gen 1 tow bar

[stegomon]

does any one know know a web site that I can get the frame brackets and tow bar that I need to flat tow a gen one B2?

 

[Grumpaw]

Blue Ox and Roadmaster both make towing base plates for the B2.
Go to ETrailer and scroll thru menu to towing a vehicle and go from there.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I'm thinking three or four decades ago... this would have been an easy thing to find.

I bought a used like new heavy duty universal bar from Goodwill a few years back for $9.99. I just couldn't leave it there for the price. Some garage built brackets that bolt to the frame and some safety chains. It would work well for a "lets just get it home tow bar".

I guess it would depend on what you're going to do with it. If going to "tow it behind your motorhome and see the country tow bar"... I would probably rethink my Goodwill treasure tow bar plan.

 

[stegomon]

I am only going to tow it about 20 miles back and forth to the off road park. My truck won't pass state inspection. I am going to tow it with my 2012 subaru

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I flat towed my ranger with a cheap princess auto tow bar for a couple years. I removed the bumper and made an adapter so either the bumper fits or the tow bar. I had registration and a plate on the truck, and I think parking insurance. Also a sign saying "in tow", and magnetic tow lights. Eventually I went to a trailer because of an accident...if I had wrecked worse how would I get my truck home? A pic of the accident is used for my avatar pic.
I would say go for it.

 

[bobbywalter]

Gen 1 b2 is cake bracket issue. 3/8 angle and some 1/2 in grade 8 with 3/8 chain backer....drill some holes...

 

[bobbywalter]

I flat towed my ranger with a cheap princess auto tow bar for a couple years. I removed the bumper and made an adapter so either the bumper fits or the tow bar. I had registration and a plate on the truck, and I think parking insurance. Also a sign saying "in tow", and magnetic tow lights. Eventually I went to a trailer because of an accident...if I had wrecked worse how would I get my truck home? A pic of the accident is used for my avatar pic.
I would say go for it.

This is the eventuallity depending on goals .. I dislike trailers and towing...but when potential thrashing is on the agenda....a quality trailer is very handy.

I am older and broken enough that rebuilding the trans or engine or axle housing to go home is not just another bump in the road anymore ....


But for moderate stuff... Flat towing is cost effective. Way less weight

 

[wildbill23c]

This is the eventuallity depending on goals .. I dislike trailers and towing...but when potential thrashing is on the agenda....a quality trailer is very handy.

I am older and broken enough that rebuilding the trans or engine or axle housing to go home is not just another bump in the road anymore ....


But for moderate stuff... Flat towing is cost effective. Way less weight

Maybe less weight, but very expensive OOPS when you forget to follow the proper flat towing preparation steps, as the PO of my 88 Bronco 2 did which took out the transmission as a result. In his case I think his mistake was he didn't disengage the manual hubs, so the whole drive train was spinning without any transmission lubrication for god knows how long. I'd rather have some extra weight and put the vehicle on a trailer.

Yep, the tow bar brackets are still on my Bronco 2, but they are now known as Fog Light brackets LOL, I made a couple plates and used the tow bar brackets as mounting locations for my fog lights as I have absolutely no intentions of ever flat towing my Bronco 2 not to mention I don't have the tow bar anyways so those brackets are useless to me otherwise. I don't even think they're mounted properly to actually legally tow it, as they're only mounted with 1 bolt through the frame, the 2nd bolt they just drilled a hole in the bumper and ran the bolt through, not sure if that's really the correct mounting procedure or not but I myself wouldn't trust towing it that way.

I wouldn't mind towing my 87 Ranger behind an RV because it has a manual transmission, still really hesitant to try and tow an automatic behind an RV....my luck I'd do something like the PO of my B2 did LOL.

 

[bobbywalter]

Well....my b2 has a hand shaker....so it's ok.

 

[wildbill23c]

Well....my b2 has a hand shaker....so it's ok.

After the $2400 transmission rebuild bill I wish I would have waited and found another one with a manual. Although its been almost 5 years since the rebuild and haven't had any issues, so hopefully I won't have any trouble. I'd love to get another B2 with a manual though at some point...I had an 84 B2 but it had way too many rust issues to try and tackle, so I ended up scrapping it finally. My current 88 B2 is rust free, just needs repainted and some interior work done to it. I did do a bit of painting on it with some spray paint just to cover up the raw fiberglass on the rear hatch, and some spots on the roof that the paint was gone just to keep stuff from rusting and from destroying the fiberglass hatch.
I want to get another B2 that I can modify slightly for offroad use eventually, the new Broncos are just too expensive to take out and beat on, I want one but wouldn't take it offroading for many years after purchasing it LOL, my 88 B2 is in good enough condition I don't want to bash on it either.

 

[bobbywalter]

I remember the other one....it was way better then mine.