A Word About Towing Jeeps

Considering that early Jeeps perform so well off-road and yet so poorly on the highway, it’s no surpise that many people tow them behind a car or truck with a tow bar.

I have done this myself but do not recommend it, even for short distances. Here’s why.

The steering system will take a beating. The Ross cam and lever steering system, unlike modern recirculating-ball systems, has too much friction to turn easily when the Jeep is turned by the tow vehicle.
The tires will take a beating. Again, the older steering system will point the tires the wrong way.
The driveline will take a beating. Unless you have axle disconnects on all four wheels, you’ll be spinning the axles, diff, transfer case, and driveshafts at highway speeds. If you plan to drive over about 50 MPH or so this is a serious problem because you a driving at or near the vehicle’s maximum design speed.
It’s hard to stop. Jeep and towbar will weigh 2500 pounds or more. Unlike a heavy-duty trailer, you can’t add electric brakes or a surge brake. Loss of control can also be a problem especially if the tow bar is not level, since the Jeep can potentially push upwards on the hitch ball and cause fishtailing.
You have no way of knowing if anything is going wrong. I had to replace my transfer case once because it was leaking and ran out of oil while I was towing the Jeep. I would have heard the noise if I had been driving it, but didn’t from inside the tow vehicle.
You have to go slow. I feel comfortable pulling the Jeep on a trailer at 75 MPH but wouldn’t want to go much over 50 MPH with a tow bar.
If you care about your Jeep and care about safety, get a trailer. I got one a year ago and was glad I did. Mine cost around $1,500. You can also rent similar ones at U-Haul.

One other thing. If you still decide to get a tow bar, remove it when you aren’t towing your Jeep! It should be obvious how much damage one could do if it fell onto the highway and folded up under the engine while the Jeep is being driven.