[GMCnet] 1996 Geo Traker as Towd

[larry.whisler]

I am looking at purchasing a towd vehicle and found one that is locally for
sale.

It's a 96 Geo tracker with manual transmission and rear wheel drive. The owner
has been using it as a towd behind his motor home and claims to have towed it
all over without problems.

I have heard conflicting stories on this and I know of one owner that installed
a 4WD transfer case on a rear wheel drive version so as to disengage the transmission
from the final drive.

Does anyone out there have a 96 Tracker that can verify some of this information
from the owner's manual or past experience?

thanks in advance

larry

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[Bob Schilling]

I had a 92 Geo Tracker with the same drive train and pulled it over 10,000 miles with out any problems. I usually traveled about 65 mph and never even
knew it was back there. I have been looking for another one to use as a towed, but in our area they are worn out or rusted out. You shouldn't have any
issues using the '96 as a towed.
--
Bob and Pam Schilling
Rapid City, SD
"78 Royale

[larry.whisler]

Bob,

thanks for the response.

The four wheel drive models have the transfer case that can be
put in 'neutral'.

The rear wheel drive models don't have the transfer case and
(I've heard) can't be pulled with 4 wheels down unless
the drive shaft is pulled or disengaged by some other method.

The owner claims that because it's a manual transmission, it can
be pulled with four wheels down.

larry

[Matt Colie]

larry.whisler wrote on Mon, 15 September 2014 10:45

> Bob,
>
> thanks for the response.
>
> The four wheel drive models have the transfer case that can be put in 'neutral'.
>
> The rear wheel drive models don't have the transfer case and (I've heard) can't be pulled with 4 wheels down unless
> the drive shaft is pulled or disengaged by some other method.
>
> The owner claims that because it's a manual transmission, it can be pulled with four wheels down.
>
> larry

Larry,

I strongly suggest that you talk to Bill Mitchel about his tracker before you do anything else. He doesn't want to sell his, but he did have to fix
it.....

Matt - headed into the Badlands.
--
Matt & Mary Colie - Members GMCMI, GMCES
'73 Glacier 23 - Still Loving the Applied Rear Brake Control Arms
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit

[Charles Boyd]

Larry: Hubert Rowell has a 96 2wd he has pulled everywhere with no problems. I`ll pm his phone # as he doesn`t monitor the net. I believe his is
for sale. It is a hard top.

larry.whisler wrote on Mon, 15 September 2014 10:17

> I am looking at purchasing a towd vehicle and found one that is locally for
> sale.
>
> It's a 96 Geo tracker with manual transmission and rear wheel drive. The owner
> has been using it as a towd behind his motor home and claims to have towed it
> all over without problems.
>
> I have heard conflicting stories on this and I know of one owner that installed
> a 4WD transfer case on a rear wheel drive version so as to disengage the transmission
> from the final drive.
>
> Does anyone out there have a 96 Tracker that can verify some of this information
> from the owner's manual or past experience?
>
> thanks in advance
>
> larry

--
C. Boyd
76 Crestmont
East Tennessee

[larry.whisler]

Matt,

I just got off the phone with bill.

He shared some good information.

thanks
larry

[Billy Massey]

We towed a '95 2wd Tracker "4 down" for a couple years before we got our
'01. Never had any trouble with either one. 120k+ so far.

bdub

On Sep 15, 2014 9:18 AM, "larry.whisler" wrote:
>
> I am looking at purchasing a towd vehicle and found one that is locally
for sale.
>
> It's a 96 Geo tracker with manual transmission and rear wheel drive. The
owner
> has been using it as a towd behind his motor home and claims to have
towed it all over without problems.
>
> I have heard conflicting stories on this and I know of one owner that
installed a 4WD transfer case on a rear wheel drive version so as to
disengage the transmission from the final drive.
>
> Does anyone out there have a 96 Tracker that can verify some of this
information from the owner's manual or past experience?

[Larry]

I towed my 96 Tracker for 4 yrs. As noted in the owners manual, I towed it 4 down by putting the transfer case in neutral and the transmission in 2nd
gear. Towed at any speed I wanted for as long as I wanted with no issues. Just do NOT forget to put transfer case in neutral. Don't ask how I
know... :(
--
Larry
78 Royale w/500 Caddy
Menomonie, WI.

[John Wright]

Larry,
His is a 2WD with no transfer case to put in neutral. The manual states that it is not towable 4 down. You may get away with for a while but one of the bearings will fail somewhere down the road as happen on Bill’s. I was parked next to Bill M at the GMCGL Rally in Dearborn this summer and we had this very discussion and he showed me his owners manual which I took pictures of the necessary pages. Bill replaced his transmission with one out of 4WD and it allows him to put the transfer case in neutral and allow him to tow without issue. One other club member had the driveshaft disconnect from Remco for his 2WD.

http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/general-pictures/p55944-tracker.html
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/general-pictures/p55945-tracker-towing.html
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/general-pictures/p55947-tracker-towing.html
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/general-pictures/p55946-tracker-towing.html

JR Wright
78 Buskirk Stretch
75 Avion
Michigan

[Bob de Kruyff]

powerjon wrote on Mon, 15 September 2014 17:04

> Larry,
> His is a 2WD with no transfer case to put in neutral. The manual states that it is not towable 4 down. You may get away with for a while but one
> of the bearings will fail somewhere down the road as happen on Bill's. I was parked next to Bill M at the GMCGL Rally in Dearborn this summer and
> we had this very discussion and he showed me his owners manual which I took pictures of the necessary pages. Bill replaced his transmission with one
> out of 4WD and it allows him to put the transfer case in neutral and allow him to tow without issue. One other club member had the driveshaft
> disconnect from Remco for his 2WD.
>
> http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/general-pictures/p55944-tracker.html
> http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/general-pictures/p55945-tracker-towing.html
> http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/general-pictures/p55947-tracker-towing.html
> http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/general-pictures/p55946-tracker-towing.html
>
> JR Wright
> 78 Buskirk Stretch
> 75 Avion
> Michigan
>

> On Sep 15, 2014, at 2:45 PM, Larry wrote:
>
> > I towed my 96 Tracker for 4 yrs. As noted in the owners manual, I towed it 4 down by putting the transfer case in neutral and the
> > transmission in 2nd
> > gear. Towed at any speed I wanted for as long as I wanted with no issues. Just do NOT forget to put transfer case in neutral. Don't ask
> > how I
> > know... :(
> > --
> > Larry
> > 78 Royale w/500 Caddy
> > Menomonie, WI.
> > _______________________________________________
> > GMCnet mailing list
> > Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> > http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
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I was intrigued by the recommendation to put it on a tow dolly backwards. That may be great for the driveline but not so great for sustaining life !
--
Bob de Kruyff
78 Eleganza
Chandler, AZ

[Larry]

powerjon wrote on Mon, 15 September 2014 18:04

> Larry,
> His is a 2WD with no transfer case to put in neutral. The manual states that it is not towable 4 down. You may get away with for a while but one
> of the bearings will fail somewhere down the road as happen on Bill's. I was parked next to Bill M at the GMCGL Rally in Dearborn this summer and
> we had this very discussion and he showed me his owners manual which I took pictures of the necessary pages. Bill replaced his transmission with one
> out of 4WD and it allows him to put the transfer case in neutral and allow him to tow without issue. One other club member had the driveshaft
> disconnect from Remco for his 2WD.
>
> http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/general-pictures/p55944-tracker.html
> http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/general-pictures/p55945-tracker-towing.html
> http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/general-pictures/p55947-tracker-towing.html
> http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/general-pictures/p55946-tracker-towing.html
>
> JR Wright
> 78 Buskirk Stretch
> 75 Avion
> Michigan

Ahh...Sorry, I missed that.

[Chris Tyler]

How about an automatic with 4WD?

Found a decent one [99]. Others have said stay away from the automatics for other durability reasons
--
76 Glenbrook

[Steve Southworth]

Chris Tyler wrote on Thu, 18 September 2014 02:03

> How about an automatic with 4WD?
>
> Found a decent one [99]. Others have said stay away from the automatics for other durability reasons

Having a 95 auto 4wd I hope there are no durability reasons. My Suzuki Sidekick owners manual says it can be towed 4 down with the transfer case in
neutral and the trans in park. It also says that every 200 miles the engine should be started to properly lube the transfer case. Suzuki forum said
this is to throw some oil on the rear transfer case bearing.

--
Steve Southworth
1974 Glacier TZE064V100150 (for workin on)
1975 Transmode TZE365V100394 (parts & spares)
Palmyra WI

[Carl Stouffer]

midlf wrote on Thu, 18 September 2014 08:27

> Chris Tyler wrote on Thu, 18 September 2014 02:03
> > How about an automatic with 4WD?
> >
> > Found a decent one [99]. Others have said stay away from the automatics for other durability reasons
>
>
> Having a 95 auto 4wd I hope there are no durability reasons. My Suzuki Sidekick owners manual says it can be towed 4 down with the transfer case
> in neutral and the trans in park. It also says that every 200 miles the engine should be started to properly lube the transfer case. Suzuki forum
> said this is to throw some oil on the rear transfer case bearing.

Ditto on our '03 Tracker. We tow it nearly everywhere we take the GMC, probably 15 - 20,000 miles since we've had it. No durability issues at all.
We use the Four Wheel Drive often at our various destinations as well.
--
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.

[dwayne jacobson]

We are looking at a 96 tracker - with 320,000 kms (most from being towed)
Auto. In excellent condition. $4000 canadian.
The high mileage is my question - this tracker has been well maintained -
no rust, like new interior and exterior. From a trusted Club member. It's
just the mileage that has me scratching my mind. Yes or no.

Dwayne
77 kingsley with 307 final drive that would need changing

--
Dwayne Jacobson
White Rock BC
Cell: 604-644-8090

[Bob de Kruyff]

""We are looking at a 96 tracker - with 320,000 kms (most from being towed)
Auto. In excellent condition. $4000 canadian.
The high mileage is my question - this tracker has been well maintained -
no rust, like new interior and exterior. From a trusted Club member. It's
just the mileage that has me scratching my mind. Yes or no.

Dwayne
77 kingsley with 307 final drive that would need changing
""

Does the Tracker register mileage when being towed with the transfer case in neutral? That may help decide how many "real" miles are on most of the
car.

--
Bob de Kruyff
78 Eleganza
Chandler, AZ

[Carl Stouffer]

Bob de Kruyff wrote on Thu, 18 September 2014 17:33

> ""We are looking at a 96 tracker - with 320,000 kms (most from being towed)
> Auto. In excellent condition. $4000 canadian.
> The high mileage is my question - this tracker has been well maintained -
> no rust, like new interior and exterior. From a trusted Club member. It's
> just the mileage that has me scratching my mind. Yes or no.
>
> Dwayne
> 77 kingsley with 307 final drive that would need changing
> ""
>
> Does the Tracker register mileage when being towed with the transfer case in neutral? That may help decide how many "real" miles are on most of
> the car.

Good point. The later model trackers do not register mileage while being towed.

--
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.

[Jerry Wheeler]

My 96 Sidekick does register mileage while being towed. It is a manual
shift four wheel drive. I often just crawl under the Sidekick and
disconnect the speedometer cable at the tranny (or wherever ii is). Mine
has 46k miles with 20k due to towing when I did not disconnect the cable.
JR Wheeler 78 Royale 73 23' Painted Desert NC/OR

[Carl Stouffer]

Jerry Wheeler wrote on Thu, 18 September 2014 18:11

> My 96 Sidekick does register mileage while being towed. It is a manual
> shift four wheel drive. I often just crawl under the Sidekick and
> disconnect the speedometer cable at the tranny (or wherever ii is). Mine
> has 46k miles with 20k due to towing when I did not disconnect the cable.
> JR Wheeler 78 Royale 73 23' Painted Desert NC/OR
>

There you go then. We probably have put more miles on our Tracker towing it than driving it locally.

[John Wright]

Chris,
Since 1999 I have towed 4 different Towed's. The first was a 89 4WD 2DR rag top which had to have the locking hubs that you could free the front wheels from the front drive train and the transfer case that you put in neutral. Great little car road terrible for driving on any trip over 25 miles. The second was a 2001 4WD, 4DR AT Tracker. This car was probably the most towed by the GMCGL, we towed ours almost 40K mile and sold it to another club member and it is still on the road. The second most popular was the Saturns. As for reliability issues with the AT in the Last of the 4WD4DR trackers from 1999 to 2004 which was the second generation, I never had any issues and had never heard of any. The early trackers were the GEO version and then they were called the Chevrolet Tracker. They were designed by Suzuki and produced under both names. The Suziki Vitara had much nicer interiors and more chrome on the outside and some people put the Vitara front grills on the late
model Chevrolet Trackers for more bling.

JR Wright
78 Buskirk Stretch
75 Avion
Michigan

[Mike Miller]

Chris Tyler wrote on Thu, 18 September 2014 00:03

> How about an automatic with 4WD?
>
> Found a decent one [99]. Others have said stay away from the automatics for other durability reasons

Depends on the transmission... and the number of doors.

While I have no experience with the 1999 and newer models, I currently own "four" early type Sidekicks. (I sold my first Sidekick to Steve.)

The early two door "TracKicks" from 1989 to 1998, came with a 3 speed transmission that was designed for "high reliability" vehicles like the mail
delivery trucks for the US post office. They might not be the most efficient, as far as automatic transmissions go, they are durable. The other than
1991, the four door versions came with a computer controlled 4 speed transmission. While not the "high reliability" transmission, models of this
transmission have been installed in one-ton trucks. (I do not know the success rate in that application.)

Note that the two wheel drive versions, of either automatic transmission, are NOT flat towable.

A couple of notes about the 1989 to 1998 "TracKicks":
- The earlier the year, the lighter they are.
- Trackicks have a fairly good forum. <http://www.suzuki-forums.com/suzuki-sidekick-escudo-vitara-geo-tracker/>
- 4 doors versions do not weigh much more than the two door of the same year, but have more room and drive nicer.
- The base plates are different 2 door to 4 doors. The Sport and late 2 doors are also different from the others.
- 16 valve motors are cleaner running, and more powerful than the earlier 8 valve motors. 8 valves are simpler and easier to work on and some say more
reliable.
- In the US, all 1996 and up TracKicks have 16 valve motors and OBD2.
- You'll need manual front locking hubs as the transfer case locks front and rear drive-lines to each other while in neutral. With auto hubs, this
WILL cause problems and damage. ($$)
- The Sidekick "SPORT" models weight a lot more than the non-sports of the same year. While a nice car, they are not that well supported. Almost all
parts forward of the firewall or under the floorboards are different from the non-sports. Best to avoid "Sports" unless given to you.
- They have cable driven speedometers so they do accumulate miles while towing.
- Convertible models with aftermarket hard tops have an interesting method to open/close the rear hatch. I found it unacceptable and sold my first.
All 4 doors have "TinTops" with a single piece rear hatch. so does the rarer 2 door TinTops. (In the US, Suzuki stopped selling the 2 door TinTop in
1991 when they started selling the 4 door. Geo did the same afer the 1995 model year.)
- TracKick are prone to rust, mostly around the fuel tank and rear frame cross members. As they drive very well in ice and snow, they see LOTS of
abuse in the rust belt areas. IE: Buy TracKicks from outside the rustbelt areas and check the frame.
--
Mike Miller -- Hillsboro, OR -- on the Black list
(#1)'73 26' exPainted D. -- (#2)`78 23' Birchaven Rear Bath -- (#3)`77 23' Birchaven Side Bath
More Sidekicks than GMC's and a late model Malibu called 'Bo'
http://m000035.blogspot.com

[Steve Weinstock]

Thank you Mike !!!

I might have a line on a Chevrolet Tracker ZR2. 2 door. Not sure of the specific year - but newer than 2000 I'm sure.

Should that be considered a "sport" model or might it be even heavier ??

Steve W
1973 23'
Southern California

[Mike Miller]

SteveW wrote on Mon, 22 September 2014 11:25
> ...

> I might have a line on a Chevrolet Tracker ZR2. 2 door. Not sure of the specific year - but newer than 2000 I'm sure.
>
> Should that be considered a "sport" model or might it be even heavier ??

I'd have to look it up, but I'd guess that the 1999 and up 2 doors would weigh in more than the 1989 to 1998 2 doors, mostly due to the larger motor.
But they should still be fairly light. IIRC: J20 2.0l engine, but I have heard of base model ones with G16 motors. (4 door Tracker/Vitara models came
with v6's, mostly.) IIRC: The "ZR2" is an upscale, performance(?), version. Like I said, I am more familiar with the older 1989 to 1998 models.

As you are talking about newer than 1998, do not worry about the "Sport."

The "sport" designation has been used for many models of cars and trucks over the years. Mostly being applied to stripped down models. The "SPORT"
model I am talking about is the 1996 to 1998 Sidekick Sport. (Trackers did not EVER have a version of the Sport I am talking about, but did slap
Sport stickers on some stripped down models.) The Sidekick Sport was kind of like a mid point between the fairly basic 4 door Sidekicks and the later
upscale "Grand Vitara." The chassis is substantially different and was used, in other parts of the world, for diesel engined and v6 models. The frame
and rear-end are wider, the front suspension different, plus the nose of the body (and engine bay) is longer and a little wider. Suzukis didn't
really sell that well in the US and the Sports even worse, that is why it is harder to find parts for them. They are fairly easy to identify as they
are always 4 doors and have plastic body molding and fender flares. (Many 1998 2 door TracKicks also had similar body molding and flares.) The
Sports also came with 16 inch wheels that look real nice on the other TracKicks and Sami's. (Especially the 5 spoke aluminium wheels.) The US market
"Sport" came powered with a J18 twin can 4 cylinder engine.

--
Mike Miller -- Hillsboro, OR -- on the Black list
(#1)'73 26' exPainted D. -- (#2)`78 23' Birchaven Rear Bath -- (#3)`77 23' Birchaven Side Bath
More Sidekicks than GMC's and a late model Malibu called 'Bo'
http://m000035.blogspot.com

[Carl Stouffer]

SteveW wrote on Mon, 22 September 2014 11:25

> Thank you Mike !!!
>
> I might have a line on a Chevrolet Tracker ZR2. 2 door. Not sure of the specific year - but newer than 2000 I'm sure.
>
> Should that be considered a "sport" model or might it be even heavier ??
>
> Steve W
> 1973 23'
> Southern California

Steve,

The ZR-2 is the more sporty model, but, as Mike says, not a 'sport'. The four door version is only about 150 lbs heavier than a two door and is MUCH
more convenient than a two door if you are taking more than one person with you. We tow (mostly) a 2003 base Tracker with the 2.0L four cylinder and
I believe it weighs just under 3,000 lbs. The 2.5L V-6 might weigh a little more. The four cylinder is a little underpowered unless you really romp
on it. It has trouble maintaining highway speeds and hunts for gears on the slightest grade.. Other than that, we have no complaints.

http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/trip-to-silver-city-nm-7-2010/p35188-silver-city-trip.html

--
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.

[Darryl Meyers]

I picked up a late 1995 (16 valve) 2WD automatic last spring. It came with a basic tow-bar and base plate and a drive-shaft disconnect installed by a
previous owner after they had had to replace the transmission because they towed flat without disconnecting the drive-shaft.

Fun to drive (for short distances), tows very easily. The only time I know it's there is climbing hills. It does not accumulate mileage when towed.
--
Darryl Meyers

1978 Eleganza II

El Dorado Hills, CA