Well, I got some good news today, Bill the person who bought my Jag XJ-S gave my number to a friend of his who lives in Chico, Ca. and owns a used car lot. He called and asked if I could pick up a '93 Ford F250 with the 7.3 in it from Ridgecrest, Ca. I told him I would do it for $300 and he jumped all over that deal (I found out I low balled myself, it is a 14 hour drive ). He also said he buys a lot of vehicles from Central and Southern California, and would be able to use me on a semi regular basis. He asked if I would be dead heading back to Fresno, and I told him I would, and he suggested I check out Uship.com. I had heard about that site, but never knew I could place bids on tow jobs. This guy tells me two of his friends are retired, and bought RV's to travel the country in. And they bought a trailer to tow vehicles with, and one of them made $70k last year using U-Ship! I don't need to make that much, 12k would pay all my yearly bills, and I can bid on jobs I want, and work when I want. Sounds like the perfect job opportunity for me. I want to call my insurance agent to find out what I would need to add to cover any vehicles on my trailer in case of an accident. It is sort of like eBay (which owns it I believe) but instead of bidding on items, I am bidding on tow jobs. in my case vehicles, but I could haul other items if I chose to. However, since I already have the truck and car trailer, I will just concentrate on that for now. And I am limiting myself to California only tows to start with. Getting that 95 PSD truck will improve my profit margin once I get it bought, and running. Can't wait to get started.

Jim

 

Sounds like a good set up for you Jim, use your computer next time to calculate the mileage and costs for over night stay fuel will eat that 300 pretty fast in a 7.3 hopefully he will pay the fuel Good luck my freind

 

Yeah, I just calculated how much fuel I would use for the entire trip, and added a little extra. I should have calculated the fuel and then added $10 an hour for the driving time. However, that is with the 460 in the F350. Once I get the 7.3 and get 17 mpg on the highway, instead of 12-13, my profit margin will go up. And I have already placed a bid on a tow on U-Ship from Gustine, CA. to Lemoore, CA. I don't mind doing the tow from Ridgcrest to Chico for such a low fee as it is my initial tow for this guy. I expect to do more tows for him and can adjust my rate accordingly.

edit: Maybe he will be like Bill, and give me extra. I quote Bill a price of $237 and he gives me $300.

Jim

 

I'd watch ya if you were on the tv show Shipping Wars Jim. Happy for you ****s finally coming together for you.

 

What did your ins agent say? Need commercial ins? Sounds like a perfect fitting job for you Jim.
BUT you need to get a dog for a co-pilot..

 

Talked to my Allstate insurance agent, and she is not sure if they have a policy that covers that. She is going to call her underwriter and see, then call me back. I know Progressive has tow truck insurance, but that is too expensive for my budget ($1,650 for 6 months of coverage) and requires a business license, which I don't have yet. The person who came out yesterday to look at the Jag owns a cleaning business, and he told me he has a policy called general liability, which he pays $50 a month for, and it covers him in case he knocks over a shelf of product while cleaning, or if the building burns down due to the propane in his equipment. Maybe I can get that insurance to cover any vehicles I put on the trailer.

They guy backed out of the deal on the Jag, so I have re-listed it on CL and started the waiting game all over.

Jim

 

I've been thinking it would be nice to get a driving job, but don't want the hassle of getting a CDL.

There's several smaller cars I can't drive. Tall as I am, I've gone to the used car lots and asked "What have you got with a thirty-six inch inseam?" Most salesmen don't get it. When I went to test drive the Fiat X-19, I couldn't get my feet far enough off the firewall to work the brake pedal.

A nice stout truck and a trailer, now... I bet that could work out.

 

Well, my day has gone down hill fast. Started out great, got to Ridgecrest without issue. bu, ran into the truck owner's gate because his son did not open it enough, and now it is going to cost me $80 out of my fee to haul tis truck up to Chico. On top of that, I stop in Tehachapi to fill up on gas, and find the drivers side front wheel on the trailer is gone. And so are 3 of the 6 studs. I didn't hear it leave, or see it leave, and it was there when I stopped in Ridgecrest for lunch at Mc Donald's so I must have lost it between there and here.

To top it off, I have already used my 200 mile tow from AAA so I only have a 100 mile tow left. I am estimating I am 142 miles from Fresno. I have Allstate roadside assistance also, but they only give me a $250 limit, and it would cost $1,342 to get towed back from here. So, I am going to wait until it gets dark and try and drive it home with only 3 wheels on the trailer. The axle is not touching the ground, so it should be okay, except the F250 is heavy. And I still need to get over the Tehachapi mountains. However, I have no other avenue. I don't have the money to get it towed, and I can't buy a tire and wheel until I get home and sell something. Maybe I can drive 43 or 44 miles and then call AAA and have them tow me. Of course by then I will be on flat land and should be able to make it home okay. I am just worried about the mountains between here and Bakersfield. If anyone has any pull with the Man upstairs I would appreciate a good word.

Jim

 

Jim there are tire shops all around ,you could get a used tire and rim 20/40 bucks then you wont heat up the one you have on now saying one for you now from the big man

 

What a mess!

What can we do to help by remote?

 

Got home about 11:15pm. Ended up driving the entire way myself. I did air up the remaining tire on the drivers side before heading out, and it did get a bit hairy with the high winds and blinding rain through the mountains, but once I got down out of them, and into Bakersfield, it was all smooth sailing. Saw three accidents, and thanked God I was not in them (didn't see them happen, just came up on all the flashing lights, and saw several CHP cars racing to the scenes).

Anyway, I am thinking either that trailer is rated for a lot more than 7k lbs, or the Man upstairs was indeed watching over me. As that truck is said to weigh 7k all by itself, and I was carrying it with a trailer which "supposedly" has a 7k limit with 4 tires on the ground. With 6 lug wheels, maybe it is a 10k trailer? Who knows? In any case I made it home safe and sound, and will try tomorrow to get a wheel and tire (maybe two, since I would then have a spare.) so I can finish delivering this truck to Chico. And Bill called today while I was on the way down to pick up his friend's truck and wants me to take a Ranchero down to Los Angeles on Monday. So I need to get this trailer fixed this weekend so I can make money to offset that stupid $80 gate bill.

Jim

 

Glad to hear you made it o.k.

In addition to getting another tire, get a few replacement lugs and lug nuts. If you've got a tool box on the trailer, you might put a small sledge hammer and a stout drift punch in there as well, anything else that you might need to deal with the wheels... jack... impact socket for the lug nuts... heavy-duty breaker bar... extension... stout piece of plank, so the jack doesn't sink into the mud... I'm sure you know better than I do.

I had a bag of lug nuts kicking around in the foot well of my truck for years, finally had reason to use them on the side of the road. I probably could have put the old ones back on, but they looked like landfill to me.

Say, as a billing option, how about having your clients foot the bill for fuel (you give them the receipts) and they pay you for your time?

 

Say, as a billing option, how about having your clients foot the bill for fuel (you give them the receipts) and they pay you for your time?
__________________I kinda figured they were? Wear an tear adds up as well and that cant be added into hourly wage. For tax purposes I am getting .566 per mile for 3 vehicles

Darn this cup o joe taste sooo good this morning, Hope you guys have a good day

 

Holy **** jim. Glad your ok.

 

Glad you made the trip fine Jim, I have a 17'' rim can't remember the tire size but It's not a trailer tire, let me know you can have it if it will fitOh you will need to know the off set of the rim.