need advice on towing with a car dolly...

just wanted to see what everyone thought...
i've heard that when towing a rear wheel drive vehicle using a car dolly, the driveshaft should be unhooked....

i also know of people who have used dollies with the car's transmission in neutral and had no problems...

just wondering, if you were to tow a car using a dolly, what method would you use and why?? neutral or unhook driveshaft??


btw, i already know that the simple answer is a TRAILER if something needs to be hauled, but i was having a discussion earlier, and wanted to see what all you guys and gals had to say.

thanks, chris

 

From what I've been told, if you have an automatic tranny you should unhook the driveshaft because the tailshaft section of the tranny doesn't get any oil when it's in neutral. But if you have a manual trannny you can just put it in neutral and it won't hurt this.

Someone else pls confirm

 

I beleive that old cars with enclosed drive shafts shouldn't be dollied very far, as the main shaft in the trans is turning, so give em a rest every 50 miles.

Most cars (mid 60's) and newer, have 'front' pumps on the auto-trans, and won't be affected at all, but mid 60's and older, ONLY the ones with 'rear pumps' will let the main shaft turn too, and should have the driveshaft removed.


With a dolly, DON"T put yourself in a spot where you have to 'back up', with a car on it, it's damn near impossible to back up more than just a few feet..

 

Look, it's quite simple.
If you're going a long distance, put the BACK wheels on the dolly. leave the front wheels on the ground. Tie the steering really well in the straight ahead position. You can then do a gazillion miles without worry.
If you are not going too far, you can tow with the rear wheels on the ground, but generally the following applies:
Manual cars: Put the gearbox in Neutral. Hold the clutch pedal down with a suitable length of wood propped between the pedal and the steering wheel. This way the trans can turn and lube itself as it goes along.
Automatic cars with rear pump: (older types normally) These can be towed at moderate speeds for a reasonable distance (hmmm. a bit wooly there Mart). Auto with no rear pump: Can be towed at low speed for a short distance. If the engine runs and can be left idling, the distance can be further as the front pump of the tranny will turn with the engine.
But in reality, if going any distance, put the back wheels on the dolly, rope that wheel in the straighht ahead position and check it now and then on the journey.
Mart. (Know-it-all Limey Bastard)

 

If the dolly don't have a fair amount of swivel or pivot built in to it, and you put the car on it backwards, you might loose it going around a corner. I locked the steering with the 'key off on a late model' that i was dollying and the wheel straps pulled right off going around a sharp corner and this dolly had a 'little bit' of built in pivot. Something has to pivot or give when making turns and if the front wheels can turn on the dolly, it will help alot.

Dollys can be pretty safe, if you'r carefull, but don't make too sharp of turns and don't expect to back up very far.

 

It's best to remove the driveshaft and tow with the rear wheels on the ground. I've tried towing with the front wheels on the ground, but the dolly swayed all over the place because there wasn't enought weight on the dolly. If the vehicle has a manual trans, put it in neutral, and it will be ok. If it's auto, remove the driveshaft. Good luck.

JP

 

My opinion. If it doesn't have a steering lock don't do it. Front wheels on for weight on the dolly. Trailers are much better, dollies suck.

I'm in a bad mood, so what...

 

we towed my Bird from Orlando to Dallas like this, driveshaft pulled, bottom of a 20 oz. coke bottle taped over the end of the tailshaft to keep all the juice in the tranny, and the steering wheel rachet tied in place. with the steering wheel loose the car can pivot on the hitch, on the dolly, and with the front wheels, thats way too much movement, and even with the steering wheel tied down you still get pivot in two places so its impossible to backup, you get a double jack-knife going on. Make sure you have good tires on the back, we lost both the back ones before getting out of Orlando. Oh, and we didn't go faster than 65 the entire way back. only passed 2 cars the whole time

 

I'm planning on throwing it on a trailer Kritz...The couple of guys willing to tow for me have scared me with stories of thier dolly expierance! I'll give you a call tonight...I have to take Holly to the doctor (broke her ankle) and then I'm going to make calls for a trailer.

 

Just want to mention, in a lot of States, if any of the car's wheels are on the road the vehicle has to be titled, registered and licensed currently, or you run the risk of having it impounded on the spot...

 

"If it doesn't have a steering lock don't do it."

Totally agree! I tried to tow-dolly my '57 when I first got it. It slipped off on the first turn. What a major pain in the ass. I was lucky I was going so slow.

 

towing with a dolly is an aquired skill...Ive done it a lot and prefer it-but not for a firsttimer to try. also any car that is say 62 or newer there is no need to disconnect driveshaft.
always put the car on dolly frontwards ONLY and dont exceed 60 mp-hour to be safe.