Dragging an automatic Jeep whilst in park

[Trent86]

Hi,
Can I have anyone's thoughts on the potential damage caused by dragging a 2litre petrol jl auto sideways for 25yards whilst locked in oark!
It was horrific to see but Jeep don't seem to be concerned about any gearbox damage etc. Am I worrying too much??
The Jeep was locked in park and totally immobilized.
This is 5 weeks old, 900 miles. Would not start .

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[TimmH]

Why was it being dragged sideways?

 

[Trent86]

It wouldn't start and was locked in park. Nothing not even the unlock pull could get it out if park.

 

[Trent86]

And having read the handbook it says quite clearly that it invalidated the warranty if treated in this way.
The low loader was contracted to jeep not one I requested

 

[Neanderthalman]

Sideways?

Nah. It’s fine IMO.

ok let’s think about this and *why* jeeps are supposed to be flat towed - either on a flatbed or with all four wheels on the ground and t-case in neutral.

The whole point of this is to not have extreme forces or wear on the t-case by having the front and rear wheels (and by extension, driveshafts) spinning at very different speeds. When in 2WD the rear shaft is driving the wheels, big the front driveshaft still spins. It’s being driving by the front wheels through the front diff. So the mechanics inside the t-case aren’t moving much relative to each other.

When you tow with only the front or rear lifted, the mechanics inside the t-case which are normally not moving very fast relative to each other suddenly are moving very vast. One driveshaft spins and the other does not. Does that make sense?

But none of this is really relevant to pulling a Jeep while in park. No wheels were spinning. So no driveshafts were spinning. So you don’t have the relative motion in the t-case.

If you drag it forward or reverse in park with the parking brake off, the forces on the wheels do have to be transmitted through the driveshafts to the t-case to the transmission. It’s not ideal but frankly the forces aren’t all that high before the tires just slip on the surface. Especially if wet or sandy.

By dragging your Jeep *sideways*, even those forces are mostly avoided. The wheels aren’t trying to roll when dragged sideways.

What id be wanting to look for is any alignment or suspension issues, but again the forces to get the wheels to slip sideways aren’t much more than what would be seen from aggressive cornering or off-roading.

My only real question is why the hell did it need to be dragged as far as it did. 25 yards is far. That’s just bizarre but maybe the circumstances are bizarre.

 

[Rhinebeck01]

It wouldn't start and was locked in park. Nothing not even the unlock pull could get it out if park.

@Trent86

When you get the Jl back from the dealer, do try the "unlock pull" as you call it, once again.

When you pull it, you pull gently.... until you hear one audible click and then stop.... at that point the auto transmission is out of park so to speak...

With you at your wits end so to speak... it would be very easy for you to do the "unlock pull" incorrectly and for the JL to behave normally, as it did.

Sure, there could have been a malfunction with the "unlock pull" but this is probably not the case.

Do read here, and watch the video found in the thread:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/2018-jl-if-it-needs-towed.5942/

 

[mgroeger]

Hi,
Can I have anyone's thoughts on the potential damage caused by dragging a 2litre petrol jl auto sideways for 25yards whilst locked in oark!
It was horrific to see but Jeep don't seem to be concerned about any gearbox damage etc. Am I worrying too much??
The Jeep was locked in park and totally immobilized.
This is 5 weeks old, 900 miles. Would not start .

Dang, if it were not a petrol JL and a regular gas engine JL I could have offered advice but I'm unfamiliar with the petrol engines.

Sorry... I couldn't resist, feel free to hurl insults.

 

[Trent86]

Dang, if it were not a petrol JL and a regular gas engine JL I could have offered advice but I'm unfamiliar with the petrol engines.

Sorry... I couldn't resist, feel free to hurl insults.

It's ok I'm all insulted out saving them for the Jeep dealers etc. Thank you all for all your advice and comments

 

[PatrickR]

Not trying to second guess, but why not put the transfer case in neutral?

 

[Trent86]

Not trying to second guess, but why not put the transfer case in neutral?

Because it was locked, even two technical guys who came could not do it.

 

[PatrickR]

Because it was locked, even two technical guys who came could not do it.

Do you have full time 4wd (selec-trac)? All others you can pull into neutral. Either way, I agree with the above, that damage seems unlikely. Especially if the parking brake was engaged (to keep the load from transferring to the parking pawl).

 

[Ruby Mike]

Simple question. Why didn't you simply put the transfer case into neutral.

 

[somedude922]

Simple question. Why didn't you simply put the transfer case into neutral.

Lol, she just said they tried that and two techs couldn’t do it.

 

[D60]

I dunno, the park pawl should withstand it just fine. It's not best practice but real life rarely is.

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