Re: [FWDLK] towing

["Mel Lester Jr." <meljr@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gary,

I haven't flat towed or used a tow dolly for quite a while, but this is
what I have been told:

The basic reason for disconnecting the driveshaft of an vehicle with an
automatic is that, even in neutral, an extended tow could build up
pressure in the transmission that could result in leaks or damage.

In the old days, when I used to flat tow a stick shifted race car across
the New Mexico desert to the drag strip in Demming, I had a front u-joint
fail at high speed en route.  I was young and dumb (now I am old and
dumb).  Thanks to dumb luck, nothing really bad happened, but after that,
I always disconnected the driveshaft at the rear and tied it up securely
with never a problem.

Of course, the drive shafts on most, if not all. FL cars do not have
simple u-joints, but I have had most of mine converted to the newer style
and am very pleased with the results.

As a final thought, it may be easier and safer if you were to borrow or
rent a car trailer.

Good Luck,

-mel in the foggy Oregon Coast Range

Mel Lester Jr.       meljr@xxxxxxxxxxxx       http://www.connet80.com/~meljr

Plymouths:
56 Custom Suburban 2DR SW   56 Savoy 2DR Sedan      56 Savoy 4DR Sedan
63 Sport Fury Convertible   63 Fury 4DR HT Racecar  65 Belvedere II Convertible
Dodges:
73 Dart 340 Sport Pro St.   76 D100 Adventurer PU   76 D100 Warlock PU
80 Aspen SE /6 Racecar      89 Shelby Dakota Racer  93 Viper RT/10
Others:                     74 Dodge B300 Carryvan  98 Dodge Intrepid ES
63 Austin Healey 3000       71 Triumph Spitfire     81 Fiat 2000 Spider
84 Chevrolet Caprice wagon  00 Honda Shadow ACE Tourer 1100

On Sun, 17 Dec 2000, G Graham wrote:

> Hello, again,
>
> I need to tow my '56 ply about 120 miles and am planning to use a tow
> dolly. There was considerable discussion on my MG list about the
> necessity for disconnecting the propellor (drive) shaft, although no
> one could come up with a good reason for it. Many listers mentioned
> that they had towed their cars without disconnecting the shaft with no
> ill effects.
>
> What's the preference here? to disconnect or just leave it alone and
> let it follow me?
>
> tia
>
> gary
>
> =====
> G Graham
> ICQ #713205
> Phonefree ID #3442666
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products.
> http://shopping.yahoo.com/
>