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Transporting the dead

RobVG

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2009
Messages
1,028
Location
Seattle WA
Occupation
17 excavators and a stewpot of other stuff
That's cool td25c- thanks

(It' would make a handy clutch adjustment tool. I could give up my trusty 2x4)
 

tonka

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Messages
1,555
Location
Longview WA
Occupation
Equipment Operator
looking for one of these tow bars, ebay $$$ is nuts, i may make one, or get one at auction like u did mitch...
 

carlsharp

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
91
Location
Chino Hills, CA
Over twenty years ago my boss told me to recover a 3 axle crane that he had abandoned in an oilfield 10+ years before that. Being a kid that didn't know any better I fabbed up a towbar from oilfield tubing, and welded some tabs to the front of the crane. I went out with a 10 wheel dumptruck, hooked it up with some chains and a light bar and dragged it the 15 or so miles back to the yard. Worked great!

Was I wrong? :beatsme
 

3rdGenDslWrench

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2011
Messages
86
Location
MD
Occupation
Heavy Equipment Field Mechanic/ Truck Mechanic/Aut
We've got a fork lift that'll pick up our D8Ns and carry them around like you carry a dinner plate :)
 

tonka

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Messages
1,555
Location
Longview WA
Occupation
Equipment Operator
Over twenty years ago my boss told me to recover a 3 axle crane that he had abandoned in an oilfield 10+ years before that. Being a kid that didn't know any better I fabbed up a towbar from oilfield tubing, and welded some tabs to the front of the crane. I went out with a 10 wheel dumptruck, hooked it up with some chains and a light bar and dragged it the 15 or so miles back to the yard. Worked great!

Was I wrong? :beatsme
nope that sounds good to me... hope you had a little wieght in the 10 wheeler for traction
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,486
Location
Mo
A lot of people around here have or rent wrecker booms that attach to the fifth wheel of a tractor. I do it a little differently. I use a towbar.The only people I have ever seen use a heavy duty truck towbar are me and the military. The towbar I use is military surplus and weighs over 200 lbs. I bought 2 at the same auction. In a splendid example of why you should pay attention at auctions, I bought the first one for $50 as the only bidder; then gave $5 for the second, also as the lone bidder.

It works very well, and the towed truck just follows the lead like a well trained puppy.

It is very easy to adapt to a CH mack, as the tow points on these are just shackles through the end of the frame. With other trucks you may have to fabricate brackets. I have the bumper removed on this one as it was bent around the shackles, but you normally don't have to remove the bumper. If you are going to pull the truck a long distance you must remove the driveshaft, or leave the engine idling, to keep the trans. bearings oiled.

In the example pictured I had just pulled the burgundy truck 80 miles with the white Mack. I prefer to use a tandem dump truck as a tow vehicle because the light rear end of a set-forward Mack single-axle tractor doesn't feel as good pulling 8 tons, with no weight transfer; but, it does it with no problem.
I am going to look at a Chevy c70 twin screw with a 20 grain bed with a tag axle air brakes. Its about a hour and half away. I have a c70 single axle tractor . I will be parting it out i would like to remove the bed and hoist and tag axle to make it lighter then towbar it . There should be a way to hook run the brakes like it was a trailer?
 

crane operator

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2009
Messages
8,275
Location
sw missouri
Are you air brakes on your pulling single axle also? If you have glad hands you could make up a couple lines, one for supply and another one for application. Supply can just hook into the air tanks, most wrecker guys splice the application in by the treadle pedal. Just past the pedal where it sends air to the rear.
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,486
Location
Mo
I went and looked at the truck. It has 8 new tires its worth the money but getting it home . I called a wrecker place there and he said $700.00 to tow it 70 miles. When i was younger i would have towed it home with my pickup but now i am afraid or smarter. I would pay $500.00 to have it towed . If i could remove the bed and tag axle and make 2 trips i would do that but the seller wasnt to hot on me doing that.
 

crane operator

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2009
Messages
8,275
Location
sw missouri
If the $200 difference between the $500 you want to pay, and the $700 the towing company wants, is the difference between making money on the project, and loosing money, the project isn't worth the trouble.

You'll easily spend the $200 jacking around with a towbar and going to town to get fittings to get it all rigged up. I'd pay the man that does it everyday.
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,486
Location
Mo
If the $200 difference between the $500 you want to pay, and the $700 the towing company wants, is the difference between making money on the project, and loosing money, the project isn't worth the trouble.

You'll easily spend the $200 jacking around with a towbar and going to town to get fittings to get it all rigged up. I'd pay the man that does it everyday.
I am going to ask the tow place hear just to see and maybe ask around to see about some one with a trailer to haul it. I have never had any thing towed so i dont know what it should cost.Its a good deal and if i had lots of time i would fix it up and sell my truck. I all ways have a time figuring out what to do .
 
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