Towing your vehicle with a Towbar ?

Northwind

Well-known member
Quick question for the experts, if i put a towbar on my 110 ex mod bumper, would their be any issues flat towing behind my RR Sport? Plan on driving the Defender to and from the cabin this summer which is 125 miles each way. Definitely not a mechanic and definitely dont want to wait for roadside assistance if needed. From what i can see it shouldn't be an issue but i know you guys here will definitely know.
 

Napalm00

Technical Excellence Contributor
Nothing wrong with it really but you gonna want to attach to the frame probably instead of the bumper .

You will also need to disconnect the front and rear driveshafts at the differentials

With the driveshaft tool and a 14mm wrench this takes about 5min per
 

Napalm00

Technical Excellence Contributor
Easiest way ? Rent a car transporter from uhaul for the weekend. Drive on/off

Otherwise here is an example of the driveshaft tool

 

Northwind

Well-known member
Yea i want to drive up to the cabin on the weekends, its 125 miles each way. unfortunately my mechanical aptitude is pretty non existent, figured id look at other options vs a tow truck "in case" i have issues. LOL
 

Napalm00

Technical Excellence Contributor
The tool makes it incredibly easy to remove the four bolts that hold the drive shafts to the flanges. Because of the shape of the yokes it takes a very tiny tool to get in there. This makes it really easy
 

javelinadave

Administrator
Staff member
Well worth the price
https://www.roversnorth.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=RNT141&type=0&eq=&key=it
RNT141.jpg
 

terryjm1

Well-known member
Going to ask a naive question. Why can’t you just put the transfer case in neutral and flat tow? I’ve seen a lot of vehicles, including D1s flat towed behind RVs in this manner.
 

Motorradmark

Well-known member
Callsign: KO4FIC
The tool makes it incredibly easy to remove the four bolts that hold the drive shafts to the flanges. Because of the shape of the yokes it takes a very tiny tool to get in there. This makes it really easy
Thanks much. Makes sense.
 

Napalm00

Technical Excellence Contributor
Going to ask a naive question. Why can’t you just put the transfer case in neutral and flat tow? I’ve seen a lot of vehicles, including D1s flat towed behind RVs in this manner.


I think the consensus is the impact to the Tcase dished washers. On early trucks LR had a notification on the fusebox that warned of coasting at high speed in neutral. In any case its beneficial to disconnect anyway

Some people with more insight may chime in here
 

LR Max

Well-known member
Another option to consider, you can install free wheeling hubs on all four wheels. So you hook up, unlock all the hubs, and off you go.

This will be expensive, ebay has them for $300-400/pair (you will need two pairs). So better part of $1k for parts. Installation is pretty quick. Also if you forget to lock one, then you could have a vehicle roll away or at least, won't move. But same with unbolting the driveshafts (propshaft) as well.

I have seen that on a few series rovers that spend their time getting toted around in such a manner. Not too bad of an option, really. Especially if you are towing it every weekend.
 

terryjm1

Well-known member
Thanks, I’ll be flat towing 1200 miles this summer and have added tow bar mounts to the HD bumper. I think it is prudent to unbolt the driveshafts for that trip. If this ever becomes a regular thing, I like the freewheeling hubs approach.
 

LR Max

Well-known member
Thanks, I’ll be flat towing 1200 miles this summer and have added tow bar mounts to the HD bumper. I think it is prudent to unbolt the driveshafts for that trip. If this ever becomes a regular thing, I like the freewheeling hubs approach.

Pretty much. For the one-off trip every once in a while, yeah just get some giant zip ties, unbolt the driveshafts and zip tie them to the chassis.
 

1of40

Well-known member
For extra precautions I’d make sure the breather tubes are clear and that the fluids are fresh. I’m thinking about using a dolly to pull my 90SW from VA to CO for the National Rally this year.
 

galen216

Well-known member
Have you looked in the owner's manual? Believe the procedure is covered in there. It was on my RRC. As others have said, pulling the driveshafts at diff is the easiest/safest way to do it.



 

Roverman2010

Well-known member
I do believe you need to check the weigh limit of the towed vehicle, up to a certain amount before needing a braking system. Call your local RV centre.

Just a fyi, before pc pod feels your collar.
 
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