What needs to be done to prepare vehicle to be towed?

Okay, so I have a couple options for getting a truck home. I own a logging truck that has a pintle hitch on the back, and therefore could easily use a tow bar to pull a 2.5 or 5 ton truck home that way with no problem as far as my trucks capability. Or I also have an equipment trailer with ramps that I could fairly easily haul a truck on, but getting the truck up onto the trailer if it is not running, is kind of a hassle although I have done it with other vehicles.

But I would prefer to use a tow bar, and just tow the truck behind my truck so I don't have to mess with pulling the truck up onto the trailer. But I am just curious as to what needs to be done to the vehicle to make it ready to be towed. I mean not the obvious, like the tires needing to be inflated and brakes and lights. I'm talking about the drivetrain. Are these trucks designed to where they can just be put into neutral and towed without removing the drive shafts? Or do the drive shafts really need to be removed to prevent damaging the transmission or something? And would it make a big difference between say an M813 with manual transmission, and an M923 with automatic?

And as far as the brakes go, I notice they seem to have gladhands on the front. Do all of them have these gladhands, and when you attach airlines with service and supply brake pressure, does it treat the MV as if it is a trailer and automatically release the spring brakes when you activate the supply pressure, or do you need to do something in the cab, or underneath for the brakes? My truck of course has airbrakes, and the connections at the back, and I can easily make up some air lines with gladhands on either end for that purpose.

I've got my eyes on some trucks going up for auction that are actually on my side of the country, and will be plenty easy enough for me to go recover myself with my own truck. I just want to have a good idea of what needs to be done to make them towable, or if the military pretty much designed them to be towable in their drivable configuration. I guess though, if I plan to tow them with a tow bar, I best be getting my hands on a tow bar before I bid on anything. ha ha So might just use the trailer anyway. We shall see.........

So uh........ Just put in neutral, release the brakes and go?

How far are we talking? Some guys pull axles, some guys pull drive lines, if I had an appropriate trailer, I would haul it. Surely there is some kind soul around the pick up point to help load it. Glen

have you tried the search feature ? it has been covered over and over . Tm's are availible at ; www.jatonkam35s.com download them and start reading . If you have access to a trailer that is always the best bet . The little extra work to load it is nothing compared to the brakes locking or a wheel bearing going out while flat towing it .

I would tow it on a trailer, if able to do so. You are going to a craps shoot with the condition of the wheel bearings, and the differential condition. If it were a fairly short distance, I wouldn't hesitate to towbar, if the pintle were of the correct weight rating. But once again, if you can trailer it, I would go that route

We're talking just under 200 miles. And yeah, I am really leaning toward hauling it on the trailer. Don't want to risk wheel bearing problems on the trip. And I've allready got the trailer, but not the tow bar. The trailer has a deck height of 3 feet 3 inches, and loadable deck length of 24 feet, and 8 feet 1 inch wide with a supposed weight capacity of something like 40,000 pounds. So should work great for just about any of the trucks I desire to buy. Even an M816 at 9.5 feet tall would only put my overall height at 12.75 feet. But If an M816 really weighs 36,129 pounds, I would need an overweight permit to legally haul one of those. Don't currently have my eye on one of those at the moment anyway, but just something to think about when one becomes available, because that or an M936 are probably my ultimate goal. There are so many things I could use one of those things for! Here's a pic of our trailer. Can't wait to post a pic of it behind my logging truck, hauling a Military truck!







Thanks so much for the link to the TM's! I will definitely spend some time reading through those! That's exciting!

You should be able to drop the trailer, block the wheels and pull the deuce up onto it without too much trouble.

I have flat towed several deuces (once from Little Rock, AR to Alabama) and if given my choice I'd trailer one before towing.

The liability issue with flat towing is one concern that you might want to consider.....your insurance may not cover an accident with a flat tow.

Truckoholic said:

Thanks so much for the link to the TM's! I will definitely spend some time reading through those! That's exciting!

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it's official.. Your addicted...

And ditto on the trailer... I wouldn't flat tow anything I don't know the condition of. And good lick and be safe

Also if you buy a truck with a winch and it runs loading it would be a breeze

I say haul it, you are better off, I bet they will have a forklift to push it on,or maybe they can push start it? I hauled mine over 700 miles and was glad that I did. Good luck

wreckerman893 said:

You should be able to drop the trailer, block the wheels and pull the deuce up onto it without too much trouble.

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That's exactly what I did to recover a non running 97 F350 Powerstroke Crewcab I bought last year. Just backed right up to it, disconnected from the trailer, and attached a long chain from my truck, to the front of the truck needing loaded, and simply drove forward in low gear, and up it came. The trailer also has spring brakes on both axles, so it's not going anywhere when I disconnect from it. I'm just curious to see the difference in using that process with a 22,000 pound M813 instead of a 7,000 pound F350. ha ha But it should work okay. Especially since my truck will have the 6,000 pound log dolly sitting over it's drive axles, so I should have enough traction. I think.... Yeah, of course the idea is to try getting whatever truck I end up with running so I can just drive it on, but don't want to assume that is going to be possible.