MGA with T9 gearbox on a tow dolly

[djohn]

I've seen all the posts here and elsewhere advising on towing an MG on a tow dolly. My question is why do most advise putting the front wheels in the dolly and disconnecting the driveshaft? Why not tow it backwards and tie off the steering wheel? I assume there is a wear issue in the gearbox if the driveshaft is not disconnected. I have the T9 gearbox. Would the driveshaft still need to be disconnected? Assume 1000+ miles for the tow.

 

[jlaird]

Go slow. Our cars were designed to go fast frontwards. Wind damage should be interesting.

 

[PigeonF16]

Old post, but I just towed an MGA about 200 miles on a UHaul tow dolly. I have a TR-3 to tow the same distance.

Some other websites, folks explained the problem with backwards towing. Apparently, it's hard to keep the front wheels tracking straight, which results in the car swinging back and forth. I didn't tow it that way so I have nothing to add about that.

What am I doing different with the next tow?
1. I'm getting new tires for the rear wheels. I left the almost 40-year old (but garaged) tires on. I had no problem, but now I feel I just got lucky with no blowout. I'm pretty sure a flat would leave the rear of the body in contact with the asphalt. Gonna mitigate that threat with new tires on the back.
2. going to disconnect the drive shaft from inside the car instead of underneath. Not sure about the TR, but I felt pretty stupid the other day when I was cleaning out the cockpit behind the seats and saw the disconnected driveshaft and differential in plain view and easy access. And I was crawling underneath to disconnect it.
3. Probably going to drive slower next time and leave earlier in the morning. I want to finish the tow during daylight. I could see the wheels of the tow dolly in each side mirror, and I could see the windshield of the MG through the rearview mirror. However, I towed it at night and couldn't see the MG at all unless there were other cars or street lights.

If you use a UHaul tow dolly for an MG or TR, bring a floor jack to raise the front end from the side. Slide the dolly in place and lower the car with the jack slowly. Leave a little weight on the jack so you can lift the tongue to connect it to the hitch. Then lower the jack the rest of the way and remove. The pull out ramps on the UHaul dolly are too wide for the front wheels, but the MG sat nicely on the dolly once it was in place.

Good luck.

 

[pdplot]

If towing backwards, why not tie the steering wheel in the neutral position?

 

[PigeonF16]

If towing backwards, why not tie the steering wheel in the neutral position?

I don’t think you can keep the wheels straight

 

[PAUL161]

If wire wheels, NEVER tow it backwards!! The knock-offs can loosen and wheel loss is evident! Tow it forward with rear wheels on the ground and driveshaft disconnected. The best bet is to rent/buy a trailer. PJ

 

[DrEntropy]

U-Haul does have full bed trailers for rent. Well worth the extra cost between it and the tow dolly.

 

[PigeonF16]

U-Haul does have full bed trailers for rent. Well worth the extra cost between it and the tow dolly.

I agree with this, but my truck isn't big enough to tow the UHaul car trailer. Therefore, I chose to use the dolly which my truck can tow.

Any idea how to find a good company to ship one of these older cars that doesn't run?

And great point by Paul161 about wire wheels coming off if towed backward. The simplest of things.

UHaul also rents a 10' truck that can tow their auto trailer, but then you have to pay the mileage. Bring your own truck and the dolly is about $45/day and the auto trailer is about $55/day. Including $20,000 of UHaul's insurance, I paid $67 total for the dolly for a day to bring the MGA home. Add the 10' truck and it came to about $576 (more than what I can find for professional shipping).

My brother needs to ship two MGAs about 300+ miles. I still have to get the TR3.

I started with a "send me a quote" Google function. That just blew up my phone, email and texts. These are all brokers, not actual shippers. In the end, I realized I would have to drive up to meet the shipper to get the cars anyway. Might as well take a $45 dolly and bring a car back. I have multiple trips to make anyway.

 

[PigeonF16]

If wire wheels, NEVER tow it backwards!! The knock-offs can loosen and wheel loss is evident! Tow it forward with rear wheels on the ground and driveshaft disconnected. The best bet is to rent/buy a trailer. PJ

Thanks for the reply!

This is so obvious, but I'm afraid one might not realize it until after the wheels are in the ditch and the back end is scraped over a few hundred yards of asphalt! I didn't think of it.

 

[barneymg]

You don't have to disconnect the propshaft for flat towing, as long as there it oil in the gearbox. Many people don't realize there is an oil pump in the gearbox running on the output shaft, so it works to circulate oil while towing, See here: > MG Gearbox Lubrication <