> wrote in message
oups.com...
I assure you the weight of the CJ is 4400 lbs. I took it to a scale
and had it weighed. (Actually it was 4650 but I plan on taking off the
hard doors for towing which should eliminate 250 lbs.) Among other
things it has 36" boggers, a 360 engine, a full roll cage, Dana 60s
front and rear, two layers of custom skid plates in addition to the
stock skid plate, custom bumpers, winch, and a variety of other heavy
stuff.


<Jeff>
Well, that stuff could easily add up. My CJ5 tips the scales at closer to
3200, and I couldn't imagine how a CJ7 could add 1200 pounds. You managed to
paint a picture that could weigh 1200 pounds.
</Jeff>


The tow vehicle is a 2wd 2002 Dodge Durango. Not sure if this
qualifies as the "Ford Expedit*ion or GM equivalent" suggested by Dean
or not.

The jeep rear axle is indeed a full floating with unlockable hubs. If
I understand what you all are saying, if I unlock all 4 hubs there
will be no lubrication issues.

<Jeff>
This is true. If you unlock all four hubs, the drivetrain will be at rest
while you are under way. You will not need to worry about where the tcase
and transmission levers are, nor will you need to stop and run the motor in
order to lubricate the tcase gears. For all the trans and tcase knows, you
are still parked in your driveway, and have not gone anywhere.
</Jeff>



Do I still need to stop every 200 miles
and let the engine idle to splash lubrication up on the bearings? I'm
a bit confused, because in one instance Jeff said I would need to
leave the front hubs locked in to lubricate... but once it was clearly
understood that I have full floating in the rear, the advice changed
to leave all 4 hubs unlocked. I don't understand why the rear
configuration would change the requirement to lock in the front hubs or
not? (Please bear with me if I sound ignorant... I have had some
lesser/stock jeeps and been offroad before but this is my first heavily
modified rig. I bought it as is built by someone else and am still
learning all the ins and outs... I only know enough to be dangerous
but am trying to learn)

<Jeff>
IF you could NOT unlock the rear hubs, then you would EITHER need to stop
every 200 miles to run the engine so you could lubricate the gears and
bearings in the tcase, or lock the front hubs so the tcase itself spun the
whole time, and lubricated the gears and bearings, or remove the rear
driveshaft and keep the front hubs unlocked, in which case there is no worry
about lubrication.

You have the ability the ability to unlock the rear hubs - which most of us
do not have - and this removes all of the lubrication issues. Unlock the
rear and front hubs, and the tires will not cause the drive train to spin,
and the lubrication issues for the tcase will go away.
</Jeff>



A thought: Would a potential good solution be a tow dolly? This could
get the CJ's front wheels up off the road and eliminate the steering
problem, yet would only add a couple hundred pounds of weight instead
of a thousand or more.


<Jeff>
Yes, the dolly would ease some of the towing instability. In this instance,
also unlock the rear hubs so the lubrication issues also are not present.



What we are trying to mitigate is the lubrication issues that exist in the
tcase. As most of us with the D300 flat tow, the tires turning cause the
rear drive shaft to turn. If we leave the tcase in N and the trans in 1st,
R, or P (if available), the the motion in the drive train stops at the rear
tcase output shaft. The gears and bearing that supports the rear drive shaft
do not get lubricated while towing, but are spinning around and around. They
are above the oil line, so they starve for oil. If the front hubs are locked
on the D300, then the front drive shaft is below the oil line, so it will
churn the oil up, and throw oil up onto the rear output shaft, gears, and
bearing. In your particular case, YOU can simply unlock the rear hubs. The
affect of this is exactly the same as taking the rear drive shaft off, the
drive train remains completely at rest when you flat tow.

So, YOU - not anybody esle that hasn't got Full Floating hubs on the rear
axle - can unlock all four hubs and the only motion whild towing will be the
tires on the ground, and occasionally the steering mechanism as you go
around corners. All other D300 owners can either remove the rear drive
shaft, leave the front hubs locked, or stop every so often and lubricate the
rear output shaft. You simply unlock the rear hubs, and this is the same as
removing the rear driveshaft. We have to consider where the tcase and
transmission levers are positioned, YOU don't have to care about this.

I hope I have helped you understand ...






Jeff Strickland wrote:
> YOU TOLD US IN ANOTHER POST THAT YOUR CJ HAS FULL FLOATING REAR HUBS.
This
> is a critical bit of information AND IT CHANGES THE ENTIRE
DISCUSSION.
>
> Full Floaters allow flat towing, indeed they are a primary reason
people
> even install them. Well, maybe not primary reason, but CERTAINLY this
is an
> added benefit.
>
> All you need do is unlock all four hubs, and you are ready to go. The
tires
> will be disconnected at the hub from the entire rest of the drive
train,
> COMPLETELY REMOVING the requirement to set the levers on the
transmission
> and transfer case to any specific position. With the hubs unlocked on
the
> rear axle, the drivetrain will remain at rest while you are towing
your CJ.
>
> Not only do Full Floaters let you flat tow, but if you manage to
break an
> axle shaft, you can disconnect the affected tire and still drive your
Jeep.
> This is the primary reason why people install them.
>
> You bought a Bonus, you can flat tow without any worries.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> >I just got a tow vehicle which is only rated to tow 4800 lbs.... so
it
> > can tow my CJ, but not the CJ + trailer.
> >
> > Is there anything special I need to know before flat towing? I'm
> > guessing I should put the transfer case and transmission in
neutral,
> > and lock in the hubs. Anything else I should do?
> >