Last weekend, we got stuck on the boonies here in Cambodia because our vehicle (a Toyota 4WD A/T) went bonkers on us. Since we were in a hurry and we all know that there's no service station within miles, we wanted to tow the vehicle (we were 4 vehicles in all). But since my companions and I know, as a rule of thumb, that towing an A/T vehicle would be a no-no, we had this little discussion.

I would be the first to admit that I don't know much about the mechanisms inside an A/T tranny, but I recommended that we remove the propeller shaft (heck, we had the tools anyway and the muscle - there were 7 males in our group). One agreed but the others did not. So, since we all come from democratic countries, we had a vote. Needless to say, we lost. So, we got stuck there until late in the afternoon until help finally came along.

Gentlemen and ladies, I hope you can help me provide answers to my curiosities and ignorance. So here goes:

1. Was I correct in my recommendation to remove the propeller shaft so we might be able to tow the vehicle?

2. If we had indeed removed the propeller shaft, would we have been able to tow the vehicle? If yes, would there be any damage to the vehicle?

3. Let's assume that I got stuck in the city (here or there in the Philippines) with my A/T ride and I need to move it from Point A (where I stalled) to Point B (where I want it to be moved), how would I do it safely?

Pardon the questions but I've been the owner of an A/T vehicle for only a few months so I'm still reading up on this type of tranny.

Thanks in advance.