Flat towing

Its funny how people sneak in pics of there off topic cars taking advantage of the situation.

 

Im not sayen I wouldent do it. Im just sayen its funny.

 

I flat tow my drag car all over SoCal with my 55 buick with no problems...i just simply disconnect my looped style steering arm from my spindle and then strap it up, and thats it off i tow.. It takes me all but 15min at the track to hook everything back together....Just remember to not reverse while in tow. chuck

 

Flat towed the 57 alot yrs ago. I like a 6 ft. bar. Used a light bar on the rear.Fast and easy.

 

on thing made back in the day was a "free wheel" hub that bolted on to the rear axle ends, kinda like a trailer hub. You took off your slicks anyway, so it was a way to not abuse the race car driveline.

 

We're talking about these.

 

I flat tow my roadster about 6 times a year. I just pull the drive shaft out and off I go.
She tows real easy.

 

Well, I flat towed to and from the Roundup with out a problem. 1,300 miles total. Mounting the bar and pulling the drive shaft took less than 15 minutes. Thinking about Bonneville.

 

Hey Bib, let me correct this...you slept most of the way and let ole 32STUPRES do all the driving!!! It did tow effortlessly at 70-75 with no problems...was a great trip...thanks

 

This is all valuable information. It looks like I just struck a deal on a full size truck today. I'm a guy on a budget and I don't own a trailer or have a place to put one, so I'm thinking about a setting up my axled Henry J for flat towing.

After reading this, it sounds like the wheels going to full lock is my biggest potential for trouble. I have a Willys axle under it with 7 degrees caster. The car is very stable a cruises very straight. I also have a steering dampener to prevent steering chatter. I have a TH400 with a bolt in yoke. The slip is in the drive shaft, so I can pull the drive shaft and leave the yoke installed.

I talked to Falfasnightmare about this. He used to flat tow a 55 chevy and didn't seem to have much trouble.

What do you guys think? Am I setting myself up for bad news and what other tips and tricks are there? Does this wear the car any more than just driving it on the street. This car sees a fair amount of street time as is, so I'm not concerned about it handling roads.

This is the car

 

You shouldn't have any problems with the wheels flopping over unless you try to make tight turns. What's your rear gear? If it's really steep it will build heat at highway speeds, which is the reason guys made or bought rear free wheeling hubs.

 

4.11 posi right now, but I plan to put a 4.88 spool in sometime soon. The axles have the long drag studs, so it doesn't look like the freewheel hubs will work.

 

As for tying the steering wheel,I used bungie cords to dampen the steering but a few times while turning at intersections with deep gutters or turning into driveways,the towed car still tried to turn the wrong way!! I used a 36" long tow bar,had 3 degrees caster and used a Van to tow with,a heavier tow vehicle is the only way to go,have seen too many wrecks where the towed vehicle takes control!!!!If you run drag slicks you will need street tires to tow with.My friends that tow extra cars with their motorhomes have spent a small fortune on freewheeling kits,brake actuators and lighting connections,you could buy a nice open trailer for what they spent!JMO,ROY.

 

good to know. I have to look up Illinois towing laws and find out if I need to hook up the lights. I figured I would need to change the rear wheels/tires. I would prefer to have different wheels for the front too, but I could probably get away with the mags. I'd pretty much just be towing it to Byron Dragway and Union Grove. The car lives in Byron, so its not far at all. I'm close enough to Byron Dragway, that I've alway just driven the car to the track... open headers, slicks, and all.

 

Yep - tow this guy all over the place. Muncie tranny, no driveshaft, no disconnect, no problem