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I'm glad you made the jump! You will be happy. I can't say I am a Ford fan, mainly because of the way the local dealers have done us wrong in the past. But, That extended cab really will be nice. It will also be a good wheel base as a happy medium.... you can still get around tight areas ok, and still haul some weight.... not that you'll ever over load it i am sure. I really wouldnt want to be without my tunnel box, and would love it if Dodge would add an extended cab on my next one. Add some heavier springs on the rear and it will be perfect. Dont forget all of the added attachments they offer for the MPL40. They can set it up with an ice spade that can go on the boom. And we have the gooseneck, motorcycle and standard trailer adapters on ours as well. I just ran 145 miles to NY for this Diesel F350 crew cab work truck last week...... never would have wanted to do that trip with a shorter wheel base.

I run a 2015 Dodge 5000 standard cab 4x4 84" CA with a tunnel tool box. The long wheel base is a must. I also have two leafs added to the rear springs. It has an MPL40 on the back. Its about as perfect of an all around truck as I can get. I have the sling, which is a pain and in the way of your view, but when you need it, you really need it, so I wouldnt be caught without it. I hate Ford... sorry guys... but I really wish Dodge would do like Ford and I would go with an extended cab with the 84" CA... I dont want 4 door.... just a little more wheelbase would be nice at times..... although I would just be overloading it anyway... so its prolly best I dont have it. Check out the Renegade that Eds built... its about as perfect of an all around truck that I could think of too. Here is a picture of my 2011 Dodge 5500 towing a 3500 Dodge. Both our 2011 and 2015 are still in service. My 2015 is the same spec.

Always trust your gut! Good call!

We have had a rash of the same.... junkers with no insurance or liability only... then the owners come in acting like we are the bad guy when we tell them they are responsible for covering the bill. People blow my mind. Luckily we had two nice full covered jobs last night.... makes it all not seem so bad.

I am about 2 hours or so south... check with @EdsTowing He has helped me up that way with customers in the past.

Hmmmm. That would be fine by me. Another tow to my shop, indoor storage, then come pick it up from me in your enclosed trailer is what I would tell them. It sure would make a lot of customers unhappy with Harley. We were lucky I guess. Had a harley dealer across the street. They got tired of dealing with picking up customer bikes in their trailer and referred all their customers to us for towing. Funny how guys have a $30,000 bike and get angry that we charge $125 hookup fee for a bike. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Pretty sure we have all been there a time or two. Years back I took a car to NY and brought the keys home with me!!... I wasnt driving back. Had to call and apologize like crazy. Paid to overnight the keys to the dealer. I felt bad, but it was an easy mistake. And over the years too many have locked keys in due to alarms or whatever that I usually take the key out, or at least roll the window down.

Here is one I did a few years ago where I left the sling folded up. Had to go about 150 miles with this one. It was a recovered theft that was involved in a police chase. We ended up delivering it to Chambersburg. This was also before we upgraded rear springs so the rear end of my truck was sagging bad.

Looks good! Nice to see the sling used. I have one on my MPL40 as well, but only used it a handful of times, but it sure comes in handy when i need it. It is a bit hard to see, but Id be a little cautious about that "step" that you are against, but as long as its solid, you are good. I too would pull the arms all the way in. And in many cases, I leave the wheel lift folded down when possible, as it is a real pain to manhandle that sling around everything. But there is plenty of room to suck those arms in and it would ride even better. My truck has a longer wheel base with the tunnel box, and an added 4,000 lbs capacity springs in the rear, so it will handle the heavy loads well.

Perfect!! Thats a great way to do it! I only know a bit about the one we towed, but apparently it was purchased after an accident and the buyer had it fixed and painted this color. After the repairs it still needed to go to the dealer for electrical issue and programming, so thats where we came in. For whatever reason, whoever the body shop normally used was afraid to touch it. Worked out well for us, as the body shop didnt flinch when I gave them a price.

The straps aren't on in the picture, but we do use a 1" motorcycle strap to secure the dollies.

Just after 5pm we were called to Route 100 north of Route 113 for two vehicles after an accident with one overturned. Chris cleared the SUV out of the roadway to open things up for traffic, while Bill and Paul Jr uprighted the overturned vehicle and cleaned up the mess in the hotel entrance. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A few weeks ago just after 9 am we were called to Route 113 and Gordon Drive for a pickup truck and trailer that was disabled, blocking the roadway. We arrived to find a Dodge Diesel pickup pulling a loaded 1,000 gal tank on a trailer. With a police escort, Paul Jr was able to tow the combination back to our storage yard. The trailer was loaded with 1,000 gallons of milk. Our speed was kept around 35 mph on the ride back, and we took advantage of our engine brake and tow mode in our Dodge 5500 MPL40. Luckily we have a tunnel box for some added wheel base and heavier rear springs that made the load manageable. The customer was able to replace a broken fuel line and get back on the road later in the day. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Last week we were called to transport a BMW I8 for a body shop in Clifton Heights. The vehicle had just been repaired and was being towed to BMW for programming. The vehicle was currently locked down with no power. We were requested to use dollies to move the vehicle as it is all wheel drive and stuck in park. Bill was able to transport the vehicle with ease! It was a short 6 mile tow, but it was about 30 miles from us. The body shop had been referred to us after they weren’t able to find someone willing to transport the I8. The starting price of the vehicle is in the $150,000 range. After we assure the shop we were confident in being able to take care of the care, including sending them so pictures of precious jobs we got the OK to get it done. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

About a week ago, just after 7 pm we were called to Pennsylvania Drive just off of Route 100 for an F650 Uhaul truck that was stuck in the mud. We arrived to find that the driver had become lost and attempted to turn around. We were able to winch the truck back to the roadway so they could get on their way. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Another one from Uhaul this afternoon. We got a call about a Corvette that fell off a ramp while attempting to load it onto a Uhaul trailer. The vehicle had been sold and was headed to Virginia. The vehicle had a flat tire and stuck brakes so it was fighting them as they attempted to load the vehicle. We were able to lift the vehicle by using a wrecker on each side. Once it was back on the ramps we were able to winch the vehicle forward. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Paul Jr dropped off this box truck near Newark NJ. It had an electrical issue a few days ago around 4 pm on Planebrook Road in Malvern Pa. The customer called and asked how fast we could get him back to Newark so he could get another box truck. Once we verified their pockets were deep enough, off we went. 220 mile round trip for us in 5.5 hours. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Now that Kat fixed the app so I can post pictures, I guess I’ll need to get to it. Luckily for us we had a quick crash tonight. Just before 730 tonight we were called to Route 100 and Sheree Blvd for two vehicles after an accident. Paul Sr was able to quickly clear the blue Nissan off the roadway from southbound Route 100 and Sheree. It had heavy rear end damage. Paul Jr pulled the white VW off the curb from northbound Route 100. From our understanding the white car had been traveling south but after striking the blue vehicle, it ended up on the other side of the road. Spill Tackle absorbent was used to absorb hazardous fluids that had leaked onto the roadway. No major injuries. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks. Guess now I have to get to posting some pictures! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had been using the Tapatalk App as it was the quickest easy way to upload pics from my phone, but its no longer working for me so I havent posted anything in a while.

Detroit Wrecker was doing alot of refurbish work, and we had talked to them about it a couple years back. After pricing out all we needed done to bring the truck back to what we wanted and the time and all involved as well as getting it to Detroit... we pulled the trigger and built a brand new truck instead. Its a shame Detroit isnt doing the refurbish work anymore, as they really seemed to do a good job, but I cant blame them with the success of building new units. I am not sure where you are located, but I would maybe reach out to @EdsTowing in Northeast PA. I have been watching their facebook page, and they are doing some great refurbish work on pickups and dumptrucks. He might be able to do something for you. They are great to work with.

Update- Click Here Sponsor says he won’t push Pa. bill with $40/day cap for ‘towing storage facility’ The sponsor of a Pennsylvania bill capping daily rates at $40 for any “towing storage facility” said he’s no longer seeking the legislation. “Rep. Ortitay asked that I tell you that the bill is no longer being pursued,” Tracy Polovick, a spokeswoman for sponsoring Rep. Jason Ortitay, R-Cecil Township, wrote in an email Tuesday in response to a Repairer Driven News inquiry on House Bill 880. She said Ortitay didn’t specify a reason for his change of heart. Another representative for Ortitay offered a similar assessment later that day. She didn’t know the reason either, but mentioned that “outside concerns” had arisen about the bill. HB 880 would have added language to the 2012 Towing and Towing Storage Facility Standards Act stating: A towing storage facility may not charge more than $40 per 24-hour period of total daily storage fees for a noncommercial vehicle and the charges shall not accrue beyond three months. The total daily storage fees for a noncommercial vehicle shall be conspicuously posted at the towing storage facility. The 2012 towing law defined “Towing storage facility” as a “location where a motor vehicle has been towed as a result of a motor vehicle accident and is securely stored pursuant to an agreement with the tow truck operator who has towed the vehicle.” HB 880 also says the facility needs to notify the owner of the vehicle’s location. Ortitay, R-Cecil Township, had originally told fellow lawmakers he was seeking to curb “predatory towing practices.” “Recently, a constituent of mine incurred massive storage fees at a towing storage facility, but they were not aware of where their vehicle was being stored until after thousands of dollars in fees had already been accrued,” Ortitay wrote March 10. “My bill would remedy this by placing a good-faith notice requirement on a storage facility to notify a vehicle’s owner of the vehicle’s location. This could be fulfilled simply by mailing a letter to the owner. Additionally, this bill would place a $40 per day maximum on the storage fees. As a point of reference, parking in Center City Philadelphia is $37 per day.” The measure had drawn four other sponsors, split evenly between Republicans and Democrats. It was sent to the House Transportation Committee March 12. Pennsylvania Collision Trade Guild director Steven Behrndt (Crawford’s Auto Center) on Monday argued House Bill 880 would be applied to auto body shop storage as well and described it as an industry concern. Behnrndt argued that “towing storage facility” under the bill would include any location where a vehicle sets, including auto body shops. “It doesn’t matter where it falls,” he said. He felt the legislation would be attractive to insurers amid what he called a trend of cycle times dragged out by photo estimating. Cars sit “week after week after week” without sufficient claims personnel to evaluate them in person, he said. Behrndt also challenged the $40 cap as insufficient for certain areas of the state. He said his Downington, Pa.-based collision repair business has charged $60 a day for storage for the past three years, and “it’s time it goes up anyhow.” Be heard: Pennsylvania lawmaker contact information can be found here. Featured image: Pennsylvania state Rep. Jason Ortitay, R-Cecil Township, is shown. (Provided by Pennsylvania Legislature)

I sure hope you charged enough to cover all that headache! And dont forget to add the Agero fee.....hahah. That ones easily worth a truck payment or so.

From the PA Towing Association: Call for Action ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS Please review the attached link, House Bill 880 that has been introduced by the insurance industry. This bill was introduced on March 12th, addressed to the House Transportation Committee. This bill would act as an amendment to the current Towing and Towing Storage Facility Standards Act, Act of July 5, 2012 P.L. 990, No. 110. We're calling on all of you to notify your local representative and let them know that you're dissatisfied with this bill. Please Read http://www.patowing.com/.../cush.../index_311_3856795590.pdf

We have switched away from wire rope for extensions and gone to synthetic. Its much easier to store and to handle. I buy the small tool bags from home depot or craftsman and put the synthetic rope in them. All of our wreckers and flatbeds carry at least 1 100 foot synthetic extension in their toolbox. Trying to mess around with the Wire extensions can be a hassle. They are alot more bulky and hard to work with.