Flat towing chassis with no motor

[drespecki]

Anyone ever flat tow a rolling chassis with no motor weight in lit? I have a 84 CJ7 with just the body on it, no motor or trans... Will it track okay or do I need to trailer or dolly it? I just don't want to waste half a day trying to make it work when someone has tried it and it will not work.... I already have a flat tow setup I can throw on it...just never tried it without the weight of the drivetrain....

[Hackfabricaton]

I'll answer quick then duck before the flamethrowers show up (not even close to hardcore):



That's how I towed my 76 CJ5 without the motor/trans/tcase, when I took it to the shop for the rollcage install.


Drawtite brand towbar bolted to the OEM Jeep bumper.

I pulled it 250 miles each way, no problems at interstate speeds. I did put a couple of bungee cords on the steering wheel to help 'center it', but that probably wasn't necessary.

[72hiboy4x4]

last time I towed a rig with no drivetrain, I couldn't keep the front wheels tracking correct. I imagine it is all in the tow-bar set-up, and the bungie cord trick might have helped...

[drespecki]

It is hardcore when your 360 is pumping out 300 plus horses .... Any and all input on towing this empty beast is greatly appreciated.....thanks.

[gottagofast]

If you had a few more feet of spector braided plastic it MIGHT be

[drespecki]

Oh, that crap is gone....I picked up the motor from a guy that had it sitting in a partially done cj7 but had to sell it. The motor was from his father in laws 1979 that was rotted out but had sunk $2800 into the motor. Has about 5k miles on it with all the receipts.. The hose covers are gay as are all the other gay add-ons.

[RockJeep92504]

Originally Posted by drespecki

It is hardcore when your 360 is pumping out 300 plus horses .... Any and all input on towing this empty beast is greatly appreciated.....thanks.

Wow, only 300hp. My buick v6 odd fire is pumping out 296hp. Had kenny bell build it a few years ago and love driving it.

[DownNDirty]

It should track just fine as long as your axle is set right and the tow bar is installed correctly. It won't corner well off a stop so make sure to get it rolling before you turn the wheels. A couple bungee cords might help but I found that if I just get it moving it would track fine. If I tried to turn without moving the wheel goes to the lock and you have to pull over and manually put them back straight.

[drespecki]

Thanks downndirty, that helps.

[drespecki]

Damn.... a TWIST!!! The steering box has been removed from the chassis..no box, steering column, etc.. Just the rolling chassis with the front rolling wild (still tied together though) Will this work still or do I need a tow dolly/flatbed now?

[gottagofast]

if you want to go over 10-15 mph you do

[Slagburn]

Originally Posted by drespecki

It is hardcore when your 360 is pumping out 300 plus horses .... Any and all input on towing this empty beast is greatly appreciated.....thanks.

Pumping, more like wheezing. A good build should net at least 1 hp per ci, if not much more.

[72hiboy4x4]

I'm still trying to figure how an engine, sitting on a stand, makes a towing question a hardcore Jeep question.

[drespecki]

Well obviously, things led up to it. IT was not the initial question. Did I put 300hp? Hmmm, my 44 year old noggin is putting out typos again... Must be all the years hitting heads when I was a linebacker back at Michigan...Things get so foggy... Hardcore vs. softcore, I take it that those in this section have more EXPERIENCE towing rigs from A to B and know a little more than the newbies.

[nissancrawler]

Just rent a dolly. Or, if you're really motivated, suck the front suspension down and chain it, then build a solid tow bar on it so it acts like a trailer. We used that method to flat tow our atv's behind equipment, don't have to worry about tracking then.

[72hiboy4x4]

Originally Posted by drespecki

Well obviously, things led up to it. IT was not the initial question. Did I put 300hp? Hmmm, my 44 year old noggin is putting out typos again... Must be all the years hitting heads when I was a linebacker back at Michigan...Things get so foggy... Hardcore vs. softcore, I take it that those in this section have more EXPERIENCE towing rigs from A to B and know a little more than the newbies.

So by that logic, the guys that hang in the towing section would
have much more EXPERIENCE than the guys here, right?
Or maybe they do like me and hang out all over pirate4x4, and ask questions in the proper forums?

Just a thought....

[gottagofast]

in other words the fact that I own a 500+ hp bbc does not make my lawn mower question belong in hardcore jeep tech.... but yes you need a dolly or trailer and no you shouldn't have posted this here....This is for things you do to your jeep that are way beyond bolt-on's Towing it is not in any way or form a technical modification. Please oh please just let this go. You really don't have to be just another smartass newb....

[drespecki]

Don't worry, it was just a question.

[Hackfabricaton]

I told ya the flame throwers would show up



No steering box...Get a trailer or a dolly.

[Steve N]

[nightcrawlers]

Originally Posted by Hackfabricaton

No steering box...Get a trailer or a dolly.

whats not having a steering box have to do with anything?

as long as the tie rods are there,it doest matter of the box is there or not. i flat towed an FSJ with no doghouse/engine/trans/steering column/box and it tracked just fine.

plenty of other times when the steering column was locked on some junk parts rig i picked up,and no key existed,i would pop the drag link off at the box and zip tie it to the tie rods and flat tow it that way.

[gottagofast]

well night crawler you have been lucky... ever see the front wheel on a shopping cart go nuts.... what if it was both wheeld and the cart weighed several thousand lbs and was locked to the rear of whatever he was towing with...(superduty crew, yj, civic who knows)It could work but we don't KNOW that it will and the mere fact that he had to ask a bunch of complete strangers if it would work indicates that he should err on the side of caution.... dolly or trailer.... if he tries it flat and dies... it's not on me

[Munchies]

Why dont you just ask me.

Guys ok.. He gets a free pass today for his dee da dee ness.

If you can wait. Which I know you can. Ill have my new truck after christmas. The day I get it, is the day I get the trailer too
let the ol lady have her days in the garage. Then sneak attack! jeep chassis in the garage!

[nightcrawlers]

Originally Posted by gottagofast

well night crawler you have been lucky...

nope-i am skilled in the art of draggin home parts trucks with no trailer,luck had nothing to do with it

i admit ive done some dumb shit in my day before having a trailer,but if you just excercise some caution along the way its no big deal.

Originally Posted by gottagofast

ever see the front wheel on a shopping cart go nuts....

sure,but i dont know what that has do do with pulling a chassis that has proper castor and good steering linkage on a towbar.

obviously,im not reccomending to tow it with no steering linkage. as long as the wheels are connected together,via the tie rods,it will track fine. the steering box is not part of the equation in keeping the wheels straight.

do not flat tow anything that has bad wheel bearings,ball joints or steering joints. but otherwise, just make sure youve got lights,and keep in mind that to legally flat tow something in most states the towed rig needs to be liscenced and insured.

yes,a trailer,or a dolly would be better. but i assume he wouldnt have asked about flat towing if he had either of those at his disposal. it will be fine to flat tow if the chassis is in good shape,and he uses some caution.

[RustoleumWhite]

I agree with Nightcrawlers, as long as the CASTER is good on the front axle (i.e. the upper balljoint leans to the back) it should track just fine.

*I* would do some test pulls first, around the neighborhood see how it handles. Probably wouldn't head for the freeway unless I could avoid it.


U-haul tow-dollies are cheap insurance however.