Posted on 10/20/2020 9:33:20 PM PDT by BenLurkin
“...same answer to my question that U-Haul gave: disengage the drive shaft.”
Towing a vehicle by one end, you don’t want the tires on the other end causing anything to turn that isn’t self-lubricating.
So, a typical old rear-wheel drive car with a standard transmission, you’d sick it in Nuetral and tow it by the front end. Having the rear wheels on the pavement only turns the rear axle, differential gears (self-lubricating), and the output shaft of the gearbox, also self-lubricating.
Same model with an automatic in it...you’d lock the steering straight, and tow it with the rear wheels off the ground. Towing it by the front end — even if you shift it into Neutral, first — leaves the rear wheels turning the axle, differential, drive shaft, and portions of the transmission that AREN’T self-lubricating. That’ll ruin an automatic transmission.
Thanks! How do I tow a 4 WD and how do I know if its Front or rear drive when in 2 WD mode?
‘Cause it’s a ‘92 Tracker, 4WD.
That varies by make and model, because there’s such a variety of driveline configurations.
Tell you what might be easiest is drive it up on a flatbed trailer, and tow it with ALL 4 wheels off the ground. Then there’s no question, and no fuss. I’ve got ‘em from U-Haul, before, and they’re actually easier to use than a 2-wheel tow dolly.
Standard or automatic?
Standard.
The cost of a car hauler went from $334 to $703 literally overnight. The cost of the truck went up by $300. My choice was the hauler, but I couldn’t (can’t) afford the price increase.
The BB SUV will never make that trip (1600+ miles) on it’s own, so I have to have it towed.
Seems the RV set loves Trackers as a “toad” vehicle, and typically tows them with all four wheels down.
Transfer case in Neutral (unlocks front hubs). Transmission in Neutral. Take a break every 200 miles to start it and circulate lubrication.
Second entry on this forum lays it out:
https://community.fmca.com/topic/395-towing-a-1992-geo-tracker/
Thanks!
I copied it to print out and went to email it to my Favorite Son, and the laptop died. It’s doing that more often these days, and I have no idea how to stop it. I’ve only had this about 10 months (refurbished) and I really thought I’d get more miles out of it than this.
The information is absolutely crucial, and I think you so much for taking the time to help me! You’re awesome!
Other details:
Towing “four down” you’d use a bumper hitch, and leave the key in so you can unlock the steering.
You could use a dolly, but you’d have to tow it backwards, lash the steering straight (key in, steering unlocked, wheel tied in position), and have your 4WD selector in Neutral to unlock the front hubs.
From what I read, that’s the “official, factory-recommend” method.
My Favorite Son transports his VW to car shows with a tow bar, but he’s flying out, so I don’t think he can bring it! I started out with a 15’ truck and a car hauler and now I’m down to 10’ with a tow dolly. I need to lose a lot of stuff because I just can’t afford the bigger combination.
I want as little fuss as possible from here to there, needless to say.
But you can’t imagine how grateful I am for your help!
OK. It’ll look “wrong” on the dolly because these days most cars are front wheel drive and so they get towed on a dolly going forwards. Your Tracker is going to be on the dolly backwards.
One reason is so you can throw the transmission in 2nd gear and set the parking brake and that will augment the straps that anchor the wheels to the dolly, keeping your vehicle secured to it.
The other reason is so you can put your transfer case in Neutral (2WD) to unlock your whole front driveline, and let it free wheel.
The technicality in all this is making sure your steering stays straight the whole way down the road. You don’t want to use the column lock to do that, because that can mess up your column lock. So you put the key in the ignition, turn it to the first position where the steering wheel is unlocked, and then tie the steering wheel in position to keep the wheels straight.
Tom says he hopes the book will help him conceptualize Asian cooking. Whatever, I said. It has pretty pictures of Japan and cooking.
Cheated Death Again: Your Local Game Store
We went by Rocio’s house - That’s one of my Ecuadorian ladies; her name means “Misty.” - and left her Christmas present with her husband. Then, after a certain amount of, “Where are we? Oh, it’s that street!” we got to Your Local Game Store, where I sat in the car in the sunshine while Pat and Vlad bought some nerd things.
O hai. Happy New Year and Happy Monday!
Actually, HK, I don’t care HOW it looks as long as I don’t break it on the way to AR. It has to live as long as I do! ;o]
So I copied and printed that and kept it with the info on the website you so kindly found for me. (Because I don’t know to search for stuff like that.)
Whatever the reason, if he cooks for you, and its tasty, and he likes doing it, I’d say it’s a win-win situation!
Congratulations on Cheating Death again.
Sitting in the car in the sunshine is what I do when I have to wait for something to open in the winter. Otherwise, I’m cold from when I walk out the door to when I come back in.
Admiral Fitz has lots of large, floofy crystals that are beginning to fill half the cylinder. Very pretty!
i highly recommend checking uhaul’s (or whatever truck rental agency you’re using) tow dolly guide for proper procedures on towing your vehicle...
you never want to tow a vehicle backwards on a tow dolly due to improper weight distribution...
And a “Happy New Year” right back to ya!
In the back of my head I keep thinking of an old Peanuts strip where Lucy complains about being it being a used year; hoping I won’t be feeling that same way along about May.
The year has gone tolerably so far. The byos and I did a little yardwork this morning. It was approved by the cats.
2000
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