Towing a 1954 Chev 1/2 ton truck

[Darthintel]

I just purchased an all original 1954 Chev 5 window 1/2 ton truck. It has the "torque tube" enclosed drive line. It's the manual 4 speed transmission with the "granny" 1st gear.

Question: In case I break down driving before I get the reliability factor up - can this truck be towed with all 4 wheels on the ground in neutral, or do the rear wheels need to be lifted off the ground due to the enclosed drive line?

Thanks !

Rick

[mr48chev]

There is no issue with towing it with all four on the ground it isn't a modern and delicate car.

If you are flat towing with a tow bar it is prudent to use a bungie cord to tie the steering wheel straight but let it turn some on turns. That helps keep them from wanting to take off in a different direction than you plan to go.

[mikebte]

Second on the flat tow, i prefer flat tow for vehicles. I have towed my TF both ways and hands down the flat tow was better. I always removed the drive shaft due to mine being Automatic, but I just strappedmthe driveshaft the the bed frame.

Only down is you cannot back up when flat towing, leave yourself some space when entering parking areas.

[Darthintel]

Must be with the Hydra Matic that you cannot tow with all 4 wheels on the ground.

From the owners manual:
"Truck must be towed only with rear wheels off the ground or propeller shaft disconnected at axle pinon shaft. On 1/2 ton models the propeller shaft cannot be disconnected for towing. therefore these models must be towed with rear wheels off the ground. If truck is towed with rear wheels on ground, or propeller shaft connected, transmission will be damaged. "

Thanks
Rick

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by Darthintel

Must be with the Hydra Matic that you cannot tow with all 4 wheels on the ground.

Rick

Damn, now that brought back bad memories from almost 50 years ago!! WHy i ripped that monstrous auto tranny out and but in a simple 3 speed. Also why only a flat bed tow will do. The days of "lift" tows are about done for any vehicle. I hear some insurance companies won't even consider "lift" towing anymore.

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

it isn't a modern and delicate car.

too early for that mr48, you made me snort coffee out my nose

[paulspickupparts]

Originally Posted by Darthintel

Must be with the Hydra Matic that you cannot tow with all 4 wheels on the ground.

From the owners manual:
"Truck must be towed only with rear wheels off the ground or propeller shaft disconnected at axle pinon shaft. On 1/2 ton models the propeller shaft cannot be disconnected for towing. therefore these models must be towed with rear wheels off the ground. If truck is towed with rear wheels on ground, or propeller shaft connected, transmission will be damaged. "

Thanks
Rick

Times 2 ^

Years ago I purchased truck from a salvage yard and decided to tow it home. The owner who also ran a transmission rebuild service would not let me leave until I disconected the driveshaft. The way he stated it that the output shaft does not provide lube to the whole transmission when in neutral and engine not running . He said I would ruin my transmission. I believe he said if the input shaft is not turning part of the tranny is not lubed. He was in business for 45 years so probably knew something.

Maybe a tranny expert can chime in with some expert advice.

[Russell Ashley]

I'm not a transmission expert by any means, but I think if the transmission had a rear pump you were allowed to flat tow it, at least for a short distance. Transmissions with a rear pump were the ones that you could start by towing in case of a dead battery. I believe the old hydra-matics had rear pumps but don't know about the old power glides.

[paulspickupparts]

He is referring to a 4 speed manual in the first post.

From Tremec

https://tremec-blog.com/flat-towing-...cles/#more-426

[paulspickupparts]

From a tow company.

http://towtimes.com/standard-transmission-tows/

[Russell Ashley]

"Originally Posted by Darthintel View Post
Must be with the Hydra Matic that you cannot tow with all 4 wheels on the ground."

I know what the OP said but then the topic of towing a hydra matic was mentioned, and I responded to that from memory. I decided that I had better do a memory check, and found this: From the Motors Auto Repair Manual that covers 1935 to 1949, in the hydra-matic section: "There is no danger in towing a car in which the transmission is normal (not damaged) provided the selector lever is in neutral".

[paulspickupparts]

Originally Posted by Russell Ashley

"Originally Posted by Darthintel View Post
Must be with the Hydra Matic that you cannot tow with all 4 wheels on the ground."

I know what the OP said but then the topic of towing a hydra matic was mentioned, and I responded to that from memory. I decided that I had better do a memory check, and found this: From the Motors Auto Repair Manual that covers 1935 to 1949, in the hydra-matic section: "There is no danger in towing a car in which the transmission is normal (not damaged) provided the selector lever is in neutral".

Here is a good thread from the stovebolt guys. Lot of good infor

https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads...nsmission.html

Here is one of paragraphs from that thread

"One important note about towing a vehicle with Hydra-Matic trans.
For Transmission Not Functioning Properly�The propeller
shaft must be disconnected at the rear universal joint and removed,
or the rear wheels raised off the ground, to prevent further damage
to the transmission when towing.
The reason is that the rear main output shaft bearings are lubricated by the transmission.
If the engine is not running the transmission is not lubricating the bearings.
When towing, the rear axle is still spinning the transmission rear main output shaft."

[Russell Ashley]

I'll make one more comment on this topic and then I'm done. Only posting this because I don't think most people know that you could tow start a hydramatic equipped vehicle.
Found this using Google:
"The Hydramatic was fitted with two pumps to pressurize its hydraulic control system and provide lubrication of internal components. The front pump was a variable displacement vane unit driven from the fluid coupling housing, which meant oil pressure would be available immediately upon starting the engine. A relatively constant pressure was maintained by moving a slide inside the pump, which had the effect of changing the pump's displacement and therefore the volume of oil being delivered.

The rear pump was an unregulated gear pump driven from the transmission output shaft, which meant it was capable of pressurizing the transmission if the vehicle was in motion. This feature made it possible to push-start a vehicle with a dead battery if the vehicle could be accelerated to at least 15–20 mph (24–32 km/h). At higher speeds, the rear pump provided all the oil volume that was needed to operate the transmission and the front pump's slide was nearly centered, causing that pump to produce little output."

[mr48chev]

Hydro does have a rear pump and you can push start them but have to be up to about 35 mph before they will turn the engine over. Been there done that doing the pushing a time or two back when I had a 55 Buick and a buddy had an Olds with a battery that didn't always hold a charge.

Still we got way off track and his question was on a granny shift 4 speed truck that won't have a problem being flat towed. My 77 has tow bar tabs under the front bumper where they hooked a tow bar to tow it around behind another larger truck between construction jobs rather than drive two trucks.
A lot of these old trucks were set up to bolt a tow bar on to tow them around the country when they were newer and you might be taking a 2 ton and your 1/2 ton between job sites.

I wouldn't worry about flat towing it a few miles home on a tow strap at all as long as you are good at being towed on a tow strap or chain. My daughter is the best at being in the towed car that there is and I have had her steer the rig being towed since she was 16.