Nobody has disassembled the JK t-case to know for sure. All responses to your question will be speculation.

So, this is my guess:

Could be, with the front wheels on a dolly and the drive shaft still installed, the t-case chain is held stationary, hence, no oil will be splashed around inside to keep the parts that do rotate lubricated.

Driving with the front shaft removed, there may be enough friction in the system to drag the chain around to keep things lubricated.

Now, if someone would send me a junk JK t-case, I'd do a study on it and maybe solve this mystery.

 

Thanks for your input. I have a short trip to make with mine behind my RV. I may try it. I'm leary of being under the jeep since being run over by it in October. Long story for another time.

 

You mean a normal flat tow, with the drive shafts installed?

 

Not flat tow. 2 up on a dolly.

 

So it I'm reading this right, towing on a dolly, front wheels up, front driveshaft installed, means ( speculatively speaking) you'll burn out your transfer case due to lack of lubrication .
With front shaft removed, enough friction rotation to carry fluid to bearings, on the flat.
On an incline, such as a dolly, not so much lubrication, even with front driveshaft removed..?.
So if you dolly tow, front driveshaft on, you'll seize your transfer case

 

I don't see how towing on a dolly with front wheels off ground would be any different than the main of us who run around with hubs unlocked on upgraded axle. The whole front end is stationary with hubs unlocked. The oil slinger in the tcase is attached to the rear shaft output so if the rear is spinning I'd think you'd get lubrication. But that's just my thought.

 

That's the thing.
Nobody knows why the Owner's Manual says towing with two wheels on a dolly "will cause severe transmission and/or transfer case damage."

 

Jumping on this speculation bandwagon... if the front end does not have lockable hubs then the front portion of the drivetrain would be "locked" into place on a dolly. However, when hubs are unlocked friction from the transfer case and the hubs can still turn the front driveshaft and axleshafts. So driving on unlocked hubs is not equivalent to driving on a dolly. I would also postulate that putting unlocked hubs on a dolly would remove the friction generated by the wheels spinning and decrease any rotation of parts in the transfer case that would help in lubrication in addition to increasing the difference in the speed of the two driveshafts. Or so I speculate...