Repaired dollies

[PeakTowing]

Hi, all. I bought a used self loader that came with an old set of Collins dollies.  I replaced a few parts, tires, repacked bearings, and they’re as good as new (I think).  
My only unknown is flex and camber, so I put my personal vehicle up on them to test them out.   (I added air to the tires after this photo was taken). 

When it comes to the flex of the aluminum cross bars and the angle/camber of the tires, does this picture look right?

Thank you for your feedback,

D. 
 

[GRUMPS The Towman]

Being an older set, It is safe to surmise they have had been overloaded once or twice throughout their lives. They look "ok" to me for around town type deals. I would run them.. I have always had a personal limit of 8 -10 mile tows for dollies. If it is going any farther, then roll back or drive line removal it is.. I know there are some guys out there that tow forever on dollies.. Not saying in any way that my way or their way is wrong or right. Idk, just a personal preference for me.   

[PeakTowing]

4 hours ago, GRUMPS The Towman said:

Being an older set, It is safe to surmise they have had been overloaded once or twice throughout their lives. They look "ok" to me for around town type deals. I would run them.. I have always had a personal limit of 8 -10 mile tows for dollies. If it is going any farther, then roll back or drive line removal it is.. I know there are some guys out there that tow forever on dollies.. Not saying in any way that my way or their way is wrong or right. Idk, just a personal preference for me.   

Thanks for the feedback.  I’m the same when it comes to dollies- in town, no interstates, 15 miles or so max.  
I put a pretty good load on them today, 4,000 lb vehicle, seven miles, in a torrential downpour.   Glad to say that they did fine. 

Thanks again for your input,

D.

[GRUMPS The Towman]

Your welcome. If your frames, hubs, bearings etc. are in good shape, You could get yourself a new pair of the Collins tubes or AXLES as most people call them with the + camber ends. I bought a pair last year to replace my old, whooped pair. Brought new life to my old set of dollies and was WAY WAY cheaper than a whole new set of dollies. 

[rreschran]

The wider dollies are set, the more flex that will occur especially under weight. I personally don't care for aluminum dolly bars even though their lighter. The dollies in your picture looks normal. That's a smart move to re-work the working moving parts.      R.

[TowZone]

While the steel dolly bars will handle the weight factor better. The Aluminum Dollies are much easier on the tow operator and when the weight is distributed properly, meaning they are not extended further than necessary. The weight distribution is comparable when not overloaded. Keep in mind just because the steel bars do not bend does not mean there is less stress being asserted to the wheel bearings. This is most most common point of failure for dollies. Those that have bent the aluminum dolly bars have generally over extended them or loaded off center.

 

Due to the weight difference alone I will take the Aluminum Bars any day over steel. 

[rreschran]

Dually noted ...  and THAT'S why I prefer to be in a carrier every day of the week.    R.

[PeakTowing]

36 minutes ago, rreschran said:

Dually noted ...  and THAT'S why I prefer to be in a carrier every day of the week.    R.

Yeah, I’m new to this wrecker with dollies stuff.  Always had a rollback before.   Sometimes I miss it.  

[rreschran]

Dollies are a great tool as long as they are well maintained and tires are inspected regularly. Because dolly racks usually sit atop the wrecker's utility bed, sunlight to the tire's sidewalls is the greatest enemy beyond the bearings. Remember, loaded weight causes friction, friction causes heat, heat causes tire failure and down the come. As Grumps says, short trips around town. Good luck with your wrecker ... make lots of money.     R.

[TowZone]

The preference of being in a carrier compared to the occasional use of dollies is a choice. Since the majority of the tows I conduct are vehicles without keys and often with limited space. The Auto load for tows which in general are under 5 to 7 miles distance is my preference. If the average tow was say 40 miles then I would likely say the roll back would be a preference. I also consider the fact that the time spent in the Danger Zone with a Roll Back is increase by seconds if not a minute. So, again it depends on what type of tows one is conducting on a regular basis that such determine the best equipment to perform the tow.

 

Something I've not been able to determine is the amount of time to drop dollies on a vehicle in the roadway compared to loading on a bed. Which type of equipment exposes the driver to a higher risk factor. To me personally, it might be equal in such a scenario. Any thought's...?

[rreschran]

I tend to agree with you Ron about time spent spent on-scene as either process can get the non-suspecting tower killed. Each type of service niche dictates what the best tool (truck or carrier) is right for the job? As far as risk management goes, I feel dollies are a back injury or mashed fingers waiting to happen when lifting from atop the wrecker body or getting them out from dolly bunks. And, yes, carriers can be a huge risk for operators who choose to work the white-line. When it comes to on-highway calls, taking dollies from the stowed position place operators on the white-line side when stowed in the typical manner. It's a risk and it is a preference to the operator using each kind of equipment. When speaking of Danger Zones, adding required safety chains to towed vehicles requires towers to sometimes lay on their backs to attach them, or, operators are positioned between the wrecker and the towed vehicle just waiting to be pinned. Because of the amount of work done for law enforcement, crashes included. I prefer carriers based on the broader scope of work the carrier can handle as well as debris haul-away. This is a debate that can go on all day long. In all reality,  I think is all comes down to the skills and timing of the individual operator ... practice makes perfect, right?     R.

[repobob]

Regarding the Sunlight damaging the dolly tires. Mine sit in the open p/u bed of my Repo truck & being in Florida I had that problem. While at a Marine dealer one day getting a Vol Repo I saw some Canvas/Nylon tire covers for boat trailers that happened to fit my dolly tires. Problem solved no more Sun cracked tires. Rob

[TowZone]

I keep some type of foam tire shine on mine as a cleaner/protector. Have not seen any dry rot or other cracking. plus they look nice.

[PeakTowing]

One more question if you guys don’t mind.  I repacked the bearings, but only the OUTSIDE set of bearings.   The inside set has a grease fitting.   I assume pumping grease into that fitting with a grease gun until clean grease flows out is all I need to do?   

[TowZone]

Taking the bearings out and repacking them is the best course of action. However, I have found adding Bearing Buddies to the assembly to be a more effective solution to maintaining an adequate amount of grease.   

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0xvs5FT9HI

[GRUMPS The Towman]

Bearing buddies like Tow Zone has displayed above are a great addition to keep grease on the bearings. i use them myself But keep in mind, Nothing is better than pulling those bearings out, cleaning them real good in a parts washer, with brake clean or what have you then inspecting them and repacking them by hand from time to time. I personally do it at least once a year while doing my "A" maintenance on my trucks. The rest of the time they get a shot of grease via the bearing buddies like during my "B" services. I break down my service schedules on my rigs and gear mostly for record keeping purposes. I call them "A" or "B" services. "A" service is the big ones, where EVERYTHING gets gone through. Touched, cleaned, greased, adjusted, rotated, etc.. My "B" services are a bit more simple. Oil/filters, a quick go through, Blah blah blah.. 

[rreschran]

During California's, annual, CHP inspections, there are three specific areas the inspector go to to eliminate tow trucks regarding pass fail 1) smashed, birdnested cable 2) missing safety clips and 3) cracked and rotted sidewalls or worn dolly tires. When tire shine is added to tire sidewalls to make them shiney, it oftentimes attracts the inspector's attention where they take a closer look. There's nothing more questionable for an unwashed wrecker to arrive at inspection with really, really shiney dolly tires. Food for thought.     R.

[TowZone]

I be the one to show up muddy drive tires and shiny dolly tires when the inspector arrives. As for the birds nested wire rope, that sets me off. Even to see it on a unit for sale aggravates me. It takes so little time to keep them neat and tight. Dollies can be a constant maintenance requirement when used regularly. Even when they are not used the have to be inspected regularly. 

[GRUMPS The Towman]

Ugghhh... 😠  Nothing drives me more batty than a bird nested winch line. That is the probably my number 1 thing I use when judging the way another operator performs his duties. It is a sure sign of laziness and incompetence in my opinion.  Dolly tires are a big thing that get overlooked by operators during pre-trip or service intervals . They take a ton of abuse and are so often overlooked maintenance wise until one fails on you. ( been there, done that ) Its almost funny being that those dolly tires are relatively inexpensive and easy to replace. Just another one of those "lessons learned"

[yoBdaBenO]

Most folks I've seen want as much for a used set as they get for a new set. But, the used trucks we;ve bought came with like new dollies and didn't seem to add to the price over trucks without them. Inspect them regularly and you should get good life out of them. As TowZone said Bearing Buddies. Those are worth every penny...

[someotherplace]

All tires lose air over time; small tires lose it faster!  Keeping up with the tire pressure on your dollies is important.  It doesn't take long for them to get dangerously low.  Every couple of weeks (minimum) I go around the truck and check/adjust all 10 tires, 11 if I've got a dolly spare in the box.

 

Every time I use the dollies, a quick feel of the hubs and tires when dropping them down will also point out any obvious issues such as impending bearing failure or a low tire.

 

Richard

Edited July 27, 2020 by someotherplace