towing question

if one was to drive across country say 3500 miles or so, obviously flad bed trailer would be ideal, but would it be ok to disconnect the rear drive shaft and tow it with a dolly?

 

i would just have to disconnect the rear driveshaft to flat tow it?

 

No just put tanny and tc in neut and roll, most seem to drop the shafts though.

 

that always worries me. when i towed my 47cj2a that way a washer and nut came loose in the tcase jamming up the rears. i about went off the road. i always worried about the trans accidentally bouncing into gear or some gremlin/poltergeist thing like that...

but u know me... the www site designated paranoid...:O

 

I just flat towed my '53 about 500 miles (round trip) a few weeks back. First time I've done anything like that. Tranny in neutral, TC in netural and the "in-out" lever in out. It seemed to tow fine behind my Dakota even up to 65-70 mph. Just followed right along. The one thing that did happen though was that most of my gear oil in the transmission/transfer case and rear end has now started leaking worse then before. After the trip home, I felt the side of the tranny and it was pretty warm. I verified it was still in netural so I guess things still spin pretty fast in there.

Dondo

 

Here we go again!

I think it was Nickmil that suggested that you leave the trans in 2nd or 3rd to prevent the gears from spinning, or something like that. :? Sounds "logical".

 

Yup, that was me. The motion of the gears and oil in the transfer case can turn the output shaft of the transmission, even with transfer in neutral. Creates a kind of fluid coupling, same way a torque converter in an auto trans works. The problem is when the output shaft is being driven by the transfer case end because in neutral, the pocket bearings between the input and output shafts starve for oil. They rely on the cluster gear to splash/climb the oil up into those bearings and with the tranny in neutral that doesn't happen. You chance a burned up input and output shaft. But to answer Erik's question, you can tow your Jeep on a dolly with the rear drive shaft disconnected. In fact I'd recommend it. You'll have less wear and tear on parts and get a little better economy from the tow rig. You'd be amazed how much drag there is spinning all those gears. Nickmil.

 

thanks guys, im still trying to find a company that has flatbeds for rent one way, uhaul says theres are to narrow, and ryder wont even do it. i have not actually checked the uhaul trailers to see, i might find that they just dont want to have you tow an old jeep. the trailer was only 485.00 for 3500 miles. i guess i could almost buy one for that though. then again i might just say screw it and throw some spare parts and a sleeping bag and tent in the back and take back roads all the way across. my father already said he would fly out here and join me. i think that would be a blast! oh well, i have a couple months to figure this out. thanks guys for your input

 

U-haul trailers aren't too narrow. In fact, they are barely wide enough.
http://www.peacove.com/jeep/55 on trailer.JPG

 

Sparky and I just helped load a CJ3B onto a uhaul this weekend. I would almost promise yours will fit fine.

 

My CJ5 on 33's and a D30 in front fit just fine on a Uhaul auto transport. I just had to use my own straps since the tire webs provided were not large enough.

Just tell them that your using the trailer to tow a VW beetle.

 

Good advice! R)

It'll fit on a Uhaul trailer!

 

Wasn't it G. Gordon Liddy that said "It's not whether you are paranoid or not; what's important is that you are sufficiently paranoid."

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by timgr
Wasn't it G. Gordon Liddy that said "It's not whether you are paranoid or not; what's important is that you are sufficiently paranoid."

lol... thanks .. i think...

 

I just towed mine from Milwaukee to Lafayette, Indiana. I rented a 1990 GMC 1500 from rent a wrecks, and I rented a car carrier from U-Haul. The carrier was $49.99 / 24 hours. The Jeep is quite narrow, but with 32" tires on it, it did fit. I had to put the webbing around the axle instead of around the wheels, but it was no big deal.

The car carrier was quite nice, the truck on the other hand was amazing, and by amazing, I mean amazingly bad. The reason the guy rented it with unlimited miles was because the odometer didnt work, nor did the A/C or Cruise. The front brakes were metal on metal, and the engine was detonating until I filled it with premium. I think one cylinder dropped out for a while. The exhaust leaked as well. In 500 miles it burned over 3 quarts of oil. All I can say is, it was cheap. U-Haul wanted me to rent a 15 ft step van for $300. From Rent-A-Wrecks, it was $160.

Anyway, I think renting from U-Haul is the right way to go, due to the inertia based brakes that the trailer provides, and I think having all the wheels off the ground is better for the Jeep.

 

how about towing a jeep the other way around on a tow dolly? tie down the rear tires/axle to the dolly, tie the steering wheel straight and unlock the front hubs? Any downside to this?