Sunseeker + Toad/Towed - New tow setup.... (Roadmaster/Demco)

[brucemc]

I have:
Tow vehicle: 2016 Sunseeker 2250 on Chevy 4500(combined brake/turn lamps)
Toad: 2012 GMC Canyon 4wd crew cab (separate brake/turn lamps)
Baseplates: Roadmaster
Towbar: Roadmaster Falcon 2
Supplemental Braking System (SBS): Demco Stay-in-play
Tail/stop wiring via diodes.

The baseplate install and brackets for the crossbar on the Falcon: All is very easy to install though it takes time. Only one 1/2" hole is need to be drilled in each side of the frame rails, otherwise the installation uses existing holes. The splash guard needed minor modifications to clear the bracket at the guard forward attachment points, and the air dam needed 2" square holes for the removable brackets.

Installing the braking system took time, and a bit of rework here and there. I mounted the operating unit under the hood in a convenient location between the air filter box and windshield washer & antifreeze overflow containers on the passenger side. The two hoses and electrical harness routing was easy & clean, along the top of the firewall to the drivers side.

The tail/brake light wiring + brake-away wiring was mounted in the license plate bracket with additional bracing, and routed to the radiator core support, where they terminated in connectors to facilitate easy bumper removal in the future, should it ever be necessary. From there, the cabling was routed to the battery breakout box/on to the connection point for the braking system, and aft to the tail/brake/CHMSL (center high mounted stop lamp) lamps.
As it worked out, I used 6 diodes, though during the setup for the CHMSL, I found the wiring bundle just before all was broken out for separate bulbs. All told, I could have done the setup with 4 diodes - Stop/CHMSL, Left turn/stop, right turn/stop, and all tail lights.

The Canyon is super easy to put into tow mode:
1) Hook up tow bar, umbilical, break-away cable, safety cables.
2) Turn on braking system via a switch on the Demco Stay-in-play "G-Force Controller" box.
3) Place the Canyon transmission in neutral, keep foot on brake, press & hold 2H and 4L buttons for about 15 seconds. When the red N light comes on, Put it in park, pull the key and hop out.

We tested the setup with a 20 mile run, including turn tests in a parking lot. The 2250 Sunseeker on Chevy has a tight turning radius, so with the motorhome steering wheel turned to the stops (full steering wheel lock), I turned about 220 degrees before my friend started holler... I had a half inch between bumpers.

Pictures & comments of the install and tests...

[bubbles]

So you're saying the steering wheel was locked and therefore the front wheels are also locked. Never heard of not unlocking steering wheel for 4 down towing.

[brucemc]

Believe it or not, there is no steering wheel lock on the Canyon. This is one of the neat features of the Canyon/Colorado.
Several vehicles no longer have steering wheel locks.
For those vehicles that do, the key must be left in the vehicle, and turned to the unlock position. In those cases, you must lock your vehicle with the keys in the ignition. There's been reports of stolen toads as they were unlocked with the keys in the ignition... Do'h!

[bubbles]

It was just your statement "so with the wheel at the lock" that got me. Sorry.

[brucemc]

I'll edit the original post. The line should read "With the motorhome steering wheel turned to the stops (full steering wheel lock), ..."


Thanks Bubbles!

[ChrisParise]

You pit it in park to tow?

[brucemc]

Originally Posted by parise

You put it in park to tow?

Correct - with the transfer case in Neutral, the transmission is put in park.



And, as I mentioned, the key can be removed as there's no steering wheel lock.

[bob5560g]

To everyone scratching their heads about towing it with automatic transmission in "ParK", my '98 Suzuki Sidekick 4WD with manual hubs is the same. Put transfer case in neutral and transmission in park to tow.

Then every 200 miles of towing, start engine and put transmission in "Drive" and run engine at 2,000 rpm or so for one minute. I assume this is to circulate and cool the tranny fluids, etc. Of course the car does not move because the transfer case is still in neutral. Then put it back in "Park" to tow.

All of this is straight from the owner's manual. There is a chart for different methods of towing depending on if you have 2WD or 4WD, auto hubs, manual hubs, etc.

[brucemc]

Fortunately, mine does not need to be started at any point. It could be towed for a thousand miles without ever being started.


Yours probably needs to circulate the transfer case fluids a bit, as putting it in drive spins the transmission output shaft/transfer case input shaft.


Nearly any 4WD vehicle with a transfer case that can be put into neutral can be towed. Some 4WD setups do not have a neutral, and thus cannot be towed. AWD is a different story, and I know some can be, but many cannot be towed.


It all depends on the specific vehicle. The owners manual is the definitive word on whether it can or cannot be, and if so, the specific directions to put it in "toad/towed" mode.