Question about towing a 4wd Suburban correctly

[Chevy3+3]

I am leaving in the morning to pickup an 88' Suburban 4wd. My car trailer is tied up at the moment but have access to a friends personal car dolly. I am familiar with 4wds and car trailers but have never towed a 4WD vehicle very far before. It will be towed about 60 miles total.

My question is......Will I be okay to tow it on a dolly as long as I shift the T-case into Neutral and leave the driveline to rear axle?

I personally see no difference between doing this and driving down the road under its own power except the T-case will be free wheeling and not transferring power to the transmission (tranny slips anyway).

Thanks for any input.

[silverbear]

In my opinion, as long as the T-case was in neutral then you should be fine. The t case will will be able to keep itself lubed up in this condition.

The auto transmission don't have lube running through them unless the pump is driven by the engine/torque converter and without that fluid getting pumped through it you can tear an auto trans up real quick.

[Chevy3+3]

Originally Posted by silverbear

In my opinion, as long as the T-case was in neutral then you should be fine. The t case will will be able to keep itself lubed up in this condition.

The auto transmission don't have lube running through them unless the pump is driven by the engine/torque converter and without that fluid getting pumped through it you can tear an auto trans up real quick.

Thanks! My thoughts were the same but thought I would ask for a second opinion.

[86c20]

every time i do this i unbult the drive shaft and ratchet strap it to the frame. manly cause i dont want to replace a trans transfer case. overkill??? yep but takes into acount that you dont know if that trans or tcase is full works right has a broken tooth floating around or what

[crashz]

I've only done it once, and did as 86C20 does, strapped the drive shaft up and let it free wheel. I was flat towing a 83 K25, with unlocked hubs, for about 130 miles. Kept speeds to ~50 mph or less with breaks in between.

What I experienced was a failed pinion bearings shortly after. Could be coincidence, but maybe not. If I were to do it again, I might try to over fill the rear-end with gear lube to try and prevent this.

[imjeff]

I would unhook the driveshaft.

[cadillac_al]

If removing the driveshaft makes you feel good then no problem but having the transfer case in neutral will work just fine too. I think it's right in the owners manual.

[cadillac_al]

I changed my mind, you better check the owners manual first. I am used to old school trucks when towing in neutral was common. Things changed in the 80's and things got weaker. There probably are transfer cases that can't be towed in neutral or maybe with all 4 wheels down only. Every truck owners manual will tell you how to tow it anyway. Good luck.

[Chevy3+3]

Well fellas......I went and picked up the Suburban today. I drove it onto the car dolly and proceeded to shift the T-case into neutral. I left the drive line hooked up. I towed it approximately 15 miles into my journey and when I slowed for a stopped sign the rear tires locked up!!! I checked the t-case and it was still in neutral. I scratched my head and thought maybe the t-case locked up. It did have oil in it so I didn't think that could happen. So I pulled the drive line on the roadside and tied the driveshaft to the frame and proceeded on my way home. After arriving home I rolled it off of dolly and found out the t-case must be engaged into gear because the rear drive line was turning when it was unhooked but still stabbed into the t-case. So I guess the linkage got screwed up or the t-case shift location indicator is not correct.

Bottom line.......I learned that I will disconnect all drive lines to start with before towing like that, lol.

I will add...I think everything might be okay. I think the t-case dropped into gear somehow when I slowed. I was almost at a complete stop. The tires only left an 8 ft black mark. Everything was freewheeling fine until I almost came to a complete stop.

[imjeff]

Some of those 80's T cases were oiled by the shaft turning on the input side. Spinning the back runs it without oil. Not sure which one you have.

[87Skier]

I was thinking it should be be oiled by turning of the rear driveshaft. I know that the NP243 and NP205 are supposed to be but I don't know beyond that. I hope the suburban is ok though.