Towing - Am I Crazy

Hi everyone,

I have a 49 cj2a almost rebuilt. We are planning to use it for
occasional family trips to local 4WD trails (easy/moderate)and theonce or twice a year long distance trip to Colorado. The rig is mostly stock, however it does have radial tires, a 1"lift, and a saginaw conversion.

My question is....what would be wrong with.... turning the jeep
around backwards, unlocking the front hubs, positive locking the
steering linkage (not a bungee on the steering wheel), jacking up
the back end, making a positive connection to my suburban .... and
away I go...?

Caution....after this point the post rambles......I have made the parts to do it (less than $120 and some precious junk I had laying around). Started by Welding a 2" receiver tube to
the underside of the stock drawbar. Then used a 16" receiver
extension to get the hitch away from the back of the jeep. Then
made a bassackwards coupler that slides into the receiver extension tube. The coupler is a 2" "Bulldog" on a channel that has about a foot of height adjustment. I had an old tongue jack laying around and had actually welded it to the reciever extension at one point, but....when I integrated the system...I failed to calculate that I wouldn't be able to crank the top handle very easily due to my tire/jack/gas can rack. Back to the drawing board...oh yeah...the jeep will have a hi-lift jack with it so....problem solved.

To me it seems that this is just turning the jeep into a trailer-
kind of like an old pick-up bed trailer. My concerns are the stress on the frame, the front wheel bearings, and any fundamental laws of common sense or physics that I have missed. To me it seems to solve a bunch of the problems associated with flat towing and gets me out of having to drag/park/secure my equipment trailer.

I haven't tried it actually pulling it down the road yet, as I am a little bit of a chicken and have a bad trailer experience before.

Thanks for your input,
Andy
Skiatook, OK
48 & 49 cj2a
61 tux
65 cj5

 

:iagree:better to just put it on a dolly and pull it like that if you can lock the front wheels..

 

Personally, I think you're crazy. R) R) R)
I wouldn't do it myself, but I admire your abnormal thinking, so I guess that makes me crazy too!

Seems to me that this would be the same principle the older tow truck's used (boom off the back, lift up rear of vehicle, secure and go). The only major difference's I see are:

***The 1 ton or greater tow truck's have more capacity for tounge weight and more than likely better brakes than your burb.
***The majority of tongue weight on the tow truck is concentrated at the boom's base/attach point. (hence the central mounting location forward of the rear axle)
***The tow boom's attach point to the vehicle is much wider than a 2" trailer coupler/reciever hitch which greatly reduce's the "tipping side to side" effect.

Personally, I'd stick to flat towing. Many folk's do it succesfully day in and day out for thousand's of miles. Better yet, if you have access to a trailer like you do, that is safest and most secure way to transport your little gem and there's no wear and tear on the drivetrain what so ever. Just my .02 on the subject. Good luck.

 

My $.02 worth. A 2 axle trailer with brakes is the best way to go. That way the trailer is helping with the braking chores. When the Jeep is loaded on the trailer in the right spot, (ie just the right amount of tounge weight) it tows beautifully. Other than the engine working a bit harder, there are times you won't know the trailer is back there.

Of course I realize that this has nothing to do with the OP's question.... I'd have to agree that flat towing is better than the original idea presented.

 

i flat towed my 47 2a from arizona to washington state. i had a tow bar attached to the front bumper and i disconnected the rear driveshaft. I had the ross gear in it too. My tow vehicle was an 84 blazer. I never had any trouble other than the brakes warping from the heat generated. They were toast anyway.

 

You are not crazy but maybe a little stubborn. LOL. I guess you didn't like the answers to your same question at http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/WillysTech/message/143570.
Again, IMHO and others, check the tongue weight of the sub and weigh the back of the JEEP. If that's okay proceed slowly, too much weight on the rear of the sub will cause steering problems.

 

Thanks all!

Will agree to Crazy and Stubborn! Really - just have learned to seek as much input as possible.....

Sounds like a better deal all around to just put in on my trailer and play that game. I know people flat tow w/5:38s all the time, but I can see myself not religiously checking the pumpkins or out in a monsoon trying to disconnect the rear driveshaft.....

Thanks,

Andy

 

I think it would if you used a weight distributing hitch to carry some of the weight.

 

dont think you are crazy at all just really old school,my grand father was a willys dealer back in the 1940's told me when he ordered new jeeps that they were transported to the dealership in this exact maner ever noticed the hitch on a jeep that it turns down slightly turn one of them over so that it is pointed up jack the jeep to be towed up ond couple them down the road you go may have to remove the rear tires though have done this with a 1ton 1946 dadge power wagon and a half ton p/u works well.they do make a driveshaft disconnect that is cabel operated if you have lock out hubs on the front a towbar with this is the way to go. if you are running 5.38's may heat the diff up if you are traveling @ highway speed though

 

I say spend the time instead to repack your bearings once a year, remove rear drive-shaft (5-minute job) and flat tow. These things tow great! Yes topped off diff is good idear too. I have about 70 flat tow hours @ 65-70 MPH on mine in past 3 years 8)

 

If you own a trailer, just think about all the projects that you can drag home. Just because you can flat tow at 70 doesn't mean that you can stop from 70 in an emergency because you are towing without brakes. These pumpkins heat up alot at highway speeds.

 

I like to trailer my jeep becaus if it brakes some thing in the axels all I have to worry about is how to get it on the trailer.
As far as your towing thing. I dont know but I would worry about the caster being the wrong direction and causing it to wobbly.:?

 

Trailers are great for dragging home stray Jeeps! However, no space for the trailer. I have stopped at rest areas and checked the pumpkin and its not that warm. Stopping --- I would suggest Powerslot rotors and Hawk carbon fiber pads. Stops on a dime with 3 cents change. $600 upgrade and I would spend it again in a heartbeat on a future vehicle. Even with the 2500 Lb, pop-up camper at highway speeds -- powerful panic braking and no fade.

 

I towed a mid '70's mustang home one time on a dolly backwards cause the tranny was locked up. Never do it that way again! Scary ride I must say. The front of the car was whipping all over the place I suspect due to play in the steering and caster throwing the tires around. This was towing with a heavy 3/4 ton GMC with a camper that towed everything with no issues. I hope you have better luck than I had. Nickmil

 

i have flat towed my 67 cj 2to4 times a year from greenville sc to tellico just by putting transfer case in neutral and have had no problems.i tow it behind my 1960 willys pickup at speeds up to 65 mph.i do have an 11 inch brake conversion on the truck. the couple of quick stops i did have to make were not to bad.

 

Excellent info!! Thanks. My Dad had a similar incident towing a car backwards on a dolly. Hey Michigan....I grew up in Mattawan (6W of Kazoo on 94). My Dad still lives there. He's an old Jeeper from way back. I am going to dust him off and bring him to the reunion in Rochester Hills.

Andy
Tulsa

 

My 57 CJ-5 has always been towed by a tow bar mounted on the front bumper. Usually, no steering lock or anything of that sort was used (of course something would be needed if backing it as though it were a trailer). Unlocked hubs, put transfer case and transmission in neutral. No problems seem to be directly related to that method so far - it's been the standard for about 15 years.