Towing a S-10 4x4

[hingeman]

When my brother owned our 2003 sunseeker 3100ss, he towed a Saturn behind it with a 5000 lb towbar. I still have the towbar. When my parents had their RV, they towed the 1991 S-10 extended cab 4x4. I still have that S-10 as well. I know, the RV and the S-10 are antiques! My parents or my brother aren't around to ask anymore. Does any one have any experience towing a S-10 4x4 and what process I have to go through? I sorta remember my Dad talking about putting the transfer case in neutral but I don't know about fuses or key on or anything else. He also said the the mileage would not advance when he did what he did. It would be nice to use the S-10 for muddy hunting trips. I looked in the owners manual but nothing there. I guess I shoulda listened to Dad! I DO remember him forgetting to take off the E-brake ONE time until some good samaritan flagged him down, but it was too late! He had ground the rear drivers tire to shreds and started grinding on the aluminum rim as well! At least the brakes worked! An easy but costly mistake. Poor Dad, I miss him. Scott

[gmacklem]

I think you best bet, assuming nobody here is able to help, is to check YouTube and see if anyone has done a video on it. Lots of TOAD videos on there. Also, if you don't have the owner's manual, which probably tells how to tow it, check online for that as well.

You don't say if it is a manual or auto trans, but in many cases you put the trans in Park or 1st gear and the transfer case in neutral. That is how Jeep Wranglers work anyway.

Good luck.

[Chrisc40]

Google "Motorhome Magazine Toad Guide" and it should come up with a guide that is extensive. Go to the year then the vehicle make and it lists everything you need to do to tow the vehicle. Also, if you happen to have the owner manual (that might be a long shot by now) it might have the instructions too. If no manual Google for the manual and its likely to be online in a pdf file.

[Chrisc40]

Forgot to mention to check the laws for towing a car behind a motorhome in the states you're going through. Some require brake buddies etc.

[Jmkjr72]

Here is the owners manual section
Some threads on forums talked about pulling fuse 19 also but not mentioned in the manual

[bareftn]

wow he calls a 2001 s 10 a antique that's what I tow my camper with a 2002 s 10 it only has 62000 miles and looks like new no rust. I must be a really old fart well I did know Moby dick when he was minnow

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by bareftn

wow he calls a 2001 s 10 a antique that's what I tow my camper with a 2002 s 10 it only has 62000 miles and looks like new no rust. I must be a really old fart well I did know Moby dick when he was minnow

At my first retirement party, my cake inscription was "Time flies when you're havin' fun". It was a phrase I often used. That was 1991, when that S10 was still iron ore.

[Jmkjr72]

Originally Posted by bareftn

wow he calls a 2001 s 10 a antique that's what I tow my camper with a 2002 s 10 it only has 62000 miles and looks like new no rust. I must be a really old fart well I did know Moby dick when he was minnow

Well the s 10 qualifies for collector plates here in wi and the rv is only a coup,e years away from collector plates

I know next year we are putting hobbies plates on our 99 suburban then no more yearly registration fees just can drive it on the road in january

[Dalin]

I had an 82 S10 yers ago, 4 cyl, 4 speed manual, not 4x4, but I towed it a few times on 500 mile one way trips, and a couple nearer to 200 miles one way...I had run a set of trailer wires through the grill and under through the frame to the rear tail lite housings where I mounted lamps to be used while towing to light up using the trailer llight plug into the receptacle on the RV, worked great, was like hooking up any simple trailer 4 pin plug when ever I needed to tow it. I used a simple tow bar that can be bought pretty much anywhere these days, even Harbor Freight has a similar one. As far as mechanical on the truck, I had a battery switch which I turned off, simple, I put the manual trans in neutral, and turned on the key to allow the steering wheel to operate...I towed it with a class C that I had from 88 until 94. You'd never know it was behind it. So, as far as with the 4x4 that you say is your 91 model, having towed a wrangler jeep, I would say to put the transfer case in the neutral position, once that is done, it os free to roll. it over ride the transmission...disconnect your battery, turn on the ignition key, let off the e brake....and figure out how to get a set of lights on that will serve as braking and turning lights from you RV, maybe your father had that already set up as mine was? check and see, if not you can buy a set of tow vehicle lamps that attach with magnets to the body/rear fenders? and plug into that trailer connection on the back of the RV. I was told that now there is about 3 or 4 states that require a braking unit to be installed , I have no idea about which ones...sorry. I would follow up what I said with you local Chevy dealership or a local RV dealer, they sometimes will give you a little information. And do check online about the towing info as suggested above.

[hingeman]

As always, thanks for all the help! A bunch of very knowledgeable RVers on here. The S-10 is one of my newer vehicles. I just sold a 1983 Ski Nautique boat, I'm the original owner of a 1972 c-10, got a 1956 Belair (project car) and a 1963 aluminum fish/hunting boat and they all still run! Getting to be too much upkeep though!
When I checked my owners manual, it didn't say anything about towing except for being towed by a tow truck. I think I did see some extra wires but I wasn't thinking about having a RV back then. I was still a little upset on how many pits there were from the rocks that hit the grill and hood while being towed. I painted it a couple years ago in my garage. We took it down to metal but it was so much work! I have to say that it turned out awesome. My next thing is to learn to post pics! This weekend I'm gonna check on You Tube Google and see what else I can find about towing. You guys rock! Scott

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by Dalin

I had an 82 S10 yers ago, 4 cyl, 4 speed manual, not 4x4, but I towed it a few times on 500 mile one way trips, and a couple nearer to 200 miles one way...I had run a set of trailer wires through the grill and under through the frame to the rear tail lite housings where I mounted lamps to be used while towing to light up using the trailer llight plug into the receptacle on the RV, worked great, was like hooking up any simple trailer 4 pin plug when ever I needed to tow it. I used a simple tow bar that can be bought pretty much anywhere these days, even Harbor Freight has a similar one. As far as mechanical on the truck, I had a battery switch which I turned off, simple, I put the manual trans in neutral, and turned on the key to allow the steering wheel to operate...I towed it with a class C that I had from 88 until 94. You'd never know it was behind it. So, as far as with the 4x4 that you say is your 91 model, having towed a wrangler jeep, I would say to put the transfer case in the neutral position, once that is done, it os free to roll. it over ride the transmission...disconnect your battery, turn on the ignition key, let off the e brake....and figure out how to get a set of lights on that will serve as braking and turning lights from you RV, maybe your father had that already set up as mine was? check and see, if not you can buy a set of tow vehicle lamps that attach with magnets to the body/rear fenders? and plug into that trailer connection on the back of the RV. I was told that now there is about 3 or 4 states that require a braking unit to be installed , I have no idea about which ones...sorry. I would follow up what I said with you local Chevy dealership or a local RV dealer, they sometimes will give you a little information. And do check online about the towing info as suggested above.

Question, If you disconnect the toad battery, how do you power the break away switch if the toad separated?

[Dalin]

Back in 1989-92 when I towed my S10, I didn't know anything about having a breakaway brake system, I towed it with a simple tow bar similar in style as the ones you can now buy at a Harbor Freight store, mine came from an RV parts store, back then, it had a tailight wiring and magnetic lights that came with it.
I understand now days there are about 3 or 4 states that require a brake system, in asking some friends who have traveled the country, a few said they never used them, and a couple showed me the brake system that they had...I suppose as with a large trailer, you could use a battery similar to the ones that they use for trailers, which could be used to power that braking unit. I have heard that vehicles as are trailers, that are less than about 2200 or 2500 lbs , don't need to have brakes. I looked at a Suzuki Samari that a friend had set up for towing behind his RV last week, he told me it was why he chose it as a toad vehicle. Having never read all these laws, I'm not certain about any of them for sure. But I have towed a few trailers over the years that some had brakes and some don't. I have a small 10x6 enclosed trailer that I bought from Tractor Supply a few years ago for hauling my motorcycle, it doesn't require brakes. I suspect from what I have seen recently that there are a lot of folks towing that don't have or know about using a braking system. Not sure if RV dealers give out that info or not.

[PenJoe]

This might help solve the question of when trailer brakes are necessary and the breakaway system is required. Hopefully, some of these states haven't hidden the breakaway mandate in an obscure law. Personally, I would rather be safe than sorry.

Trailer Brakes - AAA Digest of Motor Laws

Many years ago, we were towing an 18 ft. aluminum boat on a trailer that did not require brakes with our MH. We were travelling on the Interstate nearing home when we heard a noise that sounded like a tail pipe started to drag the pavement. I eased to the shoulder and stopped.

The first thing I checked was the exhaust system. No problem. But, I determined that the hitch had failed and had allowed the boat trailer to ride to a stop on the jack caster wheel. I cranked the trailer off the hitch and attempted to lift the hitch up. In doing so, the hitch completely separated and fell to the ground. The safety chains were attached to the hitch and would have been useless had the hitch not stayed connected for the stop. My father-in-law towed the boat home. The jack was ruined, but it saved the day. I still shudder to think what if.

[Chrisc40]

Originally Posted by PenJoe

Question, If you disconnect the toad battery, how do you power the break away switch if the toad separated?

You can only disconnect the road battery if you have power from the MH running the system in the car. Some do that but IMO it's usually overkill because the brake buddy uses very little power as long as you aren't lighting up all the other stuff in the toad like displays, radio, etc. I tow a Mini Cooper and run the system off the fuse panel. I have gone all day long towing without running the engine or anything else to charge the battery and have never ever had a problem with a dead battery.

[RobnCari]

You should probably consider a Toyota Tacoma but if you want to drag around a S-10 that's fine. Just put the transfer case in neutral.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by Chrisc40

You can only disconnect the road battery if you have power from the MH running the system in the car. Some do that but IMO it's usually overkill because the brake buddy uses very little power as long as you aren't lighting up all the other stuff in the toad like displays, radio, etc. I tow a Mini Cooper and run the system off the fuse panel. I have gone all day long towing without running the engine or anything else to charge the battery and have never ever had a problem with a dead battery.

We did that with our Jeep Liberty toad and used a battery tender on the Jeep battery to keep the toad battery charged. We towed 4 days without starting the toad.

But if the toad battery is disconnected and the toad separated from the TV, the toad would not be able to engage the brakes--the TV power source is gone. There has to be a power source in the toad.

[Chrisc40]

Originally Posted by PenJoe

We did that with our Jeep Liberty toad and used a battery tender on the Jeep battery to keep the toad battery charged. We towed 4 days without starting the toad.

But if the toad battery is disconnected and the toad separated from the TV, the toad would not be able to engage the brakes--the TV power source is gone. There has to be a power source in the toad.

Another good idea on the battery tender. I don't have to do anything except fuse it to a live circuit that's on even when the ignition is off. The Patriot 2 uses minimal juice so I'm safe all day long. But I wouldn't go days without starting the road unless I had the tender like you have done.