Towing my 74 CJ5

I need to tow my 1974 CJ5 about 300 miles this weekend. It has a tow bar although I have never used it. What is the best way to tow this jeep? Should I use the tow bar or should I rent one of the trailers from Uhaul - specifically the one which keeps the rear tires on the ground. Also, either way, do I need to disconnect the drive shaft and if so how complicated it this?


Thanks!

 

Do a search here for "flat towing". Lots of info. Several guys have mentioned towing with the tranny in gear, but I just don't get that one, I must have missed something.

Removing the driveshaft is simple. Just remove the four nuts and the u-bolts connecting the shaft to the rear differential, and tie the shaft off to the side against the frame somehow. You don't need to take it all the way off from both ends. Might want to wrap some tape around the u-joint bearing caps so they don't fall off, probably wouldn't hurt to put a plastic bag over the end too.

 

Thanks a lot. I appreciate the heads up!~

 

There are many opinions about this. Certainly for short distances (ie less than 10 miles), you can put the transfer case in neutral and just tow it. The most conservative path is to unlock the hubs and remove the rear driveshaft.

 

Rondog, The reason to leave the tranny in gear when towing is that some trannys (NP435 for one) will suffer bearing damage from the output shaft being turned while the imput shaft doesn't turn. The transfer case, while being towed in neutral, will actually cause the the output of the tranny to turn by the force of the transfer case oil being slung around in the case.
Another benefit about leaving the tranny in gear is that you will know right away, once you start to tow, if you didn't get the transfer case in neutral.

 

This is the best way to tow if you want to do it right, I know how to tow, ask Patrick.

Hook up your tow-bar

Safety chain the crap out of it!

Tranny in gear, tranfer in neutral

hook up your lights.

test pull in the drive, doing several sharp turns, some times you have to pull the drag link if it won't track right!

eveything checks out, get ghost!

I've drug my Jeeps to the tundra in alaska from texas. and never had trouble with the jeep's. Once used the jeep to push the blazer 45 miles to town with my buddy working the jeep and me steering the blazer!

 

Ok I will take your word for it. So I don't disconnect the drive shaft, I do leave tranny in gear and transfer in neutral.


Last questions, what is drag link?

 

'74 doesn't have a drag link.

It's the rod that connects the Ross steering box to the bellcrank, I think. Pre-72 only.

 

So, dvader, that's just an alternative to removing the rear driveshaft, huh? And it doesn't apply to a T90/D18 combo? I plan on just removing the driveshaft and unlocking the front hubs anyway, if I ever need to tow it.

 

Rondog,
Removing the drive shaft is the best way besides trailering but what Dvader said applies to ALL gear drive transmission and transfer cases especially T-90's, T-86's, T-14's, etc. Don't make the mistake some of my customers have made by leaving the tranny in neutral. I've had them come in welded so tight together that I've had to throw away complete transmissions because everything got so hot there was nothing salvageable all because they left the transmission in neutral. It starts because the output shaft of the trans is being turned by the gear oil flung around by the transfer case in the same way a torque converter in an Auto trans works. The pocket bearings between the output shaft and input shaft starve for oil as they depend on the counter gear to to splash oil up, but it's not turning. The bearings and or shafts weld themselves together in some cases locking up the input to the output, or everything gets so hot it cooks the oil right out of the transmission. In the mean time the heat is transferred to the counter gear which wipes out the hardening on that gear and wipes out the counter shaft as well. I've seen 'em so bad that the counter shaft welded itself to the counter gear then started spinning in the housing.
Simple solution, either remove the rear drive shaft, trailer it, or put transfer case in neutral and transmission in a forward gear. Doesn't matter which but I alwas prefer a gear where the weight of the shift lever won't slowly work the trans out of gear as the jeep is bouncing or vibrating going down the road. Nickmil.

 

So, putting the transmission in gear stops everything inside from turning? I didn't even know my D18 had a neutral position. I thought it was just 2wd/4wd, hi/lo. Like I've said, haven't driven it in nearly 30 years. But one o' these days....

 

Weell to report back< I tried it this way with the transfer case in neutral and trans in gear< and about 200 miles in the real axle blew up and seperated> Forgive me< i do not know the technicalities of it but basically the tire (left rear) came off the car with a long rod attached to it> It is in bad shape needless to say> The worst part was i had to clear the tire and rod from the freeway< and so i grabbed the rod with my hands (i was not thinking), and i now have 2nd degree burns all over my hand. not fun!


Anyway, i recommend disconnecting the drive shaft,,,,unless threre was something else wrong with the jeep that i dont know about>

 

wow!! i've towed more cars more miles than most and that is a pretty whopping tow story. nearly every tow has a story. hate to hear about your hands and your jeep man. that really stinks. sounds like there was something else wrong though. that back axle failure shouldn't have anything to do with the transmission being in gear.
ray

 

Sorry to hear about that, seen it happen on my brother-in-laws 74 when he was driving down the road pulling a small trailer, totalled the trailer when the wheel/axle went under the trailer and tore it loose from the jeep landing the trailer upside down. Sounds like your wheel bearing failed, I guess we should have told you to do a good general inspection of the vehicle before hooking up and pulling it down the freeway. Usually if a wheel bearing is that close to failing you should have had a fluid leak or some play in the wheel bearing. Or you may have been low on fluid and just cooked your bearing. Make sure you replace the other wheel bearing because it is probably close to the same shape as that one.

 

the story actually gets crazier

traffic stop for me to get the tire< and some man was not paying attention and rear ended a truck that was stopped doing 70 mph

totaled both cars

fortunatle i was the only one "hurt"

if nothimg else, it is a good story to tell> The mos timportant thing is no one was seriously hurt > burns do heal and jeeps can be fixed

 

sorry my typing sucks

my hand>>>q

 

So did you end up putting on a trailer anyway?

 

Wow, I sure am sorry to hear about the wheel coming off. I replaced the bearings, on one axle only, last year. I think it is time to change the other side. I remember that at time I was hoping to soon change the set up to Warn's full floater set up with locking hubs. I wonder if I had the Warn set up, and the outboard bearing failed, if the wheel would come off?
I was driving a friends 79 CJ5 a few years ago and broke an axle in it's AMC 20. The wheel and axle walked out, but that was it since there was no speed involved.
Towing is always a risk. Look how often you see some dissabled trailer along side the road. Seems like half the time it is something more than just a flat. Bummer.

 

Hello

I agree that the subject of towing a Jeep has been discussed ad nauseum but I thought your post was the most definitive yet because you identify the transmissions you are talking about. I bought a stock 1975 Jeep CJ6 (T86 three speed trans I think) in So. Cal. and being ignorant of the subject discussed, I towed the Jeep about 300 miles with the transfer case in neutral and the transmission in neutral. I drove 55 on cruise control while towing the whole time.
I got out several times to check the Jeep but did not feel the transfer case or transmission to see if they were getting hot. I did not smell lube burning or see anything out of the ordinary and I wonder if I got lucky.
The transmission seems to work fine now but first and second gear in 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive make a substantial amount of gear noise. Third gear driving is almost silent. I have thought that that was just the way those transmissions are. I wonder now if I have done some damage. I have changed all the fluids and everything seems to work fine.
One thing I don't understand completely is the equivocation in the posts about flat towing.
The opinions in the forums are all over the map, but no one from Jeep is stepping forward to say unequivocally how to flat tow with a given transmission. What I mean by that is, most of the info is anecdotal and it should be in hard print somewhere.
I am waiting for an owner's manual for my Jeep that I bought on Ebay to see if there are any refernces to towing and how the transmissions should be set.
In the meantime, I am wondering if I might have effed up my transmission or transfer case through being ignorant.

Jon Stewart (no, not that one)

 

Hello

I agree that the subject of towing a Jeep has been discussed ad nauseum but I thought your post was the most definitive yet because you identify the transmissions you are talking about. I bought a stock 1975 Jeep CJ6 (T86 three speed trans I think) in So. Cal. and being ignorant of the subject discussed, I towed the Jeep about 300 miles with the transfer case in neutral and the transmission in neutral. I drove 55 on cruise control while towing the whole time.
I got out several times to check the Jeep but did not feel the transfer case or transmission to see if they were getting hot. I did not smell lube burning or see anything out of the ordinary and I wonder if I got lucky.
The transmission seems to work fine now but first and second gear in 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive make a substantial amount of gear noise. Third gear driving is almost silent. I have thought that that was just the way those transmissions are. I wonder now if I have done some damage. I have changed all the fluids and everything seems to work fine.
One thing I don't understand completely is the equivocation in the posts about flat towing.
The opinions in the forums are all over the map, but no one from Jeep is stepping forward to say unequivocally how to flat tow with a given transmission. What I mean by that is, most of the info is anecdotal and it should be in hard print somewhere.
I am waiting for an owner's manual for my Jeep that I bought on Ebay to see if there are any refernces to towing and how the transmissions should be set.
In the meantime, I am wondering if I might have effed up my transmission or transfer case through being ignorant.

Jon Stewart (no, not that one)