Dolly bar chock/spike?

[Orcas Tow]

Theres times when you need to load a rig with a flat on dollies, I have a small rubber triangular chock that I set under the rear dolly cross bar,  push the flat on top of the rear cross bar, install front cross bar tight then roll the flat in-between the bars, set up dollies & go. Sometimes that rubber chock/dolly bar slides as Im trying to push the flat up on the rear bar. I'm going to fabricate a spike or steel wedge that will bite the road for loading flats on dollies. Something simple, a piece of angle iron with a tab on the top ramp so it prevents the cross bar from sliding & over the angle. Anyone seen one made before? Ill share when Im done & have perfected;)

Edited September 21, 2020 by Orcas Tow

[ESC]

I keep a jack stand in my truck and I use it when loading a flat tire onto dollies.  Basically I lift the car, and set it on the stand.  I then setup the dollies with the axles as close as they could go to keep it tight so the tire doesnt slide through.  If its only one flat, I try to load the flat tire on my wrecker rather than the dollies though.

[rreschran]

Hi Uzek ... I admire your creativity and ideas like your are why great tow and recovery products are developed. But, Esc's trick is one that's been around forever during the old pole and pan dolly days. With jack stands ... the "teeter totter", technique is quick and easy, but obviously requires the wrecker to be equipped with a pair of stands. But, there is a downside where the application might make an OSHA investigator cry.     R.

[GRUMPS The Towman]

I get what your saying. I do it similar to your way when there is no other way around it. I made a wheel chock out of a 6"x 6" block of wood, Then screwed a handful of hex headed sheet metal screws into the bottom of it so the heads of the screws to act as "teeth". They work pretty good on most surfaces. Some concrete areas give me fits at times. 

[Orcas Tow]

5 hours ago, GRUMPS The Towman said:

I get what your saying. I do it similar to your way when there is no other way around it. I made a wheel chock out of a 6"x 6" block of wood, Then screwed a handful of hex headed sheet metal screws into the bottom of it so the heads of the screws to act as "teeth". They work pretty good on most surfaces. Some concrete areas give me fits at times. 

Yes, that's similar to what I use now, mine are a bit smaller & works most of the time, Im hoping to find something that works 100% of the time without fail. I had a Volvo wagon wreck the other night on a steep incline that was well off the roadway & had to be recovered to the road. Being a small owner operator I very rarely have backup & very rarely go back for the flatbed after recovery as our island roads are narrow & windy with many blind corners so leaving a wreck in the roadway for any length of time is asking for a secondary accident. The Volvo had flats front & rear with one front lower control arm ripped from the mounts. I picked the front & dollied the back, I spent a few extra minutes trying to keep the cross bar planted when pushing the flat up on the bar, a few minutes extra is too many in our world.

[Orcas Tow]

14 hours ago, ESC said:

I keep a jack stand in my truck and I use it when loading a flat tire onto dollies.  Basically I lift the car, and set it on the stand.  I then setup the dollies with the axles as close as they could go to keep it tight so the tire doesnt slide through.  If its only one flat, I try to load the flat tire on my wrecker rather than the dollies though.

I agree & have used stands or blocking for the seesaw method in the past but Im nervous doing that method with many of todays frameless vehicles unless it was a total, also a level road on my narrow mountainous road island is a rarity.

[someotherplace]

I've used a rubber tire chock for this many times and results vary, as you've found.  If it's sealed asphalt or loose dirt, it's just going to slide.

 

 If the situation allows it, I'll assemble the dollies behind the vehicle, which allows for me to easily place the axles as close to the inside setting as possible for the flat, and then before I pop up the dollies - I'll roll the vehicle backwards onto the axles, using the boom extension so I have a nice, slow, controlled approach that I can watch and stop immediately if anything gets out of place.

 

Unloading is as simple; extend into the drop area then lower the dollies, retract to roll off of them.

 

It obviously doesn't work for every scenario but it has got me out of a jam more than once!

 

Richard

Edited September 22, 2020 by someotherplace

[Orcas Tow]

I had a couple hours today & started the first set of 4 for both my wreckers.

 

 

Started out with a 3x3 angle iron, had some 1/4" T100 plate, cut the T100 4" long x 4" wide, put some teeth on one edge, was going to weld but though it better to bolt first in case something needed adjusting down the road.

 

 

 

 

Left a bit of the T100 hanging over the top of the angle so the dolly bar could not over ride. It appears from a couple tests that they work great for chip seal, gravel or dirt but would probably skip on concrete like pictured,

 

 

 

 

The small rubber chocks work well on the concrete, so Ill have both on hand.

 

 

 

 

I also loaded loaded images over at my facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Orcas-Auto-Tech-Inc-DBA-Orcas-Towing-101133003263084/photos/?tab=album&album_id=3583004888409194

[someotherplace]

Nice work!  Let us know how they perform in the field.. though they look like they'll do fine.

 

Richard

[rreschran]

They're coming along nicly Uzek. Thanks for sharing.      R.

[Orcas Tow]

Ive used these a few times for loading dollies on uneven surfaces, flats, etc... a quick throw down of these chocks & I dont see having to sling a heavy floor jack to set a wheel in dollies ever again, makes me happy:)