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4 Wheel Drive/SUVs/towing a Chevy Blazer 2001

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Expert: - 10/3/2004


Question
I have a car caddy, and want to tow a 2001 Blazer. Do I have to do anything to the drive train to be able to tow it and not harm the engine or transmission or rear end. The two front wheels will be on the caddy. I  have towed front wheel drive vehicles before but not rear wheel or 4wheel drives. All help will be appreciated. Thanks. Mike Miller

Answer
Mike,

On most 4-wheel drives, it is recommended that you put the transmission in gear, if it is a stick, or park if it's an automatic, then put the transfer case into neutral.  I would contact a Chevy dealer, and confirm their recommendations.  The reason for this, is that many of the transfer cases do not have a true neutral, and towing for a long distance is not recommended.  In this case, they, usually recommend disconnecting the rear drive line at the differential, and tying it up, so that it can't drag.

Carl

4 Wheel Drive/SUVs

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Carl Brandt

Expertise

Will discuss suspensions, lifts, lockers along with tire suggestions. Trail ratings and possible requirements needed for specific type of trails. Safety equipment and what you should carry with you. Certified off-road instructor. I am not a mechanic, and 4-Wheeling is a hobby, so if I can't answer a technical question it is due to my mechanical knowledge being related to vehicles that I have owned, or have worked on. I do not have manuals on all vehicles.

Experience

40 plus years of 4 wheeling in a variety of vehicles. At the present time, my major off-road rig is a 94 Jeep Wrangler with a spring over and a 1 1/2" suspension lift. This gives me a total lift of 7" or so. I have lockers front and rear. I have removed the track bars, and sway bar for maximum articulation. I am running a stock 2.5 ltr 4 cylinder with a Jacobs ignition along with a cold air high flow filter. It has 4.56:1 gears with a Dodge NV4500 transmission along with a 3.8:1 Atlas II transfer case. This gives me a final ratio of 105:1 in low gear/low range. Other vehicles I own, are a 96 Ford F-250 with a 6" lift, posi rear end, 36" Hummer tires, 5 speed with a fuel injected 460 ci engine, an 87 Samurai with an 8" lift, Ford 9" rear end with a spool, Chevy Dana 44 front end with an electric locker, 5.88 gears, 16% reduction in high range and a 6.5:1 low range with 35" Baja Claws, and a stock 2003 Grand Cherokee Overland. Trails I have run are the Rubicon (10 times), Dusey Ershim, Fordyce Creek trail, McGrew trail, several trails in Moab, Utah along with local monthly runs.

Organizations
Lost Coast 4x4's Cal 4-Wheel Corva UFWDA Blue Ribbon Coalition

Education/Credentials
Certified off-road instructor - Certificates in engineering/electronics

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