Dinghy Towing

Topic: Dinghy Towing (Read 3558 times) previous topic - next topic

Dinghy Towing

June 16, 2012, 11:51:31 pm

Good evening folks, We tow a 1989 Jeep Cherokee behind our 1990 G.V. on a car dolly. I always disconnect the rear drive shaft as per the owners manual. A friend of mine that Owen's a towing service told me I was wasting my time disconnecting the drive shaft each time, that 2 down will not harm the transmission or transfer case. I know 4 down Is o.k. by the owners Manuel, but that 2 is not. Has anyone have experience doing this?

Thanks, Mitch Sayer

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #1 – June 17, 2012, 01:34:41 am

Mitch,
I read this and was reminded about my experience towing a jeep cherokee. I think mine was a 1991. It was the inline 6 and had an auto transmission. I was told by the shop that it was a mitsubishi transmission that they rebuilt after I had towed it from Texas to Illinois (on tow dolly supposed to be in N). I thought I may have not put it into the neutral position for the 4WD shifter. It ran fine after I got it there for about 100 miles and then went out. It may have been related to the age or other issues. But, I have been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt (in this case transmission rebuild). I had bought the jeep used, had not driven it that much but really did not have an issue that I was aware. I also did not have the original owners manual. Sooo, I did not read the information that you shared. Had I known what you reported, I probably would have done it a little differently. I would recommend that you continue with your present method.

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #2 – June 17, 2012, 08:00:33 am

If you can tow four down why use a dolly. I have pulled my wrangler over 300K miles with no issues. I have to put tires on more often and rotate them every oil change but that is all. It is much easier not to deal with the dolly.

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #3 – June 17, 2012, 08:28:51 am

Agree with John, I did have another jeep cherokee at one time and did tow it with all 4 down. I did not pull it a lot but never had an issue with all 4 down and 4WD shifter in N.

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Reply #4 – June 17, 2012, 08:49:51 am

I had a 1988 Jeep Cherokee 4 WD and towed 4 wheels down, transmission in Park and transfer case in Neutral never had a problem.

Tony

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #5 – June 17, 2012, 11:13:15 am

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Reply #6 – June 17, 2012, 11:30:17 am

Do you have a neutral position on your transfer case?

Generally speaking, cars with a transfer case that can be shifted into neutral can be towed 4 wheels down.

And cars with an automatic transmission that do not have a transfer case or do not have a neutral position on the transfer case cannot be towed 4-wheels down. This includes all-wheel drive cars.

Some manual transmission cars can be towed 4 wheels down.

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #7 – June 17, 2012, 11:32:26 am

Thanks for the replies, The reason I use the dolly is we tow our youngest daughter's F-150 4 door from Albuquerque to Austin twice a year for school. And before that it was the oldest daughter's VW Rabbit. It has electric surge brakes that work really well and pulls a lot better then my car trailer behind the M.H.
I just wanted to know if my so called friend was blowing smoke about not hurting the Trans or T case with 2 down and not disconnecting the rear drive shaft?

Thanks, Mitch Sayer

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #8 – June 17, 2012, 11:33:06 am

Speaking of towing....I was passed by a pickup towing, with a strap, what looked to be a new, or nearly new Honda zipping along at 80 mph or so. I followed them for a while and started noticing smoke and an acrid smell, then smoke boiling out from under the car. After a few miles of this they got stopped alongside the road and then got out to gaze stupidly at their new car on fire. I think it was the tranny that started it....

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #9 – June 17, 2012, 11:53:13 am

Most 4X4s (definitely my Tahoe) cannot be towed 2 down even with the transfer case in neutral. You need to determine the make and model of the transfer case and talk to an expert on that model or the the manufacturer of it. Its not a trans issue. I would got to the Jeep forums online to find a resource. Very savvy and generally crazy guys...

I still miss my 79 CJ7 Golden Eagle with the AMC 304 (Carter AFB and Schnieder RV cam, rebuilt by me), factory AC, 2 inch lift and quadratrack. It had FAR more guts than I did! Back in 1988, 12mpg wasn't a big deal. My 9 year old daughter was inconsolable when I traded it for my first Audi.

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #10 – June 17, 2012, 12:14:47 pm

When we bought the Foretravel, we figured that we could use my '02 Tacoma as a toad. It does gave an auto tranny and a manual shift transfer case.. Turns out there is no way to flat tow it. Remco does not even make or recommend one of their drive shaft disconnects. We are now looking for a 'Zuki.......

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #11 – June 17, 2012, 03:04:46 pm

I would think that towing a jeep on a dolly is not going to be good for it if it is all wheel drive. If it is part time 4x4 and you can put it in neutral you will be fine. My Tahoe can not tow either but no neutral and it is a 97 but the 96 jeep can and my 01 chevy could and I can tow my new 11 dodge pickup if i wanted too. Too heavy. I understand why you have the tow dolly but it is so much simpler to tow 4 down and takes much less time to hook up.

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #12 – June 17, 2012, 05:14:37 pm

This again may have been my mistake (as mentioned above my jeep was not all wheel drive). I thought it was in neutral (transfer case 4X4). I still believe it was in Neutral (tho I can not figure out why it went bad otherwise). I towed it on a dolly from Texas to Illinois and ended up buying a transmission rebuild. This was a conventional 4X4 Jeep Cherokee. Sorry if this is repetitive.

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #13 – June 17, 2012, 05:48:32 pm

the transfer case acts as a differential between the front and rear axles. I wouldn't think it would be good to tow it with a dolly. Either all up, or all down. As stated earlier, you need to find out about your specific transfer case, and make sure.

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #14 – June 17, 2012, 08:40:00 pm

Quote from: John S – June 17, 2012, 03:04:46 pm

I would think that towing a jeep on a dolly is not going to be good for it if it is all wheel drive. If it is part time 4x4 and you can put it in neutral you will be fine. My Tahoe can not tow either but no neutral and it is a 97 but the 96 jeep can and my 01 chevy could and I can tow my new 11 dodge pickup if i wanted too. Too heavy. I understand why you have the tow dolly but it is so much simpler to tow 4 down and takes much less time to hook up.

John, its interesting that you mentioned your 97 Tahoe. We have a 97 Z71 Chevy p/u that cannot be towed. It turns out that the 96 and 98 both had a neutral for the transfer case. The 97 was the only year that cannot be towed 4 down. Just my Luck.

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #15 – June 18, 2012, 10:15:56 am

Quote from: Kent Speers – June 17, 2012, 08:40:00 pm

John, its interesting that you mentioned your 97 Tahoe. We have a 97 Z71 Chevy p/u that cannot be towed. It turns out that the 96 and 98 both had a neutral for the transfer case. The 97 was the only year that cannot be towed 4 down. Just my Luck.

Side note on 97 Tahoe - not only could it not be towed 4 down but it could not tow our 4000 lb trailer without burning up that transmission. It was just a bad year all around for the Tahoe.

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #16 – June 18, 2012, 11:19:36 pm

I don't want to tow anything heavy and think a Suzuki Samuri would be a good choice. The ones I've seen in tow haven't bothered with aux braking and the towing set-up looks very basic. Anyone ever tow one of these? I know it is rudimentary transportation but I don't plan to drive it much except when out with the coach on vacation or visiting daughter away at school (Go Gators!).

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #17 – June 19, 2012, 01:02:49 am

Dwayne, I had first a suzuki sidekick for towing and now a chev Tracker (same thing just a bit bigger) and find it great. You do not know it is there and tows 4 down with no problems. When we tow it I just need it to go to stores or do some off road side trips to explore but nothing major, and we can still take 2 guests with us. Do not need a fancy vehicle as tow car as it just eats up fuel I guess. If I wanted to go fancy I would pull the Bentley Continental, right Kent??
John H

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #18 – June 19, 2012, 08:43:05 am

Quote from: John Haygarth – June 19, 2012, 01:02:49 am

Dwayne, I had first a suzuki sidekick for towing and now a chev Tracker (same thing just a bit bigger) and find it great. You do not know it is there and tows 4 down with no problems. When we tow it I just need it to go to stores or do some off road side trips to explore but nothing major, and we can still take 2 guests with us. Do not need a fancy vehicle as tow car as it just eats up fuel I guess. If I wanted to go fancy I would pull the Bentley Continental, right Kent??
John H

Actually John, it would have to be the Bentley Continental GT or maybe a Lambo!!! But until then my Subaru Outback 5 speed is just fine. It has similar cargo capacity to a Jeep Grand Cherokee but is about 1500 pounds lighter.

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #19 – June 19, 2012, 09:50:56 am

Quote from: Dwayne – June 18, 2012, 11:19:36 pm

I don't want to tow anything heavy and think a Suzuki Samuri would be a good choice. The ones I've seen in tow haven't bothered with aux braking and the towing set-up looks very basic. Anyone ever tow one of these?

Dwayne,
Back in the day, the Suzuki Samuri was the toad of choice for many, many RVers. And it was because that was what the "experts" recommended because of the exact same reasons you mentioned. Light weight, easy to set up to tow, and good dependable transportation. I would say that the Suzuki Samuri and GM's Saturn were the main toads of choice back them. I used the same reasoning in picking the Ford Focus that I tow.

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #20 – June 19, 2012, 02:37:50 pm

Despite what some factory rules about towing, I found Ford hides be hind the lawyers and for my F150 5 speed manual 2 wheel drive, Ford says no towing. I contacted Remco, they informed me that if the F150 had the Mazda 5 speed, just tow it. SO i have for over 25K miles with no issues, Ford still says NO Towing 4 down. Thank you Remco.
SO when in doubt, I would contact Remco for their take on it.
Dave M

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #21 – June 19, 2012, 11:32:36 pm

Dwayne,

I have 1995 suzuki sidekick 2dr 4w/d 5 speed and it is a great toad and one tough little trucklet. Only 2700lbs, 1.6 liter, 16valve, fuel injection, and 95 hp, it's a real "kick" to drive! It has both hardtops , a/c and 27mpg highway. Simple blue ox towbar and no auxillary braking necessary. Lots of aftermarket goodies available such as an OME suspension which makes it great for offroading and smooth for highway driving. It currently has 120,000 miles with about 60,000 towed miles from prior owners. With manual locking front hubs and larger all terrain tires it will go just about anywhere. It's actually the most versatile and fun vehicle I've ever owned. I've towed it with a 29' minnie winnie with no problems and can barely feel it back there. They are easy to work on and I've only had to replace the front wheel bearings and the necessary maintenance items.

The sidekick and the tracker are identical and good ones are getting harder to find because they are inexpensive and great for offroading. The samaurai is smaller, only has 50HP and is not a great highway vehicle if you are going long distances in my opinion. I have as much fun with my Zuki as I do my U300! and you need to check out this website for a lot more info. ZUKIWORLD online | Your Suzuki 4x4 Resource - Editorial and Forum

Jerry

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #22 – June 20, 2012, 04:36:16 pm

I flat tow a 1998 Suzuki X90 automatic, glass "T" roof convertible.
It has the same drive train as a Sidekick. Flat towing requires replacing the front auto-lock hubs with manual hubs because the front drive shaft spins when the transfer case is in neutral (auto in park). The odometer clocks the miles when being towed.
When towing more than 300 miles I disconnect the rear driveshaft and tie it up.

Unlocking the steering wheel requires the key in the ignition turned to between off and accessories. The key would sometimes move to the off position while towing. NOT good. I removed the steering lock mechanism, so key in ignition is no longer required.

I do use a simple BlueOX surge type cable brake on this Suzuki to be legal, not because it is needed. I have it adjusted so the car brakes seldom are applied.

I previously flat towed a 1984 Ford Bronco-II automatic which Ford indicates cannot be flat towed. I found information from 4x4 internet sites to just overfill the trasfer case and flat tow. I flat towed it to California several times without issues. The key in ignition to unlock steering was never an issue like with the Suzuki.

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Reply #23 – June 21, 2012, 12:59:37 pm

The 2012 F150 4x4 is flat tow able per the owners manual. I visited several Ford dealers yesterday and they had NO clue.
I had to point it to one saleman by have him read the owners manual under " RV towing".

From a FORD Press release
• Upgrades on the 2012 F-150's drivetrain include replacing last year's electronic shift-on-the-fly
with a two-speed automatic 4x4 system for LARIAT, King Ranch® and Platinum trim levels
• The addition of neutral tow capability on all 4x4 trucks means customers can now
flat-tow their F-150, making the truck
even more useful.

Looked at the 2013 Escape, but not towable any which way.
May go for the 2013 F150 4x4 later on this year.

Re: Dinghy Towing

Reply #24 – June 21, 2012, 11:27:34 pm

Just my 2¢...I have owned and towed four different jeeps. If you are not flat towing it you are correct in disconnecting drive shaft as per the ow
ners manual.

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