Using a Tow Bar (1 Viewer)

[werd]

I use a tow bar to pull my rig when I need too. I am currently using straps (loosely) to secure the steering wheel in place while in tow.

I was wondering if you needed to secure the steering wheel or can you leave it unsecured while towing?

Thanks,
Howard

 

[CruisinGA]

Don't tie anything to the steering wheel. You shouldn't need to and it can't do anything positive and can only hurt.

Try it without and test it at slow speed in a neighborhood. I can turn almost as sharp as my 80 series will let me while flat towing my 40 and never have any problems. If you have non-stock suspension you may need more caster. This is the steering geometry quality that primarily determines return-to-center.

Be sure the tow bar is flat while towing. If it is angled it can have bad effects on handling under emergency braking.

 

[werd]

Thanks! I tried towing it one time without securing the wheel and I was pulling out of the driveway turned right and my truck wanted to go left. I have a chevy truck and my tow bar is level while I am towing so I am ok there.

 

[68 just-parts]

I have always left mine loose with no problems.

I have towed both my 40 and a 1999 Isuzu this way.

 

[werd]

I towed it without securing the steering wheel this morning without any problems. The previous owner told me he secured the wheel, so I thought it was necessary. I always felt like that would break something and wanted to find out for sure. Besides the gas mileage it sure does tow better!

Thanks again for your help guys!

 

[Fast Eddy]

You need to be super careful about how and when you flat tow with a regular pickup. There's no weight on the back wheels and no brakes on your 3500+ lbs trailer. If you brake in a turn on a wet or slick surface you will jackknife with no chance of recovery.

It happened to me with a loaded suburban, which has better traction than a pickup. I feel much more comfortable towing with our dually.

 

[werd]

You need to be super careful about how and when you flat tow with a regular pickup. There's no weight on the back wheels and no brakes on your 3500+ lbs trailer. If you brake in a turn on a wet or slick surface you will jackknife with no chance of recovery.

It happened to me with a loaded suburban, which has better traction than a pickup. I feel much more comfortable towing with our dually.

Very Good Point Fast Eddy!

I didn't think about that. I haven't really towed on wet/slick roads yet.

I do want to get a good equipment trailer one day to transport my ride on long distance hauls. Right now I have a friend that said I could use her dad's as long as she can go along with me.

 

[CruisinGA]

I've found that funning the front tires of the towed vehicle at a lower pressure can sometimes help with tracking as well, I can't figure why beyond increased contact patch and smaller radius. (The taller the tire the more caster needed.)

 

[1973Guppie]

I would say to make sure that your towed vehicle is working correctly and has proper steering and castor and track well, then you should have no problems, I flat tow my 40 with my tundra and it tows great with little problems.

 

[Tunnelratt]

I also flat tow my 40 with my Tundra, no issues, I do however throw about 200 lbs of sand bags ( I have a lot of them) over the axle in addition to the other stuff in the bed, it helps it squat down just a bit more and possibly help if I have to hit the brakes a bit hard, the other thing I do is, take a length of survey flagging, ( I have a lot of that as well), the brighter the better, center the wheel on the 40, tie the flagging to the steering wheel at top dead center, now when you turn you can take a peek in the rear view mirror and watch which way the ribbon moves, it helps a bit with the paranoia of," which way did the wheels go"

 

[rchandler]

Flat towing

Use bungie or piece of rope with slack . Don't want it to lock over
Caster is correct ..

 

[CruisinGA]

It won't ever "lock over" if everything is correct.

All that anything tied to the steering wheel can do is cause problems and break things.

You want the steering wheel to be able to move freely for turns...

 

[shelfboy1]

ive towed fj40s now for 36 years with a tow bar some trucks ive had to tie the steering wheel and some not .i have towed over 300 miles with the wheel tied and not had a problem .some 40s simply will not tow unless you tie the wheel .it means they need some work but when you buy 1 300 miles away you cant always fixit on the spot .i tow with other 40s or our pickup and found that when you go around a turn go slow and try to pull the truck through the turn. if you let off the gas the the 40 wants to push the towing truck sideways .i use a miltary tow bar from a 5 ton wrecker overkill but it works and we never had a problem good luck

 

[nuclearlemon]

i've always towed mine with a strap very loosely thorugh the wheel, only to keep it from turning to lock when i do sharp turns (like out of my driveway). otherwise, it's only as a safety to keep it from happening if a tire blows or something. there should always be enough room for the wheel to turn much of the way.