1951 CJ3A about to hit the road!

[Lappland]

Hello - I've been putting a 1951 CJ-3A together over the past 4 years (many thanks to Kaiser willy's!) and will be putting it on the road over the next couple weeks! I have it licensed and although I'm a bit worried about the local police giving me some hassle regarding the 'condition' of the body, I think I'll be able to drive it locally without much problem. However, I do want to move it 500 miles to 35 acres that I own (maybe every year back and forth) and would love some feedback in the forum on 'towing'...Dolly vs 4 wheel etc. I'd prefer to trailer it but my Ford Bronco has a 3500lb limit and so I can't seem to marry a trailer and the jeep with anything that the Bronco can tow. I'm keeping my Ford F-150 in my back pocket in case trailering is my only option for the jeep but I'd like to sell the F-150 and would love to find a solution for towing the jeep with the Bronco....any suggestions are very welcome! Thank you!

[gmwillys]

Welcome Lappland!

Your 3A pretty darned good to me. I'm a fan of the working Jeeps, so the more character the better.

In my experience, I use an open tandem axle car hauler. The main reasoning in the decision is that no vintage iron is turning at freeway speeds. Now my set up with the trailer and CJ2A weighs in just a tick over 3,500lbs. A 3A is around 2,300 lbs. alone. Depending on the trailer curb weight, this will determine if you will be under the towing rating of the Bronco. With that being said, the weight of the towing vehicle is a factor in safely pulling the Jeep. As a rule of thumb, the vehicle towing the load needs to be of a longer wheelbase than what you are planning. There are ways around the disadvantage such as weight distribution hitches that help to plant the front end of the tow rig down, and also prevents some sway. The other is the placement of the trailer axles to minimize the tongue weight. My set up has the trailer axles towards the rear of the trailer, so I carry more tongue weight than a set of axles in the center of the trailer. Trailer brakes either one or both axles and a brake controller for the Bronco would also be highly recommended. I have seen blue tooth brake controllers that do not require hard wiring on the tow vehicle.

A dolly would get you well within your towing capability, but then you have to ensure that the rear axle has been gone through. The axle bearings will need greased, and the oil level will need to be maintained. The rear axle will need to be removed to prevent the transfer case from turning. Another option is to build the rear axle to a full floater axle, then installing locking hubs to disconnect the hubs from the axles.
https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/transmission-drivetrain/154-0910-early-dana-44-full-floater-axle-kit/
https://www.thecj2apage.com/forums/rear-locking-hubs_topic31708.html

[bmorgil]

Welcome LappLand! If you search this forum for "Towing" it is discussed a lot. There are a few ways to tow the Jeep. Most of the time when it is used as an auxiliary vehicle, it is towed behind with a tow bar attached to the front bumper. Just pull both driveshafts and you are all set. For long hauls and zero wear, you cant beat gm's trailer.

https://willysjeepforum.kaiserwillys.com/showthread.php?2300-using-a-tow-bar&highlight=towing

https://willysjeepforum.kaiserwillys.com/showthread.php?2577-Hello-from-Navarre-Beach&highlight=Towing

Heres an interesting excerpt from Motor Trend:

https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/1604-disaster-avoidance-with-flat-towing-basics/

[gmwillys]

There is an issue with flat towing with a vehicle that is close to the same weight as the vehicle being towed. The pulling vehicle needs to be heavier than the Jeep in order for the Jeep to steer correctly, and not be manipulated by the pushing Jeep. I learned this lesson the hard way, pulling an CJ3A with an S-10 Blazer. You can tow alright in a straight line or slight curves, but turning tight at an intersection or such can cause the steer axle to not follow with the tow vehicle. A bungy cord from the steering wheel to brake pedal will help with the steering return to center, but if the pulling vehicle is too light the Jeep will push the rear end out from under you, and the steering will not return to center causing a jack knife. With most Jeeps out there being flat towed are being pulled by much heavier motor homes, there is no problem.

[56willys]

The local veterans post we are active at has a 52 m38a1 that they use in parades. They towbar flattow it behind a Ram 1500 single cab. The gentlemen who pulls it says it handles really well, but it is behind a fairly big truck and probably the longest it gets pulled is about 20 miles. We did flattow it once behind Dads 06 TJ but that was less then ten miles, and it would not be good for long hauls.


I will say that if you do get a trailer, the weight distributing bars (or equalizer bars whatever you want to call them) are really awesome! A friend of mine uses them and says they make trailer handling much better.

(Pic below) Haha, me in the army jeep about five years ago. My first willys experience!

[bmorgil]

And the bug bit you 56'! That's a sweet Jeep.