Towing Std. Shift RWD Car - Unhook the driveshaft?

427435 wrote:

Thsldo wrote:
I have towed a 02 Mustang from Mass to Florida several time. I use a tow dolly as well. the first time I towed the Mustang with the front wheels on the ground, it was a nightmare! there was no tongue weight, and the car swayed all over the place above 55. never again! this is an automatic, so the only way to tow with the rear wheels down was to remove the driveshaft. I went to the local parts store, and purchased a plug for the transmission. I would load the mustang on the dolly, and then remove the driveshaft and insert the plug into the transmission, securing it with duct tape. I did this for several years. worked with out issue, and only takes a few minutes to remove the driveshaft. I now tow a 1990 Corvette that is a manual, I tow this in neutral, with the rear wheels on the ground. I have made the trip down and back about 4 years now. no issues at all. I have never started the car during any of my trips. as for clearance, not an issue with the mustang. The air dam might rub a little, but nothing significant at all. Even the corvette has plenty of clearance. If you decide to tow the Mustang on the front wheels, load the trunk up with whatever you can to add some tongue weight!

So you are flat towing the Corvette??

Where did you get a base plate for it??

no, the corvette is on a dolly. front 2 wheels are on the dolly, rear 2 are being dragged. I'll dig up a pic of it being towed

Thsldo wrote:
I have towed a 02 Mustang from Mass to Florida several time. I use a tow dolly as well. the first time I towed the Mustang with the front wheels on the ground, it was a nightmare! there was no tongue weight, and the car swayed all over the place above 55. never again! this is an automatic, so the only way to tow with the rear wheels down was to remove the driveshaft. I went to the local parts store, and purchased a plug for the transmission. I would load the mustang on the dolly, and then remove the driveshaft and insert the plug into the transmission, securing it with duct tape. I did this for several years. worked with out issue, and only takes a few minutes to remove the driveshaft. I now tow a 1990 Corvette that is a manual, I tow this in neutral, with the rear wheels on the ground. I have made the trip down and back about 4 years now. no issues at all. I have never started the car during any of my trips. as for clearance, not an issue with the mustang. The air dam might rub a little, but nothing significant at all. Even the corvette has plenty of clearance. If you decide to tow the Mustang on the front wheels, load the trunk up with whatever you can to add some tongue weight!

So you are flat towing the Corvette??

Where did you get a base plate for it??

I have towed a 02 Mustang from Mass to Florida several time. I use a tow dolly as well. the first time I towed the Mustang with the front wheels on the ground, it was a nightmare! there was no tongue weight, and the car swayed all over the place above 55. never again! this is an automatic, so the only way to tow with the rear wheels down was to remove the driveshaft. I went to the local parts store, and purchased a plug for the transmission. I would load the mustang on the dolly, and then remove the driveshaft and insert the plug into the transmission, securing it with duct tape. I did this for several years. worked with out issue, and only takes a few minutes to remove the driveshaft. I now tow a 1990 Corvette that is a manual, I tow this in neutral, with the rear wheels on the ground. I have made the trip down and back about 4 years now. no issues at all. I have never started the car during any of my trips. as for clearance, not an issue with the mustang. The air dam might rub a little, but nothing significant at all. Even the corvette has plenty of clearance. If you decide to tow the Mustang on the front wheels, load the trunk up with whatever you can to add some tongue weight!

Might have to go to a trans repair shop. They make plugs to go in the output end of transmissions, mostly for fresh trans. Put a piece, of duct tape, over that after taking the drive shaft all the way out.
Won't have to worry about it hanging low and son on and working loose, from being tied up. Have to store the drive shaft somewhere though.

JRS & B wrote:
In the future I will need to tow a 1989 Mustang GT from MI to FL, just once. I have read that it can sometimes be difficult to get this type car on a flat bed trailer because of the low clearance and ground effects.

So I figured a front wheel dolly might be the answer.

My question is whether or not I should drop the drive shaft when using a front wheel dolly.

I am thinking with a manual transmission that just leaving it in neutral would be enough. For what it's worth, this particular manual transmission uses automatic transmission fluid instead of regular gear lube.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Moved to Dinghy Towing forum from Towing.

Disconnecting the drive shaft should remove all doubt and
some have been known to tow with the rear wheels up, front wheels down and steering lock on. My preference would be the trailer and there's always a way to drive it on and off.

jerseyjim - keep in mind that when we are pulling a U-Haul we are not pulling our fifth wheel. One or the other, but not both. When we pull the fiver I break it gown into increments of roughly 400 miles per day. Most recently we have found that, as 6 and 6 snowbirds, storing the fiver in Florida made more sense.

JRS & B: And THAT is the difference between your driving day and ours. With few exceptions,our preferred day is 300 miles or 6 hours. No hurry. Enjoying the trip, meet some neat people. Of course, once in a while a snowstorm chases us...but even then, a 500 mile day is max.

Be safe!

jerseyjim - we only go about 1,200 miles, and I just drive it straight through except for a 4 hour nap in GA. or TN, depending on whether I am coming or going.

JRS & B: OK...the one time I went to U-Haul for a one way trailer from NJ to AZ, they gave me 4 days to get there and there was quite a "premium" (forget how much)for the one way thing.
With the motorhome, and our driving preference (hours and milage per day)it usually takes us 6.,.sometimes 7 days to do the run. We are simply not in the kind of hurry U-Haul wants us to be in.

Different experiences, I guess................

jerseyjim - We have rented U-haul cargo trailers one way before. The cost was not unreasonable. Time wise, it was pretty generous, like at least 4 or 5 days.