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Posted by David Sherman on Sunday, July 13, 2008 at 11:30:36 :
In Reply to: Why not a tow bar? posted by chewie on Saturday, July 12, 2008 at 15:01:21 :
I've gotten chewed out here a few times for suggesting a tow bar can be safe. I think the real answer is that with a tow bar, there are a lot more "it depends" factors. The safest situation, of course, is one in which you can haul on any road, in any kind of weather, at any speed, and in any amount of traffic without any chance of a problem. Put the PW on a full-sized lowboy with air brakes and tow it with a loaded dump truck, and I guarantee the weight of the PW won't cause a problem.
With flat towing and a tow bar, safety depends on a lot more things. Dry pavement is vital. You must go slowly, especially on curves. Steep downgrades with curves must be avoided. The towing vehicle must at least outweigh the towed vehicle. Because you must go slowly, you must avoid traffic, which means back roads and/or the dead of night. Mostly, you must be very careful, pay attention all the time, and stop if anything is amiss. That said, it's a perfectly safe option if done right. As somebody else mentioned, there's a continuum of towing methods. If you're towing the truck 10 miles on back roads on a sunny day, there's no need to acquire the same kind of setup you'd need for a coast-to-coast haul.