towing a tractor

[mb58]

I have a chance to buy a two wheel dolly or caddy, that pulls behind a truck. It's designed to set the steering axle of a combine or cotton picker in and then tow them in reverse down the highway. My question is: if I used it to tow a tractor (i.e., JD 4020,JD 60, WD45, IH 300, etc.), by placing the front axle or front wheel on the dolly, what is the best speed to drive to avoid damage to the tractor? This is assuming all fluids are in place in the rear end/transmission of the towed tractor. If the rear tires are good and the tractor doesn't "lope", then maybe 20-25 mph? Tell me what y'all think.

 

[Ron A Anderson]

With the power shift version there is a tow lever below the seat you should engage before doing this. Then of course put it in neutral.
Maybe you have to disengage the transmission with the lever on the right side of cowl. Not sure about that.

 

[ohiojim]

that question reminds me of a scene couple years ago when i looked ahead of me on the highway and saw what i thought was a tractor pushing a small pickup but was going awfull fast,..when i caught up it was a pickup pulling a ford tractor with the front wheels on a trailer going 45 miles an hour....

 

[Anonymous-0]

Had a guy do some top cutting, into firewood, back in the eighties. He took a JD A or B, I forget which, they all look alike, to me, and drove the front wheels into the bed of his P/U (it were a tricycle tractor), bind it down, and towed the rear, down the road, a about 25 MPH. Looked like it was humpin the P/U!

 

[Bob M]

Should be OK to tow a tractor a few miles at speed not exceeding road gear speed (20 mph or so). But keep in mind there are a LOT of internal parts - bull gears, differential, brakes, differential bevel gear set and tranny output shaft all spinning whenever the rear wheels are turning. And rolling faster than normal road gear speed spins these parts faster than the designers intended.

Also some tractors - the IHC 300 for sure; not sure on the others - depend on a spinning transmission countershaft to lube the upper (mainshaft) bearings. But when towing on the rear wheels and the tranny in neutral, the countershaft remains stationary. Consequently there's no lubrication to the upper bearings under these conditions.

This is OK for a few miles of towing (I've done it many times). But for extended distances - or at higher speeds - you're asking for trouble.

A better solution is to back the tractor onto the dolly and tow with the FRONT wheels on the ground. Now you are limited only by the speed rating of the front tires. Also you are not causing wear to the tranny internals nor the (expen$ive) rear tires.

 

[PJH]

I used to have a dolly for narrow front tractors. I used it in the neighborhood to get two tractors to a field with one driver. Never was worried about speeds higher than tractor speed. I always wondered if it really saved me any time. I loaned it to a guy and it never came back home. I don't miss it.

Used to work with a backhoe owner/operator who had a primitive fifth wheel mount in the bed of his half ton pickup. He had a pin that bolted under the FEL bucket, and a dolly that went under the rear wheels. He'd pin the front, then lift the rear with the outriggers, roll the dolly into position, chain it down and go home - every night - then back to the job in the morning. I've followed him 50 MPH on the highway. . .

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 16:03:46 10/04/11) I have a chance to buy a two wheel dolly or caddy, that pulls behind a truck. It's designed to set the steering axle of a combine or cotton picker in and then tow them in reverse down the highway. My question is: if I used it to tow a tractor (i.e., JD 4020,JD 60, WD45, IH 300, etc.), by placing the front axle or front wheel on the dolly, what is the best speed to drive to avoid damage to the tractor? This is assuming all fluids are in place in the rear end/transmission of the towed tractor. If the rear tires are good and the tractor doesn't "lope", then maybe 20-25 mph? Tell me what y'all think.

owed an IH101 combine 70 miles and found that anything over about 25MPH caused gear oil to come out of differential vent. That set my top speed.

 

[ihredo4]

Can't comment on other brands but on the IH M and H and I would believe most of the rest of the family you should not tow like this. As was stated before the bearings do not get lubricated and will fail. I was always told that if you would tow an IH you need to leave it running and in neutral.

 

[fixerupper]

A neighbor was towing a Farmall C that way, with two brand new never used Killbrose 375 gravity wagons towed behind the tractor. Going down a hill the tractor came off the dolly, don't ask me how cause they didn't tell me the whole story. Tractor ended up upside down in the ditch but the wagons didn't tip. The toungue on the front wagon was cork screwed pretty bad. We got the tractor on it's wheels and he fired it up and drove it home wide open, holding the steering wheel in his lap. The next year he was towing this same tractor down the blacktop pretty fast when he drifted off on the shoulder a bit, the right rear wheel hit a bump so hard the axle broke and the whole works ended upside down in the ditch again. They quit towing tractors after that. I lost an SC Case while towing it with a drawbar but it just rolled down into the ditch and I drove it back out. That's the most helpless feeling when you look in the mirror and watch the tractor drift off into the ditch. I don't tow tractors anymore either! Jim

 

[Mike M]

Make DARN sure you put a JD in the TOW position or MAJOR damage will occur !

For a one time deal I'd do it. But if you keep on needing to do it get a trailer.

 

[jackinok]

ive got to ask,since you have to tow one very slow anyway(or should ) why tow it at all?back when i was really farming and trading tractors,ive often drove one 25-30 miles.other than tire wear i dont have a problem doing it.would make more sense to me to tow your truck if you needed one,and in my opinion most times would be safer if your tractor way outweighed your truck.to my knowledge its still legal here,but maybe not where your at(?)to drive a tractor on public roads.just curious.

 

[ericlb]

run tractors and machinery most of my life, me personaly, if im moving a tractor and need to keep my truck with me too, i would much rather tow the truck on a dolly with the tractor, ive found that by the time i hitch up and load a tractor then secure it, ect, i can nearly drive it 10 miles or less under its own power, longer distance the tractor needs to be fully on a trailer to avoid the possibility of damage, you might get away with towing it ok, but if you do tear it up, do you really want to pay that bill?

 

[oldtanker]

Safety is way more important than cost. If you have an unsecured load, or some of the above mentioned things what makes you sure that tractor/combine is going to go into the ditch. It could go into the other lane and cause a major accident that you will be responsible for. How are you going to feel if you kill someone? Do it right, DO it safe! Even if it cost a bit more it really isn't worth the risk.

Rick