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fill me in on "flat towing" a Bronco

yak67

Bronco Guru
Joined
May 15, 2003
Messages
1,561
What all needs to be done, just hook up a tow bar and go, or is there more...never done it before, or been around when someone else is. Want to get mine to SOB, so exploring all options. Will a '05 explorer flat tow an EB ok?
 

JaxLax

Bronco Guru
Joined
Apr 22, 2002
Messages
3,309
Loc.
Jacksonville, FL
never done it with a bronco, but mainly these are the things i've seen done:

trailer wiring set-up for in-tow vehicles lights
remove driveshafts
other than that, standard towing practices
 

rellimgneb

Sr. Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2006
Messages
476
Loc.
Reno, Nv
I had a samuri that was towed. I put the transfer case in nuetral and the transmission in 2nd. I have no idea about the bronco though. It depends on if the tranny will lubricate when you tow it, but like mentioned above if you remove the drive shafts it won't matter.
 

bmc69

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Jun 11, 2004
Messages
11,852
Hopefully Gary Gibson will see this and chime in..he's been flat-towing his trail rig behind his RV for years. Ask him about what happens if you flat tow with yr tie rod all bent up from a hard day on the tails...;D
 

gddyap

Bronco Guru
Joined
Mar 8, 2005
Messages
1,334
Loc.
Mtn View, CA
Do NOT secure steering wheel. Allow it to turn. Make sure you have enough caster. If your Bronco has squirrely handling when driving it, it will not track very well when being towed. Front hubs unlocked. If flat towing a long distance (slightly arbitrary but maybe >50miles), disconnect rear driveshaft from axle and secure. Doesn't matter what the tranny or tcase is in because they are completely disconnected from the wheels now. I use magnetic lights but will someday wire into the Bronco's taillights. Also try to make the tow vehicle much heavier than the towed vehicle. The bigger the difference, the less the towed vehicle will affect the tow vehicle. I flat tow with a 1/2-ton pickup (Toy Tundra V8) and I empty my Bronco into the bed of my pickup.
 

jduffent

Sponsor/Vendor
Sr. Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2003
Messages
508
I second all of gddyaps notes and I cannot emphasize enough: CASTER, CASTER, CASTER! If you do not have enough, it will not track and the wheel will actually cross up in corners, dragging the Bronco and making a real mess! (Sam!) Also, try to make sure the tow bar is as level as possible. This makes a world of difference in how it tracks. And... I have heard of at least one person (Buckin74) :cry: having problems with far less than the 50 mile distance... its just luck or the lack of, in some cases. Me, I've been more than happy to flat tow Hi-Ho 6k miles in one season (one great advantage to the fullfloating rear end... now rear hubs, that's another story...%) )

HTH, Suzanne
 

Bart

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Dec 12, 2001
Messages
1,678
Loc.
Buffalo Gap, Texas
I flat towed a Bronco to Portland, Oregon. Only problems were the front wheels going to full left after a left turn into a right turn. Locked 'em into a full tire draggin' left turn even after straightening out. The rear drive shaft went south and I almost lost it before getting to my Northern destination. It was an old drive shaft and I hadn't disconnected it either. The last problem was turning around. On wrong turn (or in my case missed turn) and you have to find a place to turn in a big circle, they don't back up!!!!!!!!! Forgive me, but I put mine on a trailer period!!!
 
OP
OP
yak67

yak67

Bronco Guru
Joined
May 15, 2003
Messages
1,561
Bart said:
but I put mine on a trailer period!!!

....that would be my choice too, but I don't have a vehicle right now that can tow that much weight, and I'm guessing our Explorer would be a little light to begin with to even flat tow it......so maybe I'll be driving it down%), or I'll just leave it at home and come down for the fun without it.
 

jduffent

Sponsor/Vendor
Sr. Member
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Jan 3, 2003
Messages
508
Ah, John, you're just full of excuses! :p Just teasing! Trailers are nice and also the ideal way. I've heard all of your reasons before, I've had this disucssion with my Dad and just about every other Bronco guy I know. For now, I'm pretty happy with the setup I have. I know how to change a flat on my Bronco and have alot more confidence in my MTR's than trailer tires! My 5500lb+ Bronco on a trailer with a blowout is a LOT harder to jack up and deal with-- mostly it comes down to me not wanting to overload my RV and previous bad luck with trailer tires. Luckily, I've never had to deal with the issues of breaking anything bad enough that I couldn't get her back to civilization. And as far as that backing up thing... its all about not making the wrong turn in the first place ;D Ya, right! I've also had to disconnect it all bound up a couple times-- not the easiest thing to do! It's all about the big frickin' hammer!

Tim, as far as the Ex goes, it could be pretty close as far as weight goes... even though yours is pretty light with just the Bikini Top. I would be more than a little concerned about the passes and corners without an aux. brake system as well. They can get pretty scary in the corners! It isn't like you can't have a good time at SOB without a Bronco! ;D

Suzanne
 

Ryans71

Sr. Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2001
Messages
786
Loc.
Milton, Wa
I usually flat tow mine. I remove the rear driveline, make sure the hubs are in "free", hook up the tow bar and go. I usually tow with an F250 and now an F350.

If I could I would get a trailer, but space on my lot is too cramped to get a trailer in the back yard.

Ryan.
 

bluebronco69

Bronco Guru
Joined
Feb 15, 2005
Messages
1,856
Loc.
Damascas, OR
ya just put tranny and t case in neutral and unlock hiubs and take out rear shaft, also i have always tied down my steering wheel, otherwise my bronco does the opposite of what the towing vehicle does
what is wrong with that?
 

SaddleUp

Bronco Guru
Joined
May 23, 2004
Messages
9,655
Loc.
Vancouver, WA
I wouldn't even consider flat towing my EB with my Explorer. It just has too much weight to push you around. The advantage to a trailer is the trailer brakes which can both assist with stopping and can be used to straighten it out if it gets squirrely. I also don't necessarily suggest running a 2000 lb. trailer like I do either though. Instead I would look for one that is lighter. Say around 1400 lbs. That said my Explorer has pulled my EB out to the trails several times on my trailer, one trip to SOB, and one trip to Evans Creek (Near Raineer). I've also used it to drag a couple of vehicles from Seattle to Portland (On a trailer).

For flat towing either remove the rear driveline or lock the front hubs with the t-case in neutral. If you don't then it can ruin the t-case because the rear bearing will not get any oil. (My preference would be just to pull the back of the rear driveline and tie it up underneath)

Here is a pic of the setup I ran up until recently. (I picked up an F250 to use instead)
 

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broncosam

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Feb 8, 2005
Messages
1,178
If you have to go very far , you may want to also consider tow hubs if they are still being made. Flat towing for a long distance can be hard on some types of locking differentials.
 

feitctaj

FNG
Joined
May 3, 2003
Messages
4,319
Loc.
Group W Bench
I won't pretend to know when SOB is, I am on VAc till the 17th.
YAK67 you know that I pull trailers for a living, All day and all night long.
I set my eb up to be flat towed, still have the tow bar. I towed it a few times.
No thank you, listen to saddlup . I did the same and went and got me a trailer.
If you are set in your mind you can have my tow bar. I can have a driver deliver it to you on the 18th.
all the info on this thread is correct.
If I can help , let me know, I will be back as soon as I grow tired of Russia:cry:
 

drscotch

Sr. Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2005
Messages
373
Loc.
Edmonton, Alberta
SaddleUp said:
Here is a pic of the setup I ran up until recently. (I picked up an F250 to use instead)
If I HAD to use an explorer this is how I'd do it too. Now, I know zero about explorers but I gotta think you're past the explorer max. weight ratings with the bronco & trailer combined. I totally agree that brakes make all the difference, but the guys with the little scales never listen.
 

Steve

Bronco Guru
Joined
May 5, 2003
Messages
2,986
Loc.
Grand Junction, CO
Before I got a trailer and Dodge CTD tow rig (the ONLY way to tow) ;D I flat towed mine a few times behind the wife's '01 Exploder Sport Trac. The Sport Trac is longer and heavier than a standard Exploder, and it did okay, but I never liked it. As others have said, an EB is a whole lot of extra weight behind you pushing you around corners and down hills. I did have the whole think jackknife going around a corner on a gravel road at about 20 mph. :eek: Fortunately no damage was done.

All that said, you can flat tow with the Exploder IF you're real careful about speed and braking. Keep the tow bar flat, disconnect the rear DS at the axle and tie it up underneath, unlock the front hubs and DON'T tie the steering wheel. This assumes you have enough caster to allow it to track okay - if not don't attempt flat towing.

I have also flat towed it behind our 28' RV a couple of times - that's cake. :cool:
 

g-money

Sr. Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2002
Messages
734
Loc.
Vancouver, WA
I'll give my .02 cents on this as well. I have flat towed my bronco with my F150 super crew and it is possible it's not fun. It's a white knuckler all teh way.

I would rent a trailer or try to borrow one and tow it with the exploer before flat towing again.

If you do decide to flat tow PULL THE REAR DRIVE SHAFT. I didn't on a short trip 50 miles and some how the tranny or t-case pop into gear at 60 mph going over the Fremont (BIG) bridge in Portland and it ruined the tranny, put a flat spot in the tires and scared the crap out of me.

Also if you flat tow then watch out when your on Hwy 26 coming out of Portland. The grooves in the road from peoples studded tires in the winter really make for some pucker factor. It moves the Bronco all over the place. I really had to slow down on this section.

For me, over all it has worked but was a very unenjoyable expirience the 5 - 6 times I did it.

Galen
 

Broncobowsher

Total hack
Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
34,835
I have flat towed the Bronco behind an E150 once, just dropped the driveshaft and went about 120 miles. No problem.

recently I got a lot more involved in how all the parts work. As for stuff lubing as you drive, the axles will be fine.
Manual trans- is lubed by the input shaft spinning the countershaft and throwing oil everywhere inside the transmission. With the engine off that oil sits in the bottom. So sticking it in nuetral will spin the output shaft, not connected to any of the gears and not toss any oil around. For a short time, no problem, still has an oil film on it. Long time you may have issues. Stick the transmission in top gear just to keep it from spinning.
Auto trans - Similer to the manual. Engine needs to run to spread the lub around. Just the oil is a little thinner.
transfer case - Again the lube is tossed around by the input shaft spinning the counter gear. Just kicking the transfer case in nuetral stopps the flow of oil. Just running on the oil film. Good part is the output shaft is on bearings instead of bushings. I feel more comfortable with marginal lube on roller bearings then on bushings. (If you want to reasearch that a little more look up marginal lubrication on plain bearing turbos vs. ball bearing turbos). The transfer case has a neat trick. By LOCKING in the front hubs, it spins the front output shaft. That happens to be submerged in oil. That flings oil all over the inside of the case, Almost the same as the engine running.

So if you want to be as save as possible without removing a driveshaft, leave the transmission in top gear or park to prevent damage there. Put the transfer case in nuetral. Lock in the front hubs. This is the highest possible drag behind you, but keeps everything lubed. I can't do this because I don't like to spin my front driveshaft that fast with the steep U-joint angle.

Other option is to just drop the rear shaft. You can still drive it around in a pinch by locking in the front hubs and putting it in 4WD.

The Explorer will be at it's limits. Watch the brakes, you will be stopping for 2 instead of 1. That is where I like trailer brakes. Downshift a lot when stopping. Engine braking is your friend.
 

SaddleUp

Bronco Guru
Joined
May 23, 2004
Messages
9,655
Loc.
Vancouver, WA
drscotch said:
If I HAD to use an explorer this is how I'd do it too. Now, I know zero about explorers but I gotta think you're past the explorer max. weight ratings with the bronco & trailer combined. I totally agree that brakes make all the difference, but the guys with the little scales never listen.
With my setup using the Explorer it's definately pushing it. If the trailer was 600 lbs. lighter then it would give a nice safety margin. (The weight rating for towing is about 6400 on the Explorer) My trailer is really heavy compared to most though. I wanted a trailer that I could beat up without hurting it. I literally had all 4 tires hanging a couple of times with a big bronco on it when I had to drag it out of a bad spot. (Using my EB, not the Explorer)

The run from Yakima to SOB is a couple hundred miles so it doesn't fall into the "Short distance" category. There are also a couple of steep grades to go down as well that would really tax the brakes on the Explorer.
 
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