New to Towing a Vehicle

[Dan_Frisbie]

Many 4x4 vehicles are not tow dolly material.

Any particular reason?
I don’t understand what would be the difference if I towed 4 down or with a dolly if the transfer case is in neutral…

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Any particular reason?
I don’t understand what would be the difference if I towed 4 down or with a dolly if the transfer case is in neutral…

My manual says no.

I have no idea how the transfer case is lubed, but assume its a lubed issue. Maybe others will look in their manuals and chime in.

 

[redbaron]

Kevin is right. Only front wheel drive can be towed on a dolly

 

[Boat Bum]

You can tow rear wheel by locking steering and towing rear wheels on the dolly, I wouldn't do it unnecessarily.

 

[redbaron]

You can tow rear wheel by locking steering and towing rear wheels on the dolly, I wouldn't do it unnecessarily.

Most cars don’t lock steering wheels. Those that do use a very small shear pin. Advising that this is possible should be in the context of a professional tow truck driver, heavily insured, and going a short distance to his shop because he can’t afford the proper flat bed tow truck.

 

[Alan_Hepburn]

Any particular reason?
I don’t understand what would be the difference if I towed 4 down or with a dolly if the transfer case is in neutral…

I have no idea if it's true, but I once had someone explain to me that the way the transfer case works is you shift from 2WD into 4HI to connect the front axle to the rear axle; then when you shift it into N it disconnects the transfer case from the transmission but it doesn't disconnect the axles from each other. So, if you use a dolly the rear axle is spinning and the front axle is not, but it's still connected to the rear axle so it can damage the transfer case.

Like I said: I have no idea if it's true or not but it sort of makes sense. In any case, in the Jeep Owner's Manuals they are adamant that you can tow them with all 4 wheels on the ground, or all 4 wheels off the ground - nothing else.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Most cars don’t lock steering wheels. Those that do use a very small shear pin. Advising that this is possible should be in the context of a professional tow truck driver, heavily insured, and going a short distance to his shop because he can’t afford the proper flat bed tow truck.

I strapped the wheel. It did just fine.

 

[tmac11]

HI,

I tow a 2025 jeep wrangle sport behind a class C leprachaun E450. I used the following kit to install in the new jeep. Blue Ox Kit

I also use a break buddy that I found used off ebay. It seems to work good and kicked in on those steep inclines in CO mountains and also during heavy breaking on the free way. Most states from what I understand require a breaking system when towing more than 5000 lbs

The asent tow bar is much easier than the fixed tow bar I used on the old 2008 jeep wrangler. We can connect the jeep in about 5 minutes now with the new setup. The base plate does require some drilling to mount to the jeep. If you a slight bit handy and have the tools you can probably do it yourself. Took me a few hours.

br tim

 

[Dan_Frisbie]

We bought a fifth wheel toyhauler and a truck.

 

[Freightrain]

Regarding Supplemental brakes--I can tell you from personal experience that you want them. I had a breakaway this summer where my front bumper separated from the towbar on one side. This was a very scary moment. I was able to get the vehicle stopped using the one remaining connection, but this was a struggle to do while going down hill on a 2 lane highway. The jeep was in the oncoming lane, and required me to move over to shoulder a lot more than I wanted to. Had it broke away at that point, it would have killed someone in oncoming traffic.

I don't care about the laws, rules, or any other reasoning--Supplemental brakes are just common sense and will save a life.

If my vehicle killed someone because I was too cheap to do it right, I don't think I could live with myself

I am DEFINITELY no expert on this, but I understood supplemental braking requirements had to be met for the specific state you are driving in. Your drivers license requirements fall under the reciprocity agreements but I don't believe that applies to requirements for supplemental braking systems.

Requirements for supplemental braking is required for some states, but each of those states have different weight limits for which they are required. Example, Michigan doesn’t require supplemental braking until the toad is over 10000 lbs.

 

[redbaron]

All I can say is that Michigan law is not sufficient for reality. All toads need supplemental braking for adequate safety.

 

[DennisT]

All I can say is that Michigan law is not sufficient for reality. All toads need supplemental braking for adequate safety.

Whether required based on weight of the toad I would not run without just for the breakaway safety.