Harbor Freight Tow Bar Questions

[johnj92131]

I am looking for feedback from anyone that owns or uses a tow bar from Harbor Freight:

 

http://www.harborfreight.com/5000-lb-capacity-adjustable-tow-bar-94696.html#

 

Need to flat tow an 86 Comanche diesel from Victoria, British Columbia back home to San Diego.  I will be using my 91 4.0 Comanche as the tow truck.  It has all the proper wiring, a factory trailer hitch, and the Big Ton Package will all the proper factory required equipment to tow up to 5000 lbs. 

 

Only thing I don't like about this hitch is that it seems to require bolt holes to be drilled in the front bumper of the vehicle being towed.  Best part of this tow bar is the price - $70 less 20% this weekend.  Just $62 with sales tax.

 

So anyone with comments on this towbar?

 

Thanks,

[Blue XJ]

I have a Reese one that looks very similar. I have no complaints with it, that style can be a little difficult to connect because it is rigid, but it's not too hard. If it was going to get a lot of use, I would say get a self centering one. If it's occasional use, that will work fine. Make sure to get magnetic tow lights and 4 safety chains as well. The HF magnetic tow lights didn't work for me. They both blinked when I turned my signal on, and the brake light portion worked for about 300 miles, then quit working.

 

Edit: Even after the Jeep lost traction and pulled me into a ditch on the side of the road, the tow bar held up fine, no damage to anything, and everything stayed connected.

 

 

 

It is this bar, I went with Reese because it is a big name brand and only a few dollar more than the no name brand one. (which is probably built by the same company)

 

https://www.amazon.com/Reese-Towpower-7014200-Adjustable-Tow/dp/B001IH6W7O

[Double Six]

I have one from there, and pulled a Plymouth barracuda from  Ohio to Alabama with no problems.Just drill a hole in bumper and when you are done with it put a bumper bolt back in the hole.

[Pete M]

could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure towing the maximum with an MJ means having trailer brakes. 

 

it'll be more money, but renting a dolly with brakes will be INCREDIBLY safer.  . :MJ 1: .

[johnj92131]

Pete,

 

Thanks for the reminder on the tow dolly with surge brakes. You are correct that towing the 5000 lb max requires trailer brakes and a weight distributing hitch.

 

I have used a tow dolly twice in the last year.  Once worked well for a 350 mile tow.  Unfortunately the second one did not go very well.  I suspect because of an issue with the tow dolly.  The front wheels of the car I was towing kept trying to turn when I went around a curve.  So much so that after 50 miles the car had moved on the dolly and one wheel strap was totally off. the second strap had worked loose.  Fortunately, I had two safety chains on the car.  But to move the car off the dolly I needed the assistance of a tow truck.  We put the car back on the dolly, Anchored the straps around the wheels as tight as we both could manage, reinstalled the safety chains.  After 20 miles I stopped to check status.  Both straps were loose and the front wheels had turned 30 degrees.

 

At that point, I got rid of the dolly and had a car transport company pick the car up in an enclosed trailer and ship it home.  That was $1490 and to rent the defective dolly was $360.  The car did arrive home safe and sound 9 days later.  Don't think I could have made it with a tow dolly.

 

Total weight for the 86 MJ should be right at 3000 lbs, with a tow dolly it will be 3500.  But you are still correct about the dolly having surge brakes.  Next time I rent a tow dolly I will have to double check that it functions properly before I accept it.

[Blue XJ]

How could the tires turn while on the tow dolly? Did you have the ignition on to unlock the steering column? I don't think you do that on a tow dolly, only needed when flat towing.

[johnj92131]

How could the tires turn while on the tow dolly? Did you have the ignition on to unlock the steering column? I don't think you do that on a tow dolly, only needed when flat towing.

 

Both cars were pre steering column lock - one was a 68 the other a 69.  One towed just fine and I know the tires did not move on it at all.  They were just as tight at the end of the trip as they were at the start.  I know the wheel platform on that dolly rotated just fine because we checked it prior to loading the car.  With the second tow dolly, I DID NOT check to be sure it rotated.  This was the dolly I had the issue with.  Was it a defective dolly?  Can not say for sure, but with 2 or 3 weeks to think about why the strapped down wheels could be forced to move - the only thing I can think of is that the tow dolly wheel platform did not move like it should and that forced the car's tires to turn when the dolly turned.

[Pete M]

Id' still dolly it.  maybe flat tow to the border if it's a substantial price increase to cross it with a rented dolly, but that's a loooong way to ask a 30 year old truck to pull and stop its own weight.  I've flat towed long distances before, but always with a nearly new tow vehicle.  and even then it was quite hairy at times. 

[64 Cheyenne]

Make sure you have extra mass in the tow vehicle...especially if you towing with an MJ.

[johnj92131]

The price has been a big issue pushing me to want to flat tow the diesel Comanche.  When I plugged all the information to the U-Haul web site. it came back with a price of $650 to rent the dolly for 8 days.  After working their web site with different pick up and drop off locations I found a combination the returns a price of $200 for the move.  So for $200 to rent a tow dolly vs $85 to buy a set of magnetic lights and a tow bar, I will take the tow dolly.

 

Seems the price issue was caused because I am going to drop the truck in a small town in northern Michigan.  Once I put Detroit in as the drop off location, the price changed from  $650 to $200  And I will be sure I check that the dolly rotates/pivots properly before I accept it.

 

Thanks to each of you for your input  in answering this post.

[Pete M]

as an added choice for anyone reading this thread, we used uship.com and had my father's Camaro shipped from Detroit to Atlanta (house to house) for a little over 600.  no driving on our part at all. :D    would have cost more than that in trailer rental and gas so it was a no-brainer. 

[Jtrux]

Back in my less well off days (I'm not rich by any means but I do have a trailer now and a 3/4 ton truck for such things) I attempted to use my '77 F-100 to haul an '86 K5 home.  Thought it would be a piece of cake.  I made it to the highway and then realized it wasn't gonna be very safe and ended up borrowing a truck and trailer.  Not saying it can't be done but I just had a bad feeling and have learned from previous mistakes to listen to my gut.  

 

People do it all the time with success but I would rather dolly something at the very least.

[1989 comanche mj]

I towed a full sized Bronco 351 with 33 inch tires with a f150 6 cylinder from one state to another with a cheaper version of the Harbor freight bar.  It went fine.  The brakes of the tow dolly would be nice but the ride is better flat towing assuming the truck you are towing has good tires and alignment.  As I got older I stopped doing stuff half assed and now tow with a 1 ton 454 truck and car trailer.  Like other posts say, people do it all the time other ways but that doesn't always mean its the best way.

[mikekaz1]

id definitely dolly or full trailer it.   no clue the condition of the truck to be picked up but flat tow and dolly still require sufficient maintenance of the tires and axles and whatnot.  if its been sitting a long time theres a good chance those won't be too fantastic

[johnj92131]

Just a little more information on the Diesel Comanche move.

 

Tires on the diesel are said to be in good shape.

 

Looking at shipping it by truck.  2 quotes so far.  $1277 and $2698 !!!!     Also soliciting bids on U-Ship site.

 

Victoria, British Columbia is on Vancouver Island and will require a ferry trip both ways.  $64 from Port Angeles, Wa to Victoria.  On the way back the ferry charges by the foot. So it will cost just under $200 for the Ferry from Victoria back to Port Angeles.

 

Dolly rental is $200, so you can see I am just short of $500 before I factor in gas and other travel expenses for the trip.

 

That $1277 price to ship the truck is looking more and more reasonable.

[mikekaz1]

and they are at fault if anything screws up!

[Eagle]

Seems the price issue was caused because I am going to drop the truck in a small town in northern Michigan.  Once I put Detroit in as the drop off location, the price changed from  $650 to $200  And I will be sure I check that the dolly rotates/pivots properly before I accept it.

 

 

I thought you were towing to San Diego. How does michigan fit into this?

[johnj92131]

Good question, Eagle.  Fellow who does excellent custom work on the TDI is going to do the swap for me in Michigan. Requires way more fabrication skills than I have.  So the diesel MJ is going to Michigan for a few months, then I will bring it home with the TDI engine in place.  No turbo work planned to the MJ, just a fresh tune that will get the torque up to the same 225-240 lb/ft range as the 4.0.  Horsepower will be about 130.  But it is low end torque that will move the truck.

 

Last year I had him do a fresh, custom turbo conversion on my 96 TDI.  His custom work is just great.  My stock 90 hp / 149 lb/ft engine now has 173 hp and 313 lb/ft at the front wheels with better than stock turbo spool up.  New turbo is 4 generations newer than the stock 96 turbo.  Comes from a 180 hp VW diesel in Europe.  Boost is 15 psi at 1500 rpm and 26 psi by 1900 rpm for peak torque  Yes, it has larger nozzles for more fuel and 2 different custom engine tunes.

 

Needed a custom adapter to the stock intake manifold, clocked the turbo to point exhaust in the right direction, custom down pipe to mate with stock cat. convertor.  Also required new custom fit plumbing routed to fit the stock intercooler.  Had to dial the power back just a little to save the clutch and trim the smoke.  Now puts out 162 hp and 280 lb/ft torque at the front wheels.  Also have a custom 6 speed conversion in place of the stock 5 speed.  Still gets mid 40's mpg on the highway and in town.  Can actually hit mid 50's mpg on highway if I slow down.

[mikekaz1]

dumb question.....       if it was "so easy" to pull out 173/313 from your 96tdi.... why wouldn't you do that on your pickup?   even if 130/230 is enough, why not give it the extra 40/100 and make it awesome?