Can a Flat Towing Setup Ever Be Reversed

Published 07/29/2016

Question:

I jack knifed my jeep wrangler behind my Rv. I am towing it with a RoadMaster tow package. I turned my jeep ignition on and put it in neutral. A Good Samaritan was behind the jeep wheel trying to turn jeep wheels as I backed up. I then backed up the RV. My wife noticed the drivers front wheel wasnt turning with the vehicle about 15-20 feet. She was on passenger side at first and didnt noticed the driver front tire until she moved positions then said STOP Wheel looked like it was being dragged across parking lot with black marks being left behind jeep driver and passenger front wheels on pavement. The drivers side black marks are worse. I then put jeep back into the correct position to tow and it seems ok. Do you think damage could have been done?

asked by: M

Expert Reply:

You may realize this now, but you should never try to reverse a flat towing setup. Even short distances can be disastrous.

If all that happened was that your Jeep tires ended up scrubbing across the pavement then you got lucky and there was no damage. But I would recommend you disconnect everything and go over everything to see if you can find any bends or other damage. Specifically look at the tow bar arms to make sure they are totally straight. If the arms are telescoping make sure they easily slide in and out. Also check the base plate kit to see if it or the vehicle frame has any damage. Pull out the removable arms of the base plate kit and check to see if they are bent.

expert reply by: Jameson C