Flat towing question

I am going to be towing my replacement CJ-6 chassis home from Ohio to NC (660 miles). It is a frame with axles, suspension, 232/T14/D20, driveshafts, exhaust, bumpers, grille, and a full frame mounted roll cage. I am going to be using a brand new towbar bolted through the stock steel bumper which is in good shape. The hubs will be unlocked and the driveshafts will be disconnected and tied to the frame. I will be flipping my hitch ball mount so the tow bar will be nearly flat while towing.

I have researched flat towing here and other forums and the consensus is that the steering must be unlocked on the towed vehicle. The CJ's tires, suspension, tie rod, drag link, pitman arm, power steering box, and rod ends are all in good shape and the jeep was in good alignment before the body was removed. The concern is that it does not have a steering column or steering shaft as the body tub has been removed. Getting a uhaul is out of the question for this trip.

Is the lack of a column/steering shaft going to be a problem when flat towing?

I would think it would not be since you are supposed to tow with the steering unlocked and intermediates didn't have locking columns anyways. Towing speed will be kept to a reasonable level. The tow vehicle weighs more than twice the towed vehicle and I will have safety lights on the back of the CJ.

Can someone here enlighten me.

Thanks

Bob

 

Should tow just fine. The lack of a column will be less turning parts.
And yes, the steering must be unlocked to flat tow.

 

You definitely need the tie rod in place to keep the wheels straight with each other but I don’t see how not having the steering column and shaft in place would hurt anything.

 

I agree with the above. The wheels tracking is more a function of caster than the column being hooked up

 

You might take some extra rubber bungie cords with you to tension the tie rod somewhat. If it seems to pull to one side, you could increase the other side tension.
Don't forget a well connected safety chain around a substantial part of the frame. I like to use a padlock to make sure it does not vibrate loose or have someone jack with it while you are using the restroom at the truck stop. Sounds like you have got the biggest part covered.

 

That all sounds good. I have some bungees in the truck and I bought a set of new safety chains when I bought the tow bar. My biggest concern is the shackles vs caster angle. I know the Jeep has nice aftermarket shackles on the front but they do not appear to be lift shackles (or very little if any). Luckily it has stock shackles on the rear so if it does not track good, I can stop and swap the shackle plates front to rear. I hope it behaves and does not drag the front tires too much as it has nice 33" BFGs on it and I would hate to tear them up.

Thanks

Bob

 

Towing this chassis is going to attract attention.
You'll need lights and a license plate with current tags.
In CA a non-op can't even touch the pavement...
I assume you have this all covered but bringing it up just in case.

 

I have nice magnetic towing lights that I will be using. I won't have a plate on it but as soon as I get south of ohio I think it will be fine. The south is pretty lax on things like that. I just have to make it across the line. Lol

 

got a plate for a two axle trailer sitting around?

 

i agree with no plate vs. a fictious plate. They would get you for both no valid reg., and the fictious plate.
Just have sales documents in order and they will usually just be cool about it.

 

I'm not too worried about the plate. I just hope a bodyless cj6 on 33's tows good. I have towed a lot of trailers just never flat towed. Wish me luck. Lol

 

No plate x4.
You seem to have a good handle on it. Do you have a spare set of wheels with decent tires you could swap onto the front? Keep the good 33's as your spares for the trip home. At least take one spare with you, even if it isn't very good.
My only problem flat towing was with a 1970 'cuda without an engine/transmission. Turned a sharp corner onto a gravel road and the 'cuda just pushed straight ahead. Wasn't enough weight on the front tires to make them respond quickly. The lack of body doesn't worry me at all (sitting here 2000 miles away).
Best of luck.

 

I don't have any road worth worthy spares here but the Jeep is coming with 5 good tires/wheels. I may swap the most worn of them to the front. They are BFG M/T KM2s that are equivalent to 33x11.5R17s on nice aluminum wheels. Someone suggested I over inflate them a little to lower the contact patch so they will turn easier. What do you think of that?

 

That could work, but I think if you go too much it might make it "bouncy". Just check the wheels every now and again on the return trip.

 

Absolutely agreed.

 

I only flat towed my 5 a few times, but it did not seem to matter if the wheel was locked or not...down the free-way fine either way.

Parking lots...ect...locked or not... It's a bitch. Use scrap rubber if you can.

 

The chassis flat towed fine once I tightened the coupler tension bolt. I did have one problem when I had to go around a car parked in the road and I turned too sharp. The tires went all the way left and I had to go out and straighten them. It pulled perfectly even at 70 on the highway. I had the tow bar mounted in the stock bumper with a bolt on each side of the frame. I also replaced the bumper bolts with new ones.

Now I just need a buyer for the nice 232/T14/D20 from this one and my T-18/D20 and D30/D44 from the other CJ6.

Thanks to everyone for the info.

Bob