Towing a 5-ton without brakes with a single tow bar

[Robo McDuff]

Yes I read and searched. Just too many different answers and not applicable on my situation. Also, I live in the Czech Republic, Europe, so the typical US shops or rentals or whatever are not available to me.

OK, to business: I probably will end up towing the truck to its winter location, about 15 miles.

Normally in Europe, all trucks have a towing connector in the middle of the front bumper so that they can be towed with a single heavy tow bar. Also, for maneuvering in narrow spaces around loading docks, many less experienced drivers take a trailer "on the nose" by connecting it to the front connector. Farm tractors have something similar.

Unfortunately, our 5-tons do not have such connecting point, as least not my M51A2 with winch. Now I can manage to weld such a connector to my bumper without problem. The problem is that my brakes (air assisted hydraulics) are shot to **** also. I might get them to work for a short period, but I would not trust them at all, so I must assume the truck could at one point start to act like "no brakes at all".

The towing vehicle probably will be a Tatra 815, a bit larger than mine and a lot newer with full air brakes. Apart from smart replies like "don't", anybody any idea on this or experience with it?

They guys pulling would know what to do but I would like to hear some feedback before I start with this.

 

[Csm Davis]

Are you going to be using a US MILITARY towbar or something else? If you use a US medium duty towbar and safety chains you should be okay I have pulled wreckers this way just go slow and easy and understand that if you turn to fast the rear truck can and will turn the tatra sideways.

 

[Csm Davis]

You should be going slow enough and easy enough to never feel if the rear truck has brakes or not.

 

[andy3]

I've used fixed and the telescoping A frame tow bars behind an RV and things typically track well. It strikes me odd using a single arm. Do you have someone in the towed truck to steer?

 

[Robo McDuff]

Are you going to be using a US MILITARY towbar or something else? If you use a US medium duty towbar and safety chains you should be okay I have pulled wreckers this way just go slow and easy and understand that if you turn to fast the rear truck can and will turn the tatra sideways.

.

As said, no US military stuff available unfortunately. In Europe, a standard tow bar is just a very heavy tube about 6 to 9 feet long with an eye at each end. One eye goes into the fish-mouth coupling of the towing truck, the other in the front connector of the dead duck, ready. The standard ones are certified up to 32 ton and cost around 200 Euro. Apart from behind RV vehicles, I never saw a truck or car being towed in Europe with an a-frame tow bar.

In this set-up, somebody would be in the second truck and if possible with the engine running to help with steering and braking (if functional). However, even the law assumes the second truck does not have fully functional brakes.

How is it with the lubrication of the drive train, do I need to disconnect things?

 

[CBR Metalworks]

Wow that would be interesting (towing with a non a-frame tow bar), it does not sound safe at all, but I guess if you only have a 15 mile trip youcould probably do it with someone steering the towed truck. I can't imagine getting over 10-15mph with a setup like that though because the towed truck would walk all over the road, but I guess that is why you would have a person steering the towed truck.

For such a short trip you should be fine putting the transfer/transmission in neutral.

 

[M543A2]

My son and I have done that kind of towing with both farm tractors and another military truck as the prime mover. As you say, with another person in the second vehicle steering, all should go well. Just have the person in the towed vehicle keep the tow bar as straight between the vehicles as possible. 10 to 15 MPH speeds are no problem. We have gone faster than that on hard, clean roads when a truck is the prime mover. As with all things, just use good sense and all will be well!
Regards Martin

 

[Csm Davis]

Okay so I missed the part about a single leg towbar sorry. Now that I have a better understanding of the tow I would say it can still be done but why not run 2 large chains tightly from the shackles of the towed truck to the center bar or the center rear of the Tatra making it a a-frame type pull.

 

[quickfarms]

With this type of tow bar the towed vehicle will need brakes even at 15 mph or it could hit the towing vehicle when stopping.

You could mount the socket to a piece of channel that would fit over the front bumper and use plates to clamp it the the front bumper as close to the frame as possible.

Chains could be used to prevent the towed vehicle from hitting the towing vehicle. The chains would run from the shackle on the bumper to the front of the tow bar and prevent the side to side movement.

I have seen similar tow bars used to to disabled parade floats or to hook a puller to a mega load that already had a tractor and pusher.

 

[Robo McDuff]

Actually, the second driver has to make sure his truck stays straight behind the towing truck; slowing in corners or not being straight behind the truck would be a problem because the second truck would push the rear of the first truck sideways. However, I think with a heavier towing truck and low speeds that should be OK. Chains might be a good idea to help and as backup safety.

It should be easy doable and safe otherwise it would not be standard procedure here in continental Europe