tow bar?

[Citizen Rider]

anyone use a tow bar to pull their blazer?

Im looking for a tow rig/dd, and until then i can use my aunts 3/4 ton dodge to get around. But i have no access to a trailer that the blazer fits on. A fullsize trailer is in the planning but right now isnt gonna happen.

would it be smart and/or safe tow pull my blazer that is 1tonned on 38's?
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[Pookster]

yes and no. it can be done, but whatever is pulling it needs to have some serious brakes.

Not only that, its illegal in some areas to do that. Check your state. (your tow vehicle has to have a GVWR greater by x%)

If you want to do it, get a brake buddy- it hooks up to the brake pedal of the towed vehicle, gives your towed vehicle brake power. Very important.

Me personally, I'd try and find a trailer. That or get some 31's to tow around with- Towing with 38's isnt the problem, its just a lot of wear and tear.

 

[stallion85]

I flat towed my rig when it was on 35's around Vegas and to Moab once. I have a Dodge 2500 so it had good brakes to get them both to stop. I now have a trailer and feel way better about it.

I just never felt very comfortable when flat towing, constantly thinking in the back of my mind what could happen.

If you can, I would look into Carson trailers. I picked up an 18' 7K rated dovetail for $1850 and they financed me. I paid it off in a few months and now it's mine

 

[BAJA_BLAZER]

I flat tow my 90 with 37" tires all the time behind my Motorhome or CrewCab. 80 MPH, miles of dirt roads in Mexico, around town... it is all good, except backing up - you can't do that so you have to think ahead sometimes like at the gas station. I've got a trailer that I some times put it on, but that is a lot more weight to tow, is two feet wider and more of a pain in the butt.

 

[RootBreaker]

i got a towbar and used it a few times.. pulled a van and other pickups with my pickup..... worked great.. now I have a tube bumper so no gonna work anymore...

 

[Citizen Rider]

Well at 18 im lucky enough to have had the money of my own to build a 1 ton blazer. And now find a cheap tow rig. But a trailer is out of the question IMO currently. my main concern is finding something to drive daily. My aunt has a 2004 Dodge crew cab long bed 2500 diesel that pulls a massive gooseneck horse trailer no problem. But its finding time when she doesnt need it or whatever..

Any specific things i need to look for in a tow bar?
Longest distance would be a few hours.

What about lights? just flashers on the towed vehicle or how do people work that out?

 

[littlejimmythatcould]

here's my tow bar.... until I can get a trailer. It is a 5000 pounder which I know is too little for our trucks but it was $150 instead of $400 for the 10000 pound one. But the guy at the rv shop where I bought it said he's seen people tow F-350's with them. Any ways, the key to using one is to keep your tow angle as flat as possible especially with a lifted truck otherwise it could slip off of the ball during braking and mess up your tail gate on the tow vehicle. my truck is stock with 33's and I needed a 2 inch lift ball hitch for mine. Also, you will need to get a set of brake lights for the vehicle being towed to let people know your stopping. I towed mine to amarillo and back with no problems although I was a little nervous with the 5000 pounder, but I have towed several parts trucks with it since then and now have a moderate amount of faith in it. But you also have to unhook your rear drive shaft so you don't burn up your tranny (if it's an auto). Sorry for the long response, just letting you know from my experience. Hope it helps. Also, I believe that bars (I may be wrong) are underated by a certain percentage to account in for people using them past their intended use because they certainly couldn't over rate them....
Edit: the last pic is to show the mounting points (into the frame) on the truck.

 

[Hossbaby50]

I tow mine with a towbar. It is on 3/4 tons with 37" tires. It works pretty well being towed behind my 98 Dodge 2500 Diesel. You just need to be smart about braking distances with the flattow and also keeping your speed in check. The faster you get that train moving the harder it is to stop.

My main concern was braking which is ok with my Dodge. I will continue to do it until I can afford a trailer.

Harley

 

[RootBreaker]

doesnt that scoop get in the way on visibility???? one would think the lights do too???

 

[littlejimmythatcould]

I little bit, but with a passenger it makes it a little better, it helps get my wife envolved with being my eyes on that side. Plus, I just rely on knowing my truck and where the front end is and with a experienced spotter it helps. But it is functional and I do notice a little bit more power with it at higher speeds and at slower speeds it vents off hot air from the engine compartment. And the lights don't bother me at all and I have no other place to put them when my top is off in the summer.
Edit: I also think it makes it look mean.

 

[muddybuddy]

we flat towed a 1ton k5 on 35s from upper new york through manhattan to virginia with a toyota t100 while it was flurrying with snow....and we survived!

 

[bear76]

When flat towing I need to put it in nuetral, right? How do I keep the front wheels locked straight? I was thinking about getting a tow bar for short distances like less than 5 miles.

 

[cybrfire]

You don't want the front wheels locked on the towed vehicle. They need to track around corners. Caster is important hear. If your caster is way out of whack you simply cannot flat tow. As stated before keep your tow bar flat to the ground. If not, under hard braking the towed vehicle will want to climb the hitch or lift the tow vehicle depending on which way the angle is. Brakes on the flat towed vehicle should be there to be safe. The towed vehicle can push pretty hard.

In a 4x4 you should be able to put your Transfer case in neutral to keep the transmission alive and not have to drop your drivelines. I've never heard of anything bad happening to tcases from being spun this way. Never done it over a great distance either.

 

[ChickenRammit]

i tow like this frequently, it works out really well if you know what your doing. i usually disconnect the pitman arm from the steering gearbox so that there is no drag from the power steering system. this incredibly reduces stress on the tow bar/hitch/front bumper combination. it also reduces wear on the front tires of the vehicle being towed.

 

[bear76]

So just put the tranny and TC in N, hook it up and go? Again I only plan on going less that 5 miles for repairs and such.

 

[cybrfire]

So just put the tranny and TC in N, hook it up and go? Again I only plan on going less that 5 miles for repairs and such.

Maybe there is somebody on here that knows t cases better than I do. I can't imagine there'd be any reason you couldn't put the tcase in neutral for a short pull. I've done it a few times with no ill effects but who knows. Not sure if they were intended for this kind of thing. I'd hate to misinform.