O. K. to tow auto 89 LX?

[sunderland]

Was wondering if anyone knows if it is safe to tow my 89 LX with an automatic trans. My dad would like to tow it behind his motorhome if it won't damage anything. Thanks for the help.

[MessyHonda]

put it in neutral, everytime they tow my car...like 4 or 5 times in 18 years they always pick up the front end since the rear has nothing to worry about...hope it works

[ghettogeddy]

ya just as long as the car is picked up from the front there shoud be no prob

[mkymonkey]

dont put it in neutral! i tow for a living trust me! lol

if you put it in neutral the car will most likely roll off the lift if its not properly secured. plus if you pick it up from the front you will have no problem with the back since they spin freely. just make sure you dont have the ebrake on or else you will need new brakes and drums by the time you get to your destination. lol

have fun and be careful
-adrian

[A20A1]

Yeah if you are letting it roll on two wheels, make sure it is the rear wheels. Lift up the front of the car.

[Whistler225]

hrmmmm....most motorhomes tow cars with all four wheels on the ground, don't they? So what's the deal with towing in neutral? Is it because on an auto, neutral is actually a gear? I was told that I should warm up my car in neutral so the atf would warm up....

[Cheeseburger]

don't put it in neutral! i tow for a living trust me! lol

if you put it in neutral the car will most likely roll off the lift if its not properly secured. plus if you pick it up from the front you will have no problem with the back since they spin freely. just make sure you dont have the ebrake on or else you will need new brakes and drums by the time you get to your destination. lol

have fun and be careful
-adrian


take the advice that this guy tells u. hes the master tower lol:cheers:

[Whistler225]

my point was that most motorhomes don't use a lift to tow a car. They use a car dolly, many of which leave the front wheels on the ground.

[TechnoGecko]

If you are towing the car with all four wheels on the ground you need to put the car in neutral and take off the emergency brake. If you are towing the car with a dolly ( aka with two wheels off the ground ) you need to put the front wheels on the dolly and leave the car in park to make sure that it does not slip off the dolly and remove the ebrake so the rear wheels turn freely...

[mkymonkey]

ok the reason we uh "proffessional tow truck drivers" dont tow a car in neutral is because you may go over a bump so hard, or even sometimes something small, and the lever will knock itself into gear and there goes your tranny! you might think its impossible but trust me...it has happened. to be safe you always want to tow the car from the traction wheels. if its from the front you take the emergency brake off so your brakes wont go duh. another reason that you dont want to tow the car from the rear with the front dragging and in neutral is because you have to remember that a car makes turn with the front wheels. if you dont properly secure the steering wheel (by that i mean lock it and use a rope to tie it to the door) your wheels will turn and you will see your car next to you rolling with no rear bumper :lol: has happened to me too.

so just be safe and do it right. or use a dolly that suspends the car with no wheels on the ground. and youre right people with motor homesdo tow their cars on on all four wheels, but i seriously would not recommend it. plus some of these people use chains and thats kinda elligal and not to mention dangerous!

just be safe bro

ps:


If you are towing the car with all four wheels on the ground you need to put the car in neutral and take off the emergency brake. If you are towing the car with a dolly ( aka with two wheels off the ground ) you need to put the front wheels on the dolly and leave the car in park to make sure that it does not slip off the dolly and remove the ebrake so the rear wheels turn freely...

This guy has it right!

[sunderland]

ok the reason we uh "proffessional tow truck drivers" dont tow a car in neutral is because you may go over a bump so hard, or even sometimes something small, and the lever will knock itself into gear and there goes your tranny! you might think its impossible but trust me...it has happened. to be safe you always want to tow the car from the traction wheels. if its from the front you take the emergency brake off so your brakes wont go duh. another reason that you dont want to tow the car from the rear with the front dragging and in neutral is because you have to remember that a car makes turn with the front wheels. if you dont properly secure the steering wheel (by that i mean lock it and use a rope to tie it to the door) your wheels will turn and you will see your car next to you rolling with no rear bumper :lol: has happened to me too.

so just be safe and do it right. or use a dolly that suspends the car with no wheels on the ground. and youre right people with motor homesdo tow their cars on on all four wheels, but i seriously would not recommend it. plus some of these people use chains and thats kinda elligal and not to mention dangerous!

just be safe bro

ps:



This guy has it right!
Thanks all for the help. I was not as clear as I should have been. I was wondering if it is O.K. to tow with all four wheels on the ground. Apparently, some vehicles can be towed this way without damaging the transmission, etc. and others should not be towed this way. So far, it sounds like this car should not be towed this way.

They have lists of vehicles (dingys) on RV websites that are approved for towing, but those lists don't go back to 1989.

Thanks again for all the help. I think I'll avoid towing for now.

[mkymonkey]

i have a question though, how were you planning on securing the car to the back of the rv? you have to have something to hold the car at a distance from the one towing it. if you use just chains, you will not have a problem pulling it but when it comes to stopping...well lets just say that the vehicle towing the car will need love in its rear end lol

[sunderland]

i have a question though, how were you planning on securing the car to the back of the rv? you have to have something to hold the car at a distance from the one towing it. if you use just chains, you will not have a problem pulling it but when it comes to stopping...well lets just say that the vehicle towing the car will need love in its rear end lol
We have a tow bar designed to tow a Honda Odyssey behind the RV. We would need to get the correct attachments for the Accord.

[1989accordaz]

Just looking at the Honda Chilton manual " a vehicle with an automatic transaxel must never be towed with the front wheels on the ground"