TOWING AN AUTOMATIC VEHICLE?

Your magazine articles often con rm that vehicle manufacturers are increasingly moving towards automatic transmissions. I recently sat with a group of friends and the question arose as to whether you can tow an automatic car; the general consensus seemed to be no. We are all owners of 4x4 vehicles and have done several trips to Namibia and Botswana. On one trip, we had to tow a relatively new double-cab bakkie when the sump was severely damaged. The argument was that, if this had been an auto, we may have had a problem getting that vehicle out of the central Kalahari. ANDREW TREASURE Port Elizabeth

It all depends on the vehicle and type of automatic transmission. The rst step is to check the vehicle’s user manual, which stipulates the towing criteria. In many cases, towing is not advised, but a limited distance and speed are allowed in neutral.

The technical reason for not recommending a vehicle with an auto transmission be towed is that most units require the engine to run for the transmission oil (responsible for lubrication and cooling) to circulate through the gearbox. This is not the case with a manual transmission.

Remember that the neutral setting disconnects the transmission from the engine, but not from the wheels. Therefore, it still turns during towing, requiring lubrication and cooling. The limiting factors (distance and speed) are to prevent damage while being towed. If the engine still idles, it should be perfectly ne to tow the vehicle (again, with the transmission in neutral). In a situation as described above, the only option would be to remove (disconnect) the drive shaft to the rear wheels before towing great distances.