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Towing a subaru with an automatic


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It would appear that I will be towing "Alice" about 800 miles from Anchorage to Haines in November. This car has the 3 speed slushy tranny. My questions are: Is it okay to flat-tow this car, or will it destroy the tranny? Can I just install a small pump in one of the trans-cooler lines to circulate the ATF and provide lubrication? Or will I have to rent a tow dolley to get the front wheels off the ground?

 

Also, is there any advice that I should hear before towing a subaru with another subaru for 800 miles? The first thing that comes to mind is will I have the power and the brakes for going over the three mountain passes that I have to go through? The other thing that I can think of is how have people connected the brake lights/tail lights/turn signals before?

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You cant flat tow an automatic with them on the ground. You could put stub axles in the front thus disconnecting the trans from the wheels, or you could to dolly it.

 

Pulling a Subaru with a Subaru is not recommended. I did it with my Legacy pulling a 83 Wagon but it was flat towing and it was flat ground not mountain passes.

Stopping was not fun but not that horrible. A Panic stop would have been more scary.

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November through Caribou Creek in the ice? You've got more moxy than me, young man. I'd drive it to Valdez and put it on the ferry then fly back to Anchorage and drive the other one to Haines. Some of the turns just before Canada are no fun either, not to mention the miles of gravel around Mentasta. Good luck with the driving portion, much less the technical end of things.

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Hmmm.....

 

The road conditions could present a problem. Not so much in getting there, but in the amount of time it would take to get there. I think I'll probably just drive the car down and either fly back or catch a ride from my brother, who is also going down and back (from Fairbanks). I have never driven this road in the winter, and it's probably not the smartest thing to do it for the first time while towing another car of equal weight.

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