Would a tow bar be safe?
 

I am towing maybe five miles. City streets for two miles and three to five in country. Are these things relatively safe? What can I do to make them safer?

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

I am afraid to tow by rope. This is the contraption that bolts to the bumper.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

yes, they are safe, as long as the tow vehicle has good brakes, and the towed vehicle can roll and steer easily, and has the weight of the engine under the hood.
If they weren't safe, they wouldn't be legal.
And also, if they weren't safe, the gov wouldn't do it with all there millitary vehicles, the rail road (who is totally anal on safety) wouldn't do it, the schools wouldn't do it with busses, and grandpa and grandma wouldn't have ther ecar hooked to the RV with a tow bar.


The naysayers will say you can't or shouldn't do it becouse the towed vehicle won't have brakes... but, they don't work when on a tow truck either, and the older tow trucks didn't have upgraded brakes.

Hook up, go easy, keep your distance, and be carefull.


I have thousands of miles of tow bar towing under my belt, and the only incident was from my stupidity. (no engine in the towed vehicle, hell, no cab or front clip, just a bed full of junk and wheels locked straight forward) I was askin for it, but even then, i was able to controll the trucks with no damage other than my ego.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

What are you towing? I know you need weight in the front end so if the motor is out I wouldn't do it without adding alot of weight up front. There are alot of guys that have towed alot farther using a tow bar, one of them will chime in sooner or later.


Dammit Andy you bet me to it!!!

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

heh heh heh I sure did. ;) I saw tow bar in the title and I zeroed in on it.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

I think it should be fine. It's been done safely before. There's a few tips for it, I'm sure, but it should be straight forward.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

back in the day, it was the only way to go, ask anyone over 60 yrs old.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

I will be towing a 1972 Chevy long bed with manual steering, all steering compnents still there, 350 installed and bad clutch...using the company 1 ton truck.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

Actually Andy when I said one of the experts would weigh in soon enough you were the guy I was talking about you are all over these tow bar threads!:lol:

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

I towed a 67 stepside with a riding mower in the bed from Colorado Springs through the mountains and all the way to Nampa Idaho with a 4-Runner. Take it slow, keep your distance, make sure all the connections are tight. Make sure your lights (you will need them) work.

Good luck, you should be fine.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

5 miles? I'd use a tow bar in a heart beat. Actually I'd probably call my brother and we'd grab a chain and a piece of pipe and make "redneck towbar" and snatch it to the house, but I don't recommend it to an amateur 'cuz it takes coordination and practice.;)

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

everybody has beat me to it, but ya it's safe. The wire in the pic is going to the tail lights on the towed truck & i installed safety chains later. Watch it on the wet though-allow plenty of stoping distance.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

When using a tow bar on an older truck without a column lock, how do you guys get the wheels to stay straight?

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

I think everyones right on the money...as long as you hook it up right and are really careful it should be ok.

However, I'm still not too fond. I was pulling a little sedan once and almost lost the car (the car was junk, so i wouldn't have cared unless it hurt somebody else or messed up my truck). I think it wasn't properly attached. It was the kind that grabs the front bumper. Well, it was a plastic bumper. You see where this is going. You obviously won't have that problem.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

Yes, it sounds like you are doing it safely by pulling a truck with a 1 ton.

I have used a tow bar a few times and put many miles on it.

First time I pulled my 59 GMC 1/2 ton 800 miles with my 98 1/2 ton Suburban. Went a reasonable speed and did not make sharp turns. All went well until the C clip came out of the rear end on the 59 and the right axle came out. Not the tow bars fault.

Second time I towed a 70 GMC 3/4 ton with my 98 Suburban 150 miles and it went well. Well maybe not 100% as the 70 GMC 3/4 ton had a flat tire half way. Again not the tow bars fault!

Third time was a disaster. I attempted to pull a 72 GMC 1/2 ton across town and this truck had no engine or tranmission. What a pain, I do not recommend this. Moving a vehicle without an engine is almost impossible without a trailer.

Go for it and be safe and I recommend having tow lights as well.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

chevybill you dont want the column to be locked. the towed vehicle will just track behind the vehicle towing it.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

Curious, What Happens W/o The Weight In The Front?

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

this sounds like bs but it is true. my father and i left central illinois for truckboy's house in sterling nebraska to pick up a 72 3/4 ton truck with no motor. we had to detour through saint louis because they are the only ones that said they would rent us a trailer since we where pulling it with a 1/2 ton dodge ram. so when we got there all they had was tow bars, so we rented one and was on our way. by the time we got to sterling a blizzard had hit and they had 3" of ice with 14 inches of snow on top of that. so we get there and snow is up to the middle of the door glass, so we dig out the truck hook it up and off we go. within 5 miles we where in the ditch twice thanks to my fathers stupid driving lol............ but after we got out the second time it was smoothe sailing all the way home in sow and ice, with a tow bar, and a truck with NO ENGINE. we counted over 100 vehicles in the ditches on the way home including semis it was crazy!

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

Without weight in the front end is not bad, just different. I pulled the 69 parts truck 120 miles home at around 55 on 2-lane roads. Not a problem. You just have to remember it's there and allow more braking room and remember you can not take turns as fast as when you don't pull (ask me how I know :rolleyes: )

I have pulled mine around alot with out an engine. No real problesm. Worse I would say you will deal with is your front tires (on the towed vehicle) will scuff up or wear a bit quicker, if you can even notice it, because they don't track quiet as well without the weight pushing down on them.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

Well the thing would not turn, the front wheels pick a direction and skid or slide or howl...........

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

Nothing like a chain and piece of pipe for brakes and a pair of "vise grips"for a steering wheel.LoL

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

If no one is steering the towed vehicle, what keeps the wheels from turning then locking either to the right or to the left as you pull?

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

bill, it just does. You attach the tow bar on two points, if you just attach it in the center with a foot between the 2 attaching point, then yes, it'll wander.
If you DO lock the wheel, when you turn, the towed vehicle will go straight and push you into a jack knife spin out.
Ask me how I know. I was able to pull out of it though. :D

We had this cat when i was in the army, insisted on needing some one to steer the 2 1/2 ton cargo truck I was towing... even though I showed him in the manuals where he was wrong, he out ranked me and he couldn't be told otherwise... so i said to hell with it and started towing the tard. He tried to steer around a corner, bound up the tow bar, snapped it, and the steering wheek kicked back as the tow bar snapped, and broke his arm and about 5 bones in his hand. The dumb ass ended up in the ditch.
So me, being the smart allek punk that i am, pulled out the book, and showed him where the regulation says no one is to ride in a vehicle being towed. :haha:
He wasn't amused.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

Well if it is nutral then it would not be in the lock position.

I got a question for yall. I want to pull a 1969 Cadilac coup devile. It has no motor in it but does have a trans. I was thinking of renting a 2 wheeled dolly from u haul to tow it. Thing is they say the car is to heavy for any of there stuff. I know it is a caddy but it is at leas 500 pounds lighter. Should i just tell them i am pulling a bug or somthing? also on the two wheeler am i going to have to lock the wheels or should i since the ball will be the piviot point?

Thanks

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

Thanks for the clarification, Longhorn man. I see with pulling from two points on the front how it should follow along behind.

Do local parts houses (NAPA) carry these tow bars? I might purchase one to bring my 70 home from the body shop. How much do they cost?

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

Couple things on that... most of us have the 67 - 72 trucks... esp since this is that segment of the board... and our columns don't lock. ;)
Plus, onless you have a stick, you need to remove the drive shaft anyways.

I got my first one at wall mart for 100 bucks, but most wallmarts stopped selling them (check the RV section)
You can look in your yellow pages for trailer repair/sales/supplies store. Not semi trailers, but the ones ppl haul cars or lawn mowers on. You can look up RV dealers, or just go online and get one. E-bay has them, overstocked.com used to have them all the time, reese .com has them..

I would not recomend tellin U-haul you are using there junk to tow a bug... first, i wouldn't recomend renting there junk at all.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

Make sure everything's tight before you leave, then stop after 100 yards or so & retighten. Check it again after a mile or so, then again after a few more miles. Stuff jiggles loose.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

safe enough i towed my little brothers truck 80 miles at 55mph.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

I think I got mine at Wally world too Andy, and it was like $50. Towed the Blazer from Puyallup to Bremerton behind the Suburban. About 60 miles all told. No problems. I tied up the steering wheel though, should have went with it loose. Made those tires drag that way. No worries, just do it! And be careful....

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

man, on passenger vehicles on public roads (excluding millitary stuff) I have tow bar'd;
one stripped truck, only bed and rolling frame with no steering gear box and the wheels bolted in the straight forward position, pulled with a SWB 69 GMC,to the junk yard, 10 miles

Pulled the 69 SWB GMC with a 25 foot moving van 1200 miles from tx to oh.

Pulled a ranger 3 times locally, ending up at the junk yard... 20 miles or so total, pulled with the 69

pulled the 70 one ton longhorn from PA.. 50 miles west of Philly to here... 650 or so miles, towed with an 87 k/5.

Parts truck (again, rolling frame and bed, and also with no steering gear box and the wheels bolted in the forward position) 10 miles to the shop to cut it up.

Dragged an S-10 from fort Wayne to Here with the 69, can't even remember the miles on that one.


All this with only that one incident I mentioned earlier, and it was easy to steer and throttle out of trouble.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

For ChevyBill, and LomghornMan, or anyone else who might be interested:
The reason the towed vehicle does not have to have the steering wheel tied or locked is that the front suspension on cars and trucks has geometry build into it what will make the tires try to stay straight or track during turning. When you have your front end aligned the technician checks and/or adjusts as necessary the caster, camber, and toe-in of the front end. The caster of the front end is the degree that the front wheels are tilted off the vertical. This angle causes the front tires to want to stay straight. The principle is similar to the front wheels on a shopping cart, (caster wheels), they will track straight going straight or track the towing vehicle in a turn. Hope this explanation help.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

More details on this please, could be a good idea for yanked vehicles around the farm, pretty sure i'm redneck enough to do it lol!

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

Take a piece of pipe 6-8' or so run a chain inside it(take the hook off one end if need to) then chain it between the two vehicles, this keeps there from being any slack and as you slow down it stops the tow vehicle.just watch for (Z)ing of the pipe or you will kiss bumpers And vise grips on a steering shaft make for a handle to hang onto, just dont try to take a curve a 60mph.LOL

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

Around here if the towed vehicles not registered and insured you're not legal and have no liability coverage on either vehicle with a tow bar.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

Have to agree that if I was towing a vehicle 5 miles I would use a chain or strap. But, since you're not comfortable about that, here's my advice. I've towed everything from garden tractors to semis with a pickup and a chain, have even used a bar a few times.

Towbars are wonderful. Dad and I weren't afraid to use them and go fast. We even pulled a 68 Dodge Polara 200 miles at 80 mph. But we did something most people don't do. Dad drove the towing vehicle, I rode in the vehicle being towed. Hands off the steering wheel, which took some getting used to. But I did run the brakes and turn signals. That way we didn't have to run any wiring for lights, and we had brakes on the towed vehicle, which made it a whole lot easier tow. Most vehicles don't have enough brakes to handle another 2 tons, and you can get in trouble if the brakes get hot.

As for using a pipe and a chain, it's okay for short, slow tows on vehicles without brakes. But I have seen more than one bent pipe. You have to know the lmits.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

Do you think it woud have been a problem to pull either of them 100 miles? Looking at pulling a LWB rolling frame no bed, cab, motor, trans. All freeway 60-65 MPH.
Shan...

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

does the driveshaft need to be removed before towing a rear wheel drive truck?

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

^^^^ no just put it in neutral. we towed my 67 10 miles with a tow bar. no problems.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

Fred your dad and my dad must be related LOL!!.

Re: Would a tow bar be safe?
 

if the truck is an automatic, and you are going over 25 MPH, and more than 5 miles, yes, you must drop the saft, or you can ruin the tranny.
It'll be spinning with no lube since the pump is friven by the converter, and the converter will be standing still.