How to properly flat tow a 5th gen 4Runner

In this video I'll show you everything needed to flat tow a 5th gen 4Runner that is compatible with the Roadmaster 1185-1 baseplate kit. This baseplate doesn't support some models like the limited/nightshade editions but should otherwise work fine on anything including the TRD Pro, Off-Road and SR5 models. The most important thing is that you need a driveshaft disconnect or you'd need to disconnect the drive shaft from the rear differential and then reconnect it. Below are all the parts I bought to do this, including the supplemental braking system we chose. The video will explain how everything works, why this is safe and how to handle the steering unlock with a keyless push button start as well. Enjoy and comment if you have any questions!
Drive shaft disconnect (call to order):
remcodsc.com/c...
Baseplate kit:
www.etrailer.c...
Crossbar:
www.etrailer.c...
Tow-bar:
www.etrailer.c...
Wiring, electrical socket bracket and drop hitch receiver:
www.etrailer.c...
www.etrailer.c...
www.etrailer.c...
Braking kit & battery charge kit:
rvibrake.com/p...
rvibrake.com/c...

[@rayc76knoxville]

Wow, I don't plan on towing anything. I don't even have a 4Runner yet -- just looking. However, I am impressed with your explanation and attention to details. I'm sure that 4Runner owners who want to tow would find your video very helpful. God Bless.

[@stuffandthings3959]

Thanks!

[@ne2i]

Gonna try it with my beloved Tundra

[@sarumes]

This saved me from destroying my ‘19 4Runner cause I had no idea about the drive shaft. Thank you because without watching this I would have just pulled it with the drivetrain in neutral and found out later I killed my car.

[@stuffandthings3959]

Glad to help! :)

[@the_worm_hole]

Samsies. Thx!

[@adamsgamingchannel515]

Hey all, just posting my experience with following this video. I have a 2017 4Runner SR5 with 4WD Automatic. I was able to find someone on Facebook marketplace that had the driveshaft for $260! Also, found the other parts I needed from FB/OfferUp like the Falcon All-Terrain tow bar & the Roadmaster Evenbrake system. What I did differently is that my father and I made up a custom receiver by using the Roadmaster baseplates (1185-1) as a guide on how to do it. But, I would have done the Roadmaster base plates if he wasn't a welder. Also the Roadmaster brake system I purchased advised to put in a brake light relay, so I did that as well. I also used Roadmaster's wiring kit that has all the diodes & wiring for the 6 pin socket and 4-wire trailer lights. I ran the wires through the firewall grommet. Mine actually had an extra "nipple" that I could cut off and run my wires through on the factory grommet by the driver's side. Pretty cool. I also added a trickle charge so that the battery is topped off when connected to the RV. This is just a simple wire from the 6-pin socket that goes to the battery and a ground wire. I also had to get a 2 inch drop receiver to keep it within the "safe zone" of 3 inches give or take for the tow bar. All in all, I spent about $1400, but this was getting lucky on finding parts and being patient / willing to drive to get a good deal locally. I got it all working this past week and it takes me about 6-10 minutes to hook up / unhook & disconnect the driveshaft with the Superior Driveline collet/clutch on the driveshaft. On keyed ignition, I turn the vehicle on to accessory, then turn it to OFF, but leave key in ignition so steering wheel remains unlocked. This is hooked to my 33 Ft Class C Leprechaun 319DS. It gets about 7.5 MPG from my testing.

[@dakat1726]

I can't explain how exciting it was to find your video. We have a 30ft Bigfoot MH. Had a 4runner for 19 years and LOVED it. You've provided answers to the frustration of what to tow while just wanting another 4runner. Think I need to watch video again 10x.

[@stuffandthings3959]

Happy to help!

[@CET675]

Just read a comment that it costs $1400 for the drive shaft disconnect. Wow! Too rich for my blood! Thank you for the video. This gave me some ideas

[@ZmaxLife]

$1680 with the mechanism and shipping . Just installed .

[@unclebilly1353]

My wife and i just sold our home. We are semi retired,and are about to spend a few years tooling around the country in our class a diesel pusher.Thanks for your research. You made up my mind and did all the home work . I thought I was going to have to buy a jeep. Yes there are fun. But you know about the quality and dependability. The 4 runner is a much better vehicle. I just need to buy one . Thanks again.

[@joelelah3589]

I don't know if the newer ones are different, I flat tow a 2016 Trail edition. When I was setting up mine, I spoke to several very knowledgeable Toyota drivetrain experts, they all told me to put the transfer case in neutral and the transmission in park with the driveshaft disconnect. I have towed over 15K miles like this and it has worked great. On my 2016, I do not have the key fob system, my steering doesn't lock as long as you leave the key in the ignition after turning it off. I had a non chipped key made that I use to keep the steering unlocked. It will turn the 4runner over but won't start it, because there isn't a chip. I simply insert it, turn it to aux, then off and leave it inserted.

[@stuffandthings3959]

Yup, that works perfect on the keyed vehicles so you can leave it in Park. For the keyless cars, being in Park auto locks the steering and the only solution is using Neutral and leaving the fob in the car.

[@stevevet3652]

Thank you for producing this video.

[@Jaxon9859]

Great video. I used to flat tow a jeep and would love to flat tow a 4runner. How easy is it to move the collar? Idk if this a dumb question but could a rock or piece of road debris knock the collar back and re-engage with the rear axle? I know in the video you mentioned it working great on your trip to Moab, how has it held up since then? Thanks again.

[@mswtoyota]

This is what I needed to know to flat tow a 2021 Taco behind an RV! I couldn't figure out how to get it to not lock the wheel! Thanks so much!!!

[@stuffandthings3959]

Happy to help! Took me some trial an error to figure it out myself.

[@toastitup41]

Wow i thought the superior driveline kit needed the cable hookup whacky mechanism. Which is why i didnt buy it. We towed our 2004 4runner for a month long trip early summer. I had to get down and dirty and REMOVE and INSTALL the drive shaft every time! It got old quick. Thanks for this video. I will reconsider buying that driveline kit if you can manually use it. That would keep the Mrs happy for my time spent dealing with the shaft!

[@stuffandthings3959]

Yeah! I thought maybe it needed all the linkage as well to keep the collar in place but I called and they explained the collar stays locked into position and the linkage is just to avoid crawling under to move it. Happy to help!

[@RussellMcCollom]

Wow, that took a lot of research and knowing what to do to do it correctly.

[@gtrippin]

first of all, I have to compliment, because the video is perfect, professional, didn't waste a second, and this looks exactly like the title says, the proper way, without skipping any little detail that could create problems. Now, my question is, after all this, wouldn't it be way more convenient and probably cheaper to buy a goddamn trailer? you consume 4 big tires and brakes when you could do it to 2 smaller trailer tires, it just seems impractical to me and also I feel like so many things could go wrong. The only gain I see from this method is low gravity centre and more grip in general, but it's an RV, how fast can you take corners anyway?

[@stuffandthings3959]

Haha, thank you! Yes, you'd be correct on that! So, that said, we discovered with the RV, that dealing with a trailer in a lot of national parks and even RV camp grounds is a huge pain in the ass. We own a 24 foot enclosed trailer that we use when we go racing and we just stay at the track. The trailer stays attached and there's abundant room in the paddock to be with it all. However, we tried taking our Side by side on RV trips using the trailer and found that we could not fit into a lot of desirable places due to being too long. A lot of good spot are designed for about 40 feet max so even the big bus style rigs can fit but the expect you to be towing your vehicle and able to disconnect it and park next to your site. Some places do have trailer parking but not all of them and even then you are dealing with dropping and picking the trailer back up. We gave this all a LOT of thought and ultimately decided the flat towing route was more ideal and we have found that to be very true for where we like to go. Hope that clears it up! :)

[@gtrippin]

@@stuffandthings3959 I couldn’t ask for a better explanation

[@dkilpat10]

Hello. Thank you for this video. I've used it to tow my 21 4runner, except I used a brake buddy system. Are you available for questions?? I have a few. Thanks again!!!

[@patriot8087]

Awesome setup, I didn't know there 2was a way to tow a quality vehicle like your 4Runner. That said better than nothing, but that is a lot more rigmarole to go throught than I use to go through with my Honda CR-V, as my TOAD just sayin. Thanks for your great video.

[@simonnewberry4774]

Did you wire the 4Runner battery tender & 4Runner break lights back to the RV 7-pin adapter yourself? If so, do you have a video of how that is wired? Great video by the way!

[@deddie4645]

Great video I have a 2016 trail too.... I know they have that kit for the drive shaft but also I didn't like it with the cable too clunky. Get in the way and also didn't like the idea of a stick or a rock disengaging. My rear-drive shaft when I'm in a bad situation 4 wheeling.....MY THOUGHT WAS (lol)...... Just leave the engine running and oil should go to where it needs to go.... This would work great I thought for somebody that only pulls a rig, maybe a 1000-2000 miles a year..... And as far as the wasted gas, While you're pulling it down the road. I don't think would be a big deal breaker, especially if you're buying the fuel for a big diesel. Pusher motor home..... The only issue would be to if your engine ever quit running. And you didn't know what? Yeah, you could damage it..... But my thought was to put a T on the oil. Sending unit and run an old-fashioned idiot light Sending unit and have it going to the dash of the motor home. So I would know as long as the light was off. I had oil pressure to the engine. Thus, the engine is running turninf the torque converter running the transmission oil pump....... Again, my thoughts are. This is optimum that just want to pull their 4 runners short distances..... This probably wouldn't be a good idea for somebody. That's a full-time or put in thousands of miles a year on their rig......... I would like your Thoughts & input, sir.

[@robervin6598]

Thanks so much for this video - I really don't want a Jeep (just my preference) and this is a great option. One question - does it have to be a trail/offroad edition with manual transfer case or is the automatic transfer case okay (as long as in 2H and with a driveshaft disconnect).

[@stuffandthings3959]

You're welcome! That's exactly how we felt. Nothing against Jeeps, we just like 4Runners more and it meets out needs better. Auto transfer case should be just fine. An easy way to check is have it parking and in 2H and go under and see if you can freely spin the front shaft coming off the transfer case. If you can, you should be fine!

[@rickdougherty1371]

Great vid, thx! I just checked and my 2023 4R doesn't have a steering lock, looks like they did away with them in 2022 so with the key off should I be able to keep the trans in P and case in N? I understand why you are 2H and trans N but with key off I'm hoping to be able to put the trans in P to prevent any rotation.

[@stuffandthings3959]

It does have a steering lock, its just electronic basically. The steering will not lock when the gear shifter is in Neutral so leave it in Neutral and you should be good. You need to be in 2H with the transfer case because shifting that into Neutral locks in 4WD first and you do NOT want that or the front wheels turning will be spinning the T-case. With the driveshaft disconnect I show in the video, you will not be spinning anything in the transmission at all. The only thing spinning will be the rear differential and it is self oiling. Hope this helps!

[@rickdougherty1371]

Thanks for the reply! It looks like they did remove the steering locks in late 2021, the whole section on steering locks has been deleted from the owners manuals 2023 (I do see it in the 2020 manual) and I've tried everyway imaginable to get to lock, no dice so I think I'm ok there. I verified the T case in neutral does still engage the front shaft for some reason, not sure why. But since I don't have to worry about having the car in neutral, I don't have to leave the key in it draining the battery. So.. I think I can just disconnect the rear shaft, leave the trans in park and the case in 2H, does that sound right to you?@@stuffandthings3959

[@palyoudaman1758]

I'm following this thread, as I have a 2024 TRD PRO on the way. Very interested in the "disconnect the rear shaft, leave the trans in park, and case in 2H" to see if that works. @@rickdougherty1371

[@kjohnson8174]

Did you wire the breakaway yourself? If so where did you get directions for how to do it? What about the 7 pin connector? Did you wire that yourself? I'm thinking of using the Invisibrake system as it's a little less expensive and permanent.

[@gregoryjames7976]

Thank you for your video. Excellent content.

[@justinhc123]

Great explanation! Thank you for sharing

[@davidaix5771]

Wow when I saw a guy with a jeep doing this and I asked about it then looked up if my 2022 4Runner could do it too and it said no With a list of vehicles that can and can't do it and now that I see this I'm like awesome so there is a way to do it

[@stuffandthings3959]

Yup! That's exactly how it went for my wife and I. We wondered why we usually only saw Jeeps being flat towed and never 4Runners and then we figured out why AFTER we bought the 4Runner lol. We didn't want a Jeep though so I was happy when I figured out that a 4Runner can be flat towed with a driveshaft disconnect and a bit of knowledge on how to do the other things like I show in the video.

[@VickiRetzlaff]

Awesome video thank you for all the details xoxo❤!

[@MitchRapp-si6lx]

Can you list what drive shaft SKU you went with? Have a 2022 TRD ORP getting ready to tow and I want to make sure my info matches with someone who’s done it right. Thanks in advance.

[@stuffandthings3959]

The SKU might be 10080035 based on my order. You can call and reference my order number which is 21500. They just asked me the year, model and had me measure the driveshaft which it looks like I came up with 49.5 inches I believe from flange to flange. There is a slip joint so it doesn't have to be super exact. I would imagine they could just make an identical one to my order for you.

[@adamsgamingchannel515]

Hey there, thanks for the video. I learned a lot from it. Could you advise on what I do with a 2017 4Runner SR5 (4WD) with a physical key? Can I turn it on to accessory, put into neutral, turn it off and take the key out to lock it while leaving in neutral for towing? That is of course with being in H2 and the rear shaft disconnected. Also.. when I read up on the Roadmaster 4 Diode kit - I also had to do a brake relay to make the supplemental brake system not send a false signal that overrides the turn signal from the RV when in that situation. Is that something you did as well? PS - Don’t mind the @ for my channel. My 9 y.o. son hijacked my account to make videos 😂 and I don’t really care to set it back.

[@stuffandthings3959]

You're welcome! I don't know if the key will come back out but it might. Just checked the wheel and be sure it stays unlocked or leave the key in the ignition and use the fob or spare key to lock the door maybe. I believe with how I have mine wired, the brake pedal does override the turn signal but we also have the rvi system that only pushes the brake down when you are slowing down fast and it senses the momentum. If I am sitting at a light, waiting to turn, foot on the RV brake, the 4Runner brake is not pushed so the turn signal is seen fine. The only time you'd have your turn signal overridden is during harder braking and to me, that was not a big deal so we did not bother doing a relay to solve it. Best of luck!

[@derjansan9564]

When I visited the US this spring with my family, of all new impressions those flat towing RVs were the most mind-boggling things I saw. We do not have this in Europe, or at least I have never seen a car being flat towed. Do I understand it correctly that there is no steering on the pulled car taking place? How does this not pull your RV off the road if you make a turn?

[@stuffandthings3959]

Yeah, I imagine its quite a sight to see! With the steering wheel unlocked and free to turn, the front wheels naturally want to track straight or follow the nose of the vehicle if it being pulled to the side, such as in a turn. The wheel can roll the freest (if that makes sense) if its pointed in the direction it needs to move so that makes it naturally follow that path. Now you do have to be careful not to do extremely sharp turns or the front wheels might not follow smoothly but that's pretty easy to avoid doing. Imagine if a wheel was just freely rolling down a straight, flat road at 70 mph all on its own. If you could get along side it and poke it with a stick on the sidewall, you'd feel a strong resistance to being able to try to point it in a new direction due to both an increase in friction if it tries to change course and the gyroscopic effect of it rotating as well. This is happening going down the road behind the RV. Hope that helps!

[@derjansan9564]

@@stuffandthings3959 Thanks for explaining, this makes sense. We have large RVs here (maybe not as many and not as big), but seing a car or even SUV being pulled like a trailer made me think that the laws of physics could be different in the US :)

[@stevenh4970]

Is there any reason why anyone should not back up the same part time 4wd 4runner with the rear wheels on a tow dolly and the front wheels on the ground? Then lock steering wheel

[@Myotis05]

Super helpful!! Thank you!

[@CET675]

So, I have a tow dolly already. Could I buy the drive shaft disconnect and still use the dolly? I would appreciate any responses. 2017 $runner TRD Pro

[@Ushootout]

I don't see why not. That's my plan to save the hassle of brakes system and mods for the flat towing However depending on your dolly locking or free steering wheel may be different

[@user-ys1jq9rd10f]

Интересное решение буксировки автомобиля. Автору лайк зачетный.

[@michaelkramer3115]

Thank you!

[@bobelliott9790]

Will this work with a standard 2016 sr5 that has the electronic transfer case

[@stuffandthings3959]

I believe it should. Just leave it in 2H.

[@kjohnson8174]

Is there a way I could private message you? I want the same setup and have some questions if you wouldn't mind sharing answers. Thanks!

[@OffroadLifestyle5thgen]

Does the mileage on the odometer go up when flat towing a 5th gen?

[@stuffandthings3959]

No it does not.

[@voltaire372]

It doesn’t make mileage go up on the odometer, but make no mistake the chassis and all of the suspension components still wear as if they are being driven. Same with the differentials. Hence why it is unethical to sell a vehicle that has been flat-towed for tens of thousands of miles without disclosing to the buyer, since the actual mileage could be deceivingly low compared to the actual wear.

[@stuffandthings3959]

@@voltaire372yup. This is absolutely true!

[@gloriajuarez7869]

Hello, we just purchased a 2022 4Runner TRD PRO. We also just watched your KZbin video on the road master base plate 1185-1 and called e-trailer. They say it doesn’t fit a newer 4Runner. Would you happen to know the part number you installed on yours?

[@stuffandthings3959]

That 1185-1 is the exact one we got and the only one available. It should fit your TRD PRO just the same as ours but watch that part of the video where I talk about having to modify it a bit to not hit the bumper since the TRD PRO bumper protrudes out quite a bit. If you have a metal grinder or sander, its very easy to do.

[@gloriajuarez7869]

@@stuffandthings3959 thank you very much for all your advice. We’ll order that one

[@joelelah3589]

@@gloriajuarez7869 Did you figure it out? If you have the KDS swaybar system they will tell you the baseplate won't fit. You can actually use the baseplate with KDS you just need to do minor alterations to the baseplate for it to work.

[@mjvbhaskar1000]

Just curious, if we disconnect the driveshaft, what is the issue if we leave the transmission in park?

[@stuffandthings3959]

The problem with leaving the transmission in park is that the steering wheel will lock and the front wheels won't turn side to side like they need to when you are turning the RV. When the transmission is left in neutral, the steering stays unlocked. There is no other way I have found to keep the steering unlocked and that is critical when flat towing it. This of course applies if you have a keyless fob. If you have a key, you should be able to insert it and do maybe one turn to unlock the wheel that way. In that case, you could leave it in Park as far as I know and be fine BUT I still think leaving in neutral is better just in case by some very unlikely chance, the driveshaft disconnect was re-engaged when the wheels are moving, you'd have less risk of having a major issue or drivetrain lock up.

[@Avalosjoe]

Any speed limitations? (Other than the law and common sense). Did you have run the engine every 300 miles?

[@stuffandthings3959]

Nope! You can tow at any speed you’d like. There’s no limit and no need to start or run the engine with how we are setup here. Nothing is turning that needs lubrication from running the engine and the battery stays charged from the connection to the RV.

[@JamesLee-xh6lz]

Thank you!!!!

[@dealer197]

How much is the modified drive shaft

[@pringle6619]

Which measurments for the 4 runner are needed on the superior drive line form?

[@pringle6619]

It list several different driveshaft types

[@pringle6619]

Also where did you tap in to and run the wires for light control? I’m currently installing all this on mine

[@jay_sebastian]

Call them and they will tell you which one to do. I think it was SKU-3 if I remember correctly.

[@CET675]

Why i couldn't tow it backwards with a rear wheels on a dolly? Any comments are appreciated 😊

[@henry78560]

If the rear driveshaft is disconnected. Why have it in neutral? At that point the trans will not spin, just the rear diff.

[@boostedperformance_]

That’s correct but the purpose of putting in N is to keep the steering wheel unlocked. In Park it will lock and the wheels can’t turn.

[@henry78560]

That is for the old non push button start key system. I have a 2023 4Runner TRD Off Road and the steering never locks. In park with the truck locked the steering can be turned. Also people do not realize that leaving the ignition system in anything but the off position is drawing on the battery. So having a battery in good shape comes into play. They went through the trouble of wiring the rear lights and not wire the emergency break system (the only reason to have ignition on, 12V connection). They could have wired it during rear light wiring. This way the truck is locked up. That truck with the key fob in the cab can be stollen in 5 second. Unlocked truck with key fob visibly by the shifter. Pull the bar pins, unhook the safety cables, cut the emergency nonelectrical break line wire (the system will not get triggered), start the truck and drive away. This can happen with them wile still in the RV at a rest station, gas station, or parking lot. I bring this up not as a criticism, but a security alert. Those are really nice folks. Wrong place and time that truck is gone in seconds.@@boostedperformance_

[@mfanning186]

Are miles added to the odometer on the 4RUNNER this way? I'm guessing no.

[@stuffandthings3959]

Nope! I wondered myself but mileage does not go up when being towed in accessory mode.

[@dakat1726]

What- wow

[@RobertCarrizal]

did you put netural transfer case?

[@stuffandthings3959]

You do not want to put the transfer case in neutral. When you shift to neutral, you engage the front shaft from the transfer case. Its possible that if you keep the engine or ignition off, the front differential may not engage but I would still not recommend doing this. Simply keep the transfer case level in 2H so nothing on the front is connected and then use a driveshaft disconnected like I show in the video. Doing this ensures nothing inside the transfer case or transmission is being turned while going down the road.

[@davidaix5771]

You wouldn't want to do that because putting it in 4H You're gonna engage the front hubs and it's gonna be spinning all that

[@davidaix5771]

@@stuffandthings3959 sorry ment to say 4H because in 4H it will engage the front hubs

[@stuffandthings3959]

@@davidaix5771 Yep, is correct so I delete my comment. :)

[@aky19832001]

Why not just tow it on a flat bed from uhaul.?

[@stuffandthings3959]

You certainly could! You’d just have to rent their trailer each time you travel and then in some cases, find somewhere to stash it if it doesn’t fit into your RV spot. For a single trip that’s certainly most cost effective but for folks that travel more frequently it’s nice to just be able to pull their car behind.

[@chasespears4179]

​@stuffandthings3959 Do you think think this would work on an Sr5 with the electric knob. With the knob in 2hi and trans in neutral my front shaft spins by hand not with wheels. Basically same as the way yours does.

[@willardorr7660]

What is the total cost to add all the stuff

[@willardorr7660]

Cause my buddy has been wanting to do this for his

[@stuffandthings3959]

@@willardorr7660 figure around $1500-1800 for all the towing and electrical stuff. The driveshaft disconnect is $1400 and then the braking system is $1400. One other thing to consider is that if he has or is planning to get a different front bumper that will have the 3/4" D hooks welded on, those can be used for your towing connection points as long as they are welded front and back (not just welded to the face of the bumper). Roadmaster sell tow bar adapters to use those points. He would not need the baseplates.

[@SteelHoarse]

Pretty interesting. But I think I would just get a trailer.

[@5G4R]

I'd personally just buy a trailer and tow it that way

[@stuffandthings3959]

Yeah, nothing wrong with that approach. We tow an enclosed trailer with the RV when we take our Side by Side on trips. The problem with a trailer though is there are a lot of places we like to visit where a trailer won't fit or there is no where to park it so being able to pull up to a 32-40 foot campsite, unhook the 4Runner and get into our spot is nice and why we went this route.

[@1rstTry]

Jesus… you’re freaking rich af in RV stuff

[@jdc3636]

2023?the rust underneath is insane.

[@blazen2138]

Not rust, just dirt. See the wheels and the floor mats that share the same color.

[@rustyharvey3481]

I appreciate your video but no thx I'm not doing all that I have been blessed to have a great income I'll just buy a flat bed car hauler and tow my 4runner on it

[@X314G]

Should get a different make, Jeep/Dodge/Chrysler is nothing but problems, better off getting a toyota and disconnecting the driveshaft, sure its a little extra work but with the ground clearance it would be easy to disconnect/reconnect. Sad that even Jeeps' premium products aren't safe from their plague.

[@bullbutter9699]

Just leave Engine running you can tow anything , lets not reinvent the wheel here.

[@noahziegler3478]

Okay now show how your rear bearings of your transfer case get lubed on this $50k car while flat towing.

[@stuffandthings3959]

Nothing in the transfer case is spinning. That’s part of the purpose of the driveshaft disconnect. The entire rear drive shaft is not moving when it’s disconnected. As far as I know though, the transfer case is all self lubricated by the oil sitting in the bottom that gets picked up as things spins. The issue is that in the transmission, the main bearing that connects to the transfer case relies on an oil pump that’s driven by the input shaft which means the engine needs to be turning to operate it.

[@bensfixitpage341]

Why not just leave transmission in park & place transfer case in neutral like in Jeeps?