question Flat towing a Ferret

[njjeeper]

Hi all. Did the Ferret have any specific provisions for flat towing on the road? I would imagine pulling some drive shafts would be required at a minimum. I have towed my share of US military vehicles and these all come with the attachment points for the military tow bar. I don't see anything like that on the Ferret which leads me to believe they aren't supposed to be flat towed. Any tips from the guys who have been there and done that?

 

Im looking for options to get the Ferret to some of the MV shows this spring...

 

TJ

[sirhc]

Option A is drive it, option B put it on a trailer. Don't tow it any further than you have to.

[Richard Farrant]

When doing a suspended tow on a Ferret, the procedure was to remove the sun gears from the hubs of wheels on the road, ie, a front suspended tow means removing rear sun wheels. So if you had to do a flat tow, then remove all 4 sun gears.

[robin craig]

Agree on what the others say . . . . unless . . . .

 

You have the time to do what I did but strictly for non operational purposes, no shafts connecting anything and slow speeds used.

 

This is what I made for mine and used with CVR(T) A bars.

 

Robin

[Starfire]

If you are going to flat tow it, gearbox in neutral, transfer case in neutral, minimal speed and minimal distance.

 

Cheers,

Terry.

[sexton]

Towing with a fluid-couplinged Ferret being a bad idea, I can see. But the disastrous consequences implied by many if flat-towed, I don't get. With hubs, tracta joints, bevel boxes basically freewheeling, transfer case in neutral, gearbox and fluid coupling not rotating, what's the problem? What am I missing?

 

Malcolm

[Starfire]

The Saracen manual makes the point that the oil pump for the transfer case is driven by the input shaft; that means when towed, even in neutral, some of the components in it are poorly lubricated. Not sure if the ferret has the same issue.

[robin craig]

To be clear, the vehicle I showed has nothing inside it in the way of drivetrain.

 

R

[Bazz]

The Saracen manual makes the point that the oil pump for the transfer case is driven by the input shaft; that means when towed, even in neutral, some of the components in it are poorly lubricated. Not sure if the ferret has the same issue.

Yes the same issue, if towed without removing the sun gears no lube pump running so potential of damage

[sexton]

But there's no pump in the transfer case. It's lubed by splash. The pump is on the input shaft of the gearbox which wouldn't be turning if the transfer case is in neutral.

 

I've looked through the manuals and I couldn't find any restriction on flat towing.

 

Malcolm

[jim fl4]

When doing a suspended tow on a Ferret, the procedure was to remove the sun gears from the hubs of wheels on the road, ie, a front suspended tow means removing rear sun wheels. So if you had to do a flat tow, then remove all 4 sun gears.

 

Interesting, does that mean that a quick and easy wasy to make a 2wd ferret would be to remove the front or rear sun gears?

 

Reason I ask is that the inevitable windup on metalled roads sounds to result in likely damage to wheel stations and if 4wd is not needed then?

 

Can just a pair of bevel boxes/hubs handle the torque?

 

Cheers

 

Jim

[Richard Farrant]

Interesting, does that mean that a quick and easy wasy to make a 2wd ferret would be to remove the front or rear sun gears?

 

Reason I ask is that the inevitable windup on metalled roads sounds to result in likely damage to wheel stations and if 4wd is not needed then?

 

Can just a pair of bevel boxes/hubs handle the torque?

 

Cheers

 

Jim

 

Jim,

I know people who have removed front propshafts and having driven one like that, I have to say it handles better. there is debate by some that you are putting more load on the rear hub and bevel boxes, but having had a long experience of working on Ferrets, I say the wheel stations driving are under less load, due to no presence of wind up. Ferret hubs have a certain weakness in that the bolts and dowels securing the planet carrier, and thus hub, are know to shear, due to the stresses of wind-up.

It all depends on how you drive it, if you drive like a demon, then maybe stick to 4wd. Also if you envisage going off road at times then it would be embarrassing to get stuck.

There will be someone who has gone for 2wd and had a bevel box fail, saying that is proof they will not take the load, but I have seen many bevel box failures when driving all four wheels. Your choice!

[jim fl4]

Jim,

I know people who have removed front propshafts and having driven one like that, I have to say it handles better. there is debate by some that you are putting more load on the rear hub and bevel boxes, but having had a long experience of working on Ferrets, I say the wheel stations driving are under less load, due to no presence of wind up. Ferret hubs have a certain weakness in that the bolts and dowels securing the planet carrier, and thus hub, are know to shear, due to the stresses of wind-up.

It all depends on how you drive it, if you drive like a demon, then maybe stick to 4wd. Also if you envisage going off road at times then it would be embarrassing to get stuck.

There will be someone who has gone for 2wd and had a bevel box fail, saying that is proof they will not take the load, but I have seen many bevel box failures when driving all four wheels. Your choice!

 

Thank you Richard for your considered explanation. I think it could be worth a try, if no off roading, (certainly not involving mud or gradients) is expected and not driven too hard.

 

Slightly off topic but with your experience of ferret wheel stations, which is usually the weaker....Bevel box or hubs?

 

Thanks again :-)

 

Jim

[Richard Farrant]

Thank you Richard for your considered explanation. I think it could be worth a try, if no off roading, (certainly not involving mud or gradients) is expected and not driven too hard.

 

Slightly off topic but with your experience of ferret wheel stations, which is usually the weaker....Bevel box or hubs?

 

Thanks again :-)

 

Jim

Hi Jim,

I am not advising going 2wd, it has been done by private owners in the past though.

 

The weak link is the hub planet carrier. When in they were in service I saw more of those failures than bevel boxes. REME had regular instructions to check security of hubs.

[CaptMax]

Ferret hubs have a certain weakness in that the bolts and dowels securing the planet carrier, and thus hub, are know to shear, due to the stresses of wind-up.

 

How correct you are Richard, this was a problem with mine when I purchased it. Had to get a replacement planetary carrier. You could even see where the dowels elongated the holes if they didn't shear off beforehand. :cry:

CaptMax

[jim fl4]

Hi, Incase anyone mighht be interested here is my completed experiment of making a set-up to tow my ferret, single handed in the event of a breakdown near to home. Of course, all the hard work ensures it will never have to be used :-D.

 

Tested it in the field and it seems to follow the tractor fine. Although I would never tow it any distance and even then at a low speed what are the expert's opinions on doing this, obviously with the gearbox and the transfer box BOTH being in neutral?

 

Thanks

[Lynx22B]

Are you aware that the Canadian Ferrets had different hubs than the Brit hubs? The Canadians apparently improved the hub internals. If you won a surplus Canadian Ferret, it will have the different hubs. Towed one for about 300 miles once at about 50 MPH behind a Deuce and a Half, but those are not towing eyes, they are for tie downs. I hated those vehicles when I served. Still do.