flat towing

Wizbang

i just got a new truck and been thinking about the best/cheapest way to haul my jeep to/from the deer lease. instead of renting a trailer @ $35-$50 a day, i was considering flat towing it.

does flat towing a jeep mess up anything? will 35"s on it make it move around behind my truck? never tried flat towing anything thing, so I thought I'd ask. any recommendation on tow bars?

btw: i'll be towing it with a dodge 2500 mega cab w/ the 6.7 diesel.

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'99 TJ/'01 Dodge Ram/'99 Trans Am

norton

Depending on what transfercase you have in it, you might need to do some special things.

If nothing else, call the dealer and ask.

- Eliot -

ram2500

you could disconnect the drive shafts from the differentials and tuck them up out of the way. that should address any concerns with the flat towing... be sure to contain the u-joint cups!

congrats on the new truck. i can't wait to see it! banana

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stuck on the trane...someone please help!

Willie

The owners manual might have info on flat towing.
(and the Google tells me that you should put the jeep tranny in 1st and the trasfer case in neutral)

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"Our cars are different in Texas, we want to be able to carry guns, spit chewing tobacco, call on our cell phones or sharpen our knives while driving"
- State Representative Joe Pickett, D - El Paso, as quoted in the Dallas Morning News April 2009

cpfighter

Nice truck. They are suppose to come out with tuners this month for your truck. If you get the software to delete the DPF, the exhaust for the old 5.9L diesels are a direct bolt in.

As for flat towing, I throw both the tranny and t-case in neutral. The key must be in the ignition on accessory, so the front axle can be steered by your truck.

Here are some driving tips. On turns, drive the diesel as far out in to the intersection before you make a hard turn. It will keep the front wheels on the Jeep fairly straight until you are ready to turn. What can happen otherwise, is the Jeep will be turning one way and your truck is steered the other. It will lock everything up, you have to stop, get out, turn the Jeep steering wheel in the correct direction, and probably drive over a median to get out of the intersection.

The lower you can mount the tow bar, the better for stability. You also want it fairly flat, and parallel to the ground.

Flat towing in the rain is really sketchy. Be very careful making turns on a down hill slope as the Jeep behind you will try to keep pushing straight while you are turning. My Jeep jack knifed and spun my F350 out during the rain, trying to turn in to a gas station at the bottom of a hill. cracked my tail light and shifted my rear bumper

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Cam
Krawltex Motorsports
Jeep and Truck Accessorries and 4WD Fabrication
512-462-1881
82 CJ7

K-Rigg

if you put you t-case in neutral, you need to take the front drive shaft off. When you put the np-231 t-case in neutral it locks the front and rear drive shafts together, which can be a problem because if there is any variation in tire size, inflation pressure, etc, you induce more stress and heat to the front and rear diffs which might cause problems. This is how i destroyed the front diff in the doorless way back then.

Putting a automatic in neutral is a bad idea also. The oil pump for the auto is driven by the engine fly wheel, so if the engine isn't running, oil isn't flowing in the auto and its bearings.

Wizbang

thanks for the info.

i'll probably just be driving my jeep if i'm hunting small stuff. flat towing will only be a couple times during deer season.

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'99 TJ/'01 Dodge Ram/'99 Trans Am

Jcm151

I agree with pulling the drive shafts and making sure they are secure! I have heard the exact same issue with the oil pump not operating during flat tow and with the expense of Tcase work(or the time it would take you to do it) I think that getting a little dirty and pulling a few bolts would be worth it.

On the other hand I see jeeps being pulled behind RV's all the time and have even looked under a few and their shafts were still on.

I am looking to do this also:

Academy has a tow bar $79, Harbor F $59(not sure if I would trust it) then they sell the $100 ones at autozone and comparable stores.

I am probably going to run some safety chains also.

Jeremy