What is this in front of the shifter?

[Summitsearcher]

It’s for the Repo Man!

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[ShadowsPapa]

It’s for the Repo Man!

Best answer yet. That's why it's not totally common knowledge.
I'm going to go to Lowes and get a hasp and padlock and lock that panel so they can't get it open.

 

[Summitsearcher]

Best answer yet. That's why it's not totally common knowledge.
I'm going to go to Lowes and get a hasp and padlock and lock that panel so they can't get it open.

Great idea!

 

[AmishMike]

I towed a 2013 Grand Cherokee TrailHawk behind my 41 ft class A diesel pusher for 7 yrs and over 30,000 miles. Tranny in park, transfer case in neutral, key in the unlock position (locking steering wheel). The air suspension in the lowest position. Don't even think about backing up while hooked up. Unless you want to do major damage.

Why would it cause damage when backing up? Because you can't see it and it moves like pushing a snake?
My Pap could back double bin wagons up the barn bridge. Just saying.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Why would it cause damage when backing up? Because you can't see it and it moves like pushing a snake?
My Pap could back double bin wagons up the barn bridge. Just saying.

As a person who farmed last century, the art of backing those wagons is something few truly master. Forget everything you think you know about backing trailers.
The wagon tongue steers the front wheels of the wagons.

 

[Rusty PW]

Why would it cause damage when backing up? Because you can't see it and it moves like pushing a snake?
My Pap could back double bin wagons up the barn bridge. Just saying.

When you back up with a flat tow behind the motorhome. The front wheels on the flat tow will turn full lock to either the left or the right. It WILL NOT go straight back. If you keep backing up. You will damage both the motorhome and the flat tow. The front corner of the car and the rear corner of the motorhome will make contact. Basically you jack knife when you back up.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

When you back up with a flat tow behind the motorhome. The front wheels on the flat tow will turn full lock to either the left or the right. It WILL NOT go straight back. If you keep backing up. You will damage both the motorhome and the flat tow. The front corner of the car and the rear corner of the motorhome will make contact. Basically you jack knife when you back up.

Ah, that makes sense. Going forward the front wheels "self-center" due to SAI, caster, etc. but backing, it's like backing up a grocery cart, the front wheels instantly start to swing to the side.

 

[GEETCH]

Damn! Can’t believe ShadowsPaPa missed an opportunity to school somebody on what the hell the owners manual is for.?
Or anyone else for that matter. Usually the crowd is a little tougher and with questions like this will club you like a baby seal.
Anyhow, you’ve got a quick answer and more will be incoming. And debate of course.

 

[Rusty PW]

Ah, that makes sense. Going forward the front wheels "self-center" due to SAI, caster, etc. but backing, it's like backing up a grocery cart, the front wheels instantly start to swing to the side.

Winner winner chicken dinner. We have a wiener.

 

[False]

Since this has been beaten to death with regards to towing I will add my experience with this particular "feature."

It is on all MOPAR 8ZF transmissions, including many vehicles that do not have a means to manually disengage the transfer case. I personally found out about this doodad when a co-worker of mine decided to fight a rather flooded road with his Dodge Charger. Engine flooded, locked, and he put it into park before getting out to open the hood and scratch his head. I drove over to him in my much taller vehicle only to find there was seemingly no way to get his car out of park and tow it out of the road/creek. That was when we learned about this little disengage doodad that allowed us to get his hyrdo-locked car into neutral and get it at least out of the middle of the road/creek to be properly towed on a flat bed.

Does it need to be on a Jeep? I dunno, but I don't recommend screwing up your vehicle enough to find out.

 

[Trollboogie]

When your aux battery drains the main battery overnight. Your Jeep is parked under your Top lift so you can't get your hood open to jump it. Pull that rip cord and roll that baby out of the way?.

 

[JTR178]

Since this has been beaten to death with regards to towing I will add my experience with this particular "feature."

It is on all MOPAR 8ZF transmissions, including many vehicles that do not have a means to manually disengage the transfer case. I personally found out about this doodad when a co-worker of mine decided to fight a rather flooded road with his Dodge Charger. Engine flooded, locked, and he put it into park before getting out to open the hood and scratch his head. I drove over to him in my much taller vehicle only to find there was seemingly no way to get his car out of park and tow it out of the road/creek. That was when we learned about this little disengage doodad that allowed us to get his hyrdo-locked car into neutral and get it at least out of the middle of the road/creek to be properly towed on a flat bed.

Does it need to be on a Jeep? I dunno, but I don't recommend screwing up your vehicle enough to find out.

It's on most (if not all) vehicles with push button starts. At least that's been my experience with vehicle tows.

 

[AmishMike]

When you back up with a flat tow behind the motorhome. The front wheels on the flat tow will turn full lock to either the left or the right. It WILL NOT go straight back. If you keep backing up. You will damage both the motorhome and the flat tow. The front corner of the car and the rear corner of the motorhome will make contact. Basically you jack knife when you back up.

So, just like a bin wagon. The two differences are that you can't see it and difference in radii.

@ShadowsPapa hay wagons aren't bad because they are longer, bin wagons are short, up a barn bridge always makes it more fun. He would do double bin wagons with a JD 4020. He would laugh when I would unhook the second wagon and do them one at a time. A pusher on the front of the Massey 44 Special was nice, but uphill with loaded wagons and the front would lift and you had to steer with brakes. Good memories!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

So, just like a bin wagon. The two differences are that you can't see it and difference in radii.

@ShadowsPapa hay wagons aren't bad because they are longer, bin wagons are short, up a barn bridge always makes it more fun. He would do double bin wagons with a JD 4020. He would laugh when I would unhook the second wagon and do them one at a time. A pusher on the front of the Massey 44 Special was nice, but uphill with loaded wagons and the front would lift and you had to steer with brakes. Good memories!

I didn't have the pleasure of doing the hay racks -father in law did those as he' had the hay ground. I guess I did a couple of years get permission to mow and bail the set-aside ground for bedding for hogs....
I did the barge boxes (those were antiques even back then with hydraulic dump boxes) and the more modern center dump wagons. I only ever did one at a time, though.
The side of the barn where I parked the wagons, or kept the wagons of seed corn, was only a couple of feet wider than the wagons themselves. You have to keep it STRAIGHT to not do damage.

 

[Empty Pockets]

My 6 speed doesn’t have this……….I love simple. ?

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