the vehicle manual and repair manual from both chilton's and haynes all say to tow dolly a trackick backwards only , why ? i've heard the steering column isn't supposed to be strong enough to take the jarring  , well we all know that's a crock ! not to mention with the front wheels on the ground  the front wheels would be taking a much more severe beating , so why would you want to pull a tracker backwards ?

I just disconnect the driveshaft and tow it the right direction.

illegal in some states

the vehicle manual and repair manual from both chilton's and haynes all say to tow dolly a trackick backwards only , why ? i've heard the steering column isn't supposed to be strong enough to take the jarring  , well we all know that's a crock ! not to mention with the front wheels on the ground  the front wheels would be taking a much more severe beating , so why would you want to pull a tracker backwards ?

   I tow'd my Samurai all over backwards on a tow dolly. Went to the EJS then to Canyon De Chelly and then to Zion and never had a problem. A couple things, gotta have manual hubs and tie the steering wheel down with a bungie cord, straight down at the bottom of the wheel to somewhere under the seat. A sami has a cross member so it's pretty easy there and put the key in the ignition and turn it to the accessory position to unlock the steering column and put the transfer case in neutral. One other thing... make darn sure you don't sit stuff between the seats... it has been known to shift position and put pressure on the transfer case shifter and sometimes push it into gear while driving. Better yet mark the front driveshaft at the pumpkin (to be able to bolt it back in the same position) and unbolt it at the diff. Use a bungie cord to hold it up and in the transfer case so you won't leak oil out of the xfercase.

Quote from: rockybaroofy on February 18, 2012, 02:23:38 PM

the vehicle manual and repair manual from both chilton's and haynes all say to tow dolly a trackick backwards only , why ? i've heard the steering column isn't supposed to be strong enough to take the jarring  , well we all know that's a crock ! not to mention with the front wheels on the ground  the front wheels would be taking a much more severe beating , so why would you want to pull a tracker backwards ?

    Better yet mark the front driveshaft at the pumpkin (to be able to bolt it back in the same position) and unbolt it at the diff. Use a bungie cord to hold it up and in the transfer case so you won't leak oil out of the xfercase.

You might as well simply unbolt the driveshaft at the rear diff and pull it frontwards

I've towed my Tracker cross country two times, going forward, on all 4 wheels.  I put the tranny in 2nd (I think it was 2nd) and the T-case in Neutral as per the owners manual for towing the rolling vehicle.  The first trip I learned that the Auto hubs will shell out rooling thousands of miles (I don't know why since driving in 2WD should be the same thing, but even the manual says not to tow auto hub on all 4 wheels).  So the second trip I removed the new front auto hubs completely.  I left the drive shaft connected on both trips, but on the second trip the U-joint went out.  However, this could have been due to old age, or it could've been the fact that it was pulled at 90+mph for hours at a time lol.   

Quote from: FireCkrEd on February 18, 2012, 07:22:51 PM

Quote from: rockybaroofy on February 18, 2012, 02:23:38 PM

the vehicle manual and repair manual from both chilton's and haynes all say to tow dolly a trackick backwards only , why ? i've heard the steering column isn't supposed to be strong enough to take the jarring  , well we all know that's a crock ! not to mention with the front wheels on the ground  the front wheels would be taking a much more severe beating , so why would you want to pull a tracker backwards ?

    Better yet mark the front driveshaft at the pumpkin (to be able to bolt it back in the same position) and unbolt it at the diff. Use a bungie cord to hold it up and in the transfer case so you won't leak oil out of the xfercase.

You might as well simply unbolt the driveshaft at the rear diff and pull it frontwards

I agree. 
It's easier to get the rear dshaft bolts out, then it is the front (more room to work).
Whichever dshaft you unbolt...do not remove it from the tcase, otherwise some/all the tcase oil will leak out.  Just securely tie it up, out of the way.

OK - dumb question...  Why would the oil leak out (unless the output shaft seals are bad)?

OK - dumb question...  Why would the oil leak out (unless the output shaft seals are bad)?

Trackicks use slip yokes on the tcase end of the dshafts.  The seals seal against the slip yoke.  So if you pull the slip yoke out, there is no longer a sealing surface against the seal, so oil will run out.

I've towed my Tracker cross country two times, going forward, on all 4 wheels.  I put the tranny in 2nd (I think it was 2nd) and the T-case in Neutral as per the owners manual for towing the rolling vehicle.  The first trip I learned that the Auto hubs will shell out rooling thousands of miles (I don't know why since driving in 2WD should be the same thing, but even the manual says not to tow auto hub on all 4 wheels).  So the second trip I removed the new front auto hubs completely.  I left the drive shaft connected on both trips, but on the second trip the U-joint went out.  However, this could have been due to old age, or it could've been the fact that it was pulled at 90+mph for hours at a time lol.   

It isn't - in 2WD the front drive shaft & axle don't rotate - selecting neutral on the transfer case locks the front & rear drive shafts together - the rotating rear wheels drive both shafts and the front end.

YES    With the rear shaft in, t-case in "N" the  F&R shafts are locked together & all of it  still spins.. Just pull the rear shaft out of the T-case, put a spray paint can cap(w/out holes in it & appropriately sized) on the out put of the T-case. Tape it in with duct tape. Make sure the lock-out hubs are in freewheel. Pull with a tow-bar, nothing to worry about but wheel & axle bearings.

Agree with tallon, just unbolt your driveshaft and secure it up out of the way. That way you wont have to worry about anything and when you get where your going itll take you less than 5 minutes to bolt it back up.

just figured out why  , even with the t-case in  " N " the front drive shaft and axel still spin with the rear , so I just pulled the rear shaft and secured it up out of the way  , thanks guys !

just figured out why  , even with the t-case in  " N " the front drive shaft and axle still spin with the rear , so I just pulled the rear shaft and secured it up out of the way  , thanks guys !

I have towed our Tracker over 50,000 miles.  I also found that both axles turn when towing.  I put a twin stick in the transfer case so the front axle does not turn.  We travel and used the Tracker way too much to be unbolting the driveshaft each time.  Especially in the mud or rain.  Forum member Gearjam did show me a cool idea for towing. Remove the rear driveshaft.  Cut the top of a soda can off.  Push it on the end of the transfer case and it seals perfectly.  Then you can drive with the front driveshaft for temporary trips and just put the rear driveshaft on when you need to get serious.