Towing a 60 backwords? (1 Viewer)

[lovetoski]

Hi all,
I know there are posts about towing a 60 either flat or on a dolly. Removing the rear DS is the recommended approach. I will be moving soon, towing my 60 on a dolly behind the moving truck. A friend suggested I could tow it backword, rear wheels on the dolly. Thus no need to remove the rear DS. This is pretty appealing. Assuming the rear overhang of the cruiser doesn't cause interference, are there any other issues that come to mind? Red flags, risks? I would be careful to lock the steering wheel with the front wheels as straight as possible. Anything else?
Thankyou,

 

[duncanrm]

You risk creating a pendulum effect with the heavy part of the vehicle at the rear. You wont cause any damage with even a long tow - put the transfer case into neutral and get it done (from the front)

 

[ScottT]

There is a neutral position for the transfer case. Put the stick in neutral and the transfer case in neutral and you shouldn’t have a problem towing normally on a tow dolly.

 

[Seth_O]

It's only 8 bolts. If it's a long tow, remove the drive shaft. If it's a short tow, put the t-case and tranny in neutral.

 

[cruisermatt]

Why would you need to remove the driveshaft when towing? You know all those parts spin when you drive, right? I don't think you'd have a problem towing it backwards though.

 

[brownbear]

I'd flat tow with the t-case in neutral. No worries at all. Also the transmission in neutral too.

The only issue if towing backwards I can think of is potential of rock chips or damage to the rear window. A trickier window to get than a windshield. Probably the cheapest window on the cruiser is the windshield. Unless you find a used window...

 

[3_puppies]

It's only 8 bolts.

I usually only take out the 4 on the diff and remove the rear, leaving the short part still attached to the transfer case.

Why would you need to remove the driveshaft when towing? You know all those parts spin when you drive, right? I don't think you'd have a problem towing it backwards though.

good idea to tie the steering wheel to something solid,otherwise you're trusting the steering wheel lock to hold.
back in the 80's my brother worked for a tow company and another driver forgot to tie the wheel towing a car backwards and went around a corner and the lock let go and the car being towed sideswiped several parked cars. it was a big mess.

 

[FJACS]

In a manual transmission application, especially with a transfer case where neutral can be selected and the front hubs unlocked, I fail to see the point of disconnecting the driveshaft when flat towing.

What imagined problem is this solving?

 

[SteveH]

I'd flat tow with the t-case in neutral. No worries at all. Also the transmission in neutral too.

I believe the t-case in neutral locks the front and rear driveshafts together, so t-case in 2hi and transmission in neutral would be preferred. This would create the fewest spinning parts. (And I'd still pull the driveshaft for a long tow of any sort, and be sure the manual hubs are unlocked). Please correct me if I'm wrong on the t-case situation.

 

[doug720]

When we wanted to tow our 60, I asked Marv Spector about it.

He said to use 2H and trans in neutral. Why? He said with the transfer case in neutral, it does not sling enough oil to keep all the moving parts lubed. Is he right? Not sure, but I have towed our 60 probably 30k miles with no issues.

Disconnecting the driveshaft is a pain when on vacation!

 

[brownbear]

SO if you leave the t-case in 2H and then go in N in the trans I don't think there would be an issue with lubrication. The whole T-case would be rotating and throwing oil inside.

SO in N with the T-case I am not sure about it tie ing the drive shafts together. I'm going to have to see if I put my t-case in N and go under neath and see if I can move both drive shafts with a little movement of one of the shafts.

 

[cruiserpilot]

I used a dolly to tow a Mustang over 1000 miles. If you have the choice, I’d recommend a tandem axle
trailer. It will tow nicer, it will have brakes, it will be far safer.

 

[ScottT]

I’m actually taking a different approach. Locking hubs on the rear axle. Unlock the wheels from the rear half shafts (full floater) and only the wheels rotate. Unlock the fronts and you can flat tow without engaging driveshafts, tranny or transmission. Rear hubs have chrome/moly components.

 

[drwright68]

Why not tow the moving van with your 60?

 

[franklin40]

my thoughts may not be justified but i worry that the steering mechanism must remained locked or else you’ll have a landcruiser (and possibly tow vehicle) garage sale. it’ll go out of control quite quickly if that came loose. do you trust the locking mechanism that is simply released but something as small as a key? it’s not a robust system. i wouldn’t tow it backwards for very long and not at highway speeds.