Tow Bar

russnj wrote: Jeff, I can get some measurements tomorrow, also dlbensinger has them for $300.

Russ, What Tow Bar are you refering to?

Howard, These are the tow bars I was thinking of.

http://www.blueox.us/Towbars/towbars.htm

They allow for movement of the arms so all the stress of turning is not transferred to the frame horns/bumper.

Russ

Those bar arms only move for storage and hook-up, they lock in place during towing. Flat towing a CJ is really not that stressful on the frame, they follow along really well. The important part is to make sure the jeep can handle the speed you want to travel. Tragg

the old acme towbars are around check your local cl, 50-100. they look original.  have a local welder, that you trust fab it and chose your own design and hitch. 18526 had a nice setup. the hitch slid front to back to lock no always getting stuck flip up.  i have always flat towed never broke the front off a jeep yet. honestly, look at the size and weight of tow vehicles. i have never seen a blue ox on a flatty around here, they use them on tj and crvs. as for stress, maybe im new to towing but the front wheels dont lock and i have never tied off a steering wheel on a jeep. the wheels turn with the tow vehicle, they track well and never had a problem backing up.

Edited by jamesholden - 10 Dec. 2009 at 6:10am

Thanks Russ, I see now. These things are getting rather fancy...

Edited by Howard - 10 Dec. 2009 at 3:28pm

I've been delaying my post on this subject because I wanted to give you pictures and dimensions, but I guess they will come later.

The only issue I am aware of with the Military tow bay is that it is very short. When you make sharp corners at parking lot speeds you will drag the front wheels sideways, and depending on tire load, inflation, hitch height, caster etc, the front wheels may actually rotate opposite the turn due to inadequate "self aligning torque".

I've hijacked this thread for long enough.  I'm going for it

Tandem Towbar

Yes, I did!

I see these tow bars on almost every CJ jeep; so I wanted one.  Hopefully the General will be back together by April and ready to hit the road again.  If want to take it with us any great distance though, we would have to tow it behind the X-Unlimited.  Also, knowing who the primary mechanic on this adventure it (me), it probably should be a requirement.

I opened a can of worms it seems.  I thought there was one type and that was it; they all looked alike to me.  I see now they are not and I have a lot of reading.  I have had several PM offering to see me one for like $50, but each one requires driving 2 hours or more to Alentown, which puts me in Walcks back yard and that is a danger !!!!  I am preparing a seal and gasket and misc order for Walcks in two weeks, maybe I can work something out and meet a seller there and get my walcks parts in the same day; I donno know what to do know except keep reading.

Right now priority it to get the seals and gaskets, Bed Liner for the underside, engine oil, gear oil and then the tow bar.  For the tow bar, it seems the choices are almost unlimited, but the cheaper the better. heh heh heh

jefisch wrote: DaveyK01,  I bet you thought you were asking a simple question.  There is no such thing in Willys World.   The answer depends on what your looking for.  I built a basic short-haul set-up that does not corrupt the front bumper.  It looks OK & the biggest expense was the beer.  http://picasaweb.google.com/swampfisch/TOWBAR#