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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / RVs / February 2007Towing Question
A friend of mine just bought a Chevy II Super Sport in great condition from the original owner. It is in the San Francisco area, and we live in Las Vegas. I have suggested instead of using a full trailer to tow it back to use a tow dolly. He has a Nissan XTerra, and I don't believe it would SAFELY haul a trailer and car combo. He intends to rent from U-Haul. It has a manual Muncie 4 speed tranny. Can he tow that car with that tranny WITHOUT disconnecting the driveline? Or am I about to be talked into driving to SF in my Cummins Dodge 2500 and help him fetch this jewel? That's not out of the question, but I'd like for him to do it himself, yet do it safely and right. TIA Steve He could back it onto the tow dolly, but it may not tow well that way with the heavy end on the ground. If he tries this, don't forget to tie up the steering wheel.  SignatureSteve Barker >A friend of mine just bought a Chevy II Super Sport in great condition from > the original owner. It is in the San Francisco area, and we live in Las [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Steve > He could back it onto the tow dolly, but it may not tow well that way with > the heavy end on the ground. If he tries this, don't forget to tie up the > steering wheel. I have never done this, so pardon my ignorance. I was ass-u-ming that he would tow with the front wheels on the dolly, as it eliminates the rope around the steering wheel trick, which isn't rocket surgery, but one thing that can fail with catastrophic results. Were it me, I would just check the rear wheel bearings with a mechanic's stethoscope, make sure there is no evidence of gear lube leaking through the axle bearing seals, and fill the rear end with NEW 90 wt. gear oil. With the back wheels on the ground, it would track true, and with the front wheels on the dolly, it's hard to get them to be exactly right, and if there's an unknown alignment problem, it can cause tire wear. Heck, you could even tow it on a dolly with the front wheels flat, or in dry rotted condition, and do it safely with the wheels resting on the dolly and strapped down. I also think (and correct me if I am wrong) that the rear suspension is stiffer, and therefore would take all the bumps and potholes of the trip better than having the front wheels as the contact points. I am not sure of the mileage on this car (IIRC, he said it is very low), so I don't know about the spring left in the springs, or if it is soft and spongy. I am just trying to suggest the best/safest way to do this without having him pull a trailer and car with an XTerra. I'm sure the XTerra is a fine vehicle, but I like pulling with a hefty vehicle that can handle that one in thousand situation that can mean the difference between dirty BVDs and a trip to the ER. I'm also trying to get out of going up there and getting it for him, but, hey, it might be a nice trip, and I hear San Francisco is a whole 'nuther world. ;-) Don't forget the original question: Can this manual tranny car be towed in neutral, or does the driveline have to be disconnected? Steve >> He could back it onto the tow dolly, but it may not tow well that way >> with the heavy end on the ground. If he tries this, don't forget to tie [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > Francisco is a whole 'nuther world. > ;-) If the car is driveable, why not tell your friend that it would be cheaper to simply fly to SF, pick up the car, and drive it back? <G> After all, a 1-way ticket would cost less than the fuel used to get to SF + the rental fees. > Don't forget the original question: Can this manual tranny car be towed > in neutral, or does the driveline have to be disconnected? Some can and others can't. > Steve >>> He could back it onto the tow dolly, but it may not tow well that way >>> with the heavy end on the ground. If he tries this, don't forget to tie [quoted text clipped - 43 lines] > >> Steve The car has set up for so much of its life that I wouldn't trust it to make even a 500 mile trip. Rotted rubber brake lines. Hoses. Belts. Tranny seals. Engine seals Water pump seal. Radiator. Brake cylinder rubbers. Electrical connectors. Fuel pump diaphragms. All those things and more that can leave you in the darkness between hither and yon, trying to get a wrecker to just find you. Steve > I have suggested instead of using a full trailer > to tow it back to use a tow dolly. For a one-time deal, this is too much of a compromise. You said, "The car has set up for so much of its life that I wouldn't trust it to make even a 500 mile trip. Rotted rubber brake lines." Given that, I wouldn't trust anything about this car to drag it down the highway, driveline disconnected or not, front or rear axle on a dolly. > Nissan XTerra, and I don't believe it would > SAFELY haul a trailer and car combo. I don't think it would be adequate for the dolly lash-up, either. > Can he tow that car with that tranny > WITHOUT disconnecting the driveline? Probably, if the car were in good, working order, having been driven REGULARLY very recently. > Or am I about to be talked into driving to SF in my > Cummins Dodge 2500 and help him fetch this jewel? Talk yourself into it. What is the likelihood that, if the car/driveline disintegrates being towed you'd be asked to help pick up the pieces anyway? > That's not out of the question, but I'd like for him to do it himself, > yet do it safely and right. You are discovering that ownership of a fabulous tow vehicle/pickup includes not only the occasional request for help moving FURNITURE but also being asked to TOW stuff. A Chevy II SS in "great" condition is nothing to sneeze at and well worth the extra money and hassle of proper transport. Until the car has been "gone over" and otherwise restored, dragging it down the highway is just to "iffy". Good luck! Signature:) JR > You said, "The car has set up for so much of its life that I wouldn't > trust it to make even a 500 mile trip. Rotted rubber brake lines." > > Given that, I wouldn't trust anything about this car to drag it down the > highway, driveline disconnected or not, front or rear axle on a dolly. Damn good point. As I said, I'm just getting him this info, as he would just run over there in his light vehicle and tow it back on a trailer. He said to me, "The XTerra is rated for 5,000#." I had flashbacks of lengthy discussions in RORT, but didn't let him know that. Yeah, I see a trip to SF in the future. I am going to also see what shipping would cost. After sitting that much, all the rubber on it is going to be trash. Steve >A friend of mine just bought a Chevy II Super Sport in great condition from > the original owner. It is in the San Francisco area, and we live in Las [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > That's not out of the question, but I'd like for him to do it himself, yet > do it safely and right. First, I don't like tow dollies. Even if I did, I wouldn't use one in this case. If the tires are old (or really old), you are asking for a disintegration along the way with potentially catastrophic results. I always trailer cars. Second, an Xterra isn't adequate or even safe for this job (too short a wheelbase, probably not any heavier than the car and dolly combined). If you do choose to dolly it, be sure it is out of gear. That may sound silly, but I have seen two cars being towed in gear, one with the drive wheels locked up and smoking (behind a motorhome) and one still turning, but making a lot of noise (behind a pickup). Paul Johnson > A friend of mine just bought a Chevy II Super Sport in great condition from > the original owner. It is in the San Francisco area, and we live in Las > Vegas. I have suggested instead of using a full trailer to tow it back to > use a tow dolly. He has a Nissan XTerra, and I don't believe it would > SAFELY haul a trailer and car combo. He intends to rent from U-Haul. Consider the road also. I assume he would travel hwy. 58 through Mojave/Barstow to hwy. 15. While not terribly steep, there is some climbing involved. I am not sure I would like to pull a load like that over that grade with a car. Signature-Ernie- To answer your question: YES A friend of mine just bought a Chevy II Super Sport in great condition from the original owner. It is in the San Francisco area, and we live in Las Vegas. I have suggested instead of using a full trailer to tow it back to use a tow dolly. He has a Nissan XTerra, and I don't believe it would SAFELY haul a trailer and car combo. He intends to rent from U-Haul. It has a manual Muncie 4 speed tranny. Can he tow that car with that tranny WITHOUT disconnecting the driveline? Or am I about to be talked into driving to SF in my Cummins Dodge 2500 and help him fetch this jewel? That's not out of the question, but I'd like for him to do it himself, yet do it safely and right. TIA Steve On what do you base that YES answer? A muncie 4 speed would be trashed if you towed it 4 down with the driveline in it. SignatureSteve Barker > To answer your question: YES > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Steve The distance from LA to Vegas is not far enough to trash the tranny if you stop half way and start the engine to circulate the tranny oil. The problem is that the transmission doesn't lube when the input shaft isn't turning. Run the engine for a while and it lubes everything. I know people who have left the engine at idle for a three hour tow and had no problem but they did burn some extra fuel. PDeen On Feb 17, 9:11 pm, "Steve Barker" <ichasetra...@some.yahoo.com> wrote: > On what do you base that YES answer? A muncie 4 speed would be trashed if > you towed it 4 down with the driveline in it. [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > > Steve Leaving the engine idle will keep the trans lubed, yes. BUT the distance from LA to Vegas is 200 miles as the crow flies. 20 (twenty) miles at highway speeds without lube will trash any main shaft. SignatureSteve Barker > The distance from LA to Vegas is not far enough to trash the tranny if > you stop half way and start the engine to circulate the tranny oil. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > PDeen > Leaving the engine idle will keep the trans lubed, yes. BUT the distance > from LA to Vegas is 200 miles as the crow flies. 20 (twenty) miles at > highway speeds without lube will trash any main shaft. Huh? Las Vegas to downtown LA is close to 275 miles, and besides, the car is in San Francisco. Steve I said as the crow flies. I did a quick measure in streets and trips. SignatureSteve Barker >> Leaving the engine idle will keep the trans lubed, yes. BUT the distance >> from LA to Vegas is 200 miles as the crow flies. 20 (twenty) miles at [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Steve I got the "LA" from the person I was replying to. San Francisco is over twice as far. SignatureSteve Barker >> Leaving the engine idle will keep the trans lubed, yes. BUT the distance >> from LA to Vegas is 200 miles as the crow flies. 20 (twenty) miles at [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Steve > > Leaving the engine idle will keep the trans lubed, yes. BUT the distance > > from LA to Vegas is 200 miles as the crow flies. 20 (twenty) miles at > > highway speeds without lube will trash any main shaft. > > Huh? Las Vegas to downtown LA is close to 275 miles, and besides, the car > is in San Francisco. I live 20 miles from San Francisco and the last time I drove to LV it took about 8-9 hours and I drive at 70+ MPH on I-5 and where 70 is permitted. The max speed in California when towing _anything_ is 55 MPH so add additional time for that. Signature-Ernie- ><snip> >Can he tow that car with that tranny > WITHOUT disconnecting the driveline? Or am I about to be talked into > driving to SF in my Cummins Dodge 2500 and help him fetch this jewel? It'd be a lot easier to pull the driveshaft, no? According to the uhaul website, the xterra can tow the car. I used 1963 as an example. I towed a Talon on a dolly with an E150 once. Got pretty hairy at times and it was only about 230miles. Do you have a trailer? |
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