How Came To By The Lx-470

[Coloradobus]

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Morning Gary and thanks we will have great time,

After exhaustive reserach with the help of the serveral different dealers, and after market 4X4 shop. and with Roadmaster and Blue OX, we bought the Lexus.
Toyota just doesn't want to deal with a towing customer, period. We bought the LX used so there is NO warranty. Toyota is off the hook!

Here's the dilemma.
Contenders were:
2003-05 Pilot/Acura MDX --Remco, Honda, Blue Ox, Roadmaster all say towable. but the drivers seat was not good on my back like the ROVER.
2006-newer Pilots, Honda says NO,, Remco says YES???????????
The Honda products are termed "all wheel drive when needed, principly front wheel drive. They have speed limits, altho it may be like the earlier Saturns that had a 65mph limit, for liability sakes, Tennessee's max limit they said was 65. I called them 8 years ago to ask towing a 2000 SW-2 up to 70-75mph, that is common here in the WEST. Are there any mechical problems doing so, the engineer I talked to said "NO." Whatever the post speed was.


1998-2008 Lexus LX-470 (seats good for my back), 2004-08 GX-470, BlueOX, Roadmaster Yes, Remco&Toyota NO......... Yet above '06 newer Pilots, REMCO says YES?????? HOnda says NO! So I don't understand how they can conflict, one says yes , the other says no, or the other way around.
The new 2009 LX-570 is ""NOT"" towable with its new electronic controlled drivetrain.
BlueOX normally follows what Remco says, yet LX/GX-470/Toyota Land Cruiser all have baseplates made, and BlueOX/Roadmaster say towable with out modifications, ei Lube Pump.
Mercedes Benz G-500 GalaendeWagon, Remco, BlueOX say NO,,,,, Mercedes Benz of North America and dealers internal database say YES, since G-Wagon has a TRANSFER NEUTRAL. ROADMASTER did say they would explore building a baseplate. I also faxed them the internal Merc Benz tow info from dealer internal date base. The G-500 platform atho fluffed up for US market, in the end is a military 4X4.

Now are you totally confused?.

TRANSFER NEUTRAL IS THE KEY FOR THE TRANSFER CASE here along with being a true 4 wheel drive unit, not "All wheel drive":

So my question was basic: Equipped with a transfer neutral manual shifter or electronically, like the Range Rover/or G-500 that shift transfer case, independent of the motor/transmission, is there any mechanical reason why we can't tow, say, the LX/GX470/ Toy Land Cruiser or G-500 4 down. Will the transfer case turned by wheels rolling 4 down enable it to lubricate itself, without the engine turning the tranny/transfer to driveshaft to wheels.
The answer was, "there is no mechanical reason why these vehicles can't be towed for down with a Transfer Case, neutral position, and placing the transmission is park. Just like a Chevy 4X4, Jeep Grand Cherokee/Liberty or Dodge Trucks . Manufacturers like Toyota don't want to be bothered by the RV enthusiats.


We know at least 6 owners of busses that tow the LX/GX-470 and Toy Land Cruiser for 10's of thousands of miles with NO speed/distance limitations and no mechanical problems in their drivetrains other than normal maintenance regulated by the miles towed instead of driven. For ei: our '04 Chevy 4X4 Duramax shortbox X-tend cab has more miles on it towed than driven. I just follow the drivetrain maintenance protocols as if the miles were driven.


We are trying to make one vehicle be the tower, and the towee. If the LX-470 proves to be a great towcar for the 1979 25ft Airstream, then we may consider selling the '04 Chevy Duramax. Unitl that time, we will keep the Chevy.

Long winded, but I did get my answers.
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[truk4u]

I nominate the bus boys to be our "Toad" experts!

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

Thanks Chris, SO GLAD I ASKED

Gary S.

[Will Garner]

Tom,

Be careful there with those recommendations. It took JDUB 10 days to be in condition to leave the Rose Bowl Parade Port-a-Potty after the chili celebration the night before. He could make up a special batch with a bunch of Texas "toads" for the next POG Rally.

Later ...

[Johnny]

I have been using a 2001 Lexus LX470 as a Toad for 2Yrs without any problems. Transfer case in neutral and the key in the iginition to free up the steering wheel. You also need a positive wire from the coach to the lexus battery. Without this you'll arrive with a bead battery with the key in the iginition. I hope this helps.
Johnny

[Coloradobus]

Thanks Johnny

I was wondering about the key in the ignition. Are you using the key with the remote attached or just a valet key. I might do an experiment in the garage with the valet key, to see if the battery dies. I do see that the cigarette lighter with phone charger in it goes dark ( small light) when you turn off the 470's ignitionby turing the key all the wat counterclockwise, but are you aware of other parasitic battery drains? Mercedes told me I needed to add a charge line to the G-500, if we towed one. When the tow baseplate comes in, I will wire a charge line up to keep "Lex's" battery happy.