LUVTruck.com

Had to towbar the LUV to the inspection station today. I made it, but twice, on sharp turns, the steering decided to go 180 on me - turn the opposite direction. I had to get out of my tow vehicle and fix the steering before it would follow me again without dragging. Also, twice, on a not as sharp turn, the LUV actually pushed the rear of the tow vehicle a little - I'm assuming the same reason - the steering didn't follow me like it should.

about 5 weeks ago, I flat towed an 80 2WD nearly 500 miles and never had the wheel point the wrong direction (although right turns weren't as easy - it was happy to follow when I turned left).

I'm just wondering if anyone knows why it does this. I have a second set of 15in tires, so just to experiment I swapped them out and went to tow it and it felt even worse on turns. I didn't even make a hard turn and it 180'd on me again with the 15s on.

as long as I drive straight, it's easy to pull, the hard part are turns.

let me know if anyone has any suggestions. I would assume perhaps alignment is not correct, but I don't know the first thing about adjusting the alignment.

Picture of the setup:

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-1979 LUV 4x4

You have to secure the steering wheel so that it will not turn,pointed straight.
Basically you drag the front tires of the towed rig around the corners,therefore you have to takes turns slow and wide,otherwise it will push the rearend of the tow rig sideways.

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"You can't please everyone,so you've got to please yourself"

Well, according to the manual:



That may prevent it from going 180 on me, but something tells me these things are designed to have the vehicle in tow to follow you. At least thats how the last truck it behaved. I could watch in my rear view mirror on left turns and the steering wheel would turn left. It was actually quite creepy to watch.

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-1979 LUV 4x4

It sounds like an alignment issue to me. It's a job best left to a professional. ~$50.

I've pulled vehicles with a towbar like this, and no problems. It's likely pulling to one side and when you turn, it's pushing away before it pulls with. If that makes sense...

I have 2 sets of wheels - a 14in set and a 15in set.

If I get an alignment with the 15in wheels, will it screw up if I swap them out with the 14in wheels?

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-1979 LUV 4x4

Just the camber...

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If you think no one cares, try missing a couple of payments...



FIAA!

SFPP!

I had the same issue pulling my 79. It doesnt happen very often, but as long as i went slower around the sharper turns it was fine. I havent had the alignment checked on mine, but it goes straight when I'm driving it.

I towed my 4x4 luv 1000 mi. no problems. On the advice of a friend (front end man) I removed most of the shim pack from both sides of caster camber adjust. It towed like a dream. If you do this mark and keep shim packs safe or you will have to have it aligned.Be aware shim pack bolts are accessed from front wheel side. Be aware of captive nuts on engine side..

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1980 Luv 4X4
another 1980 luv 4x4

sorry to resurrect my thread, but another question on same topic.

lets pretend the front hubs are locked. would this cause the LUV to fight with me when I tow it?

I realized the hubs weren't done right, so they were locked on even though they were set to Free. I will rebuild them soon, but was wondering if this might be the reason it was fighting with me.

I know ideally you want to unlock the hubs when dragging, but I was just curious what would happen if I didn't.

thanks.

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-1979 LUV 4x4

Not as long as the t-case was in 2wd, where the front driveshaft is free to turn independently of the rear shaft. The front differential with the hubs locked would act just like the rear, each wheel would spin at a different rate dictated by the turning radius. At the same time the front driveline would spin at a different rate than the rear driveline since each is going through a different turning radius.
If, however, the t-case were in 4wd then you would experience the same steering conditions as when driving on dry pavement in 4wd, where the front & rear differentials are turning at the same rate while all tires are following a different turning radius & trying to spin at four different rpms- definite gear bind & major resistance.

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'78 Chevy LUV,1.9,4sp,headers,31's,SAS Dana 30,Dana 20,SOA rear w/Aussie Locker, rough body, bought new 12/4/78.
'87 Trooper,2.3,5sp,headers,31's,ball joint flip & spacer,Aussie Locker rear,Superwinch hubs,brush guard w/5.5K winch,more to come.

It would cause problems if you had a locker front differential or if someone welded the front differential?

Jack up the front and spin one tire. The other tire should turn in the opposite direction with the driveshaft stationary.

I flat towed it again today to test it, and no problems at all with it following me.

However, when I have the LUV in 2WD, I can see the front driveshaft spinning...

so the fact that my front hubs were locked on, and it seems like the truck is locked in 4WD, that could very well be why it was fighting with me so much.

here is a picture of the configuration. wanted to tandem tow, but looked like it might be more risky than doing it this way.

and yes, the buggy is solid. looks like it will fall off, but have two straps and two safety chains holding it up there. it ain't going nowhere, even if the straps break loose. (although I'm open to any suggestions)

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-1979 LUV 4x4

Pulling camber shims is the cure. be sure you maintain location.
I towed my 80 4x4more than 5k this no prob. I had the front aligned after i was done towing.

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1980 Luv 4X4
another 1980 luv 4x4

I sure hope he figured out the problem sometime since he asked this 2 years ago.