Towing a Sidekick

[kerry]

Planning to drive from CO to Newfoundland this summer. Considering driving the FG and possibly towing the Suzuki Sidekick (1996 4dr) behind it. I usually tow the Sidekick behind our Bluebird Wanderlodge but am thinking the FG is a better vehicle for this trip. Anyone have experience towing something the size and weight of a Sidekick behind an FG who can enlighten me about how well it works? It would be nice to have the Sidekick because we'll have our sea kayaks with us and we won't have to break camp to take the boats to the water in addition to having the Sidekick to run around in general without having to break camp.
Also it seems that the FG and the Sidekick are probably better vehicles for the two ferries we'l have to use.

 

[whatcharterboat]

Anyone have experience towing something the size and weight of a Sidekick behind an FG who can enlighten me about how well it works? It

Hi Kerry. I'm not real sure what a Sidekick is. 2wd hatch??? We call them something different, for sure. All I can offer you is this pick. The truck is a 649 and it's obviously heavy. The owner said he really doesn't know the Suzuki is there when he tows (well it would be hardly noticeable). He uses a portable A frame and the rear lights are connected to the cars lights for stop, turn etc. with a plug on the front bar. The tricky thing is the actuator that clips to the brake pedal and applies the brakes. Controlled by a normal Tekonsha brake controller in the cab IIRC. The Suzuki is a X90.

 

[kerry]

Sidekick is roughly a 4 dr wagon version of that Suzuki. It's good to know it tows well. I have a question about the brakes. When I tow the Sidekick behind the Wanderlodge I don't use any additional brakes. Of course the Wanderlodge weighs 30+k pounds. Do you think a braking system is required for the vehicle when being towed by the Fuso?

 

[JRhetts]

Kerry

I towed a Jeep JK 4-dr behind my Earthroamer for almost 10,000 miles, and now the same JK behind my FusoFM for another 3000 miles. If you decide you want active brakes on the toad (I believe you will be required to have them and a breakaway activator in Canada), then I cannot recommend M&G Manufacturing's system highly enough. Much better than any pedal activating system of any kind.

John

 

[whatcharterboat]

Do you think a braking system is required for the vehicle when being towed by the Fuso?

Kerry, I was going to say it is more a case of what is required by your laws but John beat me to it. That is the only one of our trucks that tows a car so I can't tell you much more.

BTW I need a new DD and I was thinking of buying exactly that. If it is indeed the same vehicle, it's called a Vitara here whether it's a 4 or 2 door. Any good??? The one I'm looking at is an auto but I think a 5 speed would be better with the small motor.

 

[kerry]

I really like it. It's now called a Vitara here too. It was formerly called a Sidekick here. I bought it because it is so easy to tow. Put the transfer case in neutral, auto tranny in park and off you go. No need for a transmission pump or driveshaft disconnect. Mine has the 1.8l motor which has a timing chain instead of a timing belt. I prefer a chain but the fuel economy is not as good as the 1.6l. I bought mine with about 130k miles on it. Have towed it back and forth across the US a couple of times. Only a couple of complaints. It doesn't run hot enough in the winter. I've changed out the thermostat but still seems to run cold. A really demented engineer also put a heater hose at the back of the head close to the firewall. Awful to replace and it took me a long time to figure out what was leaking.

 

[FusoFG]

kerry,

I towed a Suzuki Samurai behind my 93 FG camper from Ga to Me and back.

The 93 FG has a gvw of 11600 and with the camper it weighed about 10,600.

It has 10 less hp than my 2004 FG and much less hp than the FG 140's.

The sammy weighs about 2000 lbs.

We never noticed any difference in performance other than the mileage dropped from 17mpg to 16 mpg.

When you go to Newfoundland, our 2 favorite spots were Gros Morne national park in the north west and the Avalon wilderness area south west of St Johns.

If you get to Labrador we liked the resevoir at Manic 5 and the trans labrador highway from quebec to goose bay. It was pretty rough when we went in 1994 but I heard rumors that some of it has been paved.

 

[kerry]

kerry,

I towed a Suzuki Samurai behind my 93 FG camper from Ga to Me and back.

The 93 FG has a gvw of 11600 and with the camper it weighed about 10,600.

It has 10 less hp than my 2004 FG and much less hp than the FG 140's.

The sammy weighs about 2000 lbs.

We never noticed any difference in performance other than the mileage dropped from 17mpg to 16 mpg.

When you go to Newfoundland, our 2 favorite spots were Gros Morne national park in the north west and the Avalon wilderness area south west of St Johns.

If you get to Labrador we liked the resevoir at Manic 5 and the trans labrador highway from quebec to goose bay. It was pretty rough when we went in 1994 but I heard rumors that some of it has been paved.

Did you have brakes for the Samuri or did you rely solely on the truck brakes? I think the Sidekick is somewhere around 3k lbs.

 

[1Engine]

My father towed a Suzuki for 30000kms around aus behind his winnebago using one of these
http://www.hitchngo.com.au/index.html

A wiring loom connected to run the indicators, brake lights & tail lights.
A morse cable connected to the brake pedal to operate the brakes using the override system.
His thoughts were that it was the best thing since brown paper bags:victory:

 

[FusoFG]

Did you have brakes for the Samuri or did you rely solely on the truck brakes? I think the Sidekick is somewhere around 3k lbs.

no brake system on the samurai, the FG exhaust brake and truck brakes handled the braking just fine.

my samurai weighed about 2100 lbs and the sidekick weighs about 2600 lbs.

brake requirements for towed vehicles are based on weight and are specific to a state.

did you ever get the controls sorted out for the exhaust brake? the switch on the dash should be for engine warmup and does apply the exhaust brake, but once the engine warms up the exhaust brake is controlled by the windshield wiper stalk. unkess you have an automatic transmission and then the exhaust brake system is always activated.

 

[kerry]

no brake system on the samurai, the FG exhaust brake and truck brakes handled the braking just fine.

my samurai weighed about 2100 lbs and the sidekick weighs about 2600 lbs.

brake requirements for towed vehicles are based on weight and are specific to a state.

did you ever get the controls sorted out for the exhaust brake? the switch on the dash should be for engine warmup and does apply the exhaust brake, but once the engine warms up the exhaust brake is controlled by the windshield wiper stalk. unkess you have an automatic transmission and then the exhaust brake system is always activated.

I'll need to check my manual. As far as I know, my exhaust brake is only controlled by the switch on the dash. If I turn that switch off, it doesn't work either on warm up or down the road. If I turn that switch on, it works both on warm up and down the road. I have a manual transmission.
Maybe I am missing something.
Here's a map I found of state and province weight/brake requirements:
http://www.brakebuddy.com/Towing-Laws

 

[GroupSe7en]

Newfoundland!

Hey Kerry - when are you going to be in Newfoundland?

We're planning a trip from Connecticut; up through Vermont; across Quebec; into Labrador and across the Trans Labrador Highway to Blanc Sablon; then ferry to Newfoundland and down to Gros Morne (for a week!); ferry to Nova Scotia; through New Brunswick; back through Maine and Mass; and home again. Going to be gone from the 3rd of July until the 18th. :victory:

Maybe we'll see you there:beer:

Cheers,
Mark

 

[kerry]

We're heading east from Denver early in June. Visiting some family in upstate NY then on to Montreal and Quebec City, down thru NEw Brunswick, Nova Scotia then up to Newfoundland and L'ans aux Meadows. Probably heading back west first week in July. We might see each other.