Towing Question

[sgtlutz]

So i bought an m1009 thats about 7 hours from where i live and im wondering what the best way to tow it home would be. The M1009 has a 4 inch lift and i will be towing with a stock dodge 35 hundered. I dont have much money to work with so im looking into a farily cheap and definitly SAFE way. Any ideas?

 

[Squirt-Truck]

Do you have access to a towbar or a vehicle trailer?
Trailer is the best if the brakes are good, towbar is fine IF you keep the speed down.

 

[sgtlutz]

I have acsess to both, Im just not sure what one will be ideal. I prefer the towbar but im just wondering with the 4 inch life on the M1009 if it will be safe.

 

[Goose2448]

Welcome to SS! I would suggest a 3 ton or larger car trailer or something similar. A goose neck would work best, but bumper pull would be the easiest to get. I think you could find someone with one that they would let you borrow. Or you might be able to rent one from u haul. The max weight on those are 5290, I dont know the weight of a 09.

 

[doghead]

Trailer it, if you have one available.

 

[flighht2k5]

I flat towed my ramcharger that has a 4" all the way cross country.

 

[sgtlutz]

Thanks for all the help guys. Im going to be renting a flatbed.

 

[epartsman]

Uhaul car trailer is what got mine home. A tight squeeze with 32's but it worked. Those trailers have surge brakes and bring plenty of your own tie downs.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Perhaps I'm the odd man out but if the truck has known good tires, I'm taking my towbar. The M1009 is probably the easiest flat towing MV there is.

 

[ryan77]

I say trailer it! I almost died tow barring one home!!

 

[ODdave]

Hands down the trailer. It is much safer and can handle suprizes much better than a bar

 

[epartsman]

Good tires do not account for wheel bearing and rear axle condition. One locked up wheel and catastrophe! Your life and others around you are in your hands. A $70.00 trailer rental is cheap insurance. It's your choice

 

[ryan77]

I was towing a m1009 from Ft Riley with a tow bar when a guy cut me off i rear ended him the blazer jackknifed and flipped my van over with me and my son in it! My son was not hurt i had a broken neck! So for safety i suggest the trailer due to the surge brakes!

 

[Barrman]

I have done both a trailer and a flat tow M1009 recovery. The flat tow was by far the easiest for the entire trip. However, 7 hours sure is a long way to go empty just to realize 3 of the wheel studs on the drivers side front tire are missing, the steering tie rod is bent, a rear rim is covered in gear oil, you forgot your back up 1" pin and the two you brought aren't in the bed of your truck anymore, you forgot your stick on lights, etc.. None of the above happened to me. I was just thinking of things that make your stomach feel like you just got punched when you figure them out.

If you have it, I would suggest a trailer. Just don't get 400 miles from home and have 2 trailer flats within 20 miles of each other after dark on a Saturday night in the middle of nowhere like I did bringing back my first M1009. Oh, a big enough jack to pick up the trailer with the M1009 on it would have really been nice that night too.

 

[Skinny]

Rental trailer plus insurance...

Too many unknowns for flat towing. Play the "what if" game...

What if the fluids aren't full
What if the driveshaft has bad ujoints
What if one of the brakes are locked up

etc.
etc.
etc.

Trailering means no worries the whole ride home.

 

[epartsman]

That's why you go Uhaul. 24/7 free roadservice is included. Anything breaks it's on them. Just make sure to purchase the insurance and bring extra tie downs. It's well worth it.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Good tires do not account for wheel bearing and rear axle condition. One locked up wheel and catastrophe! Your life and others around you are in your hands. A $70.00 trailer rental is cheap insurance. It's your choice

Of course, this can't happen on a rental trailer. I'm not against the trailer rental at all. I have a car trailer too. A smart man can do both safely.

 

[epartsman]

Of course, this can't happen on a rental trailer. I'm not against the trailer rental at all. I have a car trailer too. A smart man can do both safely.

The question is : Does one want to take the risk flat towing going to pick up a an 09 whose true condition is unknown? The risk is too great and no matter how smart or prepared you think you are you cannot predict what can happen so the safest way is the best way. Look at the members post that flipped. Had his 09 been on a car trailer with brakes the possibility of him stopping on time would have increased exponentially potentially iliminating bodily injury, lawyers fees, and property damage. An insured rental trailer or an insured personal trailer with brakes are the best and safest way for a civilian to transport a CUCV. The military tow bar does not actuate the brakes on the towed vehicle so in an emergency stop @ 65mph you are going to plow into whats infront of you. Just the laws of physics. When the Military used the tow bars they were in slow moving convoys usually not on public highways subject to the maniacs out there that believe the safest distance to enter the lane you occupy is right infront of your bumper.

I'm gonna stop beating this dead horse.

 

[armytruck63]

I'm not saying towbar towing is unsafe, but here is a point to remember: a tow bar adds almost no weight to the rear axle of the towing vehicle to help with traction.

A trailer contributes the tounge weight to the rear axle of the tow vehicles to assist with traction in acceleration, turning and especially braking. Gooseneck and fifth wheel trailers also add traction to the front axle of the tow vehicle.

My son in law's equipment moving company has a policy forbidding tow bar loads that do not add weight to the tractor, except for the light weight pilot cars.

 

[Recovry4x4]

The question is : Does one want to take the risk flat towing going to pick up a an 09 whose true condition is unknown? The risk is too great and no matter how smart or prepared you think you are you cannot predict what can happen so the safest way is the best way. Look at the members post that flipped. Had his 09 been on a car trailer with brakes the possibility of him stopping on time would have increased exponentially potentially iliminating bodily injury, lawyers fees, and property damage. An insured rental trailer or an insured personal trailer with brakes are the best and safest way for a civilian to transport a CUCV. The military tow bar does not actuate the brakes on the towed vehicle so in an emergency stop @ 65mph you are going to plow into whats infront of you. Just the laws of physics. When the Military used the tow bars they were in slow moving convoys usually not on public highways subject to the maniacs out there that believe the safest distance to enter the lane you occupy is right infront of your bumper.

I'm gonna stop beating this dead horse.

A trailer can give you a false sense of safety as well. An improperly loaded traier just might be more of a risk than a towbar. We have had posts from members who have flipped a CUCV while on a trailer. A agree fully on known vs unknown condition when considering a trailer. As far as smart and prepared, there are risks with both and no one can control or forcast others stupidity. There are just way too many variables to say with certainty that one is always safer than the other. The M1028 that was rolled would not have been were it towed on a towbar. There are more than one way to accomplish a mission safely.