using a tow bar... problems and questions

[Gator]

I made my first attempt today to pull my sammy with a tow bar... without great success I used the tow bar my dad used for his VW rail buggy. Going straight was no problem, but when i turned the sammy wanted to go the opposite direction as my truck. Now i may sound like a complete idiot, but does the towbar have to be centered on the suzuki? I had it hooked up a few inches closer to the drivers side being that was the only way it would attach. Are tow bars vehicle specific, or am i just an idiot?

[Gator]

by the way I attempted this in a field. I want to get everything right before I actually go onto the road, and make sure i'm not going to get someone killed!

[ackerdackerly]

The basic procedure for using a towbar is:


Hook it up to a sturdy part of the vehicle (most use the set of two holes on the end of the frame) with the hitch centered on the vehicle.

The steering column is unlocked by turning the ignition key until the steering wheel can turn free.

Set the transmission in second gear and the transfer case into neutral.

unlock both hubs. Be careful with auto-locking hubs! be sure that they are unlocked by following the lock/unlock procedure in the operator's manual before connecting the Samurai to the towing vehicle. Most Samurais are not equipped with autolocking hubs - I thought I'd add this for the TracKick owners who might see this post...

If the caster angle is correctly set on the front axle, your Samurai will nicely track the tow vehicle.


A lot of folks (myself included) like to remove the rear driveshaft to ensure that nothing bad happens to the drivetrain should the t-case pop into gear.

The caster angle can get out of spec by tilting the front differential up in an effort to "improve" driveline wear - which it does not. Longer shackles on the front axle also adversly affect the caster angle.

Here are a few keyword to use at Ack's FAQ (see link in signature) for more information:

flat tow

caster

driveline (view the last two links)

I hope that this helps!