towing 4 speed dart with Tow bar

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69340

69340

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I hope this is the right forum for this question. has any body had issues with towing their car behind a motorhome with a tow bar. if you remove the driveshaft do you leak fluid from the back of the a833 trans? any advice?
 
I dont think leaving the shaft in will do any damage. If it was an auto I would probably pull the shaft but not with a manual trans.
 
don't need to remove the drive shaft, the manual gearbox is setup to have fluid around the gears at all times. automatic relies on the engine turning to pump fluid to the gears and bands and such

simple answer is leave the drive shaft, if it was an automatic the rule is 30/30 no more then 30 miles towing distance at 30 MPH; but on auto I always pull it
 
The FACT is that you must refer to the destructions for the particular car

On older vehicles with a "stick" whether 3, 4 5 or 21 speed, the cavity inside the input shaft where the mainshaft meets in roller bearings DOES NOT get lubricated very well

The only thing turning in neutral is the mainshaft and the syncro assemblies. The input, the cluster, and the 1, 2, 3 gears are stationary

According to the 72 shop manual:

This does not specify stick or auto
 

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I used a tow bar in the 70's to pull my 4 speed 69 Roadrunner to and from the track. I had free wheeling hubs to keep the differential and trans from spinning. Never pulled over 45 mph though.
 
67Dart273 said:
The FACT is that you must refer to the destructions for the particular car

On older vehicles with a "stick" whether 3, 4 5 or 21 speed, the cavity inside the input shaft where the mainshaft meets in roller bearings DOES NOT get lubricated very well

The only thing turning in neutral is the mainshaft and the syncro assemblies. The input, the cluster, and the 1, 2, 3 gears are stationary

According to the 72 shop manual:

This does not specify stick or auto
Click to expand...

Not to mention the fact that since only the output shaft is turning there is no oil being thrown around, so not only is the input shaft not getting oil when spinning because of no lower shaft (counter shaft) gears throwing the oil around when being towed, the input to output shaft needle bearings will dry up and seize together at hwy speeds.

Trust me, I know this for a fact.
Undo the driveline and get an output shaft housing plug for it to kepp any fluid in, and road dust out.

I'm sure someone will argue that they have done it before and nothing bad happened.
You want to risk your trans on that?
 
I trashed my A833 leaving the driveshaft in. Basically welded a gear to the output shaft because of a lack of oil. After rebuilding the transmission, it became obvious why.



66plyValiant said:
don't need to remove the drive shaft, the manual gearbox is setup to have fluid around the gears at all times. automatic relies on the engine turning to pump fluid to the gears and bands and such

simple answer is leave the drive shaft, if it was an automatic the rule is 30/30 no more then 30 miles towing distance at 30 MPH; but on auto I always pull it
Click to expand...
 
rklein383 said:
I trashed my A833 leaving the driveshaft in. Basically welded a gear to the output shaft because of a lack of oil. After rebuilding the transmission, it became obvious why.
Click to expand...

I had some guys from MIramar in the 70s claimed this happened to them . I never saw the gearbox. This was a mopar 4 speed, they towed from Miramar E, don't remember where to.
 
Find a dolly or trailer.My Dad had a tow bar he used in the early 80's and it always damaged the front bumper some.
 
I removed my front bumper and horns and bolted in a very thick U shaped bracket. I think it is 1/2 inch thick and 4 inches wide. It bolted directly to the frame rails and was very strong. It was way over done, but I knew it wasn't going anywhere. It just slid in between the lower valance and the front nose piece. The tow bar then bolted to the bracket. Worked great.

68383GTS said:
Find a dolly or trailer.My Dad had a tow bar he used in the early 80's and it always damaged the front bumper some.
Click to expand...
 
rklein383 said:
I trashed my A833 leaving the driveshaft in. Basically welded a gear to the output shaft because of a lack of oil. After rebuilding the transmission, it became obvious why.
Click to expand...

And in worse cases it will weld the output shaft to the input shaft at the point where they come together and you find out your engine has been spinning for 300 miles while you were towing it. :banghead:

Seen that one before, and it looks like this when it happens.
Notice the tip of the output shaft is still in the input shaft where the needle bearings used to be?
 

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thanks for all the replies. i think pulling the shaft and capping the trans. sounds right. i have to tow at highway speed about 100 miles to get to the track.
 
69340 said:
thanks for all the replies. i think pulling the shaft and capping the trans. sounds right. i have to tow at highway speed about 100 miles to get to the track.
Click to expand...

If this is going to be a regular thing, I would suggest getting a trailer.
In the '50's I drove to the track
In the '60' used a towbar
in the '70's got a trailer, then a truck to carry the car (and pull the trailer with 2nd car)
In the 80's quit racing
2000 started racing again, using a pickup and trailer.

If you have a vehicle that can tow a trailer, that is the most versatile method.
If you don't have a vehicle that can tow a trailer, it is not a good idea to towbar, as the brakes will be an issue.
 
I was always told that if you flat tow a car you don't want the differential spinning. It rides on the the coast side of the ring and pinion, and it will wear out quickly. Don't know if it's true or not, but it does make sense.
I would never tow a car 200 miles at 70 mph. Buy a trailer and be done with it. Plus you get 4 more sets of brakes on a tandem.
 
ive had tow bars jack knife so to speak a few times, and ill never use a tow bar again. if you can afford to race, you can afford a trailer. plus, if its being raced, im guessing your using some kind of limited slip rear end, and thats an accident waiting to happen with a tow bar. Just my opinion, your mileage may vary
 
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