chuckcmd

I recently purchased 1 2001 2wd Cherokee with automatic transmission. I intend to tow it behind my RV with a front wheel tow dolly. Can anyone tell me what is needed? I am hoping removing the drive shaft isn't necessary.
Thanks for the help

Nick-B

Hi Chuck and welcome to the Forum.
Unfortunately, I'm pretty certain you'll need to pull the driveshaft or install a driveshaft disconnect. Dollys work fine with most FWD vehicles but not RWD automatics.
If the Cherokee was a 4WD you could flat tow which is what I do.

chuckcmd

Nick
Many thanks for the reply. after I posted here, i went to a RV forum and was told the same thing I have owned 6 Cherokee's over the years all 4wd. I recently moved to Florida and the 2wd is popular here. ........So know i think i'll look for a 4wd


Thanks Again

Chuck

Ps. any one interested in 2001 Cherokee 2 wd

Larry's XJ

What if you put the rear on the dolly?

djb383

.......the issue would be solved.

Firestorm500

Nope. Bad idea to tow one like that. Unstable.

The original poster either needs to:

1. Sell his 2WD and buy a 4WD.

2. Buy and use a tandem-axle flatbed trailer/car hauler.

3. Have a transmission lube pump or a drive shaft disconnect installed.

chuckcmd

Thank you to all for your help. I think I will find a alternative vehicle


Chuck

djb383

See it done all the time.....I've towed long distances/hi-way speeds like that without issues/instability.

Firestorm500

That doesn't make it right.

Quote: "So why not simply back the car onto the tow dolly in the case of a rear-wheel drive car -- then it would be just like towing a front-wheel drive car, right? Wrong. Tow dolly rental companies and manufacturers explicitly warn against towing a rear-facing car with a tow dolly. This is due to the weight distribution found in most cars. Tow dollies are designed to accommodate most (if not all) of the car's weight. Since the bulk of a car's weight is found in front due to the weight of the engine, having that weight hanging off the back of a tow dolly can create an imbalanced weight distribution. At relatively low speeds, this improper weight distribution can cause the car in tow to whip -- a violent sway that can take both cars off the road."

I'm really surprised you haven't been Darwined out yet, what with some of the answers you come up with. You must be one of the luckiest people on Earth.

Even worse, your "advice" is going to cause someone to get hurt one of these days.

djb383

My bad, wouldn't want to anyone to get hurt in any way, my apologies to the Forum.......how quickly I forget your advice and opinions and posts r always perfect and correct in every way. LOL

Bluelight

You can also flat tow a 2wd with a manual transmission. The book says if towing more than 50 miles to stop hourly and run the engine to help lube the back end of the transmission.

My 2wd Cherokee started it's life in Florida.

Firestorm500

That's a lot of trouble. Who has time for that?

caged

i wouldn't do that. if you burn that seal up, it will leak like a bi*ch.

just pull the drive shaft if you really need to dolly it. it takes less than 10 minutes.

salad

What's wrong with undoing four bolts and a zip tie??? You'd rather go through the hassle of selling a vehicle, then buying another, than undo four bolts and one zip tie?

Firestorm500

While we are all still beating on this, I think the OP has moved on.

However, I have towed my Jeeps extensively behind my motor home. I can tell you that while I'm on vacation, the last thing I want to do is crawl up under there, disconnecting and reconnecting a drive shaft every day. Especially in inclement weather, which there is plenty of.

I have been in all kinds of campgrounds, all over the USA. And a few in Canada. I have never seen anyone undoing or installing drive shafts.

I also would't trust a plastic zip tie to hold up and secure that drive shaft under all conditions. Not even three of them. When towing, you can't tell what's going on back there.

Instead, I would do what he is going to do. Sell it, at a loss if need be, and buy a 4X4 like he now knows he should have in the first place.

He apparently came upon what he thought was a sweet deal and jumped on it before doing due diligence and research first.

The "hassle" of selling a vehicle, then buying another, is only a temporary pain in the ***. Fooling around with a drive shaft? A permanent pain in the ***.