Can you tow an auto bongo? If yes, how far?

[fivepints]

Hi all, lot's on towing but I couldn't find much on being towed.

(This is speculative btw - engine is currently ticking over fine but I'd like to know just incase).

My parents have only ever owned autos and they have always been told that, for long distances, they should be towed on the non driving wheels. Does anyone know if this applies to the Bongo? I guess the technology isn't that much different? I'd also be interested to know why this applies - I guess something wears out/gets fried if you tow the driving wheels?

As always - any advice greatly appreciated!

[haydn callow]

personally I wouldn't tow a full time 4X4 at all

[Alacrity]

No auto vehicle should be towed with the driving wheels on the ground. In a dire emergency they can be towed 5 miles or so but the speed should be kept below 30 mph. If the engine will tickover & the gearbox is working OK then you can tow as far & as fast as you like.

The reason is that an auto has a pressure lubrication system like your engine does. Can you hazard a guess how long an engine would run without any oil pressure? The answer is not long before the crankshaft bearings seize. Well the same thing would happen to an auto box, they are mainly plain white metal or bronze bushes & they will seize fairly readily, you also have all the epicyclic gearsets that are again dependant on plenty of oil. Some gearsets are pressure fed, others use the 'lost' oil escaping from the shafts & bushes. The end result is a gearbox that you open up then tip the internals straight into the scrap bin. The last lime this happened to us was when the AA brought a Mondeo into us with the rear wheels lifted on the spec frame, when I told the driver he will have turned the transmission to scrap he came out with the 'computer says it's OK' line. To be fair he showed me & indeed his computer did say to lift the rear wheels, but he wasn't terribly clued up if he thought a Mondeo was rwd. Needless to say the 'box was scrap. By the way the lubricating oil is the oil cooler return oil, so NEVER blank off the oil cooler lines - believe me I have seen it done plenty of times, no cooler flow = scrap gearbox.

So to tow a 4x4 Bongo with the wheels on the ground you would need to remove one or both propshafts, if you remove one make sure that is the axle left on the ground in a lift & tow situation. Of course a 2wd just need the rear wheels lifting.

[helen&tony]

Hi
We had a problem with our Jag many years back, and it conveniently occurred outside a friends house. The wheels locked, so I called the (......) ...one of the major 2....so, a truck was sent to drag the car onto a flatbed....I told the guy to go, quite politely, as the wheels were stuck rigid, and I did not wish to partake of his services. He was a bit miffed, and I re-iterated that the problem was described accurately to the call centre, and I told him exactly what I told them, and he agreed the call centre got it wrong.
Offer number 2 from the call centre: a lorry with a crane....I laughed at the operator.
I went home (lift from friend), and phoned the call centre AGAIN...this time, I got a person who seemed to know EXACTLY what I needed. Returned to friends house the next evening, and out came a tow truck...Tony said a tow was not a good idea, and the guy explained what he was doing....First, the rear wheels were lifted on a 2-part trolley with 4 dolly-wheels, then the front was lifted onto a spectacle frame...Whizz...home and job done.
Now...the upshot is, that most of the major rescue firms, including the Big 2 don't have a huge number of trucks, and use contractors, who don't all have the requisite equipment.
Moral of the story....on an auto insist on spectacle lift and dolly...and you'll still have a gearbox
Anyway, when the garage came to the house to pick the Jag up, the driver came with a flat-bed. I said it would be impossible with the locked wheels....the driver grinned, put some ramps down, locked the rear brakes, smothered the whole ramps and bed with liquid soap, and the Jag slid on like an ice-skater....amazing when you know what you're doing.....obviously the major rescue companies need lessons.
A short few days later, Jag delivered....Perfick!
Please don't assume the call centre know what they're doing, and ask them to re-iterate your request
Cheers
Helen

[Scott]

Works for washing machines on vinyl floors too

Hi
the driver grinned, put some ramps down, locked the rear brakes, smothered the whole ramps and bed with liquid soap, and the Jag slid on like an ice-skater

[lpgimports]

Works for a nearly three year old too!! she keeps pouring bubbles on the kitchen floor and making an ice rink!

[helen&tony]

Hi
OOhhh...you're both frightening me there...I slipped on the stairs on Jan 2nd...the dog's bowl on the landing got spilled...I skidded and twisted my ankle..'Twas only the beginning of June before I could walk without agony, so we warn each other re: wet floors....
Cheers
Helen

[fivepints]

As ever - mucho useful responses - thanks!