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by Steve Turchet

Back in the early 1970s, I purchased a 1944 Dodge 3/4-ton carryall from an Indian school in Arizona. The school had acquired the vehicle through government surplus in

the 1950s, and though originally configured as a Signal Corps truck—having a 12 volt electrical system, a massive 8D bat-tery in a box on the right side running board, and a voltmeter in the dash in addition to the standard ammeter—the only civilian modifications were two rear bench seats and a school-bus yel-low paint job. The truck was otherwise original, even retaining its blackout light system. The truck had been sitting for about ten years before I bought it, but it started up willingly and was in good running condition. Aside from removing the rear seats, installing an 8-track stereo, and painting the truck OD, I made no other modifications except adding a mattress in the back for desert camping. That truck served me well for about a year in Arizona, then I moved to Mariposa, California, driving it over Tioga Pass in the Sierras, and having a few more adventures in the mountains, including the salvage of a Caterpillar Thirty that had thrown a track and been abandoned in an almost inaccessible canyon. However, in February of that year, I had a chance to buy a Kai-ser M715 and, needing money, I sold the carryall through Hem-mings Motor News to a gentleman in St. Louis, Missouri, with the stipulation that I deliver it. Having had some experience with flat-towing vehicles, in-cluding my first jeep, an M38, my original plan was to tow bar the Dodge with a 1955 Chevrolet 1/2 ton panel truck. After only two miles on my way down the mountains to Fresno, I found that

a 1/2-ton Chevy panel truck will not tow a 3/4-ton Dodge carry-all... at least, not in a straight line! Anyone who has ever walked a large joyful dog on a leash should know what I mean—wherever the Dodge wanted to go, it took the Chevy with it. After finding myself more often than not on the wrong side of a two-lane highway, I switched the tow bar from the Dodge to the Chevy. I clamped the tow bar’s ball type hitch into the Dodge’s pintle, and towed the Chevy to St. Louis! The much heavier Dodge handled the Chevy with no prob-lems at all, though being much lower-geared, the journey took four days at an average speed of about 35 mph. (This, I say again, was in February. The Dodge had no heater, and we arrived in St. Louis at 02:00 during a snowstorm...but historic military vehicle (HMV) heaters are another article.) This illustrates the first rule of flat-towing: The towing ve-hicle should always be significantly larger and heavier than the vehicle being towed. The tow bar, in this case, was a homemade one, rather roughly constructed of angle iron. Although it looked sturdy and had towed the Chevy well, I learned the second lesson of flat-towing on my return trip to Mariposa. While making a side journey from St. Loius to Mississippi to visit relatives, I discovered a 1958 Ford 1/2-ton 4x4 pickup for sale at a farm for a very reasonable price. Since I could easily sell it for twice that amount in California, I bought it with the intent of tow barring it home. This time, however, after learning the first lesson in flat-towing, I made a test run. The Ford, be-ing about equal in weight to the Chevy, towed well enough and didn’t drag the Chevy all over the road. But the second lesson was learned on the second morning

Towing Your HMVSometimes, you just need a helping hand.

The first rule of flat-towing: The towing vehicle should always be significantly larger and heavier than the vehicle being towed.

The second rule of flat-towing: If you build you own towbar, build it at least twice as strong as you think it should be.

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of the trip back to Mariposa when, just after sunrise on a rural stretch of (thankfully) almost deserted Interstate in the Texas panhandle, the Ford blew a front tire. This threw both vehicles into a spin. We careened across the weedy strip of center divide and ended up facing the wrong direction in the opposite freeway lanes. Fortunately, as stated, there was almost no traffic at that early hour; and though the tow bar was mangled, it held together long enough for me to get both vehicles off the roadway and onto the shoulder. After hiking a mile to a farmhouse, I was treated to old-fashioned Texas hospitality when, after calling the only tow truck in the area (which turned out to be a CCKW owned by a wrecking yard), I was invited to a Texas-sized breakfast by the farm family. This country generosity was reflected by the wreck-ing yard owner, who towed both my vehicles for a very reason-able price and built me a new tow bar: A very massive one. I completed the trip without further incident, sold the Ford for a nice profit, and finally got the M715. The second rule of flat-towing should be obvious: If you build you own tow bar, build it at least twice as strong as you think it should be. I’ve only broken one of those rules in all the years since then, when I used my 1965 Nissan Patrol L60 to flat-tow an M211 cab and chassis. Even though the M211 towed fairly well for the thirty-mile trip, I kept my speed under forty, was very aware of its presence behind me, and allowed three times the stopping distance normally required by the Patrol. One could call this the third rule of flat-towing: When you flat-tow an-other vehicle behind your car or truck, you have only one set of brakes to stop two vehicles, so your stopping distance greatly increases. I’ve heard many horror tales over the years of people forgetting this third rule, and being pushed past stop signs or lights into busy intersections by the vehicle they were towing. I’ve probably flat-towed at least a hundred vehicles so far, many on fairly long journeys of over a thousand miles, and each, though usually not as eventful as that trip to St. Louis and back, has presented its own set of challenges and more than a few heart-stopping moments. I’ve also heard many horror stories—besides the ones already mentioned—from people who’ve seen their towed vehicle cruise past them on a freeway, often with some variation of: “There’s a jeep (M37, MUTT, M715, G506, or whatever) just like mine!”

Civilian style ball type hitches are usually not the best for towbars. Whenever possible, build or use towbars with military lunette hitches. Also remember that the following information applies to genuine military towbars and, even if you have one, you must be sure it’s in good condition and has all of its proper parts.

How NOT to flat-towWhat’s wrong with this picture? Just about everything! The tow bar is very flimsy and lacks a reinforcing cross-

bar in the “A.” Therefore, it will not withstand a heavy side stress, such as when making a sharp turn, or if the jeep should blow a front tire. The hitch on the tow bar is a relatively weak stamped steel type, better suited to small, light trailers, The safety chains, while appearing strong, should be attached to the jeep’s front bumper—not to the tow bar. They should be long enough to permit sharp turns but short enough to keep the jeep from swerving into another lane should the tow bar jump its hitch, The chains should also be arranged to prevent the bar from dropping to the ground.

The downward angle of the bar (instead of being level) will encourage the jeep to “climb” during hard braking. During a panic stop at high speed, it will likely override, bend the bar and bash into the back of the van.

Additionally, the wiring for the jeep’s towing taillights is almost dragging on the ground... and probably will during a sharp left turn. Nor is it secured to the jeep’s windshield frame (nylon ties would work), so will probably slip off.

Lastly, the only things actually attaching the jeep to the van are what appear to be two half-inch bolts—not nearly strong enough should any stress be applied.

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While I’ve never had that experience, I did once have an M38A1 jump its ball type tow bar hitch. Though it remained captive—thanks to substantial safety chains—it was still a challenge to keep under control behind a ‘47 Willys pickup and bring both vehicles to a stop without bashing up the rear of the truck or the front of the jeep. This brings up another point of safe flat-towing: Civilian style ball type hitches are usually not the best for tow bars. Whenever possible, build or use tow bars with military lunette hitches (which should be the norm since this article is about flat-towing HMVs).

Always use two substantial safety chains arranged long enough to permit sharp turns but short enough to prevent the towed ve-hicle from wandering into another lane should the hitch come loose. These chains, like the tow bar itself, should always be at least twice as strong as you think they should be. Many of us have seen “safety chains” on civilian trailers that wouldn’t hold a determined Pekinese... much less an escaped boat or camping trailer. It’s also important that the chains be arranged in such a way that the tow bar can’t drop to the ground should it come loose.

Remember, all of the following information applies to genuine military tow bars. Even if you have one, you must be sure it’s in good condition and has all of its proper parts.

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I’ve heard two tales of towed jeeps coming loose and doing som-ersaults when their tow bars dropped and dug into the road... one jeep actually landed upside down in the back of the towing pickup! Whenever possible, safety chains should be attached with clevises and the clevis pins wired in place. At least they should be bolted, with double nuts on the bolts. At the very least, if us-ing hooks, they should be safety hooks and wired in place. Flat-towing usually presents more potential hazards than other alternate means of transporting one vehicle with another. These alternates include trailering a vehicle or using a tow-dolly. Also, of course, a smaller vehicle may often be carried in the back of a larger one—such as a jeep or a MUTT in a deuce—though loading and unloading may be problematic. Nonetheless, flat-towing is generally safe with many combinations of vehi-cles... provided those first three rules are followed. You should make several test runs of the combination—preferably on a less-traveled road—to gain experience and “feel” before setting out on a lengthy trip. While the following pages contain information about flat-towing from a U.S. Army manual, here are some tips based upon personal experience.

SOME TOWING TIPS Most common HMVs, such as WWII MBs and GPWs, M38s, M38A1s, MUTTS, Dodge WCs and M37s, and Kaiser M715s, should be towed with their transmissions and transfer cases in neutral. Especially with jeeps, if the transfer case is not in neutral, it will turn the rear bearing in the transmission, which will not be properly oiled in this mode. For long-distance flat-towing, you should consider removing the rear drive shaft. Front locking hubs should be in the “Free” position. If the vehicle doesn’t have locking hubs, you should consider removing the front drive shaft as well, especially for a long trip. When flat-towing a MUTT, keep in mind that it still has its propensity to flip over when making sharp turns. Related to this, keep in mind that any wheel-alignment, wheel balance prob-lems or front-end shimmy a vehicle may have will also manifest themselves while the vehicle is being towed. Of course make sure that the towed vehicle’s parking brake is fully released. Tire condition, especially of the towed vehicle’s front tires, is of utmost importance, as described in the beginning of this piece. A blown front tire on a vehicle being flat-towed will not be a happy experience at 60 mph! In fact, it’s not even happy at 25. Most two-wheel-drive vehicles with manual transmissions can be safely flat-towed with the transmission in neutral. Of course, always consult the vehicle’s manual for instructions on how to tow it. Generally speaking, most vehicles with automatic transmissions should not be flat-towed unless the drive shaft is removed, otherwise the transmission may be seriously damaged or destroyed. If in doubt, always remove the drive shaft.

FLAT-TOW BASICS To properly flat-tow, the towed vehicle must obediently fol-low the towing vehicle: this means that its front wheels must turn side-to-side, so never tie the steering wheel in a straight-ahead position. The only exception is when flat-towing a “rolling chas-sis” and/or sometimes an vehicle without its engine that doesn’t have enough weight on its front axle for its wheels to follow the towing vehicle during turns. In such cases, the towing vehicle

will be skidding the towed vehicle’s front tires sideways during sharp turns, and there may be significant loss of control, espe-cially if the towing vehicle is not much heavier than the vehicle being towed. Stop frequently during your trip to do a complete walk-around inspection of both vehicles. Thoroughly check the whole towing arrangement, making sure the hitch is secure and the safety chains properly attached. Also carefully check the towed vehicle’s tires—especially the front tires—and feel all the wheel hubs to see if they’re getting hot. Also keep in mind that many vintage HMVs were never designed to go over 50 or 60 mph and their low-geared differentials may become severely overheated by being towed at freeway speeds. If such is the case, you may want to remove the axle shafts and cover the exposed bearings some-how—tin can lids are often handy—to keep out dust and grit.

During these inspections, verify that the tail lights, stop lights and turn signals are still functioning on the towed vehicle. I don’t know if some U.S. states ever actually required it, but I used to see “Towed Vehicle” or “Vehicle In Tow” signs on the rear of some flat-towed vehicles. Since flat-towing seems less common these days, such signs may prevent the confusion of other motorists out on a freeway when they pass a driverless ve-hicle that seems about to run into you. Flat-towed vehicles also present their own special chal-lenges when pulling into gas stations, especially over curbs or sidewalks. At these times they may misbehave and cock their front wheels in the wrong direction. Unless you’re determined to drag them—which puts massive strain on the tow bar as well as skidding the tires—the only solution is to stop, get out, and straighten their wheels. Likewise, its almost impossible to back up a flat-towed vehicle for any appreciable distance—for the same reason you can’t back a set of doubles for any distance—so you may want to consider fueling and eating at truck stops, and should at least choose gas stations and parking lots with ample entry and egress without having to do much maneuvering or any reversing. When pulling into rest areas, go for the truck parking sec-tion. If you find yourself in a situation where you absolutely must back up for any distance, the only solutions are either to unhook the towed vehicle and drive it or push it, or get someone to steer it. Finally, always have your paperwork in order for both vehicles. If pulled over by a cop who might have only wanted to get a good look at your restored “Army jeep,” it still may not turn out well if its registration and insurance papers are still at your home! Remember: Even though it’s being towed, it’s still out on public roads. J

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