flat towing?

[VitSport6]

Hi all, Been a while

I've been trying to get motivated so I can work on the Sports 6, I'm about to start the body work and will be taking the next available auto body class in my area.
My question is ...
Has anyone ever flat towed your LBC? I have a tow bar, There isn't a bumper on the Sports 6 so I was curious if any of you think it would be feasible to build and attach a bracket so I could mount the tow bar?
The tow bar is for my '71 Land Cruiser so I know it more than strong enough for the Triumph.
I will only be towing it about 5 miles at most, The reason I need to tow it is its at a local High School, The class is once a week for 6-7 weeks.
I've flat towed my Land Cruiser thousands of miles over the years, So I know what I'm getting myself into.
Any thoughts?

 

[Andrew Mace]

If you can figure a way to attach that bracket, I see no problem at all with a short-distance tow. As to where to attach that bracket, I'd want to avoid the front crosstube unless you are certain that it and the upward sweeping frame extensions to which it attaches are solid and rust-free. It might be better to rig up something that could somehow mount down by the crossrail underneath the engine or on the main rails in that area? (Just kinda "thinking out loud" here....)

 

[TR4nut]

For a 5 mile haul I don't think you'll have any problem at all. For longer hauls I know there are issues such as potential road debris hitting your car, and gearbox lubrication - but that isn't anything to worry about in 5 miles.

 

[tomgt6]

I have pulled on a 2 wheel dolly all my cars. Some from 200 mile to others 700 miles. If you can figure out the bracket I would think it would work.

 

[TR3driver]

I used to flat-tow a mid-size car behind my motorhome, so I'm reasonably familiar with the process. But towing the TR3A some 15 miles to/from the body shop turned out to be a mistake that I won't repeat. The frame and extensions were in good shape, but they still flexed enough to do a fair amount of damage to the front apron.

If you do go this route, I would definitely suggest tying the brackets into the main frame, and considering what will happen if they deflect sideways by 1/2" or more.

Of course, even a 2-wheel dolly presents risks. Here's what happened to my Sports 6 on the way home from where I bought it.

(We moved the shredded tire from back to front in order to finish getting home.)

 

[VitSport6]

thanks for the input all.
I will have a look to see what I can come up with below the engine.

 

[prb51]

If it is to be towed backwards, as in Randalls example, you should have steel wheels without knock offs. They can unwind on long reverse hauls.

 

[TR3driver]

If it is to be towed backwards, as in Randalls example, you should have steel wheels without knock offs. They can unwind on long reverse hauls.

Just for clarity, we towed the Sports 6 forwards, with the driveshaft disconnected. It didn't want to follow when towed backwards, and would start swaying violently.

After the tire shredded, we rotated it to the front, to get a good tire on the rear to finish the trip.

 

[vivdownunder]

I've flat towed my TR2 driverless as a kid when it used to race a bit, using an A bar.

You will need a pair of brackets mounted down on the front of the frame. The fulcrum points need to be out nearly level with the valance, to avoid damage should the A frame swing upwards over road dips.

Turn signals and stop lights will be needed for the vehicle being towed. Make up a board using trailer lights that hangs across the back bumper, with a long cord to a trailer plug on the tow vehicle. On a sedan you can clip this cable to the door handles when threading along to the tow vehicle.

Regards,

Viv.

 

[VitSport6]

Thanks Viv.
Lucky for me I have magnetic tow lights
Thanks for the input on how I should start looking and where to mount the brackets.

 

[foxtrapper]

Harbor freight has clamp/bolt-on tow bars for something silly like $40 right now.