Safe towing distamce

[98gpgt]

Safe meaning absolutely positively no risk to the tower's transmiision or the towee's transmission. I imagime my 3800 can take the 1/4 mile with no hassle. Not positove about the tranny.

[Imp558]

There's not enough information to say any distance is safe or unsafe. Naturally if the towing vehicle isn't in good mechanical condition the answer is 0 miles. A lot of flat towing has to do with route selection, avoiding hills and sharp turns.

 

What are the vehicles? Mileage on the towing vehicle? Any concerns about the integrity of the tranny? Is it uphill? If so how steep and long?

 

The car being towed will be fine as long as it's in neutral for many miles, people tow-bar cars across the country behind campers every day.

[94 olds vert]

The 4TXX family of transmissions isnt really designed to tow much. I have seen people tow small trailers and even a jetski. How those transmissions held up over a long period of time I am unsure. If you need to tow something heavy get a truck.

[digitaloutsider]

What are you towing and how far??

[Galaxie500XL]

At the very least, don't use overdrive.

[98gpgt]

1/4 miles about. No steep inclines. Tower - 98 GPGT 132k. Towed - minivan. I may not opt to do this, buy would like to. Do not want to jeopardize the GPs tranny in any shape. Largely don't care about the van, but eould prefer not to tear it up. That tranny may have issues as it stands, engine is blown to kingdom come.

 

Does it make a difference if you push or pull (mechanically)? This will all be at low speeds, in the middle of the night.

[digitaloutsider]

I mean, years ago I pushed a Bonneville about a mile across town using my old Regal. It survived, but it was also at like 10-15 MPH and a lot of it was downhill, plus it was the dead of winter.

 

If you "don't want to jeopardize anything" don't push/pull anything at all....

[Imp558]

Go slow and carefully

[Schurkey]

The towed vehicle has no fluid flow in the transmission.  This can be a problem with long distances for the geartrain, which gets no lube.

 

If the distance is 1/4 mile and it's not up the side of a mountain, or on dirt/mud/gravel road, I don't see a problem.  That's not far enough to build up a heap of heat in the towing transmission, or far enough to damage the towed transmission.  Stay in a lower gear--first or second--and keep the speed down.

[GabsOlds]

Pay the 60 dollars for a tow truck. 

[Nas Escobar]

Pay the 60 dollars for a tow truck.

Who do you know that will charge $60 to move a car?

 

Where I live, just hooking the car on the tow truck is $75, then they charge $3 or $5 per mile

[Galaxie500XL]

Depending on who you get around here, it's not nearly that bad. Last tow the Cutlass needed (failed timing belt actuator), I was on the far side of town.  The tow home, about 17 miles, was only $80.00.

[vipmiller803]

Get them when they're slowest and tell them you're in no rush.

[jimmyfloyd]

I towed a 89 Sunbird with my 93 bonneville with a tow strap for about 10 miles. Towed car was in neutral. It was mostly flat city streets in the early evening. Bonneville's transmission lasted well past this and was fine when I sold it. 

 

Now, this was much lighter car than a minivan, so your mileage may vary. I would recommend a tow truck if you plan to do this and are at all worried about the car doing the towing. 

[Imp558]

This was a week ago, it's safe to assume they managed that 1/4 mile by now, lol. a couple guys could have pushed it in 15 minutes