Chinook RV

We were heading out of our driveway when we suddenly lost all the transmission fluid. We need it towed to a garage for repair. Can it be towed without ruining the rear steps or anything else?
What else do we need to know.
Disappointing to have this happen before our first trip, but better than during our first trip!

Be very careful towing it.

Read the posts under 'What king of tow truck for Chinook?' (yes, King, not Kind). Link: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1133

You need to get a 'wrecker', they are designed for large trucks that get towed almost flat (front wheels are just inches off the ground), not cheap. Also want to disconnect the rear differential, or if that really isn't an option for some reason like in my case, the guy drove 25 miles per hour with my Concourse engine running to keep fluid circulating. Anything else will cause damage. And even the 25 mph option in my case is not recommended.

Note I later found that my driver was just lazy or clueless, as there was nothing wrong with my differential case, when he's said the bolts were frozen and rusted. I had a shop open it and close it again to test it, and they said it was no problem.

Good luck,
Bob

Here's how it works and how long it may take to remove the drive line. Not complicated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd8FM6y-cX8

Bummer! We lost transmission in our 2004 Premier just as I was backing into a camping spot at Hyde State Park right outside of Sante Fe...on a dirt road, 8,000 feet up the mountain. Took us a full day (no cell service) to finally get in touch with a wrecker that was capable of doing the tow. As per BobW9, you need a large Wrecker--one for heavy trucks (remember our rigs weigh about 5.25 ton). In addition to getting the right Wrecker, you want a driver/operator who knows his stuff...getting just the right amount of hoist on the front (front wheels barely off the ground) so that you don't end up dragging the back end (especially for those of us with electric steps...AND watch out for the dump valves if you are having to tow over any hilly or uneven ground). Disassembling the drive shaft is also part of the process. I ended up walking alongside the rig while it was being towed out of the campground just to keep an eye on everything. I have to say, the guy who showed up was AN ARTIST with a HOIST. He knew exactly what he was doing, and we made it off the mountain and down to the repair shop whithout incident.
Good news is that Good Sam Tow Policy paid the $350 bill. Bad news was that it took a full week (granted there are worse places than Santa Fe to be stuck for a week) to get the new tranny ordered and installed. Ended up getting a Jasper (30,000 warranty) because there was a 3-week wait period (no kidding, I tried everything) for an OEM Ford. Jasper has been fine (12,000 on it so far), but I would have definitely gotten the Ford if I could have. Also make sure you get the kit that comes with a separate transmission cooler. Total job, parts and labor came to around $5K as I recall.
Also might want to do some digging to find out why the old tranny blew in the first place. In my case, it may well have been caused by overheating due to the fact that our electric assist bicycles are mounted on the front and with the wheel covers on, they were blocking air flow to the trans cooler and radiator. Problem since rectified by mounting the covered wheels on the outside to allow for adequate air flow to the grill (required my fitting front of rig with raised plow lights that shine over the bikes, since the regular headlights are blocked by the wheel covers). At suggestion of others on this forum, I also purchased and installed a ScanII gauge so that now I can monitor both water and trans temps.
Good luck...let us know how you make out.
David

Different states use different classes to identify tow vehicles. You need at least a medium-heavy duty (Class B in some places, Class 3 in others) tow vehicle with an under reach wheel lift. The wheel lift can be adjusted to accommodate rear clearance. As others have mentioned a good driver is key.

It can easily be towed from heavy vehicles easily it is not as hard as we are thinking just by using front hook.