towing question

65up2d8 · Sep 4, 2006

Next weeekend, I'm planning to go get my '65, which is currently 2.5 hours away at my parents' house. I think I'll just rent one of those towing dollies from Uhaul to pull it behind my truck since it doesn't have a current tag, insurance, etc. My question is: is it is really necessary to disconnect the drive shaft? I've often heard that it is, but I can't belive that all of these cars I see being pulled by RV's have the driveshaft disconnected. Frankly, I just don't see my T5 jumping into gear without the clutch being engaged. What do you guys think?

A67StangMaster · Sep 4, 2006

No you dont need to dissconnect anything just put it in to neutral and start towing.. I would get a flat bed towing rental. there heveyier but your car is safer in the end and make sure your truck can tow it.

10secgoal · Sep 4, 2006

I would for sure disconnect. It can go into any gear at any time.You don't want to do 60mph with it in 2nd or first. I did tow for a living for about a year and saw it happen more than once to the lazy drivers(no offense stang master) who didn't want to drop the driveshaft. It's four bolts, and some tie wire for piece of mind. Probably won't go into gear, but murphy is not dead yet.

brin0357 · Sep 5, 2006

God dont use a tow dolley, They are so dangerous

65up2d8 · Sep 5, 2006

brin0357 said:
God dont use a tow dolley, They are so dangerous

Could you please elaborate?

ashford · Sep 5, 2006

its got nothing to do with poping into gear. it can flat out ruin a tranny. in a manual transmission the main shaft is above the oil and when you ar in neutral and the input shaft is't spinning no gears are moving. just the main shaft spinning inside the gears and on the bearings with NO FLUID MOVEMENT.

LMan · Sep 5, 2006

Ashford is dead right here. Great way to trash a transmission. My FIL tried this once towed his drag car to an event and it went kablooey on the Interstate.

Always disconnect the d/s unless you are just going around the block or something similar. Just takes a cpl of minutes.

brin0357 · Sep 5, 2006

65up2d8 said:
Could you please elaborate?

They are dangerous and I have seen too many problems with them. Hell my friends 65' fastback FELL OFF the dolly. Spend the extra money and get a flatbed trailer.

Cobain03 · Sep 5, 2006

if the tow vehicle can handle it, i would 100% suggest a full trailer. that much more security, no miles added to the car (i guss they still do rack em up in neutral dont they?). just dont want anything happening to your baby.

our blazer could pull it, just not stop it. so we rented a trailblazer for the 2 hour drive.

69 Rustang · Sep 5, 2006

You can probably rent a flatbed trailer for nearly the same money. Just get the flatbed and be done with it. I have never had a problem with a tow dolly, but when the cost is nearly the same, I would get the flatbed given the choice.

69 Rustang · Sep 5, 2006

Cobain03 said:
if the tow vehicle can handle it, i would 100% suggest a full trailer. our blazer could pull it, just not stop it. so we rented a trailblazer for the 2 hour drive.

Many of the trailers available for rent have surge (hydraulic) brakes--so no matter what car/truck you hook up to pull with, the trailer will help with braking. Trailer brakes are a must once the trailer is loaded. A tow dolly, however, may or may not have brakes--more than likely not. Go for the trailer...

65up2d8 · Sep 5, 2006

Thanks for everyone's advice. I'll check into getting a trailer.

1966conv · Sep 5, 2006

One other thing; if you decide to disregard everybody's flat bed advice. Pull the driveshaft and drain the fluid. It's gonna come out and get messy. (maybe not all of it, but enough)

mustangman1974 · Sep 5, 2006

I towed mine across country on a tow dolly. 6k miles with no issues, besides a trailer light burning out. They are cake to use. You just got to check about every 100 miles or so for the first few hours. After that everything should be fine. Go to lowes and get a 3 in to 2 in rubber fitting, and a plug that will fit into the 2in end. drop the drive shaft and cap it with the rubber fitting. Just make sure you bring a oil pan cus yoru gona lose some. It really isn;t that hard.

chromedog · Sep 5, 2006

a friend of mine used a tow dolly to tow a 65 falcon, top loader 4 speed, 65 miles down the road to the new owner. he heard a loud bang about halfway to his destination, looked in the mirror,and didnt see anything. when he arrived at his destination, he gave the car a once over before he rolled it off the dolly... when he looked under the car, he figured out what the bang was ...the output shaft, and housing were GONE!!! moral of this story: dont tow your pride and joy on a dolly

RogerC62 · Sep 5, 2006

The problem with manuals is the possibility of the trans popping into gear accidentally. The problem with automatics is lack of fluid circulation. I towed mine (toploader 4 speed) three times with a towbar, once 500 mi, once for 200 mi, and once about 130 mi. I secured a pin in my shifter's rigging hole so the shifter wouldn't accidentally bump into gear. With your T5, its best to pull the driveshaft.

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