hello,

does the drive shaft need to be disconnected when towing a car (gsl-se in this case) with a standard (not auto) tranny with a tow dolly?

If so, how come?

Why does the drive shaft need to be disconnected on cars with auto tranny's?

thanks for any info on this.

 

I would disconnect it or pick up the rear end instead.

I do know why you must on automatic car is because there is not a transmission fluid pumping although the driveline is turing the transmission output shaft.


John

 

Same reason on a manual, but different. Spinning the output shaft in neutral doesnt allow the layshaft to turn, so you dont get adequate lubrication/cooling to the bearings/gears in the tranny. On a long trip they will be toast.

 

Hence the reason I wasted $50 renting the flad bed tow trailer to get my car instead of the $40 for the tow dolly.

~T.J.

 

Not sure why you are towing it in the first place, but here in California, if a wheel touches the ground it must be registered and insured. Otherwise it will be impounded if 'the man see ya'.
Buddy had to pay $450 to get his race car back, thought he was saving money with a tow dolly instead of getting a real trailer.

I always hated tow dollies, can't even back the damn thing up.

John

 

When i picked up my -SE, we used a dodge van, a big-*** rope, tied the rope through the 2 towing ' tabs' on the '7' and made it a triangle to the towing ball/hitch on the van. up hills, down hills, it front of cops even !! Total money spent 0 .

 

with tow dollies or a non flatbed towtruck, the motto is:

"drive wheels in the air"

last 10 years i've always paid more and endured the wait for a flatbed tow truck. simply less problems waiting to happen when my car is entirely off the ground.

FWIW a good new tandem axel open bed car trailer electric brakes on 1 axel can be had for $1800 out the door in SoCal. all the used trailers I looked at were JUNK.

 

thanks for all the input...

I will be towing the rx7 to autox events in town. It is not a registered vehicle. I will be towing with a 93 mercury sable...I know, I know. the sable is not the best tow vehicle but it is what I have. The rx7 and a flatbed trailer would be too much weight.

We have one 2 day event every month that is about 15 miles from my house.

 

You can always rent a trailer.. Give'em hell !! Xing

 

well i'm fucked i've towed my gsl-se like 300 miles with the back wheels on the ground.

oh well.

 

I've always wondered if you could build a trailer and have it be legal... People convert back halves of Pickup trucks to trailers all the time...

I would get two rear axles from similar Pickup trucks... Maybe Ford F-150's, use the leaf springs to goto I-beams or something... Then use whatever for the platform...

Hell... If you really wanna be creative, have the tongue slide in and out of the trailer about an inch or two and mount a master cylinder there, then hook it to the stock truck axle brakes... If the trailer is going faster than the vehicle pulling it, it slows down... Use the stock parking brake mechanism to lock it on a hill.

Wonder what'd happen if you mounted the axles with the driveshaft yokes facing each other, then connected them. Maybe help in traction or something... Regardless, you can use the driveshaft yoke to drive alternators, air compressors, and other **** like that... Mount a tank and battery to the trailer and you've got all the supplies you need at the track.