Confirmed: Flat towing for all 2021 Bronco models

[Used2jeep]

just tow it backwards

Christine

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[JesseS]

Will the speedo roll while towed?

No...

Best thing to do when flat towing is to disconnect the battery and use a light bar that feeds off the towing vehicle.
For brakes use "Ready-Brute" mechanical system.
Electrical systems today are too complex to risk mixing two together.

Do not disconnect the battery, besides resetting your ECU, wiping your radio presets, and other electronic watchdogs, it will also lock your steering wheel, and its a PIA. Do you mean 'ReadyBrake' system? I don't like that system as it does not power your power brake booster and the cable runs from the towbar thru your firewall to attach to the brake pedal.
I much prefer the Invisible brake from Roadmaster, it incorporates an internal vacuum pump that powers your booster pump via a one way valve allowing the servo to use power breaking without the engine running, requiring much less pedal pull to activate the brakes. Also this system will keep your battery charged without a dedicated power supply. It connects only to your turn & brake lights via the normal trailer plug so is fast and easy to hook up. remember that your ing has to be unlocked so the steering wheel will turn, this is why the DIC must be powered as a push to start system has a solenoid to lock the wheel, with no key to turn .
I have flat towed behind my Motor home for 12 years with 3 different systems, and the invisabrake system is by far the best, but it does require professional installation if you are not a good garage mechanic. It took me the better part of a day to install, and it cannot be easily transferred to another toad. Just my .02.

 

[lbryja]

It's not the transfer case that's at risk of damage, it's the auto transmission that overheats due to no fluid pumping to keep things cool.

When I was flat towing my Wrangler the process was to put the transfer case in neutral and then put the transmission back in park. Which made it so that the transmission wasn't doing anything. Is that not the case with the Bronco?

 

[ekim]

And remove both driveshafts.

Removing driveshafts gets old fast when someone is recreationally towing. I have no interest in removing the driveshaft 50x per year.

If the transfer case has a neutral and it works properly and reliably then you should not need to remove the driveshafts.

Why would anyone buy a new vehicle with the expectation that a major component (transfer case) does not work as its supposed to?

 

[Hoofnmouth]

Removing driveshafts gets old fast when someone is recreationally towing. I have no interest in removing the driveshaft 50x per year.

If the transfer case has a neutral and it works properly and reliably then you should not need to remove the driveshafts.

Why would anyone buy a new vehicle with the expectation that a major component (transfer case) does not work as its supposed to?

Yeah it sucks ,but dana 300 is known to burn up when towing.

 

[Hoofnmouth]

No...

Yup

 

[Felix808]

When I was flat towing my Wrangler the process was to put the transfer case in neutral and then put the transmission back in park. Which made it so that the transmission wasn't doing anything. Is that not the case with the Bronco?

Probably will be. Having the transmission in park prevents the transmission from turning to prevent heat build up in the transmission, which will kill the transmission.

 

[Hoofnmouth]

It's been incredibly rare to have issues, however, driveshaft phasing has been a problem with Ranger. Ford's miracle "cure-all" for out-of-balance driveshafts has been the lackluster effort of gluing metal in places or drilling out material. Certainly they can hold their parts supplier to greater standards than what was done in the 1960's when tolerances were generous.


Reports from the Ranger group indicate that when you engage the flat-tow via their lengthy process, it will disable the electronic O-do. Not great for tracking vehicle mileage, but the lesser of two evils.

I had a mustang mach 1 that had the driveshaft vibrations bad ,it took me a couple of hours but i fixed it by putting hose clamps on the shaft and moving it till it went away?

 

[dgorsett]

Yeah it sucks ,but dana 300 is known to burn up when towing.

I might get burned here but: I have towed many 4x4's and the Bronco TC will not burn up when towed as it, and most modern TC's have a pump driven by the rear output so they always stay lubed.

Old model 20 (and guessing) 300's had no pump and the rear output was above the lube level so bearings would dry up and fry. This would require rear driveshaft disco and front hubs on long tows to prevent issues.

I used to tow old model 18's and, while the outputs were submerged in lube, I would usually disco the rear shaft because, well, old 18's barely held together at high speed just being driven.

 

[Lab00Rat]

I feel like this is aimed at me.

Glad to see that more confirmation has been offered. It's my first exclusion criteria in picking my fun ride to tag along.

 

[Hoofnmouth]

I might get burned here but: I have towed many 4x4's and the Bronco TC will not burn up when towed as it, and most modern TC's have a pump driven by the rear output so they always stay lubed.

Old model 20 (and guessing) 300's had no pump and the rear output was above the lube level so bearings would dry up and fry. This would require rear driveshaft disco and front hubs on long tows to prevent issues.

I used to tow old model 18's and, while the outputs were submerged in lube, I would usually diso the rear shaft because, well, old 18's barely held together at high speed just being driven.

We dont burn here?
I disconnected the shafts just to be sure ,im not driving up to the trail and find i fried something?

 

[dgorsett]

Probably will be. Having the transmission in park prevents the transmission from turning to prevent heat build up in the transmission, which will kill the transmission.

From reading the Ranger owners manual I gathered that you leave the trans in neutral.. But yes Jeep says to put the trans in park to prevent friction induced spin which could damage a trans. I will want confirmation, either way.

EDIT: This could be important because putting the trans in Park may activate the steering lock, which would be bad, very bad....don't ask how I know.

 

[JesseS]

Yup

Really??, this isn't the 70's, the speedo is electronic, not a cable in the Xmission any longer. I have towed my CR-V 60K miles, and not one of them added to the speedo. Not sure what you are towing but it must be hella old!

 

[Hoofnmouth]

Really??, this isn't the 70's, the speedo is electronic, not a cable in the Xmission any longer. I have towed my CR-V 60K miles, and not one of them added to the speedo. Not sure what you are towing but it must be hella old!

Yup all my stuff is hella

 

[P52Ranch]

I was confused by the initial post that said to select the 4WD switch to 2H. But apparently somewhere in step #7 the electronic Neutral Tow feature switches the transfer case into neutral even when the 4WD switch is set to 2H.

For some of us disconnecting driveshafts may be more intuitive.

From the Ranger Owners manual:

You can put your vehicle in neutral tow for recreational towing by placing the transfer case in its neutral position and engaging the four-wheel-down towing feature. Perform the steps in the following section after positioning your vehicle behind the tow vehicle and properly securing them together.
Note: Make sure you properly secure your vehicle to the tow vehicle.

1. Put the ignition in the on position, but do not start the engine. If your vehicle has an ignition key, turn the key to the on position. If your vehicle has intelligent access, press the engine START/STOP button once without pressing the brake pedal.

2. Press and hold the brake pedal.

3. Rotate the four-wheel drive switch to 2H.

4. Shift the transmission to neutral (N).

5. Enable Neutral Tow by selecting Settings in the information display menu.

6. Then select Vehicle.

7. Then select Neutral Tow and follow the instructions on screen.
Note: If successfully completed, the information display shows NEUTRAL TOW LEAVE IN N or Neutral Tow Enabled Leave Transmission in Neutral. This indicates that your vehicle is safe to tow with all wheels on the ground.
Note: If you do not see the message in the display, you must switch the ignition off and perform the procedure again from the beginning.
Note: You may hear an audible noise as the transfer case shifts into its neutral position. This is normal.

8. Leave the transmission in neutral (N) and turn the ignition key as far as it can go towards the off position. It does not turn fully off when the transmission is in neutral (N). If your vehicle has an ignition key, you must leave the key in the ignition when towing. To lock and unlock your vehicle, use the keyless entry keypad or an extra set of keys.
If your vehicle has intelligent access, press the engine START/STOP button once without pressing the brake pedal. You do not need to leave your keys in the vehicle. You can lock and unlock your vehicle as you normally do.

9. Release the brake pedal.
WARNING: Do not disconnect the battery during recreational towing. It prevents the transfer case from shifting properly and may cause the vehicle to roll, even if the transmission is in park (P).
WARNING: Shifting the transfer case to its neutral position for recreational towing may cause the vehicle to roll, even if the transmission is in park (P). It may injure the driver and others. Make sure you press the foot brake and the vehicle is in a secure, safe position when you shift to neutral (N).
Note: Failing to put the transfer case in its neutral position may damage vehicle components. Note: You can check the four-wheel-down towing status at any time by opening the driver door or by switching the ignition to the accessory or on position and verifying the confirmation message appears in the cluster.

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