Death Wobble And Towing

If I am flat towing a cj5 can death wobble occur?

 

Sure, anything can happen.

But first we need some more info.
Why is this a concern for you? Does it already happen when you drive your CJ?
Have you addressed steering and suspension for wear?
Is your tow bar short, or long?
What do you consider "death wobble"?
I've seen some people describe the swaying I get from flat towing the '66 as "death wobble".
It suffers from a short tow bar, combined with a short tow ball mount, it tends to lightly sway at 65.
This swaying generally gets worse the faster you go, a longer tow bar would probably help.

So, why do you ask?

 

Can't imagine "true" death wobble during towing. Never thought of this but it sounds like a nightmare.

Usually, driving around you will iron out that problem so I'd wring it out before towing it. Just drive around and hit a good bump with one wheel. That usually triggers it.

 

In short, yes but it's not as exciting.
If everything is in good shape it's not an issue. If it is not yet in shape conside a trailer or dolly.

And ALWAYS remove the towbar from the jeep when not in use.

20240616_174649 by Joe the adapter guy, on Flickr

 

Ouch!

 

I noticed the "always" in all caps in reference to removing the towbar when not in use. What are the consequences of leaving it on, other than the extra weight to carry, something really bad?

 

I used to have a WWII jeep with very worn sloppy steering with 16" wheels (combat rims) that gave me issues. If I made a turn from a stop the wheels on the jeep would full lock the opposite way and I would need to drag it across the intersection to park it and straighten the wheels out. I learned to get one full revolution of the jeep wheel before I started to turn. If I did that no issues, if I started turning my pickup without going forward 1st, 100% of the time I was dragging the jeep leaving 2 black stripes across the road. Going down the highway that jeep with it's sloppy steering tracked perfectly. I never knew why it did that but I knew how to live with it.

 

Can you not see the picture he posted? Towbar fell down and got folded under jeep.

 

Probably 5 years ago it happened on mine. Just got the jeep back on the road and it was pretty iffy getting anywhere. Left the towbar on with a chain up to something. Went across the railroad tracks on my way to work... my bar fell down and all the sudden stoppage drama. Broke an exhaust manifold but luckily the tow bar was on brackets that just clamped to the bumper and squished off the end of the bumper...

Last Father's day I took my in-laws jeep on a spirited drive down the road fresh out of the pasture... let's just say I assumed the bar had a pin and Cotter pin but this time it had a simple bolt, with or without a nut I'll never know. But it lasted 1.5 miles and his tow bar was solidly mounted to a tow plate. It lifted the front off the ground, collapsed the frame, broke the battery mount, steering shaft, fan and radiator met, headlight trim ring went flying... happy father's day.

That jeep is still on 4x4 wooden blocks between the axle and frame.

 

If I see a tow bar stowed in the upright position I will remove it and throw it in the lake before high speed operation.

I'm pretty sure it did some permanent damage each time I went vaulting.

And I just noticed my tow bar in the avatar... it's locked to the top of the snowplow frame.

 

Make sure it is in neutral and parking brake released! Of course, it is obvious to most, but I awoke to neighbor towing a beautiful Pontiac headed for Utah, with it in park! The rear tires were alternately screeching!!! I could hear them a mile away.

"Can't imagine "true" death wobble during towing." I had to slow tow our '58 Willys home with it swaying on the tow dolly. I later discovered a rear leaf was completely snapped off from front attachment and the rear axle was hunting side to side.

 

With the towed vehicle? Yes.
The best bet is to take your Jeep and tow it for short distances to insure it won't have issues.

LOL
I managed that with my old Nissan Patrol 60. Went over a huge dirt mound in the middle of an Anchorage construction site and took my tow bar under the front bumper. Luckily, everything was intact and I was able to back up, bouncing the bar back into position. My biggest mistake was not securing the bar, an issue I remedied soon after.

 

Make sure to read the many flat towing threads. Neutral is a great way to toast the t case.

 

Too much to fathom here

 

???

 

I've done that...twice. I had to get it near a tree where I put the winch cable over a limb to raise the front enough to get the tow bar out from under the front end.

 

This is why i bought a 14 foot car hauling trailer for long road trips. Anyone want to buy a new universal tow bar, hit me up lol.

 

Yes, death wobble can still occur while flat towing a CJ5, especially if there’s play in the steering components or issues with alignment, tires, or the track bar. Since the front wheels are still free to move, any looseness or imbalance can trigger it when hitting bumps or dips