How to tow another vehicle

For very short tows, like pulling a stuck vehicle out of snow, the under car tie-downs are usually OK. Most manuals have a section describing this, usually with drawings of the tie-down hooks. Typically, this is the same section with jacking instructions. Check for "towing" in the index.

For highway towing, if you gotta ask... There's so much underneath that can be damaged, you're probably better off calling for help. Some parts that look substantial can actually be hollow tubes or plastic.

My '92 Corolla Wagon has 4 points (2 Front 2 Back).

I use them to tie down my kayak....but I'm sure they could be used to pull one of you 'modern' car drivers out of the way...LOL

The only tie-downs I see - front and rear - is on the decorative glue-on roof rack. Jack points are between front and rear wheels.

Am I up some kind of brown water creek?

Towing some vehicles with automatic transmissions with the drive wheels on the ground can damage the automatic transmission. Be sure to check the faq section of Toyota's web site under "dinghy towing" to find out.

Where do you use your kayak? (I wonder how many will want to reply with "water"?)

I fully understand about that - thanks. It would likely be the T towing a GM or Ford product :-) going either forward or backing up. Seem to be fresh out of hooks. So far all I can think of is a rope to one or more seats and out the rear hatch/door to the other vehicle being towed.

If anybody knows how to tow a vehicle it is TRUCKDUDE!!!

Call the Auto Club & let them worry about it For very short distances Have a hitch installed. It has the added benifit of tearing up any car that wants to play bumper tag with you

All over South West Florida.

Salt, Fresh and brackish water.

Great sport.

I wouldn't try the rope around the seats trick. I have not looked at the undercarriage on a Sienna, but most vehicles have loops on the undercarriage for tie-down during transportation on ships, trains, and transport trucks. These loops can be used to pull moderate loads for very short distances.

Some vehicles have a square plug in the bumpers that conceal a threaded hole where the eye bolt that is supplied with the vehicle is inserted, and then the rope is passed through the eye hook.

A receiver-type hitch is very handy, even if you do not own a trailer. We use it to secure a bike rack, and the safety chain loops provide a handy tiedown point that can be used in a pinch to pull something.

Just be wary not to pull at an angle at all on those tie-downs and not even a hit of a jerk. A case of "cant keep the rope taut while rolling downhill" and the landcruiser turning right at the same time left me having to re-jig the front of my car peugeot. It ripped the tie down right off and peeled it forwards which displaced the rad/fans and screwed up the alignment of a few front panels. Took some panel beating and a welder to re-position that properly lol. Did everything possible to reduce the snapping tight of the wire, it was even one of those bungee types!

I learned my lesson, wont tow by them again!

Yup, those tie-downs under the car are exactly that - meant to tie the car down. They are very strong when pulling down or up to about 45 degrees from vertical. They are not very strong horizozntally.

One of the guys I used to work with was a technical specialist with Pugeot until Pugeot pulled out of the U.S. and we got him, he had some good problem car war stories!

Please be sure to videotape that method!

Just as ridiculous as tie to the roof rack. (The vehicle could rise on the rear wheels and the driver fall out the back.) All the collective efforts here show that apparently towing is not an option with a Sienna.

More likely, the roof rack will be torn from the roof.

Most racks are rated for 150 pounds, or so. Many are simply taped on with strong double-sided tape.

You have got to be kidding!!!

Please get a video of this if you try it - should be great for some onlooker laughs or on Funniest Home Videos (or videot of the week)

David

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