Ground towing '94 4x4

[mikeLee]

What are the issuses in ground towing the 1994 explorer 4x4. auto trans, have manuel hubs in front.

 

[Ray Lobato]

Hi Mike, and welcome to the site.
You should not have any problems flat towing your truck, but you do need to put the Transfer case into neutral position. There is an option from the dealer to add a button that switches the transfercase into the neutral position. It costs about $50.00. There is another way and that is to take the transfercase motor off and physically move the gear to the neutral position, but I would just pay up and not worry about having to take anything off or on.

 

[mikeLee]

Thanks, Found out from Ford the switch only good for '96 and later models. Demco towing supplies said only thing is a quick disconnect drive line ?? Not so sure about that !! l still looking into the switch idea.More insite the BW1354 was used from 1990-98 going back to dealer with more info.

 

[anchored]

According to my Haynie's manual, ground towing is no problem at all at highway speeds for longperiods of time, since the transfer case oil pump is driven by the rear shaft. I would NOT put it in neutral for that reason - if you do, wouldn't that stop the pump?

 

[Broccoli1]

Disconnect the front and rear drive shafts when ground towing long distances!!! Disconnect the rear drive shaft on the rear if you tow with the front off the ground. This applies to all vehicles 4x4 or 2x.

 

[JamminG4Jim]

Originally posted by smashboxed
Disconnect the front and rear drive shafts when ground towing long distances!!! Disconnect the rear drive shaft on the rear if you tow with the front off the ground. This applies to all vehicles 4x4 or 2x.

Smashboxed is right here, Mike. Less than 50 miles with speeds UNDER 50 MPH will not hurt it, but I for one wouldn't take the chance. Unlock your front hubs and the front driveshaft can stay in. Mark the rear driveshaft with chalk on the diff end and on the diff so you get it back in the same way it came out. Also, put your shift selector in N for nuetral, and leave your steering wheel unlocked with the wheels pointing straight ahead. A spare Ignition key works best for this.

Also with flat towing you have to remember that your towing vehicle's brakes have to stop BOTH vehicles now, so make sure they're up to snuff and brake sooner to avoid overheating them.

Lastly, you'll need to get some magnetic tow lights to put on top of the towed vehicle for stop, turn and brake lights. These run about $50.00 at most auto parts stores.

I flat towed my X to a couple of runs last year with the above setup and it worked fine, except that in MN you have to have a brake-away system for the towed vehicle (meaning if the tow bar breaks AND the safety chains fail, the towed vehicles brakes are applied and the vehicle stops on it's own) and I didn't find out about it till the rally season was over. You might want to check local laws in your state about that. I bought a trailer this winter, so now i'm legal!

Hope this helps!

Jim