MTFCA Forum

I wonder if it’s possible to tow a Model T in neutral please ?

It will be going less than one mile to my local garage for final inspection and adjustments before I hit the road !!

Thanks from a newbie in New Zealand

No, do not tow it, drive it or trailer it. In an emergency you could take out the spark plugs, leave it in gear, and tow it at 3 mph, but I would not consider this an emergency.

I would also doubt your "local garage" is up to inspecting and adjusting a model T. Best option would be for a local club member to come to you and give it an inspection, make adjustments, and give you driving lessons.

David, it is possible to tow a T in neutral, but it is highly inadvisable. Flat towing in neutral will have the wheels driving the transmission, and serious damage can be done. As advised, tow the car in gear to keep the transmission lubricated. The only time I will ever do a flat tow is to loosen up a new rebuild if it is to0 hard to hand crank

Is your trip to the local garage for a Warrant of Fitness inspection prior to registration? Trailering the car is still the best option.

Allan from over the ditch.

If the engine was idling it would provide sufficent lubrication for a short and slow tow?

If the shop is less than a mile away, the car runs, and it is the 'final inspection and adjustments before you hit the road', why not just drive it?

Tow it in gear. Better with plugs out.

Horses towed these cars thousands of times. No worries.

Hi David,

Met you a couple of weeks ago.
Have you had the car running yet? Dad and I both have appropriate size trailers not far from you if you need to move it before getting it on the road. But yes, you may not find your local garage is a lot of use for fine tuning a T... give us a call if you need help.

Cheers
Haydon.

Hi Haydon, it’s so close. Classic Car garage in FOXTON ( Ladys Mile Auto ) has done work for me in the past. I am not doing so well with my treatment at the hospital and I’m getting impatient
lol . I have a water leak that needs to be done but I can’t seem to get the part off. It’s so close it’s driving me mad. I’ll have another shot at it on the weekend and perhaps talk to your Dad or you if it fail again. Thanks for your kind offer. Dave

To safely tow a Model T any longer distance with no damage to it requires removing the drive shaft, which is quite a bit of work.

In 1951, my dad and the late Royce D. Peterson flat-towed a 1917 roadster from Hastings, MN to Minneapolis, a distance over over 30 miles.

They removed the sparkplugs, put some oil in the cylinders and left it in high gear.

Around that same time, my dad borrowed Royce's tow bar and flat towed a 1913 touring 40 miles from Waldorf, MN to St. Peter, MN where he was attending college. Same method as above.

Both of the above cars still survive.

DavidM wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 09, 2024 2:41 am

Hi Haydon, it’s so close. Classic Car garage in FOXTON ( Ladys Mile Auto ) has done work for me in the past. I am not doing so well with my treatment at the hospital and I’m getting impatient
lol . I have a water leak that needs to be done but I can’t seem to get the part off. It’s so close it’s driving me mad. I’ll have another shot at it on the weekend and perhaps talk to your Dad or you if it fail again. Thanks for your kind offer. Dave

David...I hope the water leak is your car and not YOU!! Hope you don't mind a little humor here. Sorry to hear of your hospital issue. Prayers to you. Hang in there.

If you have the means & a wheel puller, remove the rear wheels, the rear axle keys, snug the axle nuts back up, cotter pin & tow away.

RajoRacer wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 09, 2024 10:18 am

If you have the means & a wheel puller, remove the rear wheels, the rear axle keys, snug the axle nuts back up, cotter pin & tow away.

I don't think I would ever do that under any circumstance.

Explain why you wouldn't, please. All the hub will do is spin on the taper - the key is what locks it all together.

And while the hub spins on the taper it is abrading away the same taper.
Perhaps just out of the garage in an emergency but I would not suggest keyless on the axle. The nuts already don't stay tight on the axle.

Tow from behind... walahh! I havent seen any conventional tow rigs lately, I think most are done flat bed.

RecklessKelly wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 10, 2024 1:28 pm

Tow from behind... walahh! I havent seen any conventional tow rigs lately, I think most are done flat bed.

NEVER tow backwards.
Aside from a dancing front end, The threaded bearings will TIGHTEN up on their own, destroying bearings, hubs & dragging locked up wheels.
I have seen more than my share of wire wheel hubs off of "trailer" conversions that were mounted backwards & bulge & destroy hubs.

You can tow it on a trailer without destroying the transmission.

speedytinc wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 10, 2024 1:45 pm

[quote=RecklessKelly post_id=345348 time=<a href="tel:1728581283">1728581283</a> user_id=5994]
Tow from behind... walahh! I havent seen any conventional tow rigs lately, I think most are done flat bed.

NEVER tow backwards.
Aside from a dancing front end, The threaded bearings will TIGHTEN up on their own, destroying bearings, hubs & dragging locked up wheels.
I have seen more than my share of wire wheel hubs off of "trailer" conversions that were mounted backwards & bulge & destroy hubs.
[/quote]
Yikes

RajoRacer wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 10, 2024 12:42 pm

Explain why you wouldn't, please. All the hub will do is spin on the taper - the key is what locks it all together.

The key keeps the taper from starting to slip.
The taper drives the car. If properly machined, lapped, assembled, the taper does the work. Thats why the are so hard to pop off. Knock off is best from other side.
If the keyway is jacked, that's from a loose nut,bad taper that allowed the key to rock.

I thought removing the key so the hub could spin on the axle was a joke. If not, it might help to add grease lubricate the axle taper to lessen friction/ wear!
Allan from down under.

I’m asking, not advising. If the engine is locked, such as a broken crankshaft, could you add a gallon or more oil to submerge the transmission and tow in neutral?