Are those sliding rear windows? That Pollux Orange looks good, too. And I noticed that the side mirrors are folded in, just like I do with my Silverados in tight parking spaces and on the side street by the house.
What have you done to your Land Cruiser this week?
- Thread starter IH8MUD
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I towed it from NorCal to West Lafayette, OH to leave with a retired mechanic friend for a while. Destroyed the rear third member in the process (I'm in the market for one now; yes, driveshaft was removed and diff was full of gear oil). The tow dolly was a fine choice... until it wasn't!
![IMG_0374[1].JPG](https://forum.ih8mud.com/attachments/img_0374-1-webp.2806918/ "IMG_0374[1].JPG")
Donner Summit, CA
![IMG_0385[1].JPG](https://forum.ih8mud.com/attachments/img_0385-1-webp.2806923/ "IMG_0385[1].JPG")
Great Basque dinner in Elko, NV.
![IMG_0408[1].JPG](https://forum.ih8mud.com/attachments/img_0408-1-webp.2806925/ "IMG_0408[1].JPG")
Lost the joint flange and bearing somewhere along I-80 outside Lincoln, NE.
![IMG_0517[1].JPG](https://forum.ih8mud.com/attachments/img_0517-1-webp.2806942/ "IMG_0517[1].JPG")
A Pilot truck stop somewhere in Iowa. Not the ideal loading of the LC on the trailer, but it would only move in reverse; diff would lock up and not roll forward.
View attachment 2806949
Arrived at friend's place in W. Lafayette, OH. After trying other things, greased the ramp and dragged it's stubborn a*# off the trailer. He hasn't worked on LCs, but lifetime of work and hobby working on helicopters (fleet maintenance), busses, muscle cars, motorcycles.
He dove right into it...
View attachment 2806949
Donner Summit, CA
Great Basque dinner in Elko, NV.
Lost the joint flange and bearing somewhere along I-80 outside Lincoln, NE.
A Pilot truck stop somewhere in Iowa. Not the ideal loading of the LC on the trailer, but it would only move in reverse; diff would lock up and not roll forward.
View attachment 2806949
Arrived at friend's place in W. Lafayette, OH. After trying other things, greased the ramp and dragged it's stubborn a*# off the trailer. He hasn't worked on LCs, but lifetime of work and hobby working on helicopters (fleet maintenance), busses, muscle cars, motorcycles.
He dove right into it...
View attachment 2806949
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Axles are OK but definitely in the market for a new third member...
![IMG_0528[1].webp](https://forum.ih8mud.com/attachments/img_0528-1-webp.2806962/ "IMG_0528[1].webp")
![IMG_0529[1].webp](https://forum.ih8mud.com/attachments/img_0529-1-webp.2806963/ "IMG_0529[1].webp")
I may have one for sale in New Mexico, 4.11 gears and the older rectangular bolt pattern. Waiting to hear back from another MUD member. PM me for photos.
I'll be towing with a RAM one ton dually with an 8 ft bed, quad cab, 6.7 Cummins, and a camper on the back. Made even longer with a super hitch extension. The whole thing weighs about 12K fully loaded. Just replaced the turbo too... so lots of grunt! Thanks for the pointers!It really helps to have a full size truck as a tow vehicle. Longer wheelbase a big plus. Same with a more powerful engine. I love the 496 cubic inch big block in the '01 Silverado.
Geolojohn: So what is your take-away from your towing experience? Is losing the flange something to watch out for when towing with a disconnected drive shaft? Was it related to pinion angle perhaps, e.g., was it pointed down and gravity played a role? As someone gearing up to flat tow, I'm very curious.
Our main take away is, for a vehicle that has been sitting for a while, and not actually knowing the service history of that rear end, I should have put it on a full trailer for a trip of this magnitude even though the rear end seemed competent. I was overly optimistic and got extremely lucky that we got safely to the side of the highway without further incident. For future reference I would only tow a vehicle on a dolly or by flat tow any significant distance if I know the service history of all the pertinent internals. Kind of embarrassing to write that out and read it back, as that should be a no-brainer.
Perfect... such a great leaning moment for those of us just getting into it.
PM me if you are looking for any used parts or questions, I’m in Akron and can help.
I towed my 40 from Maryland to western Montana behind a similar setup, only on a 16' flatbed. Not a single problem, or concern throughout the entire trip.
This is why I would not flat tow my 40 behind my truck/camper, I feel safer with the rig on a flatbed trailer behind everything. Something that has brakes, something that will stop itself if it breaks away, something that I don't have to worry about smoking any 40 parts.
Even if I probably exceeded the tongue weight of the Super Hitch.
Trailering definitely has it's benefits. I've been thinking about using a dumping, deck-over trailer ( like this one) so I can replace my older/lighter dumping trailer and not have yet another trailer to park somewhere when not in use. I just got rid of a 26ft enclosed trailer and have been enjoying have the space back. I like the clearance of the deck-over for getting to more remote camping spots before unloading the 40. The other option is to just rent a U-Haul for the long haul trips. My target playground is a 6 hour freeway drive from where I currently live.
I think a heavy trailer like that will put you WAY over your weight limit of the Super Hitch, even a short one. There are some horror stories here on Mud about Uhual trailers.
Where is the playground?
Thanks for the heads-up... I'll have to check the limits. I hauled a race trailer for years with this setup... around 8000lbs with car, tools, spares, etc. I also use a load leveling hitch, which helps.
My target playground is Eastern Oregon/Central Idaho.
My target playground is Eastern Oregon/Central Idaho.
Sorry to read what happened. I have a spare third member I'd sell but it is out of a '64...
If all I had available was a dolly I would be OK with towing it backwards as long as the front hubs were 'free'.
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John in Utah
SILVER Star
A great alternative to trailers is driving your cruiser 
Flat towed from Las Vegas to Las Cruces, 4WD and tranny in neutral. Dunno what the big deal is, just avoid sharp turns and it'll follow you around like a puppy:
FYI, I have it on good authority that you should leave the TC in 2H, the tranny in neutral, and the hubs free when flat towing. This keeps the TC internals rotating and flinging oil so the spinning rear flange bushings and gears don't dry out. SOR also recommends this: Towing Your Land Cruiser FAQ - https://www.sor.com/cattow.sor
