed for the past 4 years.  Since I have had it I can not tow it without chaining the steering wheel.  When it is not chained and I go around a corner the steering on the Sami will turn in the opposite direction and hit the stops and the tires are then pulled sideways.  I have only towed it on short trips no longer that 3 hours but am planning a long trip this year.

Currently it has extended shackles and larger tires but it did this with all stock configurations.  I have been told that the neck on the tow bar needs to be extended but have not tried it yet.  I have a solid bar from Uhaul that connects to a bracket on the front.  Its probably about 3 feet long.  I have gotten alienged and have not tried it since. 

thanks for your suggestions.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

That problem is usually caused by the wheel caster adjustment on the Sammy - changing the tow bar will have little, if any, effect. Caster is the front wheel tilt in the fore & aft direction. Caster is what causes the wheels to return to center after turning a corner (I'll bet you have to manually turn the steering wheel back rather than letting it spring back by itself).  The wrong caster angle will let the wheels pivot too easily, as yours does.  See Short course in alignment for more info.

I've heard of this problem on Samurais before - apparently the factory caster adjustment is more or less neutral and does not have much self-centering force. I don't now if there is a down side to increasing the caster, but you could try a modest adjustment and see. Might be just as well to continue to strap it down, though.

Later Suzukis do not have this problem - Suzuki Vitaras and their Chevy Tracker twins tow beautifully.