Towing an Automatic SC

the-big-e

Registered User
I am going to pick up an SC with an auto trans in her.....

I will be using a tow dolly for transportation...

Is there a problem pulling it with the front wheels and the trans in neutral?

Or can I pull it with the back wheels with the steering locked?

I will have to tow it about 400 miles......
 
Tow with the front wheels on the ground or get a auto transport, not a dolly. You will burn up the auto tranny due to lack of lubercation if you tow with the rear tires on the ground and the tranny in neutral. Reason why is because with the engine not running its not turning the pump inside the tranny which in turn is not supplying the tranny with lubercation.

Shane
 
Towing

There will be no problem with towing your car that distance or any distance with the rear wheels on the ground. There are thousands of people that pull two and four wheel drive cars every day behind Recreational Vehicles with no problems. Just put the vehicle in neutral, you may have a problem with clearance getting the car on the dolly and the back exhaust and ground effects touching the ground depending on how good your suspension is. My recommendation is to get an auto transporter from U-Haul. It has an integrated braking system. You will have an extra 1,500 pounds to tow but it is worth the piece of mind. Just be careful if your car is not stock height because it may rub the bottom side of the front bumper. Good luck.

Jester
 
I have towed quite a few SC's with my dolly, but they have all been 5 speeds....

I carry two 2 x 12's to make loading and unloading easier....

I don't think I will have a problem pulling it with the front wheels and the trans in neutral.....

I have never towed one from the rear before.....
 
DONT DO IT! unless you want to fry it. Some people might get away with it, but its a gamble. Also, one of the reasons people with RV's frequently tow 4x4 SUVs and such is so they can unlock the transfer case. If you must tow rear wheels down, which would be safer, just unhook the driveshaft from the pinion by removing the four bolts that hold it on. Shouldnt take more than 15 minutes if you bring a cheater pipe or breaker bar. Then push the shaft forward and tie it up securely out of the way.
Some horror stories involve the trans locking up from heat... Imagine that happening with a tow dolly on the freeway:eek:
 
lowflying90 said:
i've towed all my sc's with the back wheels loaded on a tow dolly and the steering locked.

jeff
That is probably the way I will do it.....

Have you had any problems with "dog legging" while towing them that way?
 
i know one thing that sucks, pushing SC's up on to an auto transport from u-haul that dont run...and with only 2 or 3 people...that sucks real bad...shane knows all about that dont ya?...haha
 
gotta get a rolling start from down a hill onto trailers when they dont run:D Just be ready to buy new fog lights, bumper cover....... I picked one up in Houston one time and did this method. got it on the trailer, but if not for the front of the trailer stoping the car, it would have been in the bed of my truck. I only paid 100 for that car, but it turned out nicer than I thought.
 
I had to do that on one I bought in Columbia, SC......

Had a 26' enclosed trailer to bring her home in......

Car had no battery, so I parked the trailer just down the hill in the middle of the street....

The SC rolled right into the trailer, but then I couldn't get the doors open far enough to get out because of the fender wells on the trailer......:mad:
 
the-big-e said:
That is probably the way I will do it.....

Have you had any problems with "dog legging" while towing them that way?

yea, the steering may lock a little off to the side on the front wheels. i think i just had the wheels turned so that side of the car was close to the while line of the road instead of the yellow line.
 
just use a hand cable winch and ease it up onto the dolly.i towed a sc about 200 miles with rear wheels up on the dolly just fine.like it was mentioned make sure the steering is locked.
 
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