I have a 78 F150/460 I want to take off-roading. The trails I want to go on are 120 miles from here, and I don't want to drive the truck there (since they don't have gas stations every 5 miles).

I have a tow dollie I can use, but I've heard they're not good for the vehicle. Is it OK to tow that far if I remove the rear drive shaft? Any other options besides getting a trailer?

Thanks!

Kevin K.

 

You may have to put a stock set of rims and tires on the front to be able to get it loaded. You should be able to put the transfer case in neutral to tow the truck, or if you have a four speed simply put that in neutral. You shouldn't have any problems.

Trail Rider

 

The tires are 33x12.5 and I think they might fit. As for the T-case, doesn't most of it still turn when it's in neutral? I've never taken one apart so I don't know what disconnects where.

Thanks!

Kevin K.

 

>The tires are 33x12.5 and I think they might fit. As for
>the T-case, doesn't most of it still turn when it's in
>neutral? I've never taken one apart so I don't know what
>disconnects where.
>
>Thanks!
>
>Kevin K.


The only thing that will turn is the axles, ring & pinion, and driveshat. The rear end is disconnected mechanically from the transmission inside the T case as long as the T case is in neutral.

Trail Rider

 

Someone else had suggested that I unlock the front hubs and tow it backwards so that only the wheels turn and not the dif. Is there any reason not to do it that way?

Thanks!

Kevin K.

 

>Someone else had suggested that I unlock the front hubs and
>tow it backwards so that only the wheels turn and not the
>dif. Is there any reason not to do it that way?
>
>Thanks!
>
>Kevin K.

It probably would depend where you wanted the weight. If you tow it backwards, your weight will be over your front axles and springs. Towing it frontwards will tranfer a little of the weight towards the back of the truck. There would be a big difference in tounge weight on the towing vehicle too. I hope your tow dolly has some surge brakes as it sounds like the towed vehicle might weigh up around 4000 lbs. Depending on if you have a slip yoke in the transfer case, removing the driveshaft might be as simple as a couple bolts. But towing in transfer case neutral would be second best.
Tony

 

i had 33 12.50 on my truck when i bought it and it would n ot fit on the tow dollie. we had to swap the tires off the rear of the towing truack and swap them with the fronts on my truck. i beleive most tow dollies can only handle a tire up to 31x10.50 on them.
'75 F-100 4x4, 4" lift
16x38.5x15 super swamper TSL
mini-spooled 9" rear end
390 w/ cam,headers,
and 4 barrell edelbrock

TRIED TRUE and FORD BLUE

 

Can someone answer a few of my questions Tow dollies? Do I need to upgrade to 3/4 ton or HD rear leaf springs for towing with a fullsize Bronco 4x4? Would I need a "removable" set of rear braking lights for the vehicle being towed?

 

I don't think you'd have a problem. I can't be sure, but if the tongue weight of the dolly were more than 200 lbs, I'd be surprised. The bigger concern is having a powerful enough engine/trans to make it go, and good rbakes to stop her. Check the CGVWR of the Bronco.

As for the lights, the law is different in each state. I'd check with the State Patrol. I'm either gonna get a light set for mine or make a plug to connect the towed truck lights to my trailer outlet.

 

The dollies I've rented in the past (Calif.) had the brakelights mounted on the fenders of the dollie.

>Can someone answer a few of my questions Tow dollies? Do I
>need to upgrade to 3/4 ton or HD rear leaf springs for
>towing with a fullsize Bronco 4x4? Would I need a
>"removable" set of rear braking lights for the vehicle being
>towed?

 

 

I really prefer this Demco Tow-It 2 tow dolly!! It has lots of different safety features, so you should try it. First and foremost, it has its own taillights, so I haven’t had any accidents on the road so far. It has its own brakes and don’t easily bend or give in. I really have nothing to comment on in terms of the design. The fenders are truly magnificent! They are rust-proof, so I don’t need to worry about natural elements such as water slowly ruining them over time.

 

I would really suggest a car hauler or flatbed.

My concern would be the weight of the vehicle being towed maybe too much for a dolly.

 

Recommendations by best to least;
1. Rollback truck
2. Flat Bed Trailer behind a truck
3. Tow Dolly, when I towed my Bronco from Salt Lake to home on the Washington coast this is how I did mine. I had stock tires and wheels and I pulled the drive shaft. 4 bolts at the rear axle and just pull it out. I highly recommend this rather than trust the transmission or transfer case to stay in neutral. Someone messing around, you forget to put it in neutral, a big pothole, something slide off the seat and hit the lever. The other issue towing and having the trans in neutral is they can get hot, later manual transmissions the flinger for lubrication was on the input shaft so in neutral no lube meaning new trans. And of course automatics if the engine isn't running then the pump isn't running and again no lubrication.
4. Tow Bar, pretty much the same as a tow dolly.
5. Chain, need a good quality piece of pipe to run the chain through so you don't get rear ended Not recommended for any real distances
6. Rope, only used when pulling someone that's stuck but you must still be extremely careful, they can stretch and then snap if overloaded or damaged and can strike like a whip. They can and have broken limbs (don't ask me how I know.

My opinions and practical knowledge and experience, after over 40 years of driving all over the world I've seen a few things.