Why couldn't I towbar my fish to cruises or drags?

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Kevin Jonker

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I can't afford a trailer or have a vehicle to tow it with, or place to park it. It has been a method of towing for years and still is. I see them quite often on I10. I have a 03 Lexus GX470 ( no I am not rich, wifes all around real estate/ personal car, plus i like having 4 wheel drive when you need it :). It will tow up to 5500 pd's. I could tow to grand cruise in San Diego, Big route 66 cruise in San Bernardino, the drags at Fontana/Irwindale, possibly Bakersfield. Car has 4:56 gears, 4 speed. Works great for 1/4 mile. Don't have funds for two pumpkins. We are talking avg. of 75 miles or less one way. Thoughts?
 
Ever broke an axel. Towing to cruises probably ok but to the track all depends on what you brake.
 
With today's highway speeds and traffic, I cannot think of a more dangerous way to tow, uh yes I can --with a rope or a chain.

No possible way to put brakes on the towed load

No way to back up

If some bump/ chuckhole/ debri in the road should grab one front tire, it just might "guide" the whole assembly right off into a ditch or worse.

A towbar situation is EXTREMELY non-manuverable. My trailer, when properly loaded can STILL be "jacked around" if necessary to help avoid something sudden like a deer. While I don't recommend this type of thing, the trailer is a factor of 10 more agile than a towbar rig.

I was once involved going down what turned out to be a "road of no return." This was a VERY poor excuse for a road into a strip, and it had been raining, but had stopped. Down over a little short hill we went, and the road turned into PURE CLAY. The wheels of the 64 went sideways and started to push the tow car. Because of the road I was not able to speed up, to straighten "the train." The towed car went sideways and the downhill weight of it jacknifed the two and damaged the front fender of the 64 and the rear of the 70. Damage was fairly minor, but a trailer (with brakes) would have prevented the situation

The point above an towing back a broken race car is a good one. Not just broken rear axles, what happens (if you can) a wheelie landing breaks part of the front suspension, or worse you get into the rail and tear up the steering?

I say, if you cannot afford a trailer, you cannot afford to tow.
 
I dont know why if you towed your fish to the track and broke a axle in the fish why you couldnt tow it back home with a broken axle. Whatever you broke you could still tow it home. I towed my dart for years till i got lucky and got a trailer. One of those trailers you put your front wheels on would work great i think. Never used one.
 
To be honest the car won't wheelie! I could get it trailered home if worse case senario. It's seems like if towbaring were such a dangerous way, then our glorious gov. or ralph nader would have had it outlawed by now. Alot of racers did this for years. Did the majority have accidents? Again it is pretty common to see towbars in use on Interstate 10 and they don't appear to be towing local either.
 
In the arly 90's I pulled my brothers 66 Coronet circle track car to the race track (30 miles one way) down the interstate at 60 mph with a 49 Dodge Pickup with a tow dolly, a couple problems we had were the car was an automatic so we tried to tow with the front wheels on the ground and with out a steering lock the wheels would turn themselves, we tied the steering wheel to the roll cage and still there was enough play that it would start fishtailing at any speed over 40(took the old highway that night), after that we just ran the front wheels on the dolly, tranny lasted the whole season. One night we had a wheel strap come lose and the whole works started fishtailing violently.
 
Please set up a video camera in the car you are towing, have always wanted to see what a wreck looks like from a car while it is happening on a camera. I tow with a diesel pickup, a load equalizer hitch and trailer brakes. When I go to AZ from here there are several mountain passes. Even with the above mentioned stuff going downhill is, um, entertaining to say the least. Cant imagine towing a 3200 or so pound load with no brakes. I use my small trailer with no brakes to go get pellets for our stove and that is bad enough......Not only are you risking hurting yourself and your car, but potentially me and mine also. Sure, they did it years ago. Back when the world was a different place, and life moved a bit slower. We also used to drive on bias tires with no seat belts.....
 
Why tow? How far away is the track away from you and is the car liscensed?

I used to put my slicks in the back seat, my jack and jack stands in the trunk, drive to the track, and put my slicks on in the pits. I always enjoyed driving a 7 sec 1/8 mile car to the track so I could laugh at the 8 and 9 second Ford and Chevy cars that were trailered there. No offense intended to any of you with 8 + second MOPARs.
 
When I was in the Navy, I towed my 383-s fastback with a tow-bar several times between duty stations, probably over 1000 miles with my Power Wagen. I barely knew it was back there.
Rod
 
Go ahead and tow it.
The first shot is from 2007 of my friend half way between AZ and Minn with a Duster towing a Dart Sport.
 

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Its not great, but I say if its your only/best way to go play... Go for it. I did a bunch of track towing with a car dolly, thats just the way it is sometimes. My recommendation, PULL THE DRIVESHAFT. (get a cap or a old driveshaft yoke to stick in while you travel) It will prevent unnecessary wear/tear (and maybe lock-up) of your trans and stuff.

I have seen fancy tow rigs in the ditch too, even a few racecars. Don't drive like a tool, you will be good.

JOE
 
This second shot is of my tow of a 72 Sat Sebring just after I got to Minn from AZ.
I find towing this way is more stable than a tow dolly and easier to back up if necessary.
 

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I appreciate all the input and realize that stuff can happen. I see an awful lot of people doing it and if I keep the speed reasonable (It's 55 mph here in glorious Kalifornia for towing anyway) I should be alright. With 4:56 gears to drive 75 miles one way is a little tough, not impossible but I am not 22 yrs old anymore (53).
 
Drag it to the drags but,
tow or trailer to a cruise-in ?
That just aint right in my opinion.
 
I don't know if it is true with yours or not but I had to have my 68 Charger towed (yrs ago when I didnt know better) with the car in neutral and the rear tires turning w/ automatic transmission. Everytime it got towed like this I had a blown transmission gasket with a large puddle of fluid on my driveway. The pump still works I guess but the fluid has nowhere to go. Yours might might be a 4 speed however.
 
Plan ahead, when your going to the strip rent a u haul car trailer for the day and trailer it that way. Just a thought.
 
By the way, you need to pull the driveshaft for a 4-speed. With the tranny in neutral, the big cluster gear doesn't spin (which is in oil) and eventually the tranny will fail. I found out the hard way.
Rod
 
Pull driveshaft got it. Bummer for towing to cruise , no problem for drags. The reason for towing to cruises is it's about a 3 hr drive to San Diego at 55 to 60 mph (4:56 gears, short tire). It's at least 1 1/2 hrs practically anywhere to any cruises.
 
I towed a 68 Coronet Wagon 453.4567tenths 0f a mile from KY with a tow bar behind a 2004 jeep Grand cherokee!!!
My ***%$^& has not been the same since!!! I THOUGHT I WAS GUNNA DIE!! A THOUSAND TIMES
That Coronet WAGON would get to swaying and with the short wheel base of the jeep-(never mind the rain) WOW!! Made for an exciting white knuckle trip!!(but i made it and didnt kill anybody)
I dont ever want to relive that so its only a trailer for me
 
i say a good trailer can be bought for $1500 or RENT at Uhaul i just dont trust dolly or tow bar idea if the load is almost as big and the tow rig
 
doug and allen dutra pull his toad SL6 behind his toad wagon SL6 every race... did it to vegas from SF bay...
 
My 68 Coronet wagon has a 383 with 59,000 miles.. In great shape and was in a garage from the early 80,s . Kind of an ugly green? I plan on making it my tow vehicle for shorter trips to the race track??? Air shocks in the back and drop the gear down to a 3.55?? The car is huge!!!
 
I flat towed my 4:56 equiped 69 Roadrunner 4 speed in the 70's to and from the track. I had a set of freewheeling hubs that I bolted on and off. I didn't have to pull the driveshaft and it saved wear and tear on the rear diff.
That 4:56 gear will wear fast with it riding on the coast side flat towing it.
 
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