We flat-tow our Jeep a lot. Before you get your underwear all twisted telling me how I should get a trailer instead, consider this: How much fun is a trailer at your destination, huh? Don't you think a Jeep would be more enjoyable?

Deciding whether to flat-tow is a big decision. If your idea of a road trip involves passing every car and carrying an empty Gatorade bottle to avoid rest stops, then consider a trailer. I tow my Jeep behind a gas-guzzling pickup camper. The rest of my family suffers from CMB (Chronic Miniscule Bladder) syndrome. It is rare we travel for more than an hour or so without stopping to either take on fuel or answer nature's call. During that time, I make sure the Jeep is still back there. If so, I take a good look-see around the Jeep, check all the towing connections and make sure none of the hubs are getting hot. The new full-floater rear axle with locking hubs makes a big difference, too. We avoid the Interstates whenever possible on our camping trips, so the Jeep rarely sees freeway speeds under tow. Kindly blue-hair grandmothers flip me off as they pass on the shoulder because I've backed up traffic for miles on some two lane scenic route.

If you should decide to flat-tow, I absolutely, positively insist that you disconnect the steering. With the original Ross steering box, the wheels do not return to center by themselves very well. Coming out of a turn, you can easily scrub the front tires from the rims if they don't straighten out. Many folks have said that they have flat-towed without disconnecting the steering, but I would not want to chance it. I also keep a bug eye mirror on the back corner of the camper that lets me watch the Jeep under tow.

The easiest place to disconnect the steering is where the front of the drag link meets the bell crank. A special drag link socket is needed to unscrew the threaded plug on the end of the drag link. Let the drag link rest on the front axle, and the bellcrank will turn freely with the wheels.

I did this for a couple of years, but that drag link socket is a bit of a pain to use. In this picture from the PTO winch section, you can see there is not a lot of clearance under the grill. When the plug is partially unscrewed, the socket wants to slip out to the side if you are not careful. With the limited clearance, the extra length of the drag link socket gets in the way with the winch, too. Also, if you don't hold the socket wrench perfectly square, the drag link socket will climb out of the slot.

I got to thinking, not always a good idea, and here is my solution. The inside corners of the stock plug were milled away to form a 3/8" square opening. A socket wrench fits directly in the opening. The squared corners have been highlighted with red. If desired, the drag link socket can still be used on the modified plug:

With this modifed plug, disconnecting and reconnecting the drag link is a piece of cake. The socket wrench can be inserted directly into the plug, or a long extension can be used at a slight angle to clear the winch mounting plate. After being tightened per the manual, the plug is secured with a removable grasshopper clip instead of a cotter pin. One unexpected benefit is that it is possible to see when the plug is lining up with the holes. The drag link socket was large enough that it blocked the view:

Pay close attention when you are reconnecting the drag link. Make sure the spring and cup in the end of the drag link are still in the correct location. Don't let yourself be distracted and forget to finish the task properly. I have a strap that holds the tow bar in the upright position when not in use. When under tow, I slip this strap over the steering wheel as a reminder to myself. Only after the steering is properly reconnected do I take the strap from the steering wheel.