steering wheel strap?

[ADAD437]

ok, i have a 2014 dodge journey, i am going to pull it on a demco ss tow dolly. my question is, demco says to use steering wheel strap on cars that do not have lock steering wheels. is this nessasary or not?

[Horizon170]

Tie it down, it makes a difference.
Marvin

[mowermech]

Towing a Cherokee four down and experiencing "death wobble" is an entirely different situation than towing on a dolly. In fact, a 4X4 Cherokee can not be dolly towed unless the rear drive shaft is disconnected.
Tieing the steering wheel while dolly towing is to keep the front wheel straight ahead so they don't move and possibly slip out of the basket straps. Even with the safety chains proper installed, that could be a very bad thing!

[richnorsworthy]

This may be the same problem with the 2014-18 Jeep Cherokees. They finally come out with a wiring harness to keep power to the electronic steering. I do not think your insurance will cover you if you are using a strap to hold the steering wheel while towing if you have an accident. Just run into a fellow in last couple of weeks still using strap on his 2014 Cherokee because his dealer would not put the wiring harness on! I told him to go to Corporate and work it from there. This dealer is not ethical!

[ADAD437]

Jim@HiTek wrote:
Doesn't your 2014 dodge journey already have a locking steering wheel? When you park, put the vehicle in P, shut off the key and remove it, doesn't the steering wheel lock in place so you can only steer a couple inches either way?

That's what the dolly instructions are talking about I think. Or did I miss the point of your question?

no it does not have the locking steering, i think it is electronic steering.it does not have a key it is passive ignition.

[Jim]

Doesn't your 2014 dodge journey already have a locking steering wheel? When you park, put the vehicle in P, shut off the key and remove it, doesn't the steering wheel lock in place so you can only steer a couple inches either way?

That's what the dolly instructions are talking about I think. Or did I miss the point of your question?

[ADAD437]

mowermech wrote:
One would think that the basket straps on the front wheels would hold the wheels straight. Not necessarily true!
Long ago, I towed a vehicle with non-locking steering on a U-Haul dolly (DEMCO), and by the time I got home, the front wheels had gone to a full left turn. I don't know why it happened.
So, yes, I would say to follow the instructions. You do NOT want to take any chance that your car might fall off the dolly. That would ruin your day!

thank's for that input, i have used other brands tow dolly many times without problem. this is my first time with demco ss so i am wondering why. that sounds like a good reason why. i guess it is because of the demco steering.

[mowermech]

One would think that the basket straps on the front wheels would hold the wheels straight. Not necessarily true!
Long ago, I towed a vehicle with non-locking steering on a U-Haul dolly (DEMCO), and by the time I got home, the front wheels had gone to a full left turn. I don't know why it happened.
So, yes, I would say to follow the instructions. You do NOT want to take any chance that your car might fall off the dolly. That would ruin your day!