i'm going tommorow morning to pick up my new 77 maverick. i'm going to be towing it back with a tow dolly. what way should i tow it? with the front tires on the ground, with the drive shaft remove, or with the drive shaft attached? if i leave the drive shaft attached will i screw up the transmission? or is the best way to remove the drive shaft?
Automatic or manual transmission? Automatic: Pull the driveshaft Manual transmission: No need to pull it. Put the front wheels on the dolly.
thats what i thought i just wanted to pop the question on here the other times i have towed something on a dolly either it was a standard trans or i didn't care what happend to the transmission.
thanks for all the advice it's always good to bounce questions off other car people. i'm freaking way excited. i'm 9 hours away from having another maverick.
Even with a standard trans, you should pull the driveshaft. The reason is, the output (tail) shaft won't get any lube to the bushings/ bearings. The countershaft (cluster) is only turned with the input shaft turning, the countershaft is what supplies the rest of the shaft with oil. (Think Lucas oil gear display at the parts store) If you only have a mile or two, it probably won't hurt it, but I wouldn't tow it more than that with the driveshaft in.
Disconect driveshaft from the rear and without taking the yoke out of the transmission secure it to the underside of the car. this way you do not disconect and loose tranny fluid. just make sure you take the bearing cups off the universal joint and store them in a place they don't get lost. I towed a car like that all the way from Mexico to my house and did not have a problem at all.
