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Posted by copey [206.80.248.91] on Tuesday, November 02, 2010 at 13:59:46 :
In Reply to: 1970 Power Wagon Flat Tow Question posted by Luke [76.104.1.118] on Tuesday, November 02, 2010 at 00:20:09 :
Having had wreckers ( tow trucks) at my shop for over twenty five years I feel confident to offer my opinion on towing . If your are towing (dragging) vehicles over a distance of 15 miles or more remove all the drive shafts .I will tell you why if the shaft is connected ,,,the drive shaft turns the inside of the transmission on a standard tranny . The main body of gears are stationary and so is the input shaft .The main shaft is turning at road speed and No lubrication is getting up in the bearing/bushing the holds the main shaft to the input shaft and subsequently burns /wears the bearings ,bushings . No oil is being thrown up by the gears to the input shaft and out put shaft bearings as well . Even if you have locking hubs and you are sure they unlocked remove the front axle shaft . on occasion the hubs say OFF but they could be stuck in the locked position . I have seen this so many times and when one hub is lock on the speed of the shaft is enough to cause damage to the T case and if the t case is not in NETRAL now you spinning the T case and the transmission . Again also if the shafts are not removed the is a remote chance with all the “floating” of gears there is a possibility of the shifter jumping into a gear on rough roads or bumps . Even if the front hubs are unlocked there is the possibility that just the friction of the hubs/bearings will turn the shaft and cause damage .On older vehicles with automatic transmission you are not safe either by placing the stick in neutral . Old automatic transmissions, some times had rear pumps in the transmission and when being towed do build fluid pressure and do damage (self destruct mode) if the drive shafts are not disconnected .Another option (messy) is to remove axle shafts this gets tricky here if you have limited slip or locker diffs you have to remove both sides . There is also the leaking of axle fluids to contend with but with out the axles nothing but the lubricated wheel bearings turn . Removing shafts, mark all the shafts in their position before you disassemble then you don’t have a guessing game to contend with. Never hang shafts remove and secure in the box ,cab or some other safe place . Stopping at high speeds and a panic stop your in Gods hands trust me you have a lot of force behind you and steering in a hard stop is a wild time to learn basic maneuvering .Remember never point a shaft at any thing you do not want kill ~ Copey use good quality safety chains and have them anchored hard
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