Towing box trucks from the rear?

[jacob]

I keep hearing the box will blow apart, the door will blow in and even if you hook to the rear axle you are putting to much of the trucks weight on the front suspension.

 

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[towman2]

We fork them from the rear all day everyday, only time it is a problem is if it is a rusty pos already then they sign a hold harmless or we walk away.

[jacob]

We fork them from the rear all day everyday, only time it is a problem is if it is a rusty pos already then they sign a hold harmless or we walk away.

I am the same way. But i keep getting told that i shouldn't. That the roll up door will blow in and then the wind will blow the box walls and roof off. I have been doing this for a long time and not only has it never happened i have yet to see pics of it happening to someone else. Just wondering if anyone has actually see this or had it happen or is this just one of them old times wives tails. Its alway an old timer saying it. I understand that wagon wheels were not built like box trucks are today but still have to see if it has actually happened to anyone that can show some prof

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[EdsTowing]

That's bullshit....I have towed hundreds over the years. 

[Louwo]

I call shenanigans... never happened to me or even a remote thought of it happening.

[towmaster]

Towed a cube van with rear wheels broken off.  Got to my destination and the roof was gone. I do them strictly from the front now. Jut my 2 cents.

[knightswrecker]

happen to me only with a fiberglass roof

[jacob]

happen to me only with a fiberglass roof

What was the circumstances. What wasn't being towed with how fast back door open or closed photos if you have any.

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Towed a cube van with rear wheels broken off.  Got to my destination and the roof was gone. I do them strictly from the front now. Jut my 2 cents.

What was the circumstances. What wasn't being towed with how fast back door open or closed photos if you have any

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[jacob]

happen to me only with a fiberglass roof

Writing a tow manually for medium and heavy towing so looking for facts, possible causes that would be a guide on how to determine tow methods and maximum limitations.

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Towed a cube van with rear wheels broken off.  Got to my destination and the roof was gone. I do them strictly from the front now. Jut my 2 cents.

Writing a tow manually for medium and heavy towing so looking for facts, possible causes that would be a guide on how to determine tow methods and maximum limitations.

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[towmaster]

cube van was towed with the back door closed at about 60mph down the road.  Was late at night and I ran the freeway but with no traffic I was able to keep the speed below the posted limit.  Had no pictures as I forgot the camera

[knightswrecker]

a piece of roll up back door fell inwards at about 20 mph and the glass roof  blew off in one whole sheet and of course hit a car.

[ecruzllc]

On ‎3‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 4:43 AM, jacob said:

Writing a tow manually for medium and heavy towing so looking for facts, possible causes that would be a guide on how to determine tow methods and maximum limitations.

Sent from my SM-J320V using Tapatalk

Writing a tow manually for medium and heavy towing so looking for facts, possible causes that would be a guide on how to determine tow methods and maximum limitations.

Sent from my SM-J320V using Tapatalk
 

Sell me a copy when you publish it. I always like to be able to teach young tow truck drivers on the proper way to tow based on other's experiences.

[DrDieselUSA]

Hi everyone, 

 

I realize that this is an old post, but I would like to share my thoughts on this topic. I think that there are so many variables that it is impossible to have a one size fits all answer. If you are just doing a short tow across town at low speeds ( max 45 mph ), I think it could be done safely even if it has a fiberglass roof. However if you need to go a longer distance especially on the highway, I would try to avoid towing from the rear with an aluminum roof and I would never rear tow on the highway with a fiberglass roof. 

 

The rear roll up doors on a box truck are not wind and water tight like a sea container. The doors are just to keep the load from falling into the road when the truck is driving and or to keep thieves from stealing the cargo when the truck is stopped. Also the trucks were not designed to go down the highway backwards at highway speeds. This is just like towing a road tractor with fairings from the rear. It will act like a parachute and the wind will get past the door and put a lot of stress on the roof which is the weakest link, causing it to fail and break