Anyone ever use a driveline disconnect for towing?

[Darius]

I was looking at a few of these units on google. I have a 5.7 and Nag1 auto in my GTX. Sure would be nice to tow it (flat tow) behind my RV to some of the multi day shows, save hotel and eating out $$$$$. I don't have the weight capacity to trailer it behind my Class C MH which is why I am looking into flat tow. These disconnects would make that an easy thing to do and they look interesting, just wondering if anyone has any experience with them.

 

[Dipstick]

Interesting

https://www.remcodsc.com/coupling/

but for the money I would just crawl underneath.

 

[peabodyracin]

I purchased a 5th Avenue last fall with the Remco coupler setup installed, along with a bolt on tow bar and surge brake setup that activated the car brakes when towing.
I'd not tried towing it, but in studying the coupler setup it looks pretty well thought out. I'm pretty sure the coupler mechanism would become problematic if the vehicle is driven in winter snow and salt environments. I doubt your car would see that. I'm driving the car every day this winter so will see what happens come spring.

One thing that struck me was I have no feel for how strong the coupler setup is; would a higher horsepower driveline be too much for it when you're out banging gears?

In my case, the surge brake setup (which I know you didn't ask about but may well be necessary for your situation), was not terribly impressive. The tow bar had a telescoping neck on it, with an offset lever/cable affair that ultimately connected to the arm of the brake pedal. Mine being a power brake car, I'm not sure how much brake action actually occurred while dragging the car along behind, especially considering the loss of leverage with the cable connecting to the mid point of the brake pedal arm. I just torched the tow bar bracket off the front of the car and saved the tow bar for the next swap meet.

I'm awfully glad I was not the person who got the honors of installing this whole setup.

 

[MarPar]

Looks like it would work, but I wouldn't do any burnouts with it installed.

Not that you would do such thing

 

[mopar 3 B]

A friend of mine had one I in his 86 D150. Salt was not a problem and he also hauled fire wood with it.
If your GTX has a sure-grip it would be a no go.
What you got for a Class-C that it will not handle a car hauler and your GTX? We have done it many times with ours.

 

[Dibbons]

I used towing hubs to bring my bracket car (4.56 rear gears) to Fremont Raceway back in the day behind a Chevy C-10 pick-up, 80 miles one way.

 

[Darius]

What you got for a Class-C that it will not handle a car hauler and your GTX?

I have a 2019 Winnebago Navion on a Mercedes chassis. I have a max towable wt of 4220 lbs. My GTX weighs 3600 even. Not sure I could find a trailer only 650lbs big enough for my car.
I had not thought of the "abuse" factor, I was kind of excited to even hear of a potential easy solution to complete removal of drive line.
I have also looked at braking systems. The surge type I don't trust. There are others that sit on the floor with an actuator that works in conjunction with the towing vehicles brake applications. Simple set up really.

I am not understanding why a sure grip would prevent this.

 

[HawkRod]

Darious,

Have you looked into some of the aluminum "featherlight" trailers? I'm not sure how much they weigh, but some of them might be pretty light. If you can find a small minimalistic trailer that just fits your car, it would address brakes, wear, safety, etc. Maybe worth a quick look...

Hawk

 

[mopar 3 B]

You do realize the negatives of towing with a tow bar?
1. Do not plan on backing up
2. Turning radius just got larger
3. Mounting it to the towed vehicle

A dolly may get you away from number 3 but not 1 & 2

 

[mopar 3 B]

I have a 2019 Winnebago Navion on a Mercedes chassis. I have a max towable wt of 4220 lbs. My GTX weighs 3600 even. Not sure I could find a trailer only 650lbs big enough for my car.
I had not thought of the "abuse" factor, I was kind of excited to even hear of a potential easy solution to complete removal of drive line.
I have also looked at braking systems. The surge type I don't trust. There are others that sit on the floor with an actuator that works in conjunction with the towing vehicles brake applications. Simple set up really.

I am not understanding why a sure grip would prevent this.

Short distance tow at speed no greater than 45 mph. Should be in the owners manual and FSM.

 

[YY1]

I tow with a dolly frequently, and I've flat towed enough to know that the dolly is MUCH better but...

You get about 3 feet of backing up before it jacknifes, and the turning radius increase is due to the possibility of the swinging part of the dolly having the fenders and can contact the door/fender gap area of the car.

Also if the desire is to get the drive wheels off the ground, you would need to back onto the dolly.
Not something I'd be fond of doing. Pulling on forwards is nerve racking enough.

I vote Feather-lite.

I wish I could afford one. They are pricey, plus in FL a "device" designed only to tow a vehicle (dolly) does not need to be registered/tagged. So with my dolly, I skate on about $35 a year reg fees.