Hi Robin, Dianaa and Phil
I take your comments on board which all adds to the research I have been doing on the subject. I take what Robin said about the A Frame angles he saw, but the towing attachment on the MB Jeep is off the front bumper which is higher off the ground and with the A frame being about 4 ft the Jeep would be close enough to the tow vehicle to eliminate the jeep going under the tow vehicle. My tow vehicle will be my Jeep Cherokee which is heaps heavier than the MB Jeep.
I have also looked into a scenerio where I could get hold of a couple of spare front wheel hubs and lathe turn the spine off making it smooth, then the hubs would free wheel so that the front shafts do not turn saving wear on the axles and crown pinion. Then later if I should want to go to back to front wheel drive, I just put the original splines hubs back on.
When going on long drives, say to Corowa which is about a 2000 Klm round trip for me. I would, as Phil commented on, remove the rear axles and put an old axle cover, with the axle cut off on to keep out the dust and Bingo. I have all 4 wheels free wheeling, just like towing a 4 wheel trailer, no wear and tear on all the axles, drive shafts, transfer and transmission and when I get to my destination spend about 15 to 20 minutes putting the rear axles back on.
The MB Jeep is not a heavy vehicle and will comply with the legislation. And because the combined weight of both vehicles is under the 4.5 tonnes limit no brakes would have to be added. Though I have had a look at using a rod and cable set up that I could use to add a mechanical brake sytem attached to the MB Jeep brake pedal.
I am still looking at all the pros and cons and have spoken to several people who have advised that some of the bad problems some people have experienced were on later model jeeps such as CJ models. The jury is still out on this project.
Cheers
Tony
