I opened the gate for them after they dragged each other over a distance of more then 10km. At first I didnt understand why my heart beat skipped when I saw the whole setup so I started throwing questions from every angle asking why he’s done something he knew absolutely nothing about. He said the car broke down and it was certain to be the battery so he called a battery charger and tried jumpstarting but right before he gets back inside the car it goes off again. He then decided to use the chargers battery, lo and behold the car went off after driving some distance( killed the new battery). Now there’s no way to drive the car home so he’d rather tow it to the house since he wouldnt be in town for couple of weeks. At this point he hasn’t even realized his transmission is gone, we were still talking about what the possible problems that could be killing the batteries then I decided to use my own battery to check it out. Put my 75amp in the hood and signaled for chief to start the car. It did start but I couldn’t realy figure out if the alternator was charing or not so in my mind I was Already helping him to price toks alternator and workmanship. Brush it off man ‘you go just change the alternator when you come back’, car was still running idle then I signaled again ‘put am for drive’, baba grabbed the handle and shifted to drive. Now ‘match turtle’, nothing happened, what?!? ‘pin am’, still nothing. It took baba 10 mins to realize his tranny is gone because he towed 4wd on neutral all four legs running on the ground.
I felt pity for him but thats about the most I can do.

From probably a simply fix of the alternator, now he has to also replace the gearbox.

Ladipo next bustop please

Please just to be clear and to learn for future references, how does one tow an automatic car? Let's assume you're travelling and it breakdowns on the highway and it's already late and you can't afford to leave the car on the highway?

Ps: We've owned only manual trannies and only recently added one auto tranny.

Just last month on a trip from Kaduna to Lag, my elder bro and old boy had a breakdown, somewhere before Gwags and had to tow into Gwags. The car has a manual transmission. But assuming it was auto, how should they have done it?

Aquariann:
Please just to be clear and to learn for future references, how does one tow an automatic car? Let's assume you're travelling and it breakdowns on the highway and it's already late and you can't afford to leave the car on the highway?

Ps: We've owned only manual trannies and only recently added one auto tranny.

Just last month on a trip from Kaduna to Lag, my elder bro and old boy had a breakdown, somewhere before Gwags and had to tow into Gwags. The car has a manual transmission. But assuming it was auto, how should they have done it?

It is generally advised that the drive wheel should be off the ground when towing. This means that for FWD, the two front wheels should be off the ground, and for RWD, the the rear wheels should be off the ground. For 4WD/AWD, it is advisable to use a flat bed.

If you must tow the car with the drive wheels on the ground however, the gear selector must be in NEUTRAL, the distance to be towed must not exceed 15 miles (25 km), and the towing speed must not exceed 25 mph (40 km/h).

Errr, practise the second paragraph at your own risk.

oluwaseunla:


It is generally advised that the drive wheel should be off the ground when towing. This means that for FWD, the two front wheels should be off the ground, and for RWD, the the rear wheels should be off the ground. For 4WD/AWD, it is advisable to use a flat bed.

If you must tow the car with the drive wheels on the ground however, the gear selector must be in NEUTRAL, the distance to be towed must not exceed 15 miles (25 km), and the towing speed must not exceed 25 mph (40 km/h).

Errr, practise the second paragraph at your own risk.

I have towed my corolla with another car on neutral twice. Nothing happened. Its a myth

oluwaseunla:


It is generally advised that the drive wheel should be off the ground when towing. This means that for FWD, the two front wheels should be off the ground, and for RWD, the the rear wheels should be off the ground. For 4WD/AWD, it is advisable to use a flat bed.

If you must tow the car with the drive wheels on the ground however, the gear selector must be in NEUTRAL, the distance to be towed must not exceed 15 miles (25 km), and the towing speed must not exceed 25 mph (40 km/h).

Errr, practise the second paragraph at your own risk.

Thanks for this Seun. I thought it was the right thing to do but just had to be sure and get expert opinion.

Pipedreams:


I have towed my corolla with another car on neutral twice. Nothing happened. Its a myth

If it's a myth, car manufacturers won't recommend it. It's even in many owner's manual.

oluwaseunla:


If it's a myth, car manufacturers won't recommend it. It's even in many owner's manual.

So that means getting boys to push ur car is bad?

Pipedreams:


So that means getting boys to push ur car is bad?

You cannot push a car at the speed at which a vehicle will tow it sir. And not usually for the same distance. You have an example up there of someone that damaged a 'transmission' by ignoring the 'myth'.

Each vehicle has it's tow guide on the owners manual.
Flatbed is still the best way for 4wd but specific guidelines is still the one from manufacturer. His transmission might still be good but the transfer case could be damaged . normally the will hear the bad sound of things breaking but just ignore it. So this is a lesson for the owner about knowing what you paid for.

The engine turns the transmission which turns the transfer case that turns the wheels, when towing the wheels will turn the transfer case but unfortunately you will have to put it in drive or reverse and look under the car to see if the input from the transmission to transfer case is turning to know what works

Most owner's manuals state that the vehicle should not be towed with the drive wheels on the ground for longer than x miles or faster than y MPH. The reason for this is that Neutral only disengages the engine from the transmission, but not the transmission from the wheels. As the drive wheels turn, the transmission turns. This can heat up the transmission, which is not being cooled because the engine is not on or engaged, so the transmission fluid pump might not be cooling the transmission. The transmission is not getting proper lubrication for similar reasons.

Its no Myth.

oluwaseunla:


It is generally advised that the drive wheel should be off the ground when towing. This means that for FWD, the two front wheels should be off the ground, and for RWD, the the rear wheels should be off the ground. For 4WD/AWD, it is advisable to use a flat bed.

If you must tow the car with the drive wheels on the ground however, the gear selector must be in NEUTRAL, the distance to be towed must not exceed 15 miles (25 km), and the towing speed must not exceed 25 mph (40 km/h).

Errr, practise the second paragraph at your own risk.

^^^
Boldface
+ 100

One of the first things I'll be shipping to the shop when it's opened is a flatbed truck.

It won't be a cheap service but those who know will call for a proper towing service

I see some cars at my shippers yard here that are destined for Nigeria and I just know they are heading to their complete death

EgunMogaji:
One of the first things I'll be shipping to the shop when it's opened is a flatbed truck.

It won't be a cheap service but those who know will call for a proper towing service

I see some cars at my shippers yard here that are destined for Nigeria and I just know they are heading to their complete death

How is the rest of the world supposed to get new automated vehicles if the old ones are not put to death in Nigeria.

I was with a proud car hire owner with a 300+ thousand miles 2003-06Camry proud the he had fixed the front end and now drives a new Camry. I'm sure he has a family and a harem somewhere depending on what was salvage.

I had a RAV4 (4wd) breakdown early this year right in the middle of a busy intersection (where else) at 8pm on a Friday night . Vehicle could not be steered at all - the pinion (or whatever the hell that part is called) was simply spinning freely in its socket – eventually car was pushed to the side of the road and left there overnight.

Decided to tow the car to mechanic’s workshop the next morning. And that's when the madness started . I had the owners manual in the glove box with very clear warnings that the car should not be towed with the driven wheels on the ground but it was very hard for us to get a flat-bed tow truck. There were several guys with regular towing vehicles (old Nissan patrols and old land rovers) but not a single flat-bed tow truck.

After waiting for hours, my mechanic (who had initially agreed with me that a flat-bed was the only option) suddenly changed his tune and said he was ok with towing the car with the front wheels off the ground, provided the car was in neutral . The towing van guys who had been hanging around all this while then decided to move in for the kill - they assured me that a flat-bed truck was a waste of money - "Oga, we dey tow 4 wheel drive moto every day and nothing do dem gearbox". When I asked them who would be liable if my transmission failed, of course nobody was ready to stand up and take responsibility.

It took me almost 8 hours but I eventually got a flat-bed tow truck. If I had used the other options it would most certainly have destroyed the transmission and left me with a lot of pain.

Its all there in the owners manual. Follow the rules and you'll be fine.