Does flat towing cause appreciable wear?

[Elkins45]

I looked at a 2013 Honda CR-V today that had what I’m pretty sure was a hookup for towing behind an RV. The odometer said 90k but I’m assuming that it doesn’t log towed miles, so who knows how many miles the wheel bearing actually have? Does flat towing contribute wear to the driveline beyond just the wheel bearings?

 

[dishdude]

Hard pass, no thanks.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

I saw a jeep engulfed in flames from being flat towed. There is definitely some wear going on.

 

[Snagglefoot]

My neighbour towed a Chrysler Sebring Convertible on the concrete highways in the southern states. He said his ball joints were toast from all the pounding at the concrete joints. He said he believed that pulling the tow bar was loading the front of the car a bit downward putting more stress on the ball joints.

 

[eljefino]

The whole front end, axles, and suspension are suffering as well as the wheel bearings. Plus cosmetics like paint and windshield glass getting road chips.

 

[jetman]

Best I can tell flat towing doesn't cause much wear.
I've towed our 07 rwd FJ Cruiser w/auto at least 70k miles since we purchased it in 2009. Today it has 235k miles on the odometer all under its own power. Flat towing it is done in park and doesn't show towing mileage on the odometer.
All suspension components are factory stock. Its on its 4th set of tires since new and current tire have a lot of miles left in them.
Admittingly, FJs are incredibly low mx vehicles. They appreciate in value nowadays.

 

[supton]

It causes wear. But sitting doing nothing will get wear too--grease dries out, rubber hardens, tires age out, and whatnot.

Wheel bearings might be fine, might not. I've had a couple of cars that needed wheel bearings--and a couple not--and all on the same roads with the same drivers.

I'm inclined to think it's not that big of a deal. But I'd want it to be a good deal to overlook it all the same. I don't see how it's a selling point, other than, the odds are decent that this saw nothing but nice winters and was owned by *ahem* older drivers who tend not to be too hard on stuff.

 

[AZjeff]

I saw a jeep engulfed in flames from being flat towed. There is definitely some wear going on.

Because the drive train wasn't in the correct towing configuration, user error and hardly a normal wear situation.

Seems like there might be more chance of suspension and undercarriage wear and damage from bad roads and road debri, the RV driver is missing potholes and trash with the RV which might put the tow vehicle's tires right in them. And maybe not.

 

[JellyBeanDriver]

On that CRV, if the engine isn't running, is the automatic transmission okay not having oil pressure feeding all the internal clutch packs, sprag clutches, bearings, etc while the output shaft spins?

 

[Elkins45]

On that CRV, if the engine isn't running, is the automatic transmission okay not having oil pressure feeding all the internal clutch packs, sprag clutches, bearings, etc while the output shaft spins?

I Googled it and supposedly it's OK long as it's in neutral. It drove fine but I pretty much lost interest once I saw the tow bar attachment.

 

[ecotourist]

Many years ago my wife's boss towed his Mercedes sedan a long way on a winter vacation. The drive shaft was supposed to have been disconnected but it wasn't. When he got to his destination the transmission (or could have been the engine?) was toast. Either way it wasn't good.

 

[Jetronic]

On that CRV, if the engine isn't running, is the automatic transmission okay not having oil pressure feeding all the internal clutch packs, sprag clutches, bearings, etc while the output shaft spins?

on transaxles, the output (differential) is the lowest point and sits in oil that it'll throw up.

 

[billt460]

I see A LOT of this every year at this time, all over town. When all of the snowbirds invade here. And I don't understand it. Many of them are driving a beautiful $400K motor coach, pulling a high end car or SUV. If you're going to spend that much money to be a vagabond, why not get one of these?

 

[Gyro Gearloose]

Many years ago my wife's boss towed his Mercedes sedan a long way on a winter vacation. The drive shaft was supposed to have been disconnected but it wasn't. When he got to his destination the transmission (or could have been the engine?) was toast. Either way it wasn't good.

As someone who doesn't know anything about transmissions beyond PRNDL, I was shocked watching a Precision Transmission youtube video when the guy explained that regular rear wheel drive transmissions rely on the transmission oil pump for lubrication to all the shaft bearings and gears. There is nothing spinning down at oil level to splash lube anything and most RWD transmissions do not have an oil pump powered by the output shaft. I had also read somewhere earlier that manual transmissions rely on the input shaft slinging the oil up to the other parts so towing without disconnecting the drive shaft smokes the bearings on the output shart. Never knew.

 

[CarbonToast]

I see A LOT of this every year at this time, all over town. When all of the snowbirds invade here. And I don't understand it. Many of them are driving a beautiful $400K motor coach, pulling a high end car or SUV. If you're going to spend that much money to be a vagabond, why not get one of these?

View attachment 263398

Storage, you can store the tow bars under the coach. Hard to stash a 18' trailer, also hard to move by hand.

 

[fantastic]

Storage, you can store the tow bars under the coach. Hard to stash a 18' trailer, also hard to move by hand.

Precisely

 

[thastinger]

Hard pass, not even if it were free.

 

[John105]

I have never understood the concept of dingy towing. I am likely wrong, but I would think that destroys vehicles and their drivetrains. It's just that it's a leased vehicle so the RV driver doesn't care. Who in their right mind, would do that to their own, owned vehicle? At minimum, it could be put on a trailer.

 

[johnmyster]

Some transmissions are fine with it. Some aren't. Sometimes the brakes of the toad are used to help, depending on the size of the tow vehicle. Otherwise it's a nothingburger, as long as the parking brake wasn't left engaged...

My 2006 duramax had a flat tow setup on it. (I think it was used as a semi truck delivery dingy.) First owner put 180k miles on it in that configuration, plus whatever towed miles it accumulated with the transfer case in neutral. In that tcase the lube pump for the is driven from the output shaft. and the differentials obviously don't care. The driveline components that are moving just coast along with zero load on them.

Wildcard is that you don't know the quantity of flat tow miles.

 

[Kira]

Flat towing it is done in park

Who'd a thunk that?