operators_manual

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 51
and How to use a Recovery Hitch
on page 52.
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 53.
4. Install the recovery rigging using a
safety chain system, See What are
the Best Practices for Recovery
Rigging? on page 55.
5. Make sure the recovered vehicle's
parking brakes are released. See
Manually Release the Parking
Brake on page 49.
6. If you desire to use the recovered
vehicle’s brakes, ensure that the
vehicle’s air system is connected to
that of the recovery vehicle. Ensure
that any air line that has been
removed from a driver-controlled
main differential lock is firmly
capped to prevent loss of air
pressure from the recovery vehicle
if it is supplying air pressure. If you
don’t desire to use the recovered
vehicle’s brakes, ensure that you
cage the spring brakes before
attempting to move the vehicle, see
How to Manually Lock a Differential
on page 54.
7. Follow state/provincial and local
laws that apply to vehicles in tow.
8. Do not tow vehicles at speeds in
excess of 55 mph (90 km/h).
For additional information concerning
heavy duty truck recovery, refer to the
following Technology & Maintenance
Council (TMC) literature.
• Recommended Practice #602–A —
“Front Towing Devices For Trucks
and Tractors.”
• Recommended Practice #602–B —
“Recovery Attachment Points For
Trucks, Tractors, and Combination
Vehicles
• Recommended Practice #626 —
“Heavy Duty Truck Towing
Procedures.”
Copies of these can be obtained from the
following address: Technology &
Maintenance Council 950 N. Glebe Road
[phone] Arlington, VA 22203 Email:
[e-mail] Website: http://
tmc.truckline.com
Manually Release the Parking
Brake
Recovering a vehicle may require the
parking brakes to be released. There may
be times when there is not enough air
pressure, or the engine's air compressor is
not able to produce enough pressure, to
release the parking brakes. In such cases,
EMERGENCY - How to Recover a Vehicle
Y53-6047-2HEN (03/18) 49
2