Flat Tow support for Slate truck in the works [confirmed]

[E90400K]

Are there other hubs available that would work? or are you talking someone making something completely custom?

If Slate has engineered and designed lowered and lifted suspensions for the Slate Truck, it certainly could engineer a manual-locking hub solution if there is enough owner demand for flat towable capability. Redesigning the hub to use a manual-locking device does not present an unsurmountable engineering challenge to a qualified automotive engineering team to execute and put into production. I'm sure Slate could even outsource the design and manufacture of the necessary hub to a company such as Warn. I've owned trucks with manual locking hubs on both solid axle and independent axle designs. If the Slate SUV kit is going to cost $5,000, I'd bet two replacement hubs could easily be sold for far less than that price.

 

[ElectricShitbox]

The hubs are a bolt on unit bearing, so a rear locking hub conversion would really only require CV shafts and hub assemblies. The factory wheels are steelies, so nothing needs to change there. It absolutely could be a sub-$1k aftermarket solution if someone makes it.

 

[Thutchis]

I agree, Slate could engineer a manual locking hub and that would be ideal. BUT, that old bugaboo, LIABILITY rears it's ugly head. What if someone forgets to unlock the hubs, or just one before towing. The motor burns up the electrical system or worse. Even though it's 100% the user's fault, some meathead will sue Slate.

Case in point, when John Denver crashed and died, his widow sued the fuel valve manufacturer that John couldn't reach because the builder put it behind the pilot. I believe they settled out of court.

If Slate has engineered and designed lowered and lifted suspensions for the Slate Truck, it certainly could engineer a manual-locking hub solution if there is enough owner demand for flat towable capability. Redesigning the hub to use a manual-locking device

 

[E90400K]

I agree, Slate could engineer a manual locking hub and that would be ideal. BUT, that old bugaboo, LIABILITY rears it's ugly head. What if someone forgets to unlock the hubs, or just one before towing. The motor burns up the electrical system or worse. Even though it's 100% the user's fault, some meathead will sue Slate.

Case in point, when John Denver crashed and died, his widow sued the fuel valve manufacturer that John couldn't reach because the builder put it behind the pilot. I believe they settled out of court.

I can understand that point of view. I'll counter with, a person who is a motorhome enthusiast and who has flat-towed other vehicles, say a fully manual Jeep Wrangler or a manual transmission Escort for examples, probably goes through a written, or at least mental, check list when hooking up or unhooking their tow vehicle to use it as a runabout.

There is risk in all aspects in life. If you want to tow behind a motorhome or fly expermental aircraft, you need to have your shit together. Just sayin.

With John Denver, I'll leave it alone. I've discussed his death with a few of my friends who are GA pilots. Their opinion is Mr. Denver effed up.

 

[AZFox]

The hubs are a bolt on unit bearing, so a rear locking hub conversion would really only require CV shafts and hub assemblies.

💡 Would some sort of "CV Shaft Disconnect" get the job done?

 

[ElectricShitbox]

💡 Would some sort of "CV Shaft Disconnect" get the job done?

Like, where the CV shaft disconnects in the middle so it can freewheel? That would do it if such a thing exists. I would think it would have strength issues, but this is out of my wheelhouse.

 

[AZFox]

Like, where the CV shaft disconnects in the middle so it can freewheel? That would do it if such a thing exists. I would think it would have strength issues, but this is out of my wheelhouse.

Yeah, or make the shaft disconnectable at the hub end somehow.

Just a thought. Seems like you could leave the hub itself as-is that way.

 

[KevinRS]

The hubs are a bolt on unit bearing, so a rear locking hub conversion would really only require CV shafts and hub assemblies. The factory wheels are steelies, so nothing needs to change there. It absolutely could be a sub-$1k aftermarket solution if someone makes it.

The steel wheels on the slate appear to have no center hole where you would access a locking hub. That is why my thinking is you probably need different wheels in any case.
Are there aftermarket locking hub kits that work for similar CV shaft driven power trains? If so, it may just be a matter of finding shafts and hubs with the right dimensions, or they might have to be manufactured specifically with the Slate's specs.
If it can be done with existing parts, sure it should be relatively easy, otherwise a manufacturer has to be convinced there is a market big enough to be worth engineering it.

 

[Thutchis]

Believe me, I am not disagreeing with you at all. I know 99.9% of us are extremely careful to put our toweds in towing mode. It's just that 0.01% that forget and one of them will sue Slate.

Yes, John Denver did screwup totally and it was entirely his fault. But the lawyers still went after the builder and valve manufacturer. Our litigious country.

I can understand that point of view. I'll counter with, a person who is a motorhome enthusiast and who has flat-towed other vehicles, say a fully manual Jeep Wrangler or a manual transmission Escort for examples, probably goes through a written, or at least mental, check list when hooking up or unhooking their tow vehicle to use it as a runabout.

 

[KevinRS]

Believe me, I am not disagreeing with you at all. I know 99.9% of us are extremely careful to put our toweds in towing mode. It's just that 0.01% that forget and one of them will sue Slate.

Yes, John Denver did screwup totally and it was entirely his fault. But the lawyers still went after the builder and valve manufacturer. Our litigious country.

In the plane design, it was found that that placement was poor, and needed to be changed.

Back to the Slate though, if they were to have designed for flat tow, that possibly several hundred dollars added cost would have been added to every slate, and they would probably need to add some kind of alarm system that would go off if it was towed with the hubs engaged, even if it was just detecting overheating. Of course it would have to be pretty loud to hear in the RV towing it, I don't know if the horn would do.

 

[AZFox]

The steel wheels on the slate appear to have no center hole where you would access a locking hub.

FWIW, I think most car wheels are "hub-centric", so you're seeing a cap or cover over the hole.

@jwocky posted pictures of a Slate SUV with these wheels that have a hole:
https://fifteen52.com/products/analog-hd-asphalt-black

 

[E90400K]

Believe me, I am not disagreeing with you at all. I know 99.9% of us are extremely careful to put our toweds in towing mode. It's just that 0.01% that forget and one of them will sue Slate.

Yes, John Denver did screwup totally and it was entirely his fault. But the lawyers still went after the builder and valve manufacturer. Our litigious country.

I'm not trying to argue with you (I'm enjoying the discussion), but how is locking/unlocking rear hubs for towing any different a responsibility for a driver to use the correct fuel (gasoline or diesel) at a fuel station when the pump has both diesel and gasoline dispensing nozzles? At some point, as the operator, he just has to know how to use the equipment properly. I don't see this as a liability issue Slate would be concerned with.

 

[atreis]

In the plane design, it was found that that placement was poor, and needed to be changed.

Back to the Slate though, if they were to have designed for flat tow, that possibly several hundred dollars added cost would have been added to every slate, and they would probably need to add some kind of alarm system that would go off if it was towed with the hubs engaged, even if it was just detecting overheating. Of course it would have to be pretty loud to hear in the RV towing it, I don't know if the horn would do.

There's no need for such an alarm. Most TOADs have nothing to let you know they're properly ready for towing. My Ford Fiesta, if I don't put it in neutral, would leave little bits of transmission all over the road behind me. Most RV towers use a checklist, and then double check. It's driver responsibility.

 

[GaRailroader]

Well necessity is the mother of invention. Perhaps one of the engineer’s on this forum will come up with a solution for manual locking hubs to market to the portion of the Slate Community that wants this feature.

 

[Thutchis]

That's my hope, someone will come up with a flat-towing solution for the Slate. If the owner makes the decision to install an after-market modification, then any liability should fall on the owner. So I will keep my reservation for now.

Well necessity is the mother of invention. Perhaps one of the engineer’s on this forum will come up with a solution for manual locking hubs to market to the portion of the Slate Community that wants this feature.