Towing questions?

[n8dgr8]

1986 CJ7 Rock Crawler - Awesome

:?: I have a couple of towing questions. One, If my allingment is really off on the Jeep that is being towed, is it safe (tires...) to tow it with a tow bar and not a flat trailer? And two, when I am towing it should the steering wheel be locked or should it free play? I currently let it free play but have a bungee cord attached so there isn't too much play. Also what do you guys think about a 6 cyl Tacoma 4x4 towing, with a tow bar not a trailer, an 80 CJ5, 33's, 350ci, 9000lb winch. Is that safe I think the Jeep weighs more than the Tacoma? Is it going to tear up my Tacoma? I know this is a Jeep page, thanks for the info.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

It's safe, but the jeep will tend to push the Tacoma around a bit due to the large tires, and due to the alignement if the toe is way off.

I flat-tow our YJ with a GM Trailblazer with no problems, it was a white-knuckle ride until I corrected the toe-in.

Rule of thumb for flat-towing is you want the pulling rig to have the same size or larger tires than the jeep. Larger tires on the jeep will cause for some squirelly towing and pushing the rear of the Tacoma around. I run two sets of tires for this reason, plus it keeps the road miles off the swampers.

Keep the steering wheel unlocked at all times. I don't see the bungee cord being a problem, bit of a steering stabilyzer of sorts.

 

[graewulf]

:?: I have a couple of towing questions. One, If my allingment is really off on the Jeep that is being towed, is it safe (tires...) to tow it with a tow bar and not a flat trailer? And two, when I am towing it should the steering wheel be locked or should it free play? I currently let it free play but have a bungee cord attached so there isn't too much play. Also what do you guys think about a 6 cyl Tacoma 4x4 towing, with a tow bar not a trailer, an 80 CJ5, 33's, 350ci, 9000lb winch. Is that safe I think the Jeep weighs more than the Tacoma? Is it going to tear up my Tacoma? I know this is a Jeep page, thanks for the info.

check the door tag, the tacoma probably outweighs the jeep... you should be able to handle it over relatively short runs, though the 6cyl may be under powered fro a long haul or up a good hill towing the jeep.. i agreewith bounty hunter... find a smaller set of tires to run while towing, makes a big difference or go with a trailer...

 

[redrooster]

Be extremely careful in wet road conditions because the Tacoma doesn't weigh as much in the rear and the Jeep will push it when you try to stop. It could push you into a jackknife.

 

[fourtrail]

I know a guy that flat towed his yj on 33's with his zj just fine. the only problem with flat towing is how to get your jeep home if it breaks. be sure to keep a close eye on the front wheel bearings of the jeep. my uncle tows a gooseneck trailer with his tacoma with the v-6 so power shouldn't be a problem. make sure the alignment is done before going any long distance, a small bit of toe in is good for keeping the jeep tracking straight. the only problem then comes about when trying to stop. on a visit to the RV store when picking up parts for my camper I came across a fix to this problem. they make a reciver adapter for flat towing that when you slow down it compresses and moves a lever that connects to the brake pedal in the jeep via a cable thus using the jeep bakes. hope this helps.

 

[redrooster]

my uncle tows a gooseneck trailer with his tacoma

That's interesting. I bet he turns some heads doing that.
Another interesting phenomina of late is that every friday when I travel to my hunting land, there is a convoy of what seems to be Hispanics flat towing Nissans and Toyotas with other Nissans and Toyotas. They have them stacked to the gills with parts. Once I saw they had a U-haul with 2 trucks in it. One was hanging out the back. I have seen this every time I have traveled that stretch of I-59 south of Birmingham. Has anyone else seen this phenomenon? What gives?

 

[fourtrail]

I have seen that phenomenon, both in Illinois and Iowa. It appears they all load up in a van with a stack of tow bars and go to auto auctions, buy a bunch of cars and tow home. Looks scary!

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Another interesting phenomina of late is that every friday when I travel to my hunting land, there is a convoy of what seems to be Hispanics flat towing Nissans and Toyotas with other Nissans and Toyotas. They have them stacked to the gills with parts. Once I saw they had a U-haul with 2 trucks in it. One was hanging out the back. I have seen this every time I have traveled that stretch of I-59 south of Birmingham. Has anyone else seen this phenomenon? What gives?

I see this all the time on the interstates around Illinois and Indiana. Lots of Ford Rangers too. All going southwest.