So if you were hiring a local towing company...roughly $100 to pick-up and return the Detail Customers car?
More like $100~$125 each way.
That what I think it sounds like allenk4. $55-$75, then per mile rate. Anything over about 20 miles and you start getting up there on the per mile.
HUMP
You are correct sir. :xyxthumbs:
OTOH, with many, MANY hi-line owners the cost of their time (at least in their minds) is far more valuable than just paying the tow bill. When I was towing for a couple of the MB dealerships (one on my side of town exclusively) it wasn't uncommon to go and tow a car in for a regular service. Atlanta Classic Cars (which was handled by a friend of mine, as well as RBM Atlanta) was the only authorized Rolls & Bentley dealership in town, yet I was in and out of their almost daily. As such I had a great relationship with their lead service writer, which was the ONLY one that could write-up RO's on Roll's and Bentley's. Those folks almost NEVER drove their cars in for regulars service. Once you had a relationship with the owner, (as both the service writer and the guy towing the vehicle) you would end up being the only one they'd have handle their vehicle(s). I'd go to SC, NC, TN, AL to pickup those vehicles to bring in for regular service. Didn't matter if they were new vehicles or classic models. Those you could get $125 plus $2.25 a mile and quite often had tow bills well over $500 (each way). Of course adding $1200~$1500 in towing to a $5000~$7000 service bill really wasn't a big deal. (To them at least... to ME.... they were a God send!)
Elton John has a penthouse suite here in Atlanta and when he bought his 500SEL in 1990 (in a horribly ugly Army green metallic color) it had to be delivered (and/or picked up) from the parking garage, with a single towing operator, and ONE assigned MB Tech from the dealership each and every time. Now THAT was a pita!
I've always loved the style and functionality of these ramp trucks. Would be a cool way to haul :xyxthumbs:
I really can't stand that type of truck. (
Most of which are only 3500 series AND some flavor of old gas burning big block, which is the absolutely worst engine you want in a car hauler.)
Then there's the problem that the brakes and springs are not designed to carry an extra 2 ~3 tons sitting up there on top like that.
Sure it may work for a guy hauling his race car to/from the track but they are so inherently unsafe it makes my skin crawl. First you have the ramps, yes ramps. They have to be pulled out and lined up, and hopefully you can get both the front
and rear tires to align properly, hoping the ramps don't roll over and pop off the truck when loading/unloading. You would be surprised how many times I've seen a car hanging by the front bumper, (
or the rocker panels or frame) with one ramp laying on the ground.
And this is on the pretense that the vehicle actually RUNS! If it doesn't you're back to using the winch, and on those it's generally an electric winch, (
which is painfully slow at best). With an hydraulic winch you have a throttle up function (
either by cable or connected to the gang valve which kicks in the throttle, or.... via a chip with a pre-set throttle rpm programmed in) all of which make the winch really move when you need it to then the engine drops to idle speed once you're finished.
Most of the flatbeds and fifth wheel car hauler rigs (3-4 cars) I see these days are bigger Hino, Isuzu or Fuso COEs. Would you think these are as durable as (or more than) a DuraMax?
IMHO you really want an in-line 6, ANY in-line 6 versus the V8 diesels. AFAIK about the only ones these days would be the ones you've mentioned as well the Nissan UD which has been a favorite for towing businesses for 20 years now.
Then of course you have the Ford F650, F750's with 6.7 inline 6 Powerstroke power. Problem is, those are not Cummins engines.
(
I'm a big CAT fan, but GM put the medium duty CAT division out of business when they stopped producing a medium duty work truck.) International OTOH offers Cummins ISB 6.7's and their own WELL RESPECTED "DT" 6.7 which is one of the best engines ever made.
Were I to choose, I'd go for the DT 230HP/620TQ or the 230HP/660TQ version.
I did have my share of the Ford/International/Navastar V8's (
in the early years) and had generally decent service from them. (
With the exception of the one shown in this thread which was THE REASON I'll never own another Ford truck again, EVER!) In the first 12 months it was in the shop almost 4 of those months. (
Two water pumps before it hit 19K.)
I am impressed however with the design of the new Ford V8 diesel. That puppy is downright sexy! The HP/TQ figures are amazing, and of course so are the Duramax numbers. For a pickup based platform I'm sure both are going to give years of service.
But when you get to a work vehicle you want one that you can crank up when it's well before sunrise, run that puppy wide open for hours on end, let it idle when you're not running wide open, then run it for 16~18 hour days, for weeks, months, years on end.
The CAT plants I was running were rated @ 215 HP/605 TQ but that puppy would run all day every day, would run 74 MPH while getting 9½~9¾MPG around town, (
well over 12 MPG doing a Tampa turnaround) and it didn't matter if you were running empty, pulling 14,000Lbs or dropped out of the sky! All the while having no real maintenance issues, INCLUDING not needing a clutch even at 150,000 miles.
The HP figures may not be as high as the newer V8 offerings from Ford or GM but the all day torque, reliability and maintenance figures are what'll keep your operating cost down.
Yet the V8 Navistar had about the same power/torque/MPG figures yet you were working on them pretty regularly. Being as they used glow plugs to preheat the cylinders they'd burn up ALL THE DARNED TIME. Then there were other engine issues especially after 100,000 miles. Clutches were lucky to last 50,000~70,000 tops!
These days though a lot of people have gone to the Allison automatic. Thing is, you give up, up to 2 MPG and about 5 MPH on the top end. Although that Allison is absolutely the best automatic heavy duty transmission ever made by mortal man!!!!!
I suppose if you had the 6-speed and a low enough rear gear (or a 2-speed rear) that you could make up for the MPG hit on the highway. (
But you'd still lose it in the city.) It will accelerate like a scalded cat though! :dblthumb2:
rops: I'd roll in that for sure!!! :dblthumb2:
