First,if you are towing for more than 50 miles then by all means drop
the driveshaft AND chage the rear end oil. No self respecting tow
truck driver would pull that rig without pulling the shaft. Some
people pull one or both half shafts. That is a bad idea because then
the pumpkin is not turning and that means there is no way for the oil
to get from the dif out to the wheel bearings.

Now about "flat towing" a 15,000lbs vehicle with a 15,000lbs vehicle.

1) Is it legal? Many states require a vehicle to be
registered,insured and inspected to be "flat towed".

2) Is it safe?

A)Tow vehicle must have exceptional brakes and a very stout drive
train to pull and stop twice its weight. These old buses are known
for rot and rust in the rear frame so you better be sure that the
hitch system is up to the task.

B)The Towed vehicle must have a tight front end and smooth steering.
Also egg shaped tires are going to hurt you some. If it were me I
would jack it up and grease it with a high preasure moly. IS the
front bumper solid enough to take the strain? Most likely not so add
some stiffeners back to the front axle. Chances are it will not pull
especially straight and may sway pretty bad. Reducing front tire
preasure and/or wrapping strips of old innertube aroung the king pins
may help.

C) I have "flat towed" large vehicles and we use a towbar that one
man can not lift himself. Do you have such a tow bar?

D)Most large tow trucks have very good brakes, jake brakes and
provisions to plumb into the towed vehicle to operate those brakes
too. If you are going to have to rely only on the tow vehicles brakes
I doubt you will want to do much more than 40 on open road and even
less on two lanes.

Saftey first...not just your own but those who you share the road
with. I have done such trips in the past. However last summer I
dropped almost $2000 having my two coaches towed back to Vermont.
Money I wished I could have saved but then again all I had to do was
write the checks.

On closing I have built up a wrecker/utility truck and hope to have
a 35 foot utility trailer on the road this summer just so I can drag
these huge pieces of iron around.

Good luck and BE SAFE

johnny starliner