Tow Hubs

Rich Biebel · 04-19-2014, 06:21 PM

I have lots of flat towing stories....none of them good but some pretty funny really........LOL

We did not use tow hubs as they were out of our budget at that time.....we removed the driveshaft and slicks.....

Flat towed that way for 2 years.....and went to Indy from NJ that way as well as other tracks.....Atco....Capitol....Vargo....E-town...Island....York....Maple Grove....all with a tow bar and various tow cars.....

I would not recommend it though and yes the front wheels will flop in the wrong direction especially if you are pulling out of a gas station across a highway and a cop is watching you and pulls you over asking you why that did that......something must not be right.....no ticket....fix it....

Ed Wright · 04-19-2014, 06:31 PM

See post #25.

Rich Biebel · 04-19-2014, 06:38 PM

Ed the only way you're going to get that much positive caster on many cars is with a hacksaw and a welder....and some surgery on the upper control arm....

And if you pull out of a gas station as I did with a steep sloped driveway you're still likely to have the same problem....tow vehicle and towed vehicle are at 2 different roadway heights.....all the positive caster in the world does not help there....

I was towing a '63 Chevy II bracket car with a Chevelle wagon....for that episode of flat towing fun and games.....

Ed Wright · 04-19-2014, 06:53 PM

Rich, offset upper inner shafts, and tweaked upper control arms. Not a big deal to do. It absolutely ended the wheels flopping over leaving gas stations, etc.
I lived on a 2 lane street, had a one car garage, and one car wide driveway with a tree on each side. After fixing the front end I could pull up, and back in the driveway like you would a trailer. I fixed other guys front ends the same way. Made towing much nicer. Long tow bars also took out a lot of the lurching on uneven roads. Those two things made towing much nicer. I towed all over the country that way for about four years. I used an open trailer a time or two that a guy was trying to sell me. We preferred the hubs and tow bar for ease and comfort.

Rich Biebel · 04-19-2014, 07:03 PM

Well Ed I will defer to your experience as I never did those mods on any car I flat towed. I did not learn about cutting apart an upper a-frame until the late 70's when it was a popular deal on Camaro's to allow them to run a lot of positive caster....By then we had either a ramp truck or a trailer

Ed Wright · 04-19-2014, 07:36 PM

That was my '56 Chevy. Still had it when I built my first ramp truck in 1970 or so. Wish I could remember who put me onto that. Maybe Jere Stahl? Can't remember now. I did about four cars like that. Carroll Caudle had his '55 done that way too. First time we all went to Pomona, Carroll & Gwenda, Pete Perry & his first wife (who died in a highway accident later) and Jeanie & I all flat towed there with hubs & long tow bars. Tell kids that today, and they don't believe it. They also don't believe my family had an out house & no running water until my senior year in high school. LOL

SStockDart · 04-19-2014, 11:10 PM

Ed, some of us are old enough to remember...out houses, the only running water was with a pump in the kitchen, baths were ever Saturday (girls first). No TV....what great memories when families had to talk with each other without cell phones and video games.

04-19-2014, 06:21 PM	#1
Rich Biebel VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Northern New Jersey suburbs Posts: 2,320 Likes: 25 Liked 557 Times in 217 Posts	Re: Tow Hubs I have lots of flat towing stories....none of them good but some pretty funny really........LOL We did not use tow hubs as they were out of our budget at that time.....we removed the driveshaft and slicks..... Flat towed that way for 2 years.....and went to Indy from NJ that way as well as other tracks.....Atco....Capitol....Vargo....E-town...Island....York....Maple Grove....all with a tow bar and various tow cars..... I would not recommend it though and yes the front wheels will flop in the wrong direction especially if you are pulling out of a gas station across a highway and a cop is watching you and pulls you over asking you why that did that......something must not be right.....no ticket....fix it.... __________________ Rich Biebel S/C 1479 Stock 147R

04-19-2014, 06:38 PM	#3
Rich Biebel VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Northern New Jersey suburbs Posts: 2,320 Likes: 25 Liked 557 Times in 217 Posts	Re: Tow Hubs Ed the only way you're going to get that much positive caster on many cars is with a hacksaw and a welder....and some surgery on the upper control arm.... And if you pull out of a gas station as I did with a steep sloped driveway you're still likely to have the same problem....tow vehicle and towed vehicle are at 2 different roadway heights.....all the positive caster in the world does not help there.... I was towing a '63 Chevy II bracket car with a Chevelle wagon....for that episode of flat towing fun and games..... __________________ Rich Biebel S/C 1479 Stock 147R

04-19-2014, 06:53 PM	#4
Ed Wright Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Sand Springs, OK Posts: 8,132 Likes: 896 Liked 390 Times in 170 Posts	Re: Tow Hubs Rich, offset upper inner shafts, and tweaked upper control arms. Not a big deal to do. It absolutely ended the wheels flopping over leaving gas stations, etc. I lived on a 2 lane street, had a one car garage, and one car wide driveway with a tree on each side. After fixing the front end I could pull up, and back in the driveway like you would a trailer. I fixed other guys front ends the same way. Made towing much nicer. Long tow bars also took out a lot of the lurching on uneven roads. Those two things made towing much nicer. I towed all over the country that way for about four years. I used an open trailer a time or two that a guy was trying to sell me. We preferred the hubs and tow bar for ease and comfort. __________________ Ed Wright 4156 SS/JA

04-19-2014, 07:03 PM	#5
Rich Biebel VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Northern New Jersey suburbs Posts: 2,320 Likes: 25 Liked 557 Times in 217 Posts	Re: Tow Hubs Well Ed I will defer to your experience as I never did those mods on any car I flat towed. I did not learn about cutting apart an upper a-frame until the late 70's when it was a popular deal on Camaro's to allow them to run a lot of positive caster....By then we had either a ramp truck or a trailer __________________ Rich Biebel S/C 1479 Stock 147R

04-19-2014, 07:36 PM	#6
Ed Wright Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Sand Springs, OK Posts: 8,132 Likes: 896 Liked 390 Times in 170 Posts	Re: Tow Hubs That was my '56 Chevy. Still had it when I built my first ramp truck in 1970 or so. Wish I could remember who put me onto that. Maybe Jere Stahl? Can't remember now. I did about four cars like that. Carroll Caudle had his '55 done that way too. First time we all went to Pomona, Carroll & Gwenda, Pete Perry & his first wife (who died in a highway accident later) and Jeanie & I all flat towed there with hubs & long tow bars. Tell kids that today, and they don't believe it. They also don't believe my family had an out house & no running water until my senior year in high school. LOL __________________ Ed Wright 4156 SS/JA

04-19-2014, 06:31 PM	#2
Ed Wright Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Sand Springs, OK Posts: 8,132 Likes: 896 Liked 390 Times in 170 Posts	Re: Tow Hubs See post #25. __________________ Ed Wright 4156 SS/JA

04-19-2014, 11:10 PM	#7
SStockDart VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Arizona, Texan forever Posts: 1,179 Likes: 881 Liked 606 Times in 213 Posts	Re: Tow Hubs Ed, some of us are old enough to remember...out houses, the only running water was with a pump in the kitchen, baths were ever Saturday (girls first). No TV....what great memories when families had to talk with each other without cell phones and video games. __________________ Gary Hansen - SS/FA 4911, B/SA 4911