flat towing

[OzarkMan]

I know a lot of people don't like to flat tow. I've been thinking about building my own tow bar to attatch to the clevis' on the bumper I haven't bought yet for my TJ. Just looking for anyone's thoughts on towing from clevis mounts. Oh yeah...and any ideas on building a tow bar.

[Jeepin Jason]

well, this is what a tow bar looks like, and it's mounts, so I don't really see how attaching it to clevis tabs would be much different... in fact it'd probably be stronger...

http://www.4wd.com/catalog/products/large/1745.jpg

http://www.4wd.com/catalog/products/large/74510.jpg

let the record show I'm no fan of flat-towing though.

[xjcraver]

I don't know about Arkansas, but Illinois won't let you tow anything with a homemade tow bar. Don't ask me how I know that, just trust me that it's so.

I think if I was you, and wanted to build one, I'd check with my state's DOT office about the legality of said tow bar. Or, go to eBay and buy a used one.

-J

[OzarkMan]

well, this is what a tow bar looks like, and it's mounts, so I don't really see how attaching it to clevis tabs would be much different... in fact it'd probably be stronger...

http://www.4wd.com/catalog/products/large/1745.jpg

http://www.4wd.com/catalog/products/large/74510.jpg

let the record show I'm no fan of flat-towing though.

The record has been updated. I would imagine I could build a stronger tow bar, and was thinking the clevis mounts would be a stronger attachment point as well.


I don't know about Arkansas, but Illinois won't let you tow anything with a homemade tow bar. Don't ask me how I know that, just trust me that it's so.

I think if I was you, and wanted to build one, I'd check with my state's DOT office about the legality of said tow bar. Or, go to eBay and buy a used one.

-J

I know you can't tow with a chain, and you can tow with a recover strap to the next exit. Ebay and Harbor Freight have tow bars for around $60. If I did purchace one I would end up modifiying it to use clevis mounts anyway. I guess I could call the highway patrol office and ask.

[OzarkMan]

Well I called the highway patrol. A tow bar is legal. A home made tow bar is also legal. Need to have safety chans.

[xjcraver]

Cool! Sounds like that's good news for you.

The IL cop who gave me crap, said a tow bar had to have a manufacturers sticker on it. Needed weight capacity, etc. listed on the bar.

Didn't make sense to me, but I didn't ask too many questions that day.

-J

[Steve]

wow a cop pulled you over to give you crap about your tow bar?

[xjcraver]

wow a cop pulled you over to give you crap about your tow bar?

No, not to give me crap. To give me a ticket. :rant: That's the closest I ever came to punching a cop.

[h_2_o]

make up a sticker and take it to kinkos to have them print it out. then it has a sticker on it. put some crazy tow limit on it like 52,000 tons or something fun. that way if a cop does look at it he will get confused and walk away crying because the cops that would pull you over for that are not smart enough to know better.

[xjcraver]

Nah, too much work. I've got a trailer, and a 3/4 ton truck, so I'm good. No more tow bars!

[Steve]

No, not to give me crap. To give me a ticket. :rant: That's the closest I ever came to punching a cop.
wow

well next time rig up a quick release from the cab so if he is going to pull you over you release the trailer and just be like :dunno:

[OzarkMan]

make up a sticker and take it to kinkos to have them print it out. then it has a sticker on it. put some crazy tow limit on it like 52,000 tons or something fun. that way if a cop does look at it he will get confused and walk away crying because the cops that would pull you over for that are not smart enough to know better.

lol I was thinking of that. I have a friend with a dog tag stamping machine. I figured he could make up a tag and I could rivit it on there.

Ozark Towbars
Weight limit: TJ

[xjcraver]

lol I was thinking of that. I have a friend with a dog tag stamping machine. I figured he could make up a tag and I could rivit it on there.

Ozark Towbars
Weight limit: TJ

I like that! Just might work...

I don't know, maybe the cop was having a bad day? :dunno: All I know is that he was an A$$, and from now on it's only trailer-towing for me. Besides that, I never really much liked tow bars anyway.

[OzarkMan]

I've never had a problem, but I've only towed small cars the size of a 'yota Corola. When I had to tow a Rustang I would use a tow dolly. It just seems like the TJ lends itself to towing this way. I suppose for a full offroad rig that has caster issues due to lifting, or tires that cause it to wander all over the place, a trailer would be the only way to go.

[FUBAR]

i think flat towing is the best way to go. you only have the weight of the vehicle being towed, no added trailer weight. if you do go this route, i would recommend putting a trailer brake wiring harness from your tail lights to the grille of the vehicle you're towing. that way it's easy to have your rear vehicles brake/turn lights working.

[Jeepin Jason]

flat towing sucks, why not just drive then? First, the vehicle has to be streetable/driveable. If you break bad out on the trails, that may not be the case... Secondly, flat towing still puts miles on your tires, and unless you've got hubs on both axles much of your driveline is going to be spinning, so you're not saving much wear and tear at all... Your tow rig might be a quieter and smoother ride, but other than that I don't see a ton of benefits to flat towing over just driving the vehicle itself.