Chuckud

Length of bed from winch to rear of bed 18ft 10 inches,  TOTAL WEIGHT with 250 lb driver, full of fuel & gear 13885.

We DID NOT purchase this truck intending to haul 1 ton dually diesel crew cabs, ( we have other flatbeds for those jobs)  but as I have previously mentioned, we all know how it goes in this business.  The heaviest thing thus far was a Ram 2500 4dr diesel Mega Cab & it did ok with that. (Better than expected)

That was dispatched as a "Ram pickup" & it was a short 8 mile tow, soooo I did it.

I had started looking in early October & had given up in late November.  Then my wife asked if she could search for a new truck for me, (if you happen to be lucky like me, you know how they are when it comes to shopping DETERMINED! ) The next morning she had located 4 F550 chassis.  I called the dealer, (Fallsway) told them what I wanted, & they delivered a finished truck in 3 weeks! 

 We have our new carrier almost complete.  6.7 diesel, 4x4 XLT.  Went with aluminum because of weight & I like the way it looks.  This unit has nearly 4500 miles on it & is averaging 12.5 mpg.  The 72 inch boxes provide enough room for all of my equipment.

Soooo,  the question is:  will it outwinch you Cougar?  Inquiring minds need to know...

I occasionally handle payouts/tows for Agero & our policy is & has been as follows: 1. Get vcc & auth for charges BEFORE even dispatching the call.  2.  Run vcc for FULL AMOUNT (tow + payout + cc fees) before dispatching call.

Once vcc has been processed, proceed with the assignment, complete, then: 3. email all documents to Agero.  

They have ALWAYS been good as long as We follow these procedures.  

I recently purchased a F550 diesel 4x4 Jerr Dan 20 foot XLP aluminum carrier...my thoughts are this;  Cars, Suvs & 1500 series pickups on the deck, it does VERY WELL!

2 vehicles are do able BUT

they should not be heavy.

We have used UD 1800 & 2000 21 FT carriers for 30 years (18k & 19.5k gvw) & they perform much better with 2 vehicles than the F550(19.5k gvw) does.

However, the F550 rides & handles well & has more than adequate power & braking.  The load angle is good & it is stable with a load on it.  The largest load thus far was a Ram 2500 mega cab diesel & it handled it better than I expected.  Just my 2 cents..

Also,  I didn't purchase this truck to haul 2 vehicles frequently....but we ALL know how it goes in this business....

Happy to still be here!

Transported this 56 Cadillac this morning to its new owner.  Pretty nice near original car.  

I usually dont have to do a double pick depending on whether its on pavement or soft ground...only clears steering linkage by a  1/2 or less on pavement..Soft ground usually requires me to winch onto rampboards (4x6x12") or double pick it.

I use a set of " super duty " axle forks that are half round & fit the 450 & 550 front axles well.  

I agree with Ed on the class 3 hitch hookup.  I have done that without any issues many times.  

_Loaded & delivered this 55 chevy to restoration shop. Pretty nice car its age!

Called to move a "Snap On"

Box today...this is what it was.  A Mr Big, 18 feet long, 10 sets of casters near 7 ft tall. Owner of box was impressed & tipped very well.

I was hooking up a car in Maryland today & happened to glance under the guardrail & found a wheelgrid...

I am sure that someone knows who lost it as I am sure it cost someone dearly... pm me with a description & we will see if we can re unite it with its owner...

We will reward our operators who go *above & beyond* what is expected of them with a company paid for dinner for them,  (Spouse or significant other included).

We also look customer compliments & will give that operator preference in leaving early or days off if requested. We believe in order to keep the best operators that money alone won't do it.  They need to see that they are appreciated!

Chiggers can be treated with kerosene or nail polish remover on the blister.

We use Fels naptha (aka brown soap) after exposure to poison ivy , oak, or sumac, wash with cold water ONLY! Its cheap & available at most WalMarts in the laundry section...knock on wood, always works so far.

We will also continue the "no riders" policy as well.

When we recieve a call, we inform the customer of our policy, & instruct them to set up alternate transportation.

But, we also will not leave someone on the side of the road.  I've set up a cab for several customers, as well as contacted LE to facilitate transportation.

Still here!

Here

Our mostly Buick customer/collector had us take this to the paint shop for a new paint scheme..

That new heavy of yours looks sweet!

Loaded this tonight for a broken left rear spring. Left rear tire was almost bottomed out in the wheel well.

Thank you very much!

This info was handy today!

I think Maryland Carrier sales in Baltimore sells them.

Photo for representation only

We have a new operator so we send him on an easy call.  The 2500 Silverado is parked near a cattle barn with no brakes.

I instructed him on the details & sent him on his way..  About 45 minutes later, I get the call that we all dread, " do you have a truck going to..." So my heart sinks, waiting to hear the bad report on our new operator. 

The gentleman on the phone says " the driver is driving very well, but I would like to let you know that a orange cat crawled out from under the truck on your flatbed, walked to the side of the bed, looked down & quickly returned to under the truck on the bed" .

I call the new operator to report the cat hiding within his cargo & he tells me that he just unloaded the truck, after the 15 mile tow. I instruct him to let the shop know, & I will call the customer.  The customer was not concerned as he described the cat in question as a "Barn Cat" & he had too many of them  anyway.

So our new guy reports the "refugee cat" to the shop & much to everyone's surprise, when they opened the hood, the cat wouldn't come out & seemed pretty upset, growling & hissing at anyone who got close!  Our new operator left the truck and the cat for the shop to deal with & he is now known as the "Cat Wrangler".