 
RE: [BaadAssGremlins] toll dolly
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RE: [BaadAssGremlins] toll dolly
- From: "John W Rosa" <JohnRosa@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 2 Apr 2005 21:50:12 -0500
Title: Message
Correct answer is #1.
 
Towing 
backwards is dangerous and illegal. The column lock is not 
meant 
to absorb the abuse of road surface bumps and holes...and 
when 
it breaks lose, the wheels will instantly turn left or right, and 
you'll 
be smashing into a guardrail before you even know something's 
gone 
wrong. Whoever told you that should never be asked 
another 
car 
question.
 
NOT 
dropping the driveshaft on an automatic car will fry the tranny 
if you 
tow over 10 miles or so or at any highway speed for more 
than a 
few minutes. If the engine isn't running, the trans fluid isn't 
pumping, and the spinning internal parts will cook.
 
A 
manual tranny doesn't have this issue, so the driveshaft can stay 
in....but ALWAYS tow facing forward.
 
Another thing about tow dollys that people get wrong, often. If 
the
dolly 
is equipped with a pivoting table, meaning the car's tires rest 
on 
plates on a frame that pivots slightly in relation to the dolly's 
axle,
then 
you LOCK the steering column of the car being towed. If the
dolly 
has no pivoting deck/table, then you want the column 
unlocked
to 
allow some flex as you make tighter turns as found on local roads 
and 
intersections.
 
And 
stop after the first mile to re-tighten the straps. Then do it 
again
every 
30 minutes or when road type changes (highway to local, vice 
versa, 
etc.)...whichever comes first. I arrived once with both straps 
dragging behind the car, and the safety chains stretched taught...and 
the 
car half-way off the dolly! SCARY.
 
John
  
  I am thinking about tolling my Gremlin on a dolly later this 
  summer. Will be 150 one way 300 mile round trip. I have been told three 
  things. One guy told me I would have to drop the driveshaft, another told me 
  to toll it backwards and the third told me to put it in N and forget it. What 
  do you guy think?
Terry 
  
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