operators_manual

How to Recover a Vehicle
Follow these steps to properly recover a
vehicle from a situation where the vehicle
is unable to move on its own.
CAUTION
Remove the drive axle shafts or lift the driv-
ing wheels off the ground before towing the
vehicle. Towing the vehicle with either the
wheels on the ground or the axle shafts in
the axles will cause damage to the axle
gears.
CAUTION
If your vehicle has a Meritor axle with a driv-
er-controlled main differential lock, install
the caging bolt before removing the axles
for towing, see Driver Controlled Main Differ-
ential Lock. Installing the caging bolt pre-
vents damage by locking internal axle com-
ponents in position.
CAUTION
Connect recovery rigging only to hitches in-
tended for that purpose. Do not attach to
bumpers or brackets. Use only equipment
designed for this purpose. Failure to comply
may result in equipment damage.
WARNING!
Before towing a vehicle, test your air brakes
to ensure that you have properly connected
and inspected the recovery vehicle’s brake
system. Failure to do so could lead to a loss
of vehicle control which may result in an ac-
cident involving death or personal injury.
Your vehicle is equipped with removable
Recovery Hitches, designed for short
distance recovery purposes only. Use only
the provided hitches, according the
following instructions. When using this
connection, do not transport your vehicle
over long distances. (If your vehicle does
not have the proper hitches, contact your
dealer.)
All lubricating and clutch application oil
pressure is provided by an engine-driven
pump, which will not work when the engine
is stopped. You could seriously damage
your vehicle by towing it with the driveline
connected and the drive wheels on the
ground. Worse, when vehicles are towed,
either by wrecker or piggyback, the
lubricant in the top front of the drive axle
will drain to the rear. This will leave the top
components dry. The resulting friction may
damage them. Always remove the main
drive axle shafts before towing your
vehicle.
1. Review and understand all the
cautions and warnings of this
section.
2. Install the recovery hitch. See What
is a Recovery Hitch? on page 40
and How to use a Recovery Hitch
on page 41.
3. Disconnect the drive axle shafts and
cover the open hubs. This is
necessary because if the
transmission is driven by the
driveshaft (rear wheels on the
ground), no lubricant will reach the
gears and bearings, causing
damage to the transmission. See
How to Prepare the Axles for
Towing on page 41.
4. Install the recovery rigging using a
safety chain system, See What are
EMERGENCY - How to Recover a Vehicle
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