We hope your cars are always running under their own power, but once in a while you’ll need to haul it. Whether it’s trailering a race car to a track, taking a classic car to a show, or bringing home a new project, anyone who dabbles in older automobiles will at some point need a tow vehicle. Fortunately for JNC owners Japanese cars are typically lightweight, so that opens up a lot of options for trucks and SUVs with lower towing capacities that may be JNCs themselves.
What’s the best tow vehicle?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What are your gasoline filling routines?“.
The Answers of the Week educated us a lot about the peculiarities of filling stations in other parts of the world. We were shocked to learn on a trip to Germany, for example, that you have to have Euros in hand if you want to use the toilet at a gas station there. Sebastian Motsch further taught us that if you’re close enough to the southern border of Germany it’s cheaper just to go to Austria. Nigel informed us that in Canada it’s cheaper to refuel after 7:00 pm, and ynori‘s description of an Aussie station sounds like an introvert’s worst nightmare.
Some readers had routines surrounding their refueling. Taylor C. takes the opportunity to check things like tire pressure and calculate mpg. speedie adds pre-mix to the rotary engine. We were halfway through Negishi no Keibajo‘s precision ritual before we realized it was for a plane.
There’s even a whole laundry list of ways to get to the gas station more efficiently. Nismo_pwr uses GasBuddy, but the browser version only because the app apparently harvests massive amounts of personal data. LiouxLioux just goes to shortest line to the pump because hoses are long enough. Kyuusha Corner only picks stations that en route. And Jacob B lives life on the edge by never looking at prices.
We expected some readers, such as Alan and speedie, to choose their brand of gasoline based on Top Tier ratings, which has additives to help reduce engine deposits. What we didn’t expect was that sometimes the brand was dependent on the food options inside the convenience store. Next time we’re in Maryland we’ll have to try Ian G.‘s Royal Farms chicken.
The winner this week was Sammy B, who enlightened us to the fact that at Circle K locations the Lawson brand still exists in Ohio in the form of French onion dip!
For my JNC, I go about 10 miles to the town over that has ethanol-free gas. So worth it! My daily drivers tend to go to Costco (we’re lucky that there’s one fairly close by, so this isn’t too bad). If I do happen to be nearby I’ll get the dailies the non-ethanol gas too and will run inside for a polar pop. 79 cents for any size always gets me.
Added bonus for that Ethanol-free station: it’s a Circle K that still sells Lawson’s french onion dip! Lawson’s started in my area (just north of Akron, OH) and you can still get their dip at some Circle K stores in Northeast Ohio. So the Van gets no ethanol and I get chips and dip later that day 🙂
Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!
The perfect tow vehicle for me is my 93 jeep ZJ Grand Cherokee, it’s old, dumb and the interior has that 80’s-90’s ambience that makes every drive feel like time travel. it might not be a JNC but it weighs about the same as a modern passenger car but it can legally tow up FIVE Daihatsu Hijets!
The best tow vehicle is the one that doesn’t let the tail wag the dog. That means a full size pickup. None of those weenie crossovers or “compact” pickups. Towing is serious stuff.
I’ve been towing race trailers for my employer for the past 27 years and my answer is go big or go home. The most dangerous part of racing is towing, by a long country mile.
The best tow vehicle for the occasional job is the one that belongs to your buddy (or, better yet, your buddy’s dad) who insists on doing the actual job for you. You know, the guy that makes it clear he knows what he’s talking about, has all the gear and then some, gets visibly excited when talking about brake controllers and safety chains, enjoys the voodoo of backing up a trailer, spends his weekends hand greasing trailer wheel bearings, and will accept nothing more than a frosty tallboy PBR when the job is done. That guy is The Man and he’s welcome to the accolade amd his truck is the best tow vehicle hands down.
No other responses needed here folks. This is the winning answer.
Boring answer? Anything with a Cummins diesel. Exciting answer? Go all the way and get an Isuzu cabover rollback tow truck, maybe with a crew cab too.
My 1998 GMC 1 ton flatbed has hauled boats up & down the west coast. Power is nice but brakes are non-negotiable. Picked up a boat from a guy towing with a Tundra. He said the brakes were downright sketchy while towing. Semis in the runaway ramps in northern California are a sobering reminder. A bonus is that for some reason, it’s one of our most comfortable rides.
the default strayan answer is any 4×4 with a V8 in it.. toyota landcruisers and nissan patrols are a common sight towing lighter cars and other toys. sometimes you’ll even see a ford ranger or two putting their V6’s through their paces.
then again there’s absolutely no shortage of “brave” lads dragging things they are absolutely not supposed to with lighter utes.. “she’ll be roiiight, mate!” …yeah nah i see those and im straight up changing lanes and putting on some good distance
+1 on the Cummins, and on a broader spectrum, a full sized American diesel truck, preferably with a 6-speed stick. I don’t think a dualie is necessary unless I have a gooseneck / fifth wheel setup going on, but i don’t imagine myself buying some enclosed trailer that’s hitching into the truck bed! The diesels are just the ideal setup for these jobs: low end torque, fuel efficiency, and great gearing to cover the miles.
I shall nominate my LX470. She’s an ‘07 with VVTi, so a tad more grunt than earlier years of the 100 series, and she has the AHC suspension, which self-levels once I hook up to the camper. I’ve towed a vintage 18’ camper from California to Maine and back three times, and she’s been rock solid. Not a ton of pulling power, so it’s slow and steady up over the Rockies, but the AHC in Buick-mode makes the drive cushy, comfy, and after 6-days at the helm, I don’t arrive feeling exhausted or worn out at all. She’s not exciting to drive in the least, but she’s big and heavy, which inspires confidence , she’s powerful enough, and supremely comfortable. An ideal recipe for miles of trouble-free and stress-less towing. I can also lower the AHC to drop the ball out of the hitch to disconnect. Pretty ideal overall.
The AHC on the Lexus LX and GX is a game-changer for towing. Keeps the ride level and makes it easy to hitch/unhitch.
I’ll second (third?) the full-size American truck, diesel or otherwise. Despite the trend to turn most trucks into pavement princesses/faux off-roaders, I believe they’re the best option if towing is required.
Just because your vehicle CAN pull something doesn’t mean it SHOULD pull something. The number of people who buy a camper right at their SUV’s limit without realizing that you have to add the weight of everything loaded in the camper as well is truly mind blowing. Living on Canada’s major highway it’s amazing how many people I see driving SUVs with their front ends pointed towards the sky, while the back tires are smoking on the wheel wells.