Do any of you guys wheel lift Honda CRVs and Toyota Rav 4's?

[Doctowing]

Looking to see what you guys do?  I have heard people say if it rolls in park with the front end off the ground it is ok to tow it.  What do you guys think?

[ESC]

2 hours ago, Doctowing said:

Looking to see what you guys do?  I have heard people say if it rolls in park with the front end off the ground it is ok to tow it.  What do you guys think?

Only if you are prepared to buy a transmission/transfer case and damage your reputation on the all wheel drive models.

 

There are some CRV's out there that are front wheel drive only- not many, but a friend of mine owns one.  Most are AWD, as for the RAV4 to my knowledge they are all AWD.  Flatbed, or wheel lift and dollies.

[Doctowing]

I see people doing frequently.  I have done it for short runs and it did not hurt anything.

[goodmichael]

People observing others getting away with, and or getting lucky in not being discovered to damage things, and adjusting their business plan to what others do, is a big reason why insurance for this industry is so high. It has always been my practice to NEVER, EVER, EVER tow a vehicle with the drive wheels on the ground. Even if it is "okay" by the manufacturers specifications. If a manufacturer states that it is allowable to tow the vehicle up to 35 mph, how are you going to prove in a court of law that you did not exceed 35 mph. You can not. As an operator, you are expected to know the proper and safe towing procedure for any vehicle you tow. This includes the proper tie down as well as auxiliary lighting to be in compliance with all laws. If you do not know the proper procedure, you should not attempt the tow. I see people doing things every day that make me wish I were the beneficiary of their life insurance policy. Just because everyone does it, does not mean it is the proper, correct, or moral thing to do! Not bashing you, I have torn up a lot of things in my life, and as my father told me once, "God protects idiots, but even God will only go so far."

[BlackAutoload]

I wheel lift them all the time, with dollies on the other side.

The If It Rolls idea is for PPI / repo just to get the vehicle out of site.... to install dollies. 

[luigi]

I have for on site moves. Nothing more than 5 mph, just moving it from one spot to another.

[someotherplace]

On 12/27/2018 at 9:31 AM, BlackAutoload said:

I wheel lift them all the time, with dollies on the other side.

The If It Rolls idea is for PPI / repo just to get the vehicle out of site.... to install dollies. 

While I agree with you in spirit, and have done this exact thing many times...in practice, I try to dolly on the spot and I take a picture of it in that spot, on the dollies. This instantly squashes any "you tore up my car" claims. I've heard these claims on the phone before they even come to retrieve the vehicle, as if they were already practicing their speech about their AWD car and how I destroyed it. Then they see the dolly picture.

 

Docstowing: the ones that roll are still not safe to tow with wheels on the ground. You may not notice any damage but how could you possibly tell? Wear is occurring, and it is impossible for you to measure how much; same for the vehicle owner, and getting by with the shortcut is purely by luck. Eventually your luck runs out and you get one that was marginal and wipe it out - now it's your responsibility. Or, you get one that was already wiped out, they've dinged the previous tow company for it, and now they're going to ding YOU for it too. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

 

Just remember, people want a payday, and they REALLY want one after you "did them wrong" by towing their car away.

 

Richard

[someotherplace]

On 12/26/2018 at 4:07 PM, ESC said:

There are some CRV's out there that are front wheel drive only- not many, but a friend of mine owns one.  Most are AWD, as for the RAV4 to my knowledge they are all AWD.  Flatbed, or wheel lift and dollies.

Probably a regional thing on the RAV4's.  For the CRV, down here most of the ones I see are AWD (and most even say it on the rear glass, though they call it 4WD.)  On the other hand, we have mostly FWD RAV4's.  I do know the few 4WD ones I've found will not even roll out of the spot with go-jaks on the front wheels, so I wouldn't even -think- of trying to roll one towing it.

 

What makes it worse is the interchangeability the manufacturers use with badging them AWD or 4WD.  Just go ahead and call it AWD unless you have a selectable switch, shifter, etc. that allows a 2HI position for the transfer case..

 

Richard