Tow Rig ?

[cumminram]

I know a guy that tows his sami buggy with one of those f 450 with a 14 ft bed , then he throws a car trailer on the back with another rig on it..

seems like a good way to go.

I still love my duramax though!

 

[Corban_White]

#1. Hands down. Best motor, most capacity, and towing mirrors!

 

[Bucking Bronco]

I have owned a 2000 excursion the 99 f-250 I just sold. They both had V-10 and I had good luck with them. Towing was never great on milage. But what I want is a 99-02 with the manual. I have also had several with the 460 and I never have thought the 460was that great of a power house.

As sad as it is I like towing with my expedition better then any other vehicle I have towed with.

I do like #1 the best but for the price I am leaning towards the 4x4 but I am going to go look at #3 in just a few minutes and since the price is the best and he says the ac works it should get the job done.

If I get it I will throw a new coat of paint on the cab and modify the bed and I think for the price it might work out pretty good.

 

[Bucking Bronco]

Well I meant to say I was going to go look at #2 not 3 and I did and its out. It is trashed and has 186000 miles not 105000 like the ad says. I got ahold of #1 and it is still for sale but he says the ac may not work (which means NO!) and he is firm on the $4500.00 so that is out.

So I think I will be browsing the classifieds for a while as I dont think I want to spend $6000.00 for a V-10 auto and probably another 600.00 to build a bed.

I hope to do something before EJS. With this economy I sure something will pop up

Though if I had the money this one sure would be nice

 

[Corban_White]

That would make a SWEET tow rig setup. Too bad they won't give it to you for $2500.

 

[rock4fun]

I just put my 1997 4-door 7.3 power stroke on here in the for sale spot. And I know that every thing works good on it and I want $5,500 for it it is very clean inside and out you should take a look at it. look under tow rigs.

 

[rock4fun]

some pics of my 1997 tahts for sale

Here are some pics of my truck that I have for sale.

 

[Bucking Bronco]

I just put my 1997 4-door 7.3 power stroke on here in the for sale spot. And I know that every thing works good on it and I want $5,500 for it it is very clean inside and out you should take a look at it. look under tow rigs.

I need something that can handle more weight, but it is a great looking truck

 

[rock4fun]

sorry I forgot to attach.

 

[Bucking Bronco]

I'm wanting a similar truck in crew cab version but haven't checked into the weight capacity I would need for the truck (my "Jeep" is 4500 lbs if I remember right) and the insurance coverage of said truck if something were to happen (accidentish) while hauling the Jeep on the bed and towing our 5K lb. travel trailer. Personally, I'd want something in writing from my insurance agent to validate that I'd informed them of the load and intended usage of the truck and if I had an accident while using it as outlined, I'd be covered under the policy guidelines.

I have been asking lots of questions about insurance andI found out I would be covered in the event of an accident. the buggy would not be covered if damaged though. Neither would the trailer unless I have specific coverage for them. But in the event the trailer or say the buggy becomes detached while traveling the coverage from the truck would cover any damage or accidents they caused.

Most of the questions I asked through Email so I have a copy, I intend to print it and store it with my policy. (Just in case)

One thing I was told though you need to make sure you follow the laws when it comes to weight of the vehicle as to not over load the manufacture rating and that your using proper chains. apparently the dot has guide lines as to the type of chain and how many you have to have when hauling vehicles.

The concern is if you are doing anything deemed unsafe or illegal it increases the chance of being sued and depending on how much coverage you have, the kind of damage you cause, and how good the victims lawyers are it is not that uncommon to go over most peoples policies limits.

I am going to try and find more info from the dot about chains but after talking to my dad who is a truck driver he says you have to have 4 chains that meet dot standards when hauling vehicles but he also thinks this only applies to commercial application for interstate travel.

 

[mbryson]

I have been asking lots of questions about insurance andI found out I would be covered in the event of an accident. the buggy would not be covered if damaged though. Neither would the trailer unless I have specific coverage for them. But in the event the trailer or say the buggy becomes detached while traveling the coverage from the truck would cover any damage or accidents they caused.

Most of the questions I asked through Email so I have a copy, I intend to print it and store it with my policy. (Just in case)

One thing I was told though you need to make sure you follow the laws when it comes to weight of the vehicle as to not over load the manufacture rating and that your using proper chains. apparently the dot has guide lines as to the type of chain and how many you have to have when hauling vehicles.

The concern is if you are doing anything deemed unsafe or illegal it increases the chance of being sued and depending on how much coverage you have, the kind of damage you cause, and how good the victims lawyers are it is not that uncommon to go over most peoples policies limits.

I am going to try and find more info from the dot about chains but after talking to my dad who is a truck driver he says you have to have 4 chains that meet dot standards when hauling vehicles but he also thinks this only applies to commercial application for interstate travel.

Cool. So if you know your rig's weight (let's say your buggy weighs 3500 lbs?) you should be fine if you get a truck that could handle that plus any tongue weight of a trailer (speaking purely legally here). I'm curious to see what you come up with.

I like your idea and have thought of it more than once.

(then again, I've also thought of getting a long chassis class 8 or 9 truck and having a custom "living quarters" added to the long chassis. That'd be more than enough truck to tow a couple rigs and you'd have all the comforts of home.)

 

[Maverick]

There was a thread on here a while back about GVWR. The essence was that regardless of what the truck says it will handle, you need to register whatever GVWR you are going to be to DOT. The default is some minimal number, like 6000lbs or something. Gonna post this and go do a search.

Back in the day, most 3/4ton and 1ton trucks had a payload around 4000 lbs. Now they weigh a lot more and have a lot more power. While that helps with towing, it sucks for hauling. I could, and did, put 4000lbs of wood in my '73 2wd many times. It took 25 minutes to get going 60mph, and 20 minutes to stop, but the springs/axle could handle it since the truck only weighed 4500 lbs. My excursion, and most stupiduties, weigh 8500 lbs empty.

Brett

 

[Bucking Bronco]

Here is the most recent one I am looking at it has the 7.3 diesel only 85000 miles and the 6spd manual. It is a F-350 it is 2wd but its axle rating are 4700 front/9750rear but its gvwr is 11200# so guessing the truck is probably around 6000-6500 I should be well under with my buggy. It is a bit more money and farther away but it looks real clean and I have a former business partner who lives only 11miles away so I am going to have him look at it for me. Plus the bed is 11' so I only have to add a 2' dovetail.

 

[Bucking Bronco]

If I put the buggy on that truck having most the weight on the buggys front tires and the front tires almost in the center of the chassis do you think that would transfer too much weight to the front axle, or would the rear tires being so far back even it out?

 

[Maverick]

Sweet!

Is 2wd gonna work for you?

I've used 4wd more than once when towing the jeep. Especially coming home from Moab. And in snowy or muddy parking areas. Having the weight over the drive wheels will help though.

Also, will the regular cab be comfortable on long drives? (I'm a guy who leans his seat back, standard cabs are too upright for me)

 

[Bucking Bronco]

I think 2wd will be ok 99% of the time but ya I imagine there will be times when I will be going slow but if I ever get stuck hopefully I have the buggy.

 

[Maverick]

If I put the buggy on that truck having most the weight on the buggys front tires and the front tires almost in the center of the chassis do you think that would transfer too much weight to the front axle, or would the rear tires being so far back even it out?

What is the wheelbase of your buggy? Tire size? (assuming the tires are right at the front of the buggy) Buggy weights f/r?

 

[Bucking Bronco]

What is the wheelbase of your buggy? Tire size? (assuming the tires are right at the front of the buggy) Buggy weights f/r?

My tires are right at the front and I am guessing the buggy is between 3500 and 4000 but that is an uneducated guess I have a v8 up front and not much but a 20gal tank in the rear. the tires are 40" its wheelbase is around 114" and if I put a tape from the front tire to the rear is 13'

 

[Maverick]

Are you linked front and rear? If so, you should be able to decrease your wheelbase a couple inches by cinching the rear axle forward. My graph paper says that if you squish the front tires up against the front and cinch the rear axle forward (raises the buggy) then you'd fit on the 11' deck. (contact patch of rear tires on deck).

A short dovetail would help with loading. Long a$$ ramps though.

Loaded like that, and assuming 3600 lbs total, 2400 front, 1200 rear, puts about 600 lbs on the front axle (based on relative distances I took off that picture, and summing the moments about the rear axle)

No problem.

 

[Bucking Bronco]

My plan would be to build a short 2 foot dovetail and hopefully use the 5' ramps that I have for my trailer.