Good Times

Dumb question... I've never towed w/ a tow bar...

so if the vehicle has a tow bar attached, how the heck do i tow it? i mean how do i keep the steering wheel straight for the rear vehicle? (i figured out the basic put it into the ball crap but once i'm towing)... (i.e. neutral, parking brake off, but what about the steering?)

i'm abit clueless....

ok i'm ready for the butt whipping!

edit:
btw i'm planning to tow the 67 fj40 (manual tranny)

boogyman

i know it's kind of old, but i don't suppose you have the owner's manual for the truck? or maybe look it up on the internet? there's got to be some kind of factory guide for towing that rig.

good luck.. bump for you.

-Russell

idahorunner

Good Times,

You dont need to worry about the steering wheel on the towed vehicle, if it is equiped with a tow bar. It will track/steer by itself. Remember to put a safety chain on it. I would make sure the hubs are in the free position, E-brake off and in neutral. for longer trips you may want to drop the rear D-line.

Robinhood150

My parents used to tow their 2wd S10 behind their motorhome. They just left the steering wheel free, HOWEVER, they had to leave the key in the ignition in the ON position to keep the steering wheel from locking up.

This is flat towing, right, with all four tires on the ground and the vehicle facing forward?

Good Times

yup it's flat towing. the fj40 came w/ the tow bar built into the front bumper so i figured if i needed to move the fj, i can just tow it behind my 4runner.

my concern was that the towed vehicle (fj40) would just sway on it's own since it has the ability to pivot with the front tires. wasn't sure how that works so i wanted to know. what happens if those tires starts to turn on it's own? will it correct itself or not? I've towed a few vehicles but all of them were on a flatbed so the "tow bar" method is completely new to me.

as for the neutral stuff, i figured that the tranny and transfer should be in neutral and if it's a long drive, the drive shaft should be removed for safety precaution.

thanks for the replies!

Tacoma Dude

I guess the speed of your vehicle would straighten it out?
I've been thinking about this since I saw the post yesterday and I guess it's like letting go of the steering wheel while you drive...? Just make sure you're properly aligned

Robinhood150

Yup, it self centers. When you make a turn, the steering wheel will turn with the vehicles. When you straighten out, it straightens out too. You can also find a motorhome forum and search around there. I'm sure they get this kind of question all the time.

Flamedx4

What luck! I'm in the RV industry, have been for 20 years. (Says Senior Technical Advisor on my card...) The towbar makes it tow like a trailer, it won't/can't wander around because of the towbar having the vee shape, unlike when you tow with a chain and someone has to steer. The front wheels have to be free to turn when you turn so if it has a steering wheel lock you need to leave the key on.