automatic on tow dolly?
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automatic on tow dolly?
will it hurt to pull a rear wheel drive car on a tow dolly by putting front tires on dolly and shifting transmission to neutral? want to pull my mustang back and forth to drag strip but the rear tires are 2 wide to fit on the dolly. as long as the transmission is in neutral then the transmission should be fine right?
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From: Burnsville, MN
Someone else will chime in, but I really don't think so. Apparently its a question of whether the transmission will run dry due to lack of fluid being pumped internally, so it depends upon the specific make and model of a vehicle. I think the general way around it though is to remove the drive shaft.
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wheres a good place to buy a cheap light car hauler trailer? i dont want a heavy trailer due to the truck i pull with is just a f-150. prefer a dolly cause no weight of the trailer. drag car weighs 3200lb.
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Cargo Master
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From: Northern California
you CAN tow an auto but only short distances and under 30 MPH. Some new cars can be towed but very few of them. I towed an auto like that and didn't exceed 20~25mph and it was just 3 miles.
You can remove the drive line or for 700/800 get dollies for the rear (used on tow trucks), but for the price, I'd look for a small trailer.
You can remove the drive line or for 700/800 get dollies for the rear (used on tow trucks), but for the price, I'd look for a small trailer.
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From: Burnsville, MN
Michael - Regarding how you see RV's towing small cars, there's quite a bit to that that doesn't initially meet the eye. If you check on RV forums, I think its called "flat" towing, where there's no dolly, and the vehicle is towed with all fours flat on the ground.
The main thing is, that for an automatic transmission there are relatively few cars that can be towed this way, and you will actually see car advertisement that talk about a vehicle's flat towing capability. The literature references are there, most people just read over them. For instance, in the brochure for my new Escape, there's the following info: "Planning a motorhome vacation? Bring Escape along. Escape XLS with the manual transmission can be flat-towed behind another vehicle."
Of course, what that is also saying by implication, is that you better not do it with the automatic!
Mechanically I think the different in an automatic is whether there's a second fluid pump at the rear, powered by the drive shaft. If not, the transmission runs dry.
The main thing is, that for an automatic transmission there are relatively few cars that can be towed this way, and you will actually see car advertisement that talk about a vehicle's flat towing capability. The literature references are there, most people just read over them. For instance, in the brochure for my new Escape, there's the following info: "Planning a motorhome vacation? Bring Escape along. Escape XLS with the manual transmission can be flat-towed behind another vehicle."
Of course, what that is also saying by implication, is that you better not do it with the automatic!
Mechanically I think the different in an automatic is whether there's a second fluid pump at the rear, powered by the drive shaft. If not, the transmission runs dry.
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From: Burnsville, MN
Actually, as Karljay suggests, just check your owners manual. There's alway a section on being towed, and they usually say something impractical like keeping speeds way down and only towing for short distances - i.e., only tow in emergencies.
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From: Dixie
For the RVers flat towing vehicles there are kits available to install a driveline disconnect or to install an separate electric pump to keep the auto transmission fluid flowing.
In the case of the drag car, how about a couple of smaller tires to put on the rear so that it will fit on the dolly. I've also seen dummy hubs that contained their own bearings and bolted to the rear hubs so that the car can be towed without turning the driveline. They can be made using a set of front hubs and spindles from a junkyard.
Towing the car on a trailer shouldn't be a problem with the F150, stopping is the problem. If you get a trailer make sure that it has at least one brake axle.
Dorf
In the case of the drag car, how about a couple of smaller tires to put on the rear so that it will fit on the dolly. I've also seen dummy hubs that contained their own bearings and bolted to the rear hubs so that the car can be towed without turning the driveline. They can be made using a set of front hubs and spindles from a junkyard.
Towing the car on a trailer shouldn't be a problem with the F150, stopping is the problem. If you get a trailer make sure that it has at least one brake axle.
Dorf
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From: Dixie
Most probably. The problem is that the pump is located in the front cover and if the engine isn't running then the transmission is not getting any lubrication. This is bad and can destroy the transmission if the drive shaft is turning it without the pump turning.
One trick is to leave the engine idling. Don't know if that's a viable solution or not in your case but I've done that before.
Dorf
One trick is to leave the engine idling. Don't know if that's a viable solution or not in your case but I've done that before.
Dorf
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No you can't tow with the drive wheels on the ground unless you disconnect the drive shaft. Get a trailer, your F150 will handle it just fine. Brakes on the trailer make it safer and easier to handle esp. for someone with NO experience.
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what price range am i looking at for a cheap car hauler trailer? want to know what some cheap prices are before i go looking to buy one. What is average price on one? dual axle like to have one to haul any standard car/truck while im buying one.