Community Forums

Bad Bear · 11-03-2010, 08:34 PM

Hi Everyone. I realize 4 dwn would be the best way to toad our jeep, but here's the deal.

Just purchased a 2000 Damon Intruder 36 V10 and part of the package was a new Stehl dolly w/ elec. brakes all wired in with controller. I"m telling my DW

, make that "offering an opinion" (DW reads the board as much as I do), that you can't dolly a full-time transfer case like Quadra- Tra without serious damage.

Logic tells me strapping down the front wheels without removing the driveshaft(not happening!) will lock the tranfer case tight.

All opinions from experienced dolly tow people please!

Bottom line. If Jeeps a no go, then what light 4wd SUV/pickup would you purchase used, as we already have 3 older BMWs that are not leaving the family

. New vehicle must be able to tow 2000-2500 lbs trailer.

Thanks for your sharing your experiences and opinions!

Hudsoner · 11-03-2010, 10:25 PM

I have a Jeep with Selectrac. It can be towed with the transfer case and the transmission in neutral. My Jeep handbook explains towing, your's might also have something about towing in it.

Bad Bear · 11-03-2010, 10:35 PM

Thanks for the reply. I know Select-trac is a go, but wishing against all logic that all-wheel might work as well. My manual advises against it, but sometimes there is a simple fit. Just hopin!

DAN L · 11-04-2010, 02:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bad Bear

Hi Everyone. I realize 4 dwn would be the best way to toad our jeep, but here's the deal.

Just purchased a 2000 Damon Intruder 36 V10 and part of the package was a new Stehl dolly w/ elec. brakes all wired in with controller. I"m telling my DW

, make that "offering an opinion" (DW reads the board as much as I do), that you can't dolly a full-time transfer case like Quadra- Tra without serious damage.

Logic tells me strapping down the front wheels without removing the driveshaft(not happening!) will lock the tranfer case tight.

All opinions from experienced dolly tow people please!

Bottom line. If Jeeps a no go, then what light 4wd SUV/pickup would you purchase used, as we already have 3 older BMWs that are not leaving the family

. New vehicle must be able to tow 2000-2500 lbs trailer.

Thanks for your sharing your experiences and opinions!

check the toe in on your stehl dolly.

my new stehl dolly had 3/4'' of toe in.
the problem is that i didn't use my dolly for 1.5 years after i bought it, so no warranty.

i spent $370 getting it aligned properly and went through 2 sets of tires quickly.

the frame shop in san jose, ca. that finally fixed it said that it was built that way and that it was not unusual.

Parkerrs · 11-04-2010, 10:09 AM

Setting the Jeep up for 4 down towing would be cheaper than purchasing another toad in my opinion. Unless you are looking for a very inexpensive toad that is, which could cost more in repairs to make it reliable than the 4-down set-up cost. Also selling the tow dolly would offset any cost with the towbar set-up.

I wouldn't under any circumstances suggest towing the "Qaudra-Drive" with two wheels off the ground. Qaudra-drive has a slip type differential in the transfer case to divide the front to rear torque uneqaully for different traction situations, at least on the newer models. Two wheels not spinning will place undue wear on this part of the system over time.

It can be done for short distances. I dolly towed my Cherokee from point of purchase home, about 30 miles. The Cherokee is Qaudr-Trac and not Qaudra-drive though.

Bad Bear · 11-04-2010, 10:10 AM

Previous owner put several thousand miles on this unit before sale. After reading your previous post on this forum I checked the tires for even wear before purchase.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. That's what makes forums like this so powerful!

Bad Bear · 11-04-2010, 10:17 AM

In total agreement with you! It's convincing DW regarding another tow vehicle. We need trailer towing ability(2000lbs.+) and love having a 4wd for snow and the beach. Maybe a Cherokee with conventional 2wd/4wd transfer case. Owned one before the Grand Cherokee, put almost 200,000 miles on it!

That's for the insight. May look into towbar packages.

Poptop · 11-05-2010, 06:18 PM

My son's Cherokee's owners manual says you can pull it four down but not with the front two wheels on a dolly. About 5 years back I purchased a tow bar including safety chains, connecting wiring harness, attachment points for my Wrangler, and a couple dioedes for the rear lights for something in the $120 range from Currie Enterprise. I'm sure they've gone up some since then but it still has to be cheaper than purchasing another vehicle. I prefer the 4 down towing to the car dolly way that I used with my fwd car.

Bad Bear · 11-05-2010, 07:39 PM

Thanks for the feedback. DW and I are going to look into towbar options w/ braking packages along with possible car swapping. We have a favorite expression around the house that has served us very well over the years,"When the right thing comes along will know it". That's going to be our approach over this coming winter and with luck we'll be all setup come spring.