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Cable operated drive shaft disconnect device

9K views 16 replies 11 participants last post by  Evergreen00 
#1 ·
Hello,

I just bought a automatic transmission 2002 RWD Astro which I plan to drive to Argentina. Due to the length of the trip I not assuming the van will make it all the way without breaking down at least once. If it were to break down I would need a tow but in south america cars are typically towed with all four wheels on the ground, as seen with RVs towing small passenger cars. However in south america most cars are manual transmission, which are towable by this method.

Long story short, I dont want to burn out the automatic transmission from towing, so I looked around and I see RVers get around the problem of towing auto tranny cars but installing a cable operated drive shaft disconnect device. Has anyone installed one of these, or have an idea of the cost???

Thanks.
 
#3 ·
I'd save me the money and would just unbolt the rear U joint at the rear axle.
I's just 4 little bolts and 2 small brackets, tie the driveshaft firmly to the exhaust and you're good to go.
Towed a couple of friends this way, never had a problem.
 
#10 ·
The cable operated drive shaft disconnect is popular with the RV crowd because they have to do it constantly. Disconnect to tow, reconnect to drive, all multiplied by however many times they move their RV while wanting to tow the other vehicle.
 
#11 ·
AstroWill said:
The cable operated drive shaft disconnect is popular with the RV crowd because they have to do it constantly. Disconnect to tow, reconnect to drive, all multiplied by however many times they move their RV while wanting to tow the other vehicle.
We see a LOT of them here. I don't think they are expensive either.
A lot of them are flat towing FWD/AWD's too. I wonder how that works out
 
#12 ·
On the RV sites they have lists of vehicles that can be flat towed. I never understood why we don't use manual transmissions as much here, i have always enjoyed the manual vehicles that I have owned.
 
#13 ·
Is it possible to fit a Blazer S10 front diff with cable operated disconnect? That way it would be possible to run 2WD when required and AWD in wet/slippy conditions? They have a simple selector shaft and sleeve gear that engages or disengages the right front shaft. I have not compared them to an Astro/Safari shaft to see what differences there are in width or fittings, but it looks like it might be feasible.
 
#17 ·
I hate to rain on your parade, but you can not drive to Argentina from the United States. There is no passable road from Panama to Colombia.

Should you get to Colombia you will need to get a passport for your van backed by insurance. This allows the the van to go from country to country with minimium hassle and assures the country that you are entering that the vehicle will not be sold there. The passport can be kind of pricey, but can be obtained from the auto club in Bogota. Check with the Colombia consulate for authorization before attempting entry into Colombia.

Additionally, the roads in many areas are pathetic or non existant. The Pan-American "highway" which goes form Colombia to Chile/Argentina is a dream by someone that has never seen a real highway. Be prepared in areas to get stuck in sand and have to pay the locals to manually push you out. The roads in Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and parts of Chile and Argentina can be horrible. Trucks, in Peru, have this stupid habit of driving at night down the middle of the highway with or without lights, if the moon is out. You will go off of the road to avoid them or you will be dead. If you are involved in an accident irrespective of the circukstances you will be drug tested at your expense.

Additional info. Get all current road maps before you leave the US. Maps are very difficult to come by, any in many instances can only be obtained in the respective countries national capitol. The maps produced in the various countries end at the international boundry. Consequently a map of Ecuador will not show any items inside Colombia Brazil or Peru, even for one mile. So if you leave Colombia with only a Colombian map you will not have any idea where the next town is, where your next fuel is or restaurant.
 
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