Towing my CJ

[woodsbach]

After being out of the sport for 30 some odd years, I just bought a 77 CJ5 for some backcountry cruising. I am wondering if someone could tell me if I can tow my CJ with the transfer case/tranny in nuetral or do I have to drop the rear driveline?
Thanks for any help

[bandit]

Put the transfer in neutral, tranny in a forward gear (or in park of it is an auto). If you have lockout hubs I would lock them out also.

BTW where is Sitka?
How about posting up an intro.

[woodsbach]

Thanks for the response. I only remembered that you could burn up some bearings if it was towed incorrectly. Sitka is on Baronof Island on the Gulf of Alaska approximately 1000 miles north of Seattle, Wa.

[Rumble]

I'm only responding to this because we CJ owners make up an extremely small part of the It's a jeep family. First off, and I mean no offense to the guy whom previously replied here, but since no CJ 5 EVER (seriously not 1) came from the factory with an automatic tranny, so we can forget about that. And also just so you know CJ's didn't come anything but manual lockout hubs until 1987 when the YJ was born, so it's safe to assume it has manual hubs. But other than that the advice was good.

[John]

I'd personally remove the rear driveshaft. I have seen the bearings in the T/C output fail and the shaft then fell off and broke the pinion also. This was flat towing a CJ7. The rear shaft will spin while the internals in the case are not and it doesn't get oiled. I have towed both ways but it only takes a 1/2" wrench and 10 minutes to potentially save some $.

[Buckeye]

Buy a trailer. :cool:

Alaska, huh...........invite me to visit. :D

[CJnAL]

The flat towing problems are with the dana 300 transfer cases. Here is a pic of mine after flat towing from Birmingham AL to Ashville NC. This was from before this problem was widely reported.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v436/CJnAL/t-case.jpg

Those are cracks in the aluminum tailshaft housing as well as the cast iron case.

I don't think the Dana 20 transfer case, which your Jeep should have, has the same problem, but I would disconnect the driveshaft as extra insurance.

[northgacj7]

I have towed with a car dolly and only put the t case in nuetral which is fine, but flat towing I always pull the DS.

[BlueFlu]

I'd pull the rear DS. Only takes a few mins and then no chance of it being in the wrong gear.