Posted by Scariwolff on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 at 12:20PM :
In Reply to: W500 sling it or drive it - need advice posted by bill on Monday, October 21, 2002 at 2:22PM :
I've been a towman for the last 12 years and something to consider when towing it from the rear with the front wheels on the ground is the condition of the front end, steering components, and the tires. On trucks this old it is common to have slack in many of the connections (tie-rod ends, king pins, etc.)and even with the steering wheel tied down there is a substantial amount of wander. If you have to go any distance this gets old in a real hurry. Some trucks I've had to tow from the rear and could only go 25-30 mph. If you do tow it this way, double up on the steering wheel tie downs as I've seen them come loose and swing out into the other lane (never me of course :)) If you tow it with the rear wheels on the ground try to remove the driveshaft if at all possible because even with makeshift axleshaft covers on it will still be messy if you do it that way. Sometimes without special tools it is very hard to remove the axle shafts, especially on old trucks. Also, check the gear lube in the rear end so you don't burn anything up. Make sure the truck is empty so you don't end up with a kink in the frame and use an appropriately sized tow vehicle. Good luck.