The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Towing 47 3100 w Dolly - questions

Folks -

Looks like we're going to go ahead and get that 47 5 window, 4 spd. half-ton. Got a question - we will likely be towing it home with a dolly. Do I need to disconnect the drive shaft/tube? It's been a LONG time (30+ years) since I've fooled with anything that had a torque tube - what all is involved in disconnecting the driveshaft. Will I burn up the trans if I don't disconnect it? Can I turn the truck around and dolly it with the rear axle in the cradle and tie off the steering wheel? I'd appreciate any advice you can give - we will be towing the truck about 200 miles home.

Thanks in advance,

John

Best advise, rent a trailer instead of a dolly. With what it would take to tow with a dolly, a trailer would be much easier and safer. The cost dfference is well worth the increased safety.

I would get a trailer if at all possible. How old are the tires? are you prepared for a blow-out?

Definitely don't tow it backwards. If that setup comes undone it will not be a pretty sight for anyone involved.

I agree - get a trailer to bring it home. I picked up a 1/2 ton in Kansas (took it to Florida) several years ago and it was easy, problem, and stress free having it on a trailer. I used a Uhaul, which worked fine. You never know what condition tires, axles, etc. are in and it doesn't make a difference with a trailer - it does with a dolly.
Samantha

Most states are going to require license and insurance on the 3100 if its wheels, even if its just two of them.

You don't mention what your are towing. In the State of Washington brakes are required on the towed load it the towed load weighs more than 40% of the towing vehicle. Your 3100 plus dolly will be about 3,500 pounds. To be legal here your tow vehicle will need to weigh about 8,750

A Diesel powered dually might be that heavy, but no 3/4-ton pickup or car will come even close unless you can borrow one of the president's new limousines..

If you have a truck that big rent a big trailer.

You need the heavy end of the truck at the front to assure you can steer the dolly. I once watched someone try to dolly a car with no motor. It was a joke and they never took it out of their own yard.

Taking apart a torque-tube drive shalt will not be a quick and dirty task but is necessary to protect the engine and transmission from turning the hole time.

I've towed substantial distances with both a trailer and a dolly. I was still young when I last pulled a dolly, my older hopefully more mature self sees both the danger and the challenges a dolly brings to the party.

I'd agree with the chorus above that answers use a trailer. Even surge brakes on the trailer are far better than a brake-less dolly.

You're operating in a state that have more rules and more draconian ways to enforce them than the state I do. Don't play games, do it right from the start.

Hello, K -

I just towed my 56 on a dolly - I did drop the driveshaft, but mine is of course an open driveshaft, so it took all of five minutes.

The main reason I did this was to prevent the shifter from bouncing around and popping into gear. I'd heard a few stories about that happening.

An added bonus was reducing rolling resistance.

I also think towing backwards would not be advisable. even if your steering wheel is "locked", there's bound to be a little slop. That will result in the "front end" - the back of your rig - swaying from side to side, and that will get transmitted like a whip up towards the front of your rig.


I had no issues whatsoever using a tow dolly. I was fortunate to have a near-new dolly to use. My terrain, route, conditions, tow vehicle, and other variables are different from yours, though. Just use your head, common sense, and extra doses of caution (and don't be afraid to abandon project) and you'll be fine.

I asked the same question 2 years ago when I bought my '50 in Iowa. It cost more to rent the "transporter" U-haul rents but it was worth it. Never even had to worry about the truck all the way back to Texas because I knew it was safe.

Can't put a price on peace of mind.

Spot

I agree, just because no one was hurt last week or last year does not mean its a good idea to try again this year.

I'm not sure what the prior post has to do with using a tow dolly, but based on feedback from folks, we've decided to rent a U-haul trailer to bring the '47 home.

We're taking off at first light on Tuesday and will return home the next day. I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures and more information on our little find next week.

Thanks for your input!

John

I think you made a wise decision.

Don't forget the trailer from UHaul weighs much more (1500 pounds, if I recall correctly) than their tow dolly. If your tow vehicle can take it, then go for it.

I think a proper tow dolly setup is safer than a vehicle towing more than it can handle.

Either way, have a great trip and welcome home to your '47!

Thanks for all the advice and good thoughts. We are excited about this purchase and can't wait to share pictures.

~Knedert

But that's really the point isn't it.

With a proper trailer you have tongue weight and trailer brakes. If the load is placed correctly on the trailer and does not overload either the hitch (tongue weight) or trailer brakes, a trailer is going to be pretty safe.

With a tow dolly you don't have brakes and your tongue weight almost certainly went up.

If 40% of the weight of the towing vehicle is the limit for the dolly and load before brakes are required on the towed load (as they are by law in the state where I live), your towing vehicle needs to weight about 10,000 pounds to tow a 1/2-ton truck with a dolly.

If you are not setup with an adequate tow rig your dolly setup cannot be labeled adequate. End of story. You may get away with it but don't confuse being lucky with being safe.

With a dolly your margins of safety quickly gets down to zero.

If you are pulling with a 1/2-ton or smaller pickup, or maybe even using a car, and your load is a complete truck there just isn't any way to make it 'proper'.

Too many people here are responding that they got away with it just fine and ignoring that in many states they violated the law their legislature has put in place and that they are playng fast and loose with the laws of physics everywhere.

If I die young I intended it to be cardiac issues or cancer. I'll leave the stupid towing tricks to others.

The analogy of I got away with it last week is kind of like saying I played Russian roulette last night and the gun just clicked. Does that it will do nothing more than click tonight? When I move a pickup, I use a tilt bed tandem trailer with brakes behind a 2500 HD Chev with the trailer pulling package. Anything bigger I use a semi. After the feeling of stability of driving a semi with air brakes for over 45 years, I just don't feel comfortable pulling something that is not stable and has no brakes.