Flat towing

[blknblu69v]

The family and I like to camp in our motorhome and would like to flat tow a vehicle. I have flat towed my 69' Bronco but I stopped after wearing out u-joints in the rear drive shaft. I also wonder if dragging it at 60-70 mph might not be good for the rear end or the entire truck?
Am I wrong? Is there any other options for flat towing my Bronco? We love our Bronco and would love to have it with us on vacations.
I've also thought of building a custom trailer - something shorter and lighter but I would still have to find a parking spot for the trailer when camping (as well as at home) and the loading and unloading pain.
What are others doing?
Thanks!

 

[garberz]

I always pull the rear drive shaft when towing more than 200mi. But I don’t run the Dana 20 anymore, I have an AtlasII. With the Dana 20, it’s recommended to always pull the rear drive shaft. You’ll get many different opinions on this. This topic comes up quite often. Trailer vs. towing is another debate. I’ve always flat towed because we travel quite a bit instead of just going to a single destination. Trailer’s have their place, most here use that method. But they’re a huge inconvenience when traveling.

Mark

 

[Ol'Blue]

What Mark said. I made a sling for the driveshaft and just disconnect it from the rear axle and strap it up to the underside of the body. Works great and good piece of mind. I also ran a separate lighting circuit and wiring into the rear light housing with separate sockets that are connected to the trailer plug on the tow vehicle. You may also consider running a Brake Buddy or something similar to save the tow vehicle brakes and to be legal. Here in California anything being towed over 1500 lbs has to have active brakes while being towed.

https://www.amazon.com/BrakeBuddy-B...brake+buddy&qid=1609201491&sr=8-2&tag=mh0b-20

 

[56f100bbw]

Driveshaft disconnect in place

This is a rear driveshaft disconnect made by Remco had it for about 20 years never used it .first picture is disconnected second picture is connected

 

[56f100bbw]

Bronco Drive shaft

Made for a early bronco Drive shaft no lift

 

[blubuckaroo]

blknblu69v...
You need to get a copy of the owners manual that came in the glove box.
It recommends disconnecting the rear driveline when towing the Bronco. It makes no difference if your Bronco has an auto or manual tranny.
The problem is the transfer case output shaft doesn't get lubed unless the rest of the transfer case is turning.
When flat towing behind the motorhome, I like to pull the rear driveline completely out and put it in a trash bag in the back. That way if we need to use the Bronco for errands, we can still drive it in front wheel drive.
When we get to the trailhead, the driveline goes back on.

 

[jcasey12]

a lesson I learned from flat towing my bronco is that it eventually destroyed the transfer case rear output shaft bearing and that froze the drive shaft from turning. I couldn't move the bronco at all. And of course this happened in the middle of nowhere on what was intended to be day one of a week long vacation but ended up getting a tow service to haul it to a repair shop. They figured out the problem but couldn't fix it. They did remove the drive shaft from the differential which allowed me to tow it back home where I got it fixed. So my vacation was spent hanging out at a camp ground instead of visiting remote ghost towns.

 

[blubuckaroo]

a lesson I learned from flat towing my bronco is that it eventually destroyed the transfer case rear output shaft bearing and that froze the drive shaft from turning. I couldn't move the bronco at all. And of course this happened in the middle of nowhere on what was intended to be day one of a week long vacation but ended up getting a tow service to haul it to a repair shop. They figured out the problem but couldn't fix it. They did remove the drive shaft from the differential which allowed me to tow it back home where I got it fixed. So my vacation was spent hanging out at a camp ground instead of visiting remote ghost towns.

Serious accidents have been reported then that output shaft locked up while being towed at highway speed.
It's amazing that people know possible consequences yet continue to tow with the rear driveline in.?:?

 

[blknblu69v]

So this disconnect driveshaft has a collar you pull back on to release and remove that end of the driveshaft? Are these still available and safe? Any chance of it coming off when in use? This seems like the easiest way to go to remove the rear axle while in tow.
Moving around in front wheel drive only makes sense for hooking and unhooking from the RV or short trips.

 

[56f100bbw]

There might be another part not sure to hold it in place I think balancing this driveshaft could be a pain because it would have to be in the same position each time

 

[Yeller]

There might be another part not sure to hold it in place I think balancing this driveshaft could be a pain because it would have to be in the same position each time

and its on the differential end, very vulnerable, even for street driving. There is linkage and a fork missing with that shaft. I know a few of these in use, they have their own issues. having had some close calls flat towing, flat tire, wheel bearing failure and a ujoint failure on a heep. I prefer to use a trailer, they are their own pain and depending on where you like to go and/or how your home storage situation is but I don't find loading/unloading anymore difficult or time consuming than a tow bar.

If weight is a concern there are solutions to that as well, I've built some sub 800# trailers capable of carrying 6500#'s that have lots of multiple cross country miles on them and take up much less space, even had one guy put a winch on the side of his garage and stood it up on end against the wall for storage. If considering trailers, keep in mind, your average 7k rated car hauler is only capable of a 4500# payload, from my experience the average trail prepped bronco weighs every bit of that, many are much more.

 

[blknblu69v]

Good point on the balancing. I would think removing and reinstalling the driveshaft several times would not be ideal either?
Yeller, would you have any pix of the sub 800# trailers I could see? I've tried searching the web for ideas, but couldn't find much.

 

[Yeller]

Here's what I have handy, I'll dig and see if I can find more, this is one we built for running to the carwash or moving between shops and wound up dragging all over the country, which it is still doing, we sold it to some friends that are still doing just that. I prefer single axle trailers they are easier to maneuver. The trailer behind my camper is not a feather weight at 1600# but not terrible either. I'll do some digging and see if I can find more. The lightest one I built was out of 2" square tubing and a 7k axle, if I remember correctly it was 650#, its the one that gets stored leaned up against the garage, its very similar to the skeleton trailer in the pics, the axle was just wider, you didn't have to drive over the tires.

 

[jamesroney]

There might be another part not sure to hold it in place I think balancing this driveshaft could be a pain because it would have to be in the same position each time

The Remco shift collar and spline is keyed with a dummy slot...and can only be engaged in one position. So the driveshaft is always balanced and in phase.

The addition of the shift mechanism is unnecessary, and creates vulnerability. All that crap hanging down under the Bronco is a problem. But if you slide the collar by hand...you don't need the shift hardware.

I added a set screw to keep it engaged, but not sure if I really needed it.

I ran a Remco disconnect for years in my Bronco. No problem whatsoever.

 

[blknblu69v]

That is just what I was thinking of! Why not a single axle if you can figure out the weight ratio between the hitch and the axle? I like the idea of lower center of gravity and less trailer weight. I'd really like to see that 2" square tube 7k trailer. A little bit more messing around dealing with the trailer at the campground but I think its still might be better than taking the driveshaft off and on.

 

[blknblu69v]

The Remco shift collar and spline is keyed with a dummy slot...and can only be engaged in one position. So the driveshaft is always balanced and in phase.

The addition of the shift mechanism is unnecessary, and creates vulnerability. All that crap hanging down under the Bronco is a problem. But if you slide the collar by hand...you don't need the shift hardware.

I added a set screw to keep it engaged, but not sure if I really needed it.

I ran a Remco disconnect for years in my Bronco. No problem whatsoever.

Was yours lifted? Did you flat tow this vehicle? If so, any issues to consider?

 

[72Sport]

This should stir up things a little. About twenty years ago I went on a trip from Los Angeles to the Calico ghost town for my first trip riding in a Bronco. Their were two Broncos and a Jeep on the trip. One was a 72 and the other was a 74 Bronco. The jeep was an old military. Neither one had every had any work done to the trans etc. Both were on their 2nd engine. Neither one had ever removed the driveshaft for flat towing like the manual says to do. Both Broncos had most of the life used as a "get the kids to school vehicle" bus.

After watching them tear or abuse their Broncos I told them they were nuts for abusing a $10K vehicle in a rocky stream bed. It looked like a lot of fun. A few months later I bought a stock 72 for 5K. After watching them I decided I was never going take off a rear driveshaft to go off roading. I did buy a used D-20 to see what problems I could expect. I built a stand for the D-20 so I could run the transfer case with a drill motor and see how it was oiled internally. Like the previous articles had said most of the problems were in the tail section bearings. Much later, after reading other articles I decided that the tail section does not get enough oil at times, mostly after a rebuild of the case. The problems always seemed to be in the area of the 13 needle bearings. It was always stressed to use lots of heavy grease to hold the bearings in place. I surmised that the heavy grease was stopping the oil supply from getting into the rear bearings in the tail section. The oil/grease plugged up the oil passages in the the tail section. Once the Dana 20 got good and hot the grease would melt and the lubrication would begin (too late). While working on a Jeep engine I read the manual and it said to use petroleum jelly in the oil pump to prime the engine. I thought this was a bad idea also. Live and learn.

During my experimenting I used nothing but petroleum jelly to hole the needle bearings and everything worked just fine. I also installed a plexiglass window so I could see what the oil was doing while I was playing. I installed hex nipples and two 90degree elbows in the fill hole for the transfer case. Had to use Torco 50wt racing oil in the case so it wouldn't foam and end up on the garage floor. I also installed a remote vent. After trying several things I decided to dry out the inside of the D20 so there was no oil in the case. i pulled the speedometer cable assembly and ran my drill to see how long it took to get oil in the rear of the case. I used my finger as a test gauge. 30 seconds later my finger was well lubed. Note this test was done with the raised level of oil in the case. I did the same thing with the case filled to the stock level. This time it took 2.5 minutes to get my finger wet with oil. All the testing was done about 10 years ago so I could have forgotten something. Main thing to remember is Petroleum Jelly no grease. The 13 needle bearings aren't going to move unless you drop the whole case. The oil passages are too small to use grease. The passages stay plugged too long

 

[72Sport]

This should stir up things a little. About twenty years ago I went on a trip from Los Angeles to the Calico ghost town for my first trip riding in a Bronco. Their were two Broncos and a Jeep on the trip. One was a 72 and the other was a 74 Bronco. The jeep was an old military. Neither one had every had any work done to the trans etc. Both were on their 2nd engine. Neither one had ever removed the driveshaft for flat towing like the manual says to do. Both Broncos had most of the life used as a "get the kids to school vehicle" bus.

After watching them tear or abuse their Broncos I told them they were nuts for abusing a $10K vehicle in a rocky stream bed. It looked like a lot of fun. A few months later I bought a stock 72 for 5K. After watching them I decided I was never going take off a rear driveshaft to go off roading. I did buy a used D-20 to see what problems I could expect. I built a stand for the D-20 so I could run the transfer case with a drill motor and see how it was oiled internally. Like the previous articles had said most of the problems were in the tail section bearings. Much later, after reading other articles I decided that the tail section does not get enough oil at times, mostly after a rebuild of the case. The problems always seemed to be in the area of the 13 needle bearings. It was always stressed to use lots of heavy grease to hold the bearings in place. I surmised that the heavy grease was stopping the oil supply from getting into the rear bearings in the tail section. The oil/grease plugged up the oil passages in the the tail section. Once the Dana 20 got good and hot the grease would melt and the lubrication would begin (too late). While working on a Jeep engine I read the manual and it said to use petroleum jelly in the oil pump to prime the engine. I thought this was a bad idea also. Live and learn.

During my experimenting I used nothing but petroleum jelly to hole the needle bearings and everything worked just fine. I also installed a plexiglass window so I could see what the oil was doing while I was playing. I installed hex nipples and two 90degree elbows in the fill hole for the transfer case. Had to use Torco 50wt racing oil in the case so it wouldn't foam and end up on the garage floor. I also installed a remote vent. After trying several things I decided to dry out the inside of the D20 so there was no oil in the case. i pulled the speedometer cable assembly and ran my drill to see how long it took to get oil in the rear of the case. I used my finger as a test gauge. 30 seconds later my finger was well lubed. Note this test was done with the raised level of oil in the case. I did the same thing with the case filled to the stock level. This time it took 2.5 minutes to get my finger wet with oil. All the testing was done about 10 years ago so I could have forgotten something. Main thing to remember is Petroleum Jelly no grease. The 13 needle bearings aren't going to move unless you drop the whole case. The oil passages are too small to use grease. The passages stay plugged too long

I have several pictures but my computer knowledge is lacking

 

[72Sport]

I have several pictures but my computer knowledge is lacking

No problems with the drive train so far.

 

[blubuckaroo]

This should stir up things a little. About twenty years ago I went on a trip from Los Angeles to the Calico ghost town for my first trip riding in a Bronco. Their were two Broncos and a Jeep on the trip. One was a 72 and the other was a 74 Bronco. The jeep was an old military. Neither one had every had any work done to the trans etc. Both were on their 2nd engine. Neither one had ever removed the driveshaft for flat towing like the manual says to do. Both Broncos had most of the life used as a "get the kids to school vehicle" bus.

After watching them tear or abuse their Broncos I told them they were nuts for abusing a $10K vehicle in a rocky stream bed. It looked like a lot of fun. A few months later I bought a stock 72 for 5K. After watching them I decided I was never going take off a rear driveshaft to go off roading. I did buy a used D-20 to see what problems I could expect. I built a stand for the D-20 so I could run the transfer case with a drill motor and see how it was oiled internally. Like the previous articles had said most of the problems were in the tail section bearings. Much later, after reading other articles I decided that the tail section does not get enough oil at times, mostly after a rebuild of the case. The problems always seemed to be in the area of the 13 needle bearings. It was always stressed to use lots of heavy grease to hold the bearings in place. I surmised that the heavy grease was stopping the oil supply from getting into the rear bearings in the tail section. The oil/grease plugged up the oil passages in the the tail section. Once the Dana 20 got good and hot the grease would melt and the lubrication would begin (too late). While working on a Jeep engine I read the manual and it said to use petroleum jelly in the oil pump to prime the engine. I thought this was a bad idea also. Live and learn.

During my experimenting I used nothing but petroleum jelly to hole the needle bearings and everything worked just fine. I also installed a plexiglass window so I could see what the oil was doing while I was playing. I installed hex nipples and two 90degree elbows in the fill hole for the transfer case. Had to use Torco 50wt racing oil in the case so it wouldn't foam and end up on the garage floor. I also installed a remote vent. After trying several things I decided to dry out the inside of the D20 so there was no oil in the case. i pulled the speedometer cable assembly and ran my drill to see how long it took to get oil in the rear of the case. I used my finger as a test gauge. 30 seconds later my finger was well lubed. Note this test was done with the raised level of oil in the case. I did the same thing with the case filled to the stock level. This time it took 2.5 minutes to get my finger wet with oil. All the testing was done about 10 years ago so I could have forgotten something. Main thing to remember is Petroleum Jelly no grease. The 13 needle bearings aren't going to move unless you drop the whole case. The oil passages are too small to use grease. The passages stay plugged too long

I understand what you're saying, but why would anyone disregard the recommendation in the owners manual just for the inconvenience of disconnecting the rear of the back driveline?