Is it safe to tow a cherokee

I just found this web site and it has a ton of info. This is my firts posting. I'm about to buy a 1995 cherokee 2 door 4x4 4.0 engine auto. I have to tow it my house and i want to rent a car dolly from uhaul and tow it home. I did a search and i did find some info but i'm still not sure. here is a pic. Do i put it in N and just tow it home, what do i do?

Wouldn't see why not, just put the transfer case in neutral.
-Jackson

Yes, just put the transfer case in N and it will be fine. And, do not speed

On one page, the 95 owner's manual says you should put the TC in neutral and the transmission in park. On the next page they warn of transfer case damage if either end is lifted up. So I'm guessing you should take it easy and don't do this if it's a long trip. They also warn not to disconnect the rear driveshaft, because the transfer case will dump out all its oil, but if you have far to travel, it might be advisable to do this, and tie a plastic bag over the end or something like that.

Put the TC in Neutral, tranny in neutral, seat belt the steering wheel so it stays straight and put the rearend in the dolly.

How many miles you towing?

Cory

I'm going about 35 miles from dallas to forth worth. it will take about 45 mins casue of traffic.

You can flat tow an XJ with the transfer case in neutral but you can't use a tow dolly. The NP231 ties the front and rear driveshafts together when the tcase is in neutral.

You need to drop a driveshaft when using a tow dolly.

You can drop the front with no loss of oil. I use a tow dolly on my trail rig all the time, but I drop the rear driveshaft since it has a SYE.

what tools will I need to remove the front drive shaft.

A couple of open/closed end wrenches. I can't remember if they are metric or english. The front bolts are pretty small, around 8-9mm. I think the upper bolts are around 12-13mm. A hammer can be usefull after the bolts are out to dislodge the ujoints. Take some electrical tape to tape around the ujoints to keep the caps from falling off once the shaft is out.

old_man said:

A couple of open/closed end wrenches. I can't remember if they are metric or english. The front bolts are pretty small, around 8-9mm. I think the upper bolts are around 12-13mm. A hammer can be usefull after the bolts are out to dislodge the ujoints. Take some electrical tape to tape around the ujoints to keep the caps from falling off once the shaft is out.

Click to expand...

8mm or 5/16ths I believe works. Same size for both ends (at least on mine)

Tow with the front wheels on the dolly.
Drive up on dolly and secure the wheels.
Place the Jeep in park and set the park brake.
Pull the rear driveshaft. Use a 5/16" wrench with a cheater for leverage to break free. You may get lucky and be able to use a 1/4 drive rachet & extension with 5/16 socket to speed the process.
The drive shaft (if not modifed) should just pull out of the case. If the T/C is modified you actually scored a $450-500 mod. The size wrench will depend on which manufacturer's Slip Yoke Eliminator commonly called an SYE.
The fluid should stay in the t/c as the level should not be that high, if the fluid does come out the case was overfull. For assurance you can cap off with plastic bag as recommend in a previous post.
Leave the trans in park, do not start engine of the Jeep. The fluid will come out of an un modified t/c if you drive the Jeep with the rear shaft off.
Double check your hitch, chains and electrical connections.
Release park brake on Jeep and tow home.
Send $$$ to Naxja and join by March 31st for a chance to win an onboard air compressor and get your name in red. (couldn't resist a plug for the club).
Have fun and welcome to .

Tom

This took me too long to type. What Ketjar & Old Man said works.

Why isn't it drivable?

The last time I did this on a dolly, I disconnected the drive shaft at the rear and tied it up securely to several points on the underbody. Left the yoke in the transfer case so no leaks. Maybe I got lucky, but we towed roughly 350 miles with no problems. I've done the same thing with many other vehicles without incident as well.

YMMV
Spudboy

Ok, I know this sounds bad, But My bother in-law got an XJ given to him. I know nothing about it. He wants to go and get it tonight. He is too lazy to get under it to pull the drive shaft. We will be using my Tow dolly. If he puts the back wheels on the dolly will it be ok to tow like that. We will be going about 40 miles.

YE GODS!!!! DO NOT TOW BACKWARDS ON A DOLLY!!!!!!

You CANNOT secure the steering and because of caster and camber and play in steering components you will have big problems. It's an invitation to DISASTER!!!

Wire up the DS so that it won't drift out of the T-case (it CAN be done!) and tow with front wheels on the dolly.

old_man said:

You can flat tow an XJ with the transfer case in neutral but you can't use a tow dolly. The NP231 ties the front and rear driveshafts together when the tcase is in neutral.

You need to drop a driveshaft when using a tow dolly.

You can drop the front with no loss of oil. I use a tow dolly on my trail rig all the time, but I drop the rear driveshaft since it has a SYE.

Click to expand...

Exactly the only two ways to tow an xj is to flat tow, or remove a shaft. YOu need to completely remove the front shaft from both ends, or remove the rear shaft at the dif and wire it up. The T/C locks front and rear shafts together when in N so you can't just put one end up on a dolly without removing one. I wouldn't recommend pulling the rear drive shaft from the T/C for the risk of getting grit or dirt inside of it. If you pull the front shaft you will still need to put the T/C in N if you put the dolly under the front. The same goes if you remove the rear and pull from the rear which personally I wouldn't try. My best advise is to put a 30 day tag on it and drive home