Towing Issues: towing 95 Ford E-150 with a tow bar, 17 inch wheels, drive shaft

Question
Hi Shayne:  Thanks for the response.  I did tow the vehicle as stated with no problems.  I left the drive shaft attached and hope that was not a mistake.  I only went 12 miles at under 35 mph.  The tow bar worked flawlessly!  I was impressed with how well it followed etc.  I did have to drill holes in the bumper to attach the brackets but I can live with that.  After I install the fuel pump I will follow up to let everyone know if the trans is ok.  Thanks  Ed

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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Hi Shayne:  I need to tow my van about twelve miles.  I bought a pit bull tow bar which has a 5000 lbs. capacity.  Do I need to disconnect the drive shaft for this short of a trip and any other advice you can off would be greatly appreciated.  The tow vehicle is a 2001 F-150 with a triton 5.4.  Rated capacity with 17 inch wheels is 7200 lbs..Thanks  Ed
-----Answer-----
Ed,

Are you POSITIVE the van weighs less than 5000lbs?  For such a short tow I would recommend hiring a tow truck.  You can usually get a pretty good rate if you let them tow it whenever they get some spare time.  

As usual, I do not recommend towing a vehicle that weighs nearly as much as the tow vehicle.  

If you decide to go ahead with this anyway, yes I would remove the driveshaft to be on the safe side.  

Good luck,
Shayne Peterson
MobileHitch
http://www.mobilehitch.ca/


Answer
Ed,

Great to hear all went well.  

I just wanted to add in here for everyone's benefit.

Tow bars that bolt through the bumper are still available, however I would only use a kit that is designed for your particular vehicle.  From what I have seen in recent years, only the TJ (some, not all) have bumpers strong enough to tow the vehicle when the bracket is thru-bolted to the bumper.  

Most steel pick-up/van bumpers are very thin and will not tow the vehicle for very long before the bolts deform the metal and pull through.  I do not know exactly what kind of tow bar was used in this situation, however I prefer to err on the side of caution and let everyone out there know not to tow by a new-style steel bumper.  

Thank you,
Shayne Peterson
MobileHitch
http://www.mobilehitch.ca/