I got a question about towing my B2. I did go to the towing forum but all I saw there was talk about the f-150 on up.

I was planning on putting my B2 on a car hauler and drag it to Colorado. But if I can't get that I was gonna get a tow dolly. I should be alright doing this as long as I unhook the rear driveshaft(on my B2) before I start the tow...right?
I just want to be sure just in case I have to go with the tow dolly. My B2 has almost 194K on her and I seriously don't think she could make the trip on her own and I don't want to chance it.
I appreciate any info you all have.

 

If it's an automatic, then pull the rear driveline. If it's a 5-speed, as long as the transmission and t-case are in neutral, it'll be fine as long as you don't drive too fast. I flat towed mine (with no driveshafts removed) from Seattle-area, WA to here with a tow bar and it didn't hurt anything. The only thing it did was add around 3,000 miles to the odometer that weren't under it's own power... which is where about 40-50% of the mileage (from what I understand from the 2nd owner, and I'm the 3rd) on it came from (it's got close to 160K on the clock now), as the original owner towed it behind an RV without removing the rear driveshaft. If you can, I would opt for the car transport trailer vice the dolly. They're a little more stable. Otherwise, get a tow bar from U-haul and install it and wire up a harness for the tail lights to connect to your towing vehicle. You can even load up your BII with stuff so it's not affected by crosswinds as much. Just my $0.02

 

yep..unhook the rear driveshaft and you'll be good to go.

 

Thanks for the info! I do hope to get the trailer instead of the dolly. I hadnt thought of the tow bar route but glad you brought it to my attention, K-P. The only problem I have been having is trying to find a trailer to rent. I get back to NC in 30 days (in Korea at the moment) and all my internet surfing isn't getting me any results. U-haul says I need to rent one of their trucks and trailer. I know I don't have to but just saying that I will have to wait till I get back to get things straight.
Thanks again K-P and Help.

 

No problem! I was going to ask what vehicle you plan on using to tow your BII across country with. I hadn't thought about that. I towed mine with my Tacoma, and it was right around the max towing weight (5000 lbs for my 'yota) loaded. You'll want to be using something with at least a 7500 lb towing capacity if you use a car transport, since most of 'em are 2000 lbs unloaded. The dollys aren't very heavy at all, so it wouldn't be as much of an issue. If you're moving your own furniture and whatnot, I would go with either getting both truck and trailer... if the Army's moving your stuff for you, then worst case scenario if you don't have a big enough tow vehicle for a transport... you could probably rent a 1/2 or 3/4 ton pickup truck. Still always an option for the tow bar -- but you'll still want something that can tow 5000 lbs to be on the safe side. Hope this helps even more.

 

you should be able to rent a tow dolly from U-Haul without a truck. I've done that in the past. They wont rent a trailer without renting a truck.

 

DIDO (weight and towing spec issues) I pulled a '70 F100 from UT to FL with a dolly and had no problems just had the manual trans in neutral.

Why are you taking the BII to Colorado? Are you relocating there or just going to play.

 

I believe he is relocating from Japan back stateside, arriving via wherever to NC and then moving. On another note, I don't recall any issues renting a transport without renting one of their trucks personally, and I know one of my 4wheel club members rented a transport for his Jeep to go to Camp Jeep or some such... can't remember which event it was *shrug*.

As far as his rig not making the trip on it's own power, I'd have to say is if everything was checked out and whatever issues addressed prior to leaving NC and a good eye was kept on everything during the trip, shouldn't be a problem... friend of mine drove a '74 GMC/Chevy (I forget which it was) 1/2-ton with a 250 or 292 CID I-6 from east Texas to Jacksonville, FL and back... back in '86 or '87... and that thing was a beater. The good thing about that truck was it was a 3 on the tree and the engine was still very healthy as well as my helping him do a once-over on everything and making sure all the fluids were good to go, oil change, tune-up, etc. Point being is you'd be surprised how well an older rig will do on long trips.

 

A long time ago I spent a good deal of time at FT Bragg myself. Other than my backs hurts all the time from a jump gone bad, I miss all those night jumps even if it was light out......It you pull your bronco on the tow dolly with a big full sized pickup (not an suv) you won't even know that it is back there. I pulled my 82 4x4 toyota pickup from Fayetnamn to Spokane, WA and all was fine. Then, a while later, I hooked her up to my my 78 f250 4x4 with a camper on it and pulled it to Anchorage, Alaska. No problems along the way. A few times I did pull over to see if it was still there; couldn't see it behind the camper. I did pull the rear shaft both times. It is so easy to pull it I just can't justify not doing it. Either way will work out just fine if you pull it with the right vehicle.

T.R.

 

The trailer is better if you ever have to back up or have to brake the trailer (sway) without braking the truck. If you have a manual transmission and manual transfer case I would leave both in N. If you decide to remove your driveshaft, index it, and make sure to lock-tite the bolts afterwards and check them again after 50 miles of driving.

I agree with KP, load it to the roof as long as your rear springs do not sag.

I used mine to move 1200+ miles, loaded to the roof, and the only thing that failed was the TFI. I suspect because of the long high temps for three days in a row. Or it could have failed just because they do.

re:tow doly

Between loading the pickup bed and BII, you should be able to carry a decent amount of stuff. I suggest chaining and locking the BII to the tow truck in case you are driving alone and have to sleep inside a hotel. It will help prevent them from stealing the tow dolly.

 

very good point about a transport company Kernel In the long run a transport company will probably be way cheaper then going thru the headache of trying to find a trailer/dolly, what to tow it with. When our 4x4 club used to frequent Tellico once a year we we contacted a transport company on pricing to get them down there. It actaully cost less to have them transported then to tow/trailer. I know I shipped a H1 Hummer to Naples, Fl from Baltimore, Md last year and it cost me $800..way cheaper then me putting it on my trailer and towing it there.

 

Help (Jeff),

Speaking of, I never asked -which- club you were affiliated with up there, did I? I'm curious if our clubs have ever crossed paths in the past, since as of this month I'll finally be an official member and have only been out here less than a year and haven't made any of the big trips yet.

Dave G

 

Just to bring you all up to date. I was planning to use my 2000 Jeep Cherokee with 5.2 v8 in her. She has a 6500 pound towing capacity so I thought I would be good either way, trailer or dolly or tow bar. The Army won't move my B2 because I am transferring within the U.S. If I was going to Europe or elsewhere then the Army would ship it for me. Anywho....will be makin the tow in April time frame...please keep the info comin! Thanks for all the help!

 

You should have no issues any way you go about it. I'm not sure of the capacity limitations of the dolly, though. I've only seen small to mid-size cars towed with those. I would look into that, if I were you. You may have to spend some more $$$ if you go a different route as far as which company you rent from (i.e., Budget, Hertz/Penske, etc.), but I think nearly all moving equipment rental companies carry transports and dollys. You might even find a used trailer that is in decent shape for a decent price to buy... and then you can probably re-sell it if you don't wish to keep it. Just some other ideas / thoughts that came to mind

 

I used to tow my Toy on the dolly all the time to the Uwharries to go four wheeling with my 89 ford bronco (full size) and it was fine. I never had a problem of any kind. Are you PCSing to FT Carson? It is really nice up that way.