Flat towing Humvee with 40,000 lb military tow bar

[deshet]

What are your opinions on flat towing a Humvee?
I have a 40,000 lb military tow bar.
The trip would be a thousand miles.
I would probably bring two Humvee tires with me just in case I ran into problems

I am wondering if I would need to remove the drive shafts?

I have seen the Marines locally towing Humvees using this setup

I apologize for all the questions I really just don't want tow the triple axle Farm trailer that far as storing it for a week is really a pain.

I appreciate the support

 

[Coug]

Depends on the towing vehicle.

Yes, it is definitely recommended that you disconnect the drive shafts at the differentials. Take some tape to hold the u-joint together and some straps to hold the shaft up out of the way. (I haven't seen the tape mentioned on any of the threads where people talk about disconnecting drive shafts, so not sure if the U-joints have the removable bearing caps like I'm used to or not, so just threw that in. If not, you might still find other uses for the tape)

As for how it will actually tow, it will fight you in the turns.
It is heavy, and will push you around.
If the roads are wet then don't go above 30 if there is any chance of having to brake or turn suddenly, because with zero tongue weight from a tow bar, your rear end will get pushed and shoved all over the place.

If you were only towing it a hundred miles or less and didn't have access to any trailers, then maybe do it and take back roads so you aren't going to fast and less visible. That would only be for a truck that's condition was known, and not off of some 5 minute inspection by the auction yard.

Wanting to drive it 1k miles with unknown condition of the HMMWV, especially not knowing fluid levels in the hubs or differentials, well, I highly recommend against it. It might make it all the way no issues, or it might cost you an extra week and thousands of dollars taking care of an issue that you could have taken care of in your driveway at your leisure later on.

And if you're still considering towing it with the RV, I'd highly recommend against it as the RV, unless it's that one chassis version, is not rated for it.

As for legality, unless you live in one of a couple states that allow it, any towed load over 3k lbs requires, by law, functioning brakes.
I can't stress this enough. It is illegal to tow loads over 3k lbs in almost every state in the U.S. if it does not have functioning brakes. If anything happens, you will be 100% at fault and liable, no matter who or what actually caused the incident/accident.

 

[Mogman]

Depends on the towing vehicle.

Yes, it is definitely recommended that you disconnect the drive shafts at the differentials. Take some tape to hold the u-joint together and some straps to hold the shaft up out of the way. (I haven't seen the tape mentioned on any of the threads where people talk about disconnecting drive shafts, so not sure if the U-joints have the removable bearing caps like I'm used to or not, so just threw that in. If not, you might still find other uses for the tape)

As for how it will actually tow, it will fight you in the turns.
It is heavy, and will push you around.
If the roads are wet then don't go above 30 if there is any chance of having to brake or turn suddenly, because with zero tongue weight from a tow bar, your rear end will get pushed and shoved all over the place.

If you were only towing it a hundred miles or less and didn't have access to any trailers, then maybe do it and take back roads so you aren't going to fast and less visible. That would only be for a truck that's condition was known, and not off of some 5 minute inspection by the auction yard.

Wanting to drive it 1k miles with unknown condition of the HMMWV, especially not knowing fluid levels in the hubs or differentials, well, I highly recommend against it. It might make it all the way no issues, or it might cost you an extra week and thousands of dollars taking care of an issue that you could have taken care of in your driveway at your leisure later on.

And if you're still considering towing it with the RV, I'd highly recommend against it as the RV, unless it's that one chassis version, is not rated for it.

As for legality, unless you live in one of a couple states that allow it, any towed load over 3k lbs requires, by law, functioning brakes.
I can't stress this enough. It is illegal to tow loads over 3k lbs in almost every state in the U.S. if it does not have functioning brakes. If anything happens, you will be 100% at fault and liable, no matter who or what actually caused the incident/accident.

I would add take several spare tires, you have no idea what condition or age they are.
You also must pull all the wheels and service the hubs and diffs. as they will be turning, as mentioned above not doing this can cost you allot of money and a failed trip, if one of those hubs fails and you will have no choice but to load it on a trailer, unless you have a spare, also you have no idea what condition the half shafts are in so a complete set of spares would also be a really good idea.
Take a full set of new lug nuts as I will guarantee after you pull those lug nuts that have been over tightened several times you will be glad you have them.

I will also chime in that is a really bad idea, as Coug said it will push you into big trouble if you get caught in an emergency situation and you do not have control of that with other drivers on the road, it is surprising to me how many twists and turns you are willing to go through not to do the job safely especially considering you have the equipment to do it safely

 

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[98G]

I've flat towed a *bunch* of auction 6x6 5ton trucks from Ft Riley KS to Tucson AZ.

I've flat towed my 9300lb pickup truck behind 5tons, and I've flat towed CUCVs behind my pickup.

I've towed an M998 behind a jeep gladiator. These two vehicles are roughly equivalent in weight. It towed fine. Dry roads, on a nice sunny afternoon, with a copious amount of caution and experience.

For a 1000 mile trip, by all means pull the driveshafts. Don't consider doing otherwise.

I like the towbar idea substantially better than I like the little trailer idea. But you'll be at the mercy of the tires and hubs on an unknown truck.

And consider that when it was time for me to go get my M998, which was a known good running truck belonging to a fellow SS member, and even though I owned the appropriate towbar and safety equipment, I took a tandem axle gooseneck rated for 22,500 lbs and loaded it instead of flat towing it.

 

[BKubu]

My recommendation would be to have it towed. It is the safer plan. I have used a towbar to tow vehicles before, although not that far. If I had to tow something over like 20 miles, I'd get it towed or hauled. Personally, I'd rather spend the extra money for peace of mind. I wish you the best with your trip.