How about using a tow dolly? It would not help with the brake issue, but it would greatly reduce the total weight being towed. Also, I believe from the photos that the rear tires were not near the fire, so they are still in good shape. What kind of hitch are you asking to carry this load? Also, is there somebody around with a 3/4-ton truck to borrow for an hour or two? Good luck, Jag

 

The camper won't need to be covered....and I don't have anything larger than a 1/2 ton pickup myself.

Hey Jim....how about some good clear shots of the engine bay and interior? Just wondering of we can get it rigged and running and drive the dang thing down here?

 

He has some in his gallery.... Everything is melted on the engine.





It got really hot in the engine compartment .... WOW !!!!

Jag - Tow dolly ... I they are only rated at 4000lbs. We have closer to 6-7Klbs.

The plus would have been some have surge brakes ....

 

Ya...looks like a bit more of a challenge that I thought it would be

 

I do not Know the ratings on tow dollies, so it may well be that they can only handle 4000 lb. I'm just typing out loud. Jag

 

Hey, and we appreciate any suggestions you come up with Jag. THX!!!

We just have to weight the plus and minuses ourselves .... pun intended.

 

Just checked it for future reference:

Tow Dolly
The most economical way to tow your vehicle. U-Haul is the only national company that rents towing equipment independent of truck rentals.

Capacity
Max Load: 3,450 lbs. when towing a front-wheel drive vehicle, 3,900 lbs. when towing a rear-wheel drive vehicle.
Empty weight: 650 lbs.

So, I was in the ballpark. Doesn't mention if they have trailer brakes or not.

 

Rental companies no longer provide trailer brakes. Seems that the Federal Gov said that surge brakes are a bad idea. As this opens a liability issue, the national rental companies stopped offering them. http://www.rentalpulse.com/article.asp?ARTID=800

The only brakes available are those that engage when the trailer disconnects from the towing vehicle.

 

Wow, Uhaul still shows it on their website under Auto Transport. Oh well, the transport trailer is limitted to 4000lbs as well. Doh !!! Double Doh !!!!

Cracks me up ... I mean five years later and we STILL don't have a resolution from DOT? That's government for ya. Lol !!!

You'd think they'd be all for slowing up the wheel of progress. pun intended again. yuck, yuck. ;-)

 

Don't know why I am not getting "replied to" messages on this topic in my email box. Missed two pages worth of replies.

I don't think the U-haul tow dollies are wide enough for the truck, though I could be wrong. The truck weighed in at 4,760 before the fire. Wendell, my neighbor who I bought it from had to get it weighed in order to get it registered. The camper weighs about 500-900 estimated by Dan when I picked it up from him. However, it has been gutted by fire, and weighs less. I would guess about 5,000 to 5,400 total weight now.

Everything in the cab is gone. Everything in the front of the camper is gone. What is left of any weight is the icebox and stove. I think it is possible to tow it with a tow dolly since it is all flat land. Of course, you would need to be careful, and anticipate stops. I don't know what the total distance is between Mike's and here. I believe it is either just under 200 miles or just over. Iam at work, and can't check my MS Streets and trips program.

Getting the engine running will be a major job as there is no wiring left under the hood or under the dash. The shift lever is on the floor. The battery is a big glob of melted rubber. The radiator hoses are gone. The wheels and tires are in excellent condiition. they were not touched by the fire, and the tires still hold air.

Mike, if you have a way to get your forklift down here, we could probably lift the camper off the truck and drop it in the big trash bin they have at the back of the complex. That would get rid of a bit of weight. Then using the tow dolly would not be such a bad idea.

I don't think U-Haul's trailers are rated high enough for the truck. I remember checking their site when I was trying to tow a F-250 down here from Sacramento, and they said it was too wide for the trailer, and too heavy.

 

I thought this would be a good time to chime in as to the reasno i never built a car trailer...not that I wouldn't have minded helping out a buddy, but I would have lost all self contorl when a deal comes up...

So now I'm like AJ, no trailer and have time to sit back and contemplate things instead of rushing into it and hauling it home.

Oh my, what self control I have

Let me know what you figure out, I might be able to borrow a trailer, but it'll need a little work before we use it (repack the wheel bearings, maybe a tire or two). I can give the guy a call tomorrow.

Also, I'll stop in at the local tow place (Reliable tow) and see what they'd charge to go pick it up, I'm thinking I might be able to work a deal with them on the tow...i/e they gop get it, drop it off here, we yank out the engine/tranny, then let them haul it off for scrap...they do haul dead cars and such...in fact, had the Cougar I cut up had the front and rear ends still under it, they'd have given me 120 bucks for it...

Geez, here I am trying to figure out a way to get more junk to my place

 

PS...a tow dolly (f it'll fit between the fenders) will be fine, everyone I've seen has a 5000 lb axle on them...trust me, if we can get it on, it'll pull it

Problem now days with renting a trailer, no-one around here (U-Haul, etc) will rent one to you unless you have a 3/4ton or larger truck.

I'd have no way to get my forklift there, it'd take a pretty stout trailer as it weighs in at a bit over 7K lbs...stout little bugger it is.

We'll figure something out, hopefully in time before Jim needs it out of there.

 

P.S.S.

Fresno is about 1.5 hours or so soth of me...maybe 80-90 miles as I recall, I'd have to MQ it, beeen awhile since I was down that way.

Also...AJ...check with Clint and see if we could use his dolly, I could pull a few of the reversed 8 lug wheels off the MH out back and we could put them on the front of Jims trucks to effectively make the frontend narrower for clearance issues to get it loaded on a dolly.

If we work it out right, I can use Aleshia's pickup to tow it.

 

Aww geez...don't make me come down there...

 

Naw, AJ couldn't afford the gas your hog would take to make that trip

Besides, I just saw your mug a week ago...