Towing a Toad

[Vhol5]

Originally Posted by SaltLife

Cool. Do u have a pic when hooked up?

Would you believe I have yet to snap a pic of my set-up?
I think about it all the time though...

[SaltLife]

Originally Posted by Vhol5

Would you believe I have yet to snap a pic of my set-up?
I think about it all the time though...

Actually, no...lol

Next time you're hooked snap and post up a pic.....

[DryCreek]

Like others have pointed out - please do not use a tow dolly to haul your YJ around!
The thing will pull fine flat. NP235 to Neutral, and transmission in either park or your highest forward gear.
Sometimes our YJ follows us, but mostly the JK.

[LakeTahoe]

Use to tow a CJ7 and its too easy. Would not even begin to concider a trailer or tow dolly for Jeep CJ, YJ, TJ, or other. Tow dollies have there place but not unless you absolutely have to.

[AndyAk]

Originally Posted by Vhol5

I tow my '92 Wrangler, flat. Transfer case in neutral, tranny in 4th gear. Keeping it in gear keeps the oil pumping.

I'm confused by this. If the transfer case is in neutral, why does it matter what gear the trans is in? I can see something other than neutral just so the shafts don't spin at all. I don't see how it moves oil.

[rockbound]

SaltLife.
As others have said, don't use a dolly. Unless you are willing to disconnect the rear driveshaft at the axle.
Your NP231 transfer case was not designed to be correctly lubricated from the rear shaft only. If you do, the front output shaft will seize from lack of oil.
They were designed to rotate in unison. That is why your Dana 30 front axle has an axle disconnect system.
There are a few things that you must meet to flat tow (4 down).
1; Your DP hitch height should be at least level, if not higher than your YJ bumper connection point. This reduces the chance of the YJ climbing over the hitch in a panic stop.
2; While your DP might not even feel the YJ behind you, the laws in most states requires you to have a supplemental brake system in the towed vehicle.
3; Lights. Why take a chance. Fab up a clamp on LED 2 light system or the LED magnetic ones to stick on your bumper.
4; To you and AndyAk, you didn't mention if your YJ has a Auto or Manual. If it's an Auto, it must be it Park, with the Transfer in neutral. If it's a Manual, put it in 5th or 4th gear, Transfer in Neutral.
When either the Auto or Manual is left in Neutral, the parasitic drag from the driveshafts will rotate the the internals of the Auto or Manual, and it will not be properly lubricated because the engine is not running.
5; Make sure that your YJ steering wheel is unlocked.

And please, if anyone thinks they can add to this, please post.

I flat towed my TJ once. I met the requirements, plus since I have a modded TJ with different axles and a Atlas II T-case. I disconnected the rear shaft and made sure that my front axle locking hubs were in free wheel. And my steering wheel was unlocked.
I now tow it on a trailer because with the trails I like, there is a greater chance of um roll over or damage that would cause flat towing to not be an option.

[Journey39n]

Flat towed my Jeep Wrangler all over the country, no problems.

Place transfer case in neutral and place the transmission in a high gear. As it was explained to me, those drive shafts will be spinning, and the oil motion through the transfer case, even in neutral, will cause the transmission gears to spin as well. So when the transmission is in gear, there is enough resistance to keep other gears from spinning.

[Franksteer]

Just some information you might want consider . From reading here on the forum you need lights on the back of your Jeep . Magnetic Or wired also brakes in some states. I tow a small car with a car Katy and I wired the rear lights to work and the tow dolly has brakes. If you get pulled over by some jealous cop not only do you get a ticket , What do you do now , if he tells you that you can’t move the vehicle and it has to go to the police compound .

[JoeC]

Flat tow the Jeep. Hardly anyone uses dollies anymore, and for lots of good reasons. It will cost to set up the jeep for flat towing but the process is fairly easy and wiring for battery charge and tail lights, which can run inside the frame, is not too difficult either for a handy person or installer. Be sure to get a 6-conductor tow cable so the battery charge can be included, especially if you have a brake system that uses a lot of power. It's roughly $4k for complete setup, less if you can find good used tow equipment.

[SaltLife]

rockbound. I have a '94 5spd. If using a dolly, removing the rear shaft is no problem. Guess I wouldn't lose tranny fluid as long as the output shaft seal was good. You say the front axle needs to be disconnected. How is that done?

I'm starting to get confused. one sez they wouldn't even consider using a dolly or a trailer. A bunch say, don't use a dolly. Some have used each with a bunch using dollys and flat towing.... I guess the easiest would be to use a trailer. Drive it on, strap it down, done......

However, Ive been towing a 5th wheel across country and want to get away from a trailer behind the DP.

Also, I have 33' BFG Rugged Terrains that have been cut. So, each lug has been cut in half for more traction. But imo, it also weakens each lug and they flex more which makes for not exactly tight steering going down the road. Still trying to fix that issue. I have almost a whole new frontend. My fear of flat towing is the frontend will have excessive movement and wear out. I may be way off base... It may track just fine behind the DP. Ps. I don't have a sway bar....

[SaltLife]

Just saw your response JoeC. 4k to flat tow?
Seems like for a decent tow bar 1k? I know that doesnt include the brackets for the Jeep...

[SaltLife]

https://www.etrailer.com/Tow-Bars/Ro...er/RM-676.html

I see the brake kit is about another 1k. Not that I need it, but I assume that's a way to turn on the brake lights....

[SaltLife]

Looks like I have another issue. My front bumper is tubular. Appears the tow bar attaches to the bumper, but none to a tubular.

I would like to get this one, however. Which I can hook to the D-ring mounts..
https://www.jcroffroad.com/product/SWBFC.html

[R2D2]

Hi,

Most states require accessory brakes when towing anything over 1k lbs. Not all require additional lights other than the dolly, but it would really be a good idea safety wise (if you follow one you'll see why).

So, you need to check with the states you'll be traveling in to find out their requirements.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[JoeC]

SaltLife and others:
Jeeps can be flat or dolly towed IF you disconnect the drivetrain via the transfer case shift lever being put into the Neutral (disengaged) position. But remember, there will be NOTHING in the car to stop the front wheels from rolling right off the dolly unless the parking brake is set or re-engagement of the transfer case is completed AND the transmission put into Park.

We flat tow our 2016 Jeep Wrangler everywhere (about 10,000 miles so far) and don't need to worry about where to put the dolly either at home or away from home. Yes, it does put mileage on all four tires and some mileage wear on the hubs, but the dolly will do the same for the rear tires and hubs. Trailering is a good solution to this, but has a much larger object to deal with parking when not in use.

Inflatable cars are the only solution that I can think of to really solve this issue. : )

Happy RVing to all.

[rockbound]

SaltLife, you only need to disconnect the rear d/s at the axle and use some tie wire to secure it to the underside of the tub and don't forget to wrap some tape around the u-joint caps. Your NP231 T/C has a slip yoke rear output, (unless you or a P/O has changed it to a slip yoke eliminator kit, SYE) so the d/s doesn't need to be completely removed.

I'm sorry for the confusion about the ft. axle. Your Dana 30 has a built in, vacuum actuated axle disconnect system. The passenger side of the axle has vacuum lines that keep the P/S in free wheel, by design. And is a non-issue when flat towing.

The JCR bumper will be better choice over the tube bumper. An even better option would be to replace the front leaf spring shackles with ones that have a built in tow bar brackets, and that keeps your tow bar in a lower position. You can find examples on google or youtube.

On a side note, although you can safely tow it with a tow dolly, you definitely need to disconnect the rear d/s at the differential.

And the MasterTow Dolly pictured is a good one (I have one too), you still need electric brakes for it as required by law. Because your YJ weighs in at #4,000~4,500. And for safety sake and for avoiding fines, use tow lights.

Tires, I wouldn't worry too much about the extra siping. Dolly towing only puts more miles on the rear. Flat towing, even wear on all 4.

And if this is your first Jeep, congrats and welcome. The YJ and previous CJ's and MB's, all have leaf springs and inherently wander when adding oversized tires. My own coil sprung TJ with 37's is a chore on road but, off-road, it's traction I go for.

PS. Remember what JEEP stands for, Just Empty Every Pocket. It's a sickness that I and others know too well but we love it just the same.

Edit, it looks like others have mentioned the same things as I hunt & peck type.

[SaltLife]

Thanks. Let me get back to u, need to get to work. Noticed you trailer everything in your sig...

But your at 27' and I'm already at 40'...

[pobstlmo]

Dude, your obviously are not in a money crunch,
Just buy an newer Jeep and flat tow it.
I tow my 2012 Ruby with a A frame hitch from Smittybuilt, as for the brakes I’m a firm believer of asking for forgiveness, yes others will bully me on that but tuff. Jeeps were designed 60 years ago to be towed with an A frame. Your 35k bus won’t even know it’s there.
Buy a Newer Jeep, you and the plus one will be a lot happier.

[DryCreek]

Originally Posted by JoeC

SaltLife and others:
Jeeps can be flat or dolly towed IF you disconnect the drivetrain via the transfer case shift lever being put into the Neutral (disengaged) position.

NO.

Only flat towed with TC in Neutral. DO NOT dolly tow your YJ with the front wheels off the ground and your driveshaft spinning.

Your best bang for the buck is the NSA Ready-Brute Elite tow bar. It has your braking solution built in, and it's no more expensive than any other quality tow bar. As for the tow points, our YJ has the tubular bumper, but we fabbed a tow point using heavy angle iron bolted to the top bumper holes.

The tow mounts that are part of your front spring shackle are pretty handy, and not very expensive. They will probably provide the most level tow.

[rockbound]

DryCreek, thanks for posting the link to those Currie brackets. Those are the ones that I was thinking of.