Flat towing a Grand Wag with a Grand Wag?

[Frank]

I'm entering "negotiations" with my wife on buying another Grand Wagoneer. It's a '91 non-runner, and would need to be towed ~160 miles home. U ship pegs it at around $550 to ship it home and I'm thinking that might be the easiest way out. The cheapest method would be for me to drag its sorry butt home; I was thinking of a towbar. After reading many of the posts here, it seems doable and I'm known for being a cautious, slower driver. I may give it a shot.

Sluggo has the factory tranny cooler and a factory trailer hitch. Inspection is brand-new current; brand new tires and brakes are in great shape. 98% of the driving would be freeway/Interstate quality.

One question I do have is this: Most everyone says to bolt the towbar to the frame or bumper brackets (bumper removed), to remove both driveshafts, and to not tie the steering wheel. When outfitted so, what's to keep the front wheels from veering all over or to not track where the tow vehicle is going? Am I missing something here?

Yes, I've never flat-towed before.

Any and all responses would be most appreciated.



Frank

[joe]

DO NOT lock the steering column or tie the steering wheel down. You want the wag to track(follow) behind the tow rig. If you lock the steering it'll want to go straight when you turn. If the towed wag is wallowing all over the road you need to fix it before you flat tow it or trailer it.

[Frank]

So, even with the towed vehicle being non-running, it should track with the towing vehicle?

[Bill J]

I would factor in the cost of the tow bar, the fuel costs for the round trip, and your time, and it may be worth it to pay the shipper. You may need to have some type of registration/insurance on the towed vehicle. That could be an expensive ticket. Don't forget about lights ($10-$20 at harbor freight for magnetics) Do you have friend with a car or equipment trailer you could borrow? You may even be able to rent an equipment trailer. If it is unregistered/uninsured, I would look to trailer it.

[Tornado230]

The "towed vehicle" will track behind the tow vehicle, and for the most part will not cause any problems.
The fun will arise if you have to do an evasive maneuver or stop quickly.
At that time you will be asking yourself why you are doing this and did not rent a trailer to do the move.
A 5,000 pound vehicle pushing a 5,000 pound vehicle can bring some anxious moments. Can you stop this combination? It can be done, but not in the normal distance required just to stop the car. Figure two to three times the distance. A wet surface also makes it more interesting.
A friend of mine saw death while using a tow bar. It hastened his decision to buy a trailer.
My tow bar is hanging on the garage wall collecting dust.
Consider your options carefully.

[jpcoutts]

Look into using a local rental of a Uhaul car trailer or for that matter pick up the trailer there and return near where you live if it's cheaper. They have brakes and lights.

[shosandjeep]

I've towed both ways -- tow bar and uhaul autotransport. Tow bars are not for the faint hearted, unless the tug is heaver than the tow. I towed my J20 on a bar behind a diesel F250, and it OK, but I wouldn't tow a Wag with a Wag. Loaded carhauler may end up too heavy also. Looks like shipping might be your best option.

[Bob Barry]

I towed a non-running GW home on a rented trailer behind an old FSJ Cherokee with a bumper-hitch. I gather it was better than flat-towing it, but there were certainly a few moments of tail-wagging (no electric brakes) that more closely bonded me to the seat.

Take it slow, and be careful, or pay the tab for the safety, security and simplicity of somebody-else towing it for you.

Your call.

[austinaubinoe]

Just did a quick search on uhaul. A truck and full trailer (have to rent a 14 footer) is about $260 for up to 220 miles. Id figure atleast $100 for gas. So id say pay to have it shipped rather than do it yourself.

No one you know has a truck? Full trailer is only like $90.

[Carnuck]

If the ground is wet, it's a scary ride! 55mph is the legal limit in most states while towbarring as well. Tow dolly rental is safer, but they don't like to rent to FSJ owners. I've towbarred for years and had some REALLY scary rides. Once a brake line sheared on the '73 J4000 tow rig as I was pulling up to a suddenly stopped lane of traffic. A truck lost chunks of steel and one ripped my line off.
I managed to cruise between the traffic and a concrete barrier without tearing anything off.

Somehow I got distracted and didn't finish (flu/fever brain is no fun) When I towed the '84 J10 up to Canada for my son (just the shell) on a Uhaul tandem axle trailer, it played crack the whip as soon as I hit 45 mph. This was towing it behind my '82 Chev C20 with 454/TH400 that was built for hauling fifth wheel (8,000 lbs empty over Stevens Pass at 55 mph)

[mdcptman]

I towed my 88 GW from Dallas to New Orleans behind a 97 Astro van using a tow bar. I didn't want to spend $600 to have it hauled. After Gas, cost of tow bar, cost of concrete blocks in the back of the van to give the rear end some weight etc, it cost me about $400. It worked out ok because I was very careful, and because I was very lucky that neither car blew a tire, or had a mechanical failure, and the GW was in good alignment and followed well. But it could have gone so bad in so many ways. You don't have as far to go, so its not so bad, just be very careful. Mine would start to sway over 65, and u need to start breaking WAY sooner than normal. There were some VERY tense moments. It must be true that God watches out for madmen and fools, because i was both. I didn't remove driveshafts, I just put the tcase in neutral. It worked great. As for insurance, with State Farm if its attached to ur vehicle, its covered just like your vehicle.

[Frank]

Just did a quick search on uhaul. A truck and full trailer (have to rent a 14 footer) is about $260 for up to 220 miles. Id figure atleast $100 for gas. So id say pay to have it shipped rather than do it yourself.

No one you know has a truck? Full trailer is only like $90.

Now, this is an option I hadn't considered. Alas, I truly don't know anyone with a truck. Uship seems to be trending in my mind. Now, to convince the wife. Any suggest.... That's a whole 'nuther thread...



Frank

[61Hawk]

Look into using a local rental of a Uhaul car trailer or for that matter pick up the trailer there and return near where you live if it's cheaper. They have brakes and lights.

As strict as U-Haul is with their trailers, I doubt he'd be allowed to tow this with anything short of one of their trucks.

[mdcptman]

As strict as U-Haul is with their trailers, I doubt he'd be allowed to tow this with anything short of one of their trucks.

They will not rent it to you unless you have the right weight/size differential of tow vehicle vs vehicle being towed. If you lie and say you are pulling a Yugo or something, then the insursnce won't pay if there is an accident.

[Frank]

There will be no lying (who do you think I am, the Pres-) No, I'll not go there...

If it takes an 18' straight body to tow one of there trailers, of course I would do that. But, since I've never done this before, there's a high probability it will never happen to begin with and I will walk away from even considering it. U-ship is a clear winner here.

Now, to sharpen my pencil and see what it would cost me. That is - of course - if the wife sign's-off on this 'project' of mine. With two kids in college and twin seniors in high school, well, you can see how sharp a pencil would need to be.


Frank