Re: [ihc] Details of towing home my Scout

["Mark Young" <myoung@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The swerving usually happens at high speeds when towing a vehicle backwards.
If you think about how tow and castor help steer a vehicle straight you can
understand how it makes the towed vehicle swerve when going high speeds
backwards.
Mark
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joseph Shaw, II" <josephshaw@domain.elided>
To: <ihc@domain.elided>; <oldihc@domain.elided>
Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2003 7:48 AM
Subject: [ihc] Details of towing home my Scout


> Okay, after telling the "setimental" side of the story of getting my new
> Scout, here are the details for those of you that are interested in ways
to
> tow and how is best.
>
> We were towing with a late 80's Suburban.  It was "officially" only a half
> ton, but was equipped with a 455, 400 tranny, and a massive, frame mounted
tow
> hitch.
>
> We were towing the Scout on a two-wheel dolly-it is an axle over two
wheels,
> and holds up two wheels of the towed vehicle off the ground, letting the
other
> two support their own weight and roll on the road.  I believe it was made
by
> "Towboy" or "Trailerboy" or some company like that-or that is its model
name
> or something.  It was rated for about 2200 lbs according to the tag on the
> side, but the friend I borrowed it from assured me he had towed home
several
> trucks of different sizes and had never had a problem-he was sure it would
be
> fine with a Scout.
>
> The Scout is a '68 body on a '77 Scout II frame with the diesel engine.
The
> front driveshaft was already out of it, it was parked in a way that made
> rear-end loading easier, so we went with this config-front wheels on the
> ground in the back, rear wheels up on the dolly closest to the rear of the
> Suburban.
>
> We left for about a 550 or 600 mile trip, and most of it was to be on
> interstates.  We drove about 40-45 miles, and stopped to gas up (hadn't
done
> it upon leaving, because I knew I would want to stop and check straps and
> connections soon anyway.  As we pulled into the gas station, we had a
> blowout.
>
> We had noticed on the way down that the "pins" that held the ramps in
(kind of
> like hinge pins, but the ramps didn't pivot.  I had asked the owner of the
> dolly if they were removable ramps and he said, "No, they just ride
> there")would slide out after a couple hundred miles.  I figured maybe with
the
> weight of the Scout on it, they would stay in.  Turns out it was just the
> contrary-apparently the increased weight caused more shaking and vibration
or
> something, and in only 40 miles, one had shaken so far out the side, it
rubbed
> on the tire and wore a groove into the sidewall, which when we turned into
the
> gas station, the increased lateral pressure popped out the whole side!!!
What
> we did was duct taped several layers over the holes on the end of these
pins
> to try and hold them in place.  This got us the other 500 or so miles home
> without further such incidence!
>
> Well, it was not easy to find one of these undersized tires, but we
eventually
> did.  After about a 2-2.5 mile delay, we were back on the road.  The thing
> towed very well with this set up up to about 60 MPH, but then would very
> easily get swervy on you.  I know this is about as fast as you are
SUPPOSED to
> tow something like this anyway, but I have had rigs that towed so smoothly
I
> could average about 65 MPH while towing.  So, I tried to keep it pegged
right
> around 55-then when I got a little speedy I didn't really get over 55, and
> when I got a little tired never really got under 50.
>
> The other thing I forgot to mention was that the Suburban had all this tow
> gear, but at some point someone had rewired the old tow harness-leaving
out
> the tow harness.  I had no brake lights, turn signals, taillights, etc on
the
> rig.  Thus, we had tried to get an early start and drive most of the way
home
> in daylight before having to do something else.  Between getting a later
> start, and having the blowout, this was now not going to work!!!
>
> It began to cloud up just as we were getting into Alabama, so at a rest
> stop/restroom break, I put a battery in the Scout, turned on the running
> lights and we started driving that way.  We made it all the way home
without
> being pulled over, or causing a serious accident, but I will admit I was
on my
> BEST behavior on the road, using hand signals as well when it helped, and
> putting the Suburban turn signals, brakes, etc on WAY in advance, as the
Burb
> at that level was slightly wider than the Scout, and I knew the drivers
behind
> me could see those lights as well.
>
> Now I do want to say that I would not have done all this this way if I had
a
> choice.  I was led to believe that the Suburban had a wiring harness, and
as
> it was borrowed from my girlfriend's family, I did not get it until the
> morning we were leaving and going to pick up the tow dolly.  The rest of
the
> trip was carefully scheduled to be driven during the day, avoiding rush
hours,
> etc, and had it not been for the blowout, we cld have done this and not
been
> as irresponsible with the brake lights thing.  However, there was only one
> weekend I could possibly do this trip, and I was not going to let this
free
> Scout get away from me!!!
>
> So please forgive me those of you offended by the lights, but I am mainly
> telling people all of this so they know what to check in advance next
time!!!
>
> And to let them know the handling capacity of a '80's Suburban pulling a
Scout
> backwards on a tow dolly on the freeway will be like!
>
> Thanks!
>
> Michael