I need to haul my 4-speed 240D behind my bus. Putting a tow bar on it is far preferable than dealing with a trailer. And I've dolly towed these before, having significant weight behind the axles is disastrous for towing stability.


Autos can only be pulled slow a short distance, but I don't see any restrictions on the manuals. Anybody have a Mercedes reference that says no?

Not sure you would want to do this, because you would have to get it up in the air, but disconnecting the driveshaft at the diff might be an option that is worth considering regardless of MB’s guidance. Then you absolutely know what is spinning, and that it has the right lubrication.

I know it’s more work than perhaps you would want, but a 1.5 ton HF jack and two decent jack stands, lifting the car by the diff, shouldn’t be that hard to do. At least if you’re doing runs that anticipate lots of mileage at speed. Shorter and slower runs may not matter as much.

I’m guessing you would also need to be cognizant of stresses on the steering wheel lock.

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Current Diesels:
1981 240D (73K)
1982 300CD (169k)
1985 190D (169k)
1991 350SD (113k)
1991 350SD (206k)
1991 300D (228k)
1993 300SD (291k)
1993 300D 2.5T (338k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (442k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (265k)

Past Diesels:
1983 300D (228K)
1985 300D (233K)

I have towed a few thousand miles with the stick equipped car in neutral....no issues.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Cannot flat tow with the steering locked. Unlock steering and leave the key in place to keep it unlocked. The front wheels will follow the towing vehicle. You should be moving ( tires rolling ) to change direction or the towed vehicle will not turn with you.

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Greg
2012 S350 BlueTEC 4Matic
2007 ML 320 CDI
2007 Leisure Travel Serenity
2006 Sprinter 432k
2005 E320 CDI
1998 SLK230 (teal)
1998 SLK230 (silver)
1996 E300D 99k, 30k on WVO
Previous:
1983 240D, on WVO
1982 300D, on WVO
1983 300CD, on WVO
1986 300SDL 237k, 25k on WVO (Deerslayer)
1991 350SDL 249k, 56k on WVO - Retired to a car spa in Phoenix
1983 380 SEC w/603 diesel, 8k on WVO
1996 E300D 351k, 177k on WVO

It is a pita to drop the drive shaft when lying on your back in the heat. I'd put it on a flat bed. It's much easier. I read somewhere that the 722.xx transmissions have a couple of pumps to circulate fluid and can be towed flat.

Confirm this because it's been a long time since seeing that info and I'm not sure where it came from.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

I towed our 1985 300D 600 miles to deliver to our son, using our 2002 T&C minivan w/ tow package. Didn't notice it back there except when I kept forgetting and wondering what idiot was tail-gating. Since an automatic, I disconnected the driveshaft at the rear and wired it up. It was a slight pain to reconnect it, which I did in a Walmart parking lot at 4 am by driving one side up on a curb to give room to crawl under. I brought cardboard to lie on. We didn't have to tow, but didn't want to drive both cars, plus I had to recover our 1984 300D w/ suspension problem so thought I might need to tow it back and wanted to test the method.

I had problems with my 1965 Dodge Dart not following on a turn when flat-towing, with the front wheels cocking to the side and jamming. That was a test tow around the block to take it to the DMW for registration before I got it running. I think the problem was that w/ today's radial tires, a 1960's car doesn't have enough caster, as I later found. Might work today since I used offset bushings on the upper control arm to allow more caster. Caster is where a line thru the 2 ball-joints hits the road in front of the tire contact patch. Bias-ply tires would flex to move the patch backwards for proper following. Think of it as "the shopping cart wheel" effect. I have heard of people putting bungee cords on the steering wheel to help it center but still allow some turning.

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1984 & 1985 CA 300D's
1964 & 65 Mopar's - Valiant, Dart, Newport
1996 & 2002 Chrysler minivans

Is the P\O.P. still here ? .

I believe he said four speed meaning manual transmission, that should tow just fine .

The rest of the replies are interesting, I too remember many curb stone as a jack repairs on long cross country jaunts .

I keep large plastic trash bags in the trunk, they make dandy 'creepers' and are easy to slide in and out on plus easy to fold up so the dirty part stays in the middle instead of wiping all over things in the trunk.... .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

I have a creeper but stopped using it since I found flat cardboard much nicer, especially with a glossy label so you can slide in easier. Save those large-screen TV boxes. A creeper puts you up higher and you roll around when trying to apply torque with a wrench. If doing much work, best to first hose everything clean ("L.A. Awesome" works well and is cheap). Otherwise, gunk falls down and you roll in it. A plastic bag is easy to carry for roadside work and also hand cleaner with paper towels. I carry a few emergency supplies, parts, and tools in all my vehicles and have only needed a tow twice in 45 years of driving. Most drivers today can't even change a tire.

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1984 & 1985 CA 300D's
1964 & 65 Mopar's - Valiant, Dart, Newport
1996 & 2002 Chrysler minivans