tool

I am a rancher and a bachelor. I am constantly caught in situations where I am having to move equipment from one place to another as my land is spread out over many miles. This is always leaving me with having to rely on a neighbour or someone else to pick me up so I can go get the next piece of equipment for the job.

I am wondering how I would go about flat towing my ram behind a tractor or other piece of equipment so I have a ride home.

Never done this before. What connection points do you use and how would you go about doing it?

This isn't for highway travel this is just in remote areas at speeds less than 20 mph.

Cheapest and easiest is what I'm looking for.

Thanks!

madhat

I'd get a tow bar like RVs use and mount it to the frame where the tow hooks go... Since you're not going to use it for long distance or speed, you could probably get one made pretty cheap, and you could put whatever type of hitch on it you wanted.

NE frmhnd

If it's 2wd and automatic you'll want to let it idle in neutral. 4x4 put the t-case in neutral.

You could do the same with a 4-wheeler or dirt-bike. There's a neighbor here whose Polaris' rear tires get about twice the miles as its fronts.

tool

The truck is manual tranny. I think I can just leave it in neutral. I have a Honda rancher quad but it has an automatic tranny and I believe they aren't supposed to be towed. I live in saskatchewan so it is regularly -30 this time of year and quads don't want to start in this weather. Plus it's a pretty chilly ride home. Lol

I've never seen anybody towing a dirt bike, that would be interesting!

Anybody have a cheap and simple setup they've made? I was thinking I'd just make it to pin onto the tow hooks?

93-331-29psi

Definitely seems like an easier solution

Busboy

I have an adjustable "A" frame tow bar I got from Princess Auto many years ago, I've used it on lots of vehicles but never on a Ram truck, I'm not even sure it's rated that high but might be worth looking into. The tow bar attaches with just two pins and goes on a 2 inch ball, the brackets that the pins go into attach with just a single 1/2 inch bolt. When flat towing a 4X4 the general rule is engine off, transfer case in neutral and gear box in highest gear not overdrive but might want to check further on that for the Ram, don't forget safety chains.I just realized you live in Sk, you could easily make one out of heavier material as it's such a simple design.

tool

Yeah I'm thinking I will have to fab something up. A regular tow bar might be too short to turn corners behind something that is wider like a large tractor without hitting the tire on the bumper.

Plus a 2" ball is not something I would regularly have on the back of a farm implement and would be a pain to take on and off.

NE frmhnd

There's something I didn't think about, if you hook it behind something like a disk, the tail swing may get you into trouble.

At tractor speed a hitch pin would hold tight enough, just be sure to clip it somehow.

SIXSLUG

How about throwing a pintle on the rear reciever and just towing it backwards...

I don't know if that would be feasible....just a thought...

Busboy

After re-reading all the posts there are a couple of things you should know. The front wheels need traction on the road surface to turn around a corner, there are times even at a crawl I have jackknifed a vehicle in tow when on snow or ice, however non were as heavy on the front as a diesel ram, just be aware that it may not make a sharp turn on snow or ice. Generally if the front tires have traction they will follow the rear of what is pulling it very well but as NE pointed out "tail swing of an implement" might cause problems in a turn.

A couple of times I have talked with a guy here who does semi tractor deliveries that flat tows a dodge mid size truck behind, his tow bar is about 6-7 feet in length, much longer than what I use but still made from 2 inch square tube. The extra length gets the truck further back and gives more clearance around a corner.

etn550

I would idle it in neutral just for peace of mind. Manual tranny gets no lubrication if the input shaft is not turning. None of the gears inside the tranny would be turning and the oil would just lay in the bottom. However, the mainshaft and all of its synchros and needle bearings would be turning if the driveshaft is spinning.

ihc4bt

This is a good discussion. What are the proper procedures when towing? Correct me if I am wrong on anything here
2wd auto idle in neutral or disconnect driveshaft on a non runner
2wd manual idle in neutral disconnect driveshaft on a non runner
4x4 auto T-case in neutral
4x4 manual T-case in neutral
I also think disconnecting the batteries on a long trip would help because your key would be on to allow the front wheels to steer.
Lighting. Tow lights
Add a plugin on the front of the truck being towed
Make a long cable that you could plug into the trailer plug on the back of the truck being towed.

saggonwaggon91

Growing up on the farm, we did this for years. There are several Ag related tow bars out there, 20 years ago almost every farm pick-up had one on it where I grew up. Ive seen them that just fold up aginst the grill and stay via bungy cord. Some of the "fancy" models would fold up nice and neat just under the front bumper. All the ones we used all had a clevis style hookup, no trailer ball needed. These were pretty common in the central part of the states(Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma) where we had to travel solo and still get back to the house for dinner.

KATOOM

I'm not sure if anyone previously on this thread has ran into any problems by towing their Dodge Cummins.....but just know that the transfer cases in these trucks have fluid pumps in them which runs off the input shaft from the transmission.

Towing your 4wd truck with the transfer case in neutral does NOT override the fact that the transfer case bearings will still be turning without lubrication if the engine isnt running. This is why the manual also clearly states that if you tow your truck with the rear tires on the ground, the driveshaft must be disconnected.

The older type transfer cases didnt have this problem and yes, you could tow your truck simply be putting the transfer case in neutral.

ihc4bt

Thank you for the correction Katoom. All my trucks have been used high mileage ones missing the manuals.