I need to tow a manual transmission Triumph TR6 on a dolly for about 250 miles. Does the driveshaft need to be disconnected if I tow it with the front wheels on the dolly? Would it be better to tow it with the rear wheels on the dolly?
With a stick shift, you just place the transmission in neutral and tow.
Tester
Tester is correct. But the best solution is a trailer, with brakes, rather than a dolly.
I would go with a trailer as well. This is especially true if you are towing with a truck big enough so you can not see the car wheels in the mirrors. With a dolly behind a box truck, you can’t see the car tires and you can have a flat and not know it. You will very quickly ruin the tire and the wheel. With a trailer you can see the trailer wheels in the mirrors.
Go look at one of the Triumph or MG web sites. This question is almost as common as the “do I have to use premium gas?” question here. You will find highly passionate people on both sides of the issue, with some stating that you will ruin the transmission if you tow without disconnecting the drive shaft and others saying they have always done it that way. Consensus seems to be that you could have a lack of lubrication over an extended distance.
Thanks for the reply; I will check to see if I can find any info at Triumph sites. I had always heard of the lubrication problem with an automatic trams but though that a manual was just an oil bath system, so the gears would always be wet with oil.
Automatic transmissions have pumps in them to lube and move internal parts. The problem with towing an automatic with the drive wheels on the ground is that those pumps are not pumping but some internal parts are.