• JThw8
  • JThw8
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  • From: Mullica Hill, NJ
  • Registered: 2009-06-10
  • Posts: 1,781

Topic: While thrashing on the car dont neglect your tow vehicle!!!!

My PSA of the week.  We all get so wrapped up in making sure the car is ready that sometimes we forget to do a quick check of the tow vehicle.

We're heading out of NJ to Fla for GRM on Wednesday so this week I decided to take a look at the tow vehicle (93 Chevy C3500 1 ton quad cab dually for reference)

Yeah...hydroboost was leaking, nothing like loosing power steering and brakes all at once while towing.

Then the brakes themselves....this might have been an issue

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs650.snc4/61014_10150296451830121_707995120_15064651_3548657_n.jpg

Caliper is siezed up solid.  The problem with a big torqey 454 tow vehicle is it just powers through it and you dont realize you have a stuck brake.

The upside is with GM parts you can get a loaded caliper for the same price or less than a new set of pads.  Wish the hydroboost was cheap too but ahhh well its done now and we may live to fight another day.

http://wartburg.misfittoysracing.com
OTTER: "I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part."
BLUTO: "We're just the guys to do it."

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  • Dave
  • Dave
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  • From: PGH PA
  • Registered: 2009-10-09
  • Posts: 993

Re: While thrashing on the car dont neglect your tow vehicle!!!!

Wile out on a tow today my clutch started to slip, good thing it manifested now instead of in 2 weeks on my way to Gingerman

It Ain't My Fault

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  • OMGuar
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  • Registered: 2010-09-01
  • Posts: 320

Re: While thrashing on the car dont neglect your tow vehicle!!!!

That's the main reason I started buying new vehicles..  After working thousands of hours to build/restore some old lump there wasn't time to do proper maintinance on an old tow vehicle as well.
Don't forget most of us have to work a full time job and raise a family. IF you neglect your family the personal cost will be tremendous.. Not to mention not having the children properly prepared for society..
Race new cars and drive old lumps or drive new cars and race old lumps. IT's all about time management..

  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 1,640

Re: While thrashing on the car dont neglect your tow vehicle!!!!

Good timing, on Saturday I performed an oil/filter change, trans fluid/filter change, flushed coolant, and replaced the front oxygen sensors on my tow rig. I'll be towing my race car about 1200 miles in the next couple of months so I wanted to make sure it's ready.

The Homer: Powerful like a gorilla, yet soft and yielding like a Nerf ball.
  • JThw8
  • JThw8
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Re: While thrashing on the car dont neglect your tow vehicle!!!!

OMGuar wrote:

That's the main reason I started buying new vehicles..  After working thousands of hours to build/restore some old lump there wasn't time to do proper maintinance on an old tow vehicle as well.
Don't forget most of us have to work a full time job and raise a family. IF you neglect your family the personal cost will be tremendous.. Not to mention not having the children properly prepared for society..
Race new cars and drive old lumps or drive new cars and race old lumps. IT's all about time management..

Its a fine therory if you have the money to do so.  For myself my tow vehicle gets used about 3-6 times a year at most, I sure cant justify the cost of a new one even if I can afford it.

And even new vehicles are not exempt from maintenace so its always good to give things a check.

http://wartburg.misfittoysracing.com
OTTER: "I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part."
BLUTO: "We're just the guys to do it."

JThw8's Website

  • From: Baltimore, MD
  • Registered: 2010-05-20
  • Posts: 1,745

Re: While thrashing on the car dont neglect your tow vehicle!!!!

FYI Enterprise rents Dodge and GM quadcab 3/4-tons with Class 5 hitches now. It might be cheaper just to rent one than to fix an tugboat every damned time you need to use it.

Driver, Pit Monkey, Rod Buster and Engine Fire Starter
Team FinalGear
  • OMGuar
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  • Registered: 2010-09-01
  • Posts: 320

Re: While thrashing on the car dont neglect your tow vehicle!!!!

JThw8 wrote:
OMGuar wrote:

That's the main reason I started buying new vehicles..  After working thousands of hours to build/restore some old lump there wasn't time to do proper maintinance on an old tow vehicle as well.
Don't forget most of us have to work a full time job and raise a family. IF you neglect your family the personal cost will be tremendous.. Not to mention not having the children properly prepared for society..
Race new cars and drive old lumps or drive new cars and race old lumps. IT's all about time management..

Its a fine therory if you have the money to do so.  For myself my tow vehicle gets used about 3-6 times a year at most, I sure cant justify the cost of a new one even if I can afford it.

And even new vehicles are not exempt from maintenace so its always good to give things a check.

Tow car is pretty lose definition.
   For decades you could see me towing my race car around the country with the latest S10 Blazer. Big tandem axle enclosed  trailer, much, much, bigger than the little S-10 pulling it.. 2.8 litre engine untill chevy finally came out with the 4.3 V6 (hint make your own trailers, design them well and they will weigh a lot less than most trailers you can buy)..  (I want my next enclosed trailer to weigh only 800#'s  I believe I can do it too!
Coast to coast across the rockies, I hauled it..  Only trouble I ever had was some jerk at a weigh station who didn't understand that Minnesota doesn't have cab cards..  (phone call to a lawyer friend had him saying sir to me and apologizing) God it's nice to have a lawyer as a friend!

I get new S10's every few years because They were an expense I could write off.  If I didn't I paid taxes on more income. 
I'm not giving tax advice here but since the potential is there to make money racing  you might be able to write off the expense of Lemons racing.. Check with a tax guy..

  • OMGuar
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Re: While thrashing on the car dont neglect your tow vehicle!!!!

EyeMWing wrote:

FYI Enterprise rents Dodge and GM quadcab 3/4-tons with Class 5 hitches now. It might be cheaper just to rent one than to fix an tugboat every damned time you need to use it.

What!
Me rent something?
NO way!
That would eliminate my denability.
I really don't want to know what my addiction costs me..  (addiction to racing)
The rental form would clearly have it.
   There is a good reason you insert your credit card before you buy gas!
that way if you don't want to you don't have to look at how much you just spent. 
  Darn rental counters/ online rental make all those numbers up front so you can't deny knowing..
   Spread building the car among many months of credit card recepts and it doesn't hurt much at all!
OH yeh dear, I spent a couple of hundred for some parts for the car! (careful NOT to explain which car) for maximum domestic tranquility.

  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 1,640

Re: While thrashing on the car dont neglect your tow vehicle!!!!

EyeMWing wrote:

FYI Enterprise rents Dodge and GM quadcab 3/4-tons with Class 5 hitches now. It might be cheaper just to rent one than to fix an tugboat every damned time you need to use it.

Twice I've rented trucks from Enterprise with the hope of being able to tow and twice they did not come with a trailer hitch or any wiring, so YMMV.

The Homer: Powerful like a gorilla, yet soft and yielding like a Nerf ball.
  • From: Mini-so-ta
  • Registered: 2010-09-08
  • Posts: 1,181

Re: While thrashing on the car dont neglect your tow vehicle!!!!

Thanks for this post...you just inspired me to take some time to finally do the brakes on the ol' wagon before yet another cross-country trip on its warp-o-matic rotors.

It's very easy to let the other cars go while working like a fiend on the Lemon...

Former chief proprietor and lead bad idea generator of Binford "More Power" Racing, 2010-2013: humbly self-proclaimed the best Chevy Beretta in Lemons history.
  • ronman
  • ronman
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  • From: Orlando, FL
  • Registered: 2009-09-15
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Re: While thrashing on the car dont neglect your tow vehicle!!!!

This reminds me I need to do the front brakes (again) on the Cummins and flush the hydroboost system and brakes.

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  • Registered: 2009-10-07
  • Posts: 105

Re: While thrashing on the car dont neglect your tow vehicle!!!!

I usually use my 1994 Chevy 3500 4x4 extended cab to tow to events in Texas.  When we went to Denver this summer to run the BFE GP from Dallas I came to the realization that my 2010 Toyota Tacoma 4 door with the tow package could more than handle the trailer and car weighing in at 3500 lbs and would get at least 50% better fuel economy (Not hard at 8-10 mpg). 
Having purchased the new Hydro boost, a motor rebuild, a transmission rebuild, new paint, new tires, new... the list goes on and on for a vehicle that I drive literally 2500 miles a year I wonder if I should keep it... Exept it is paid for!  I so want to upgrade to a deisel but keep thinking way more money for maintance and I don't drive it enough for the payout?  Thoughts on anyone having made the switch here?
I am really enjoying this topic because I thought I was the only one that had to deal with tough choices like towing with the mini truck (fun experience in it's self) or paying to keep the big block beast running. Love to hear others thoughts on this keep the comments coming guys...

Organizer's Choice Houston Yee-Haw Its Lemons 08', DNF Houston Yee-Haw Its Lemons 09'
Ugly Class 3 Winner Houston Gator-o-Rama  10', Ugly Class 3 Winner BFE Colorado 10', Ugly Class 3 Winner Texas World Speedway 12, We got Screwed Winner ECR 14', Barely Finished MSR 14' took a few years off but trying like hell for IOE in 2017!
  • From: Sherman Oaks CA
  • Registered: 2009-08-16
  • Posts: 422

Re: While thrashing on the car dont neglect your tow vehicle!!!!

LTDScott wrote:
EyeMWing wrote:

FYI Enterprise rents Dodge and GM quadcab 3/4-tons with Class 5 hitches now. It might be cheaper just to rent one than to fix an tugboat every damned time you need to use it.

Twice I've rented trucks from Enterprise with the hope of being able to tow and twice they did not come with a trailer hitch or any wiring, so YMMV.

I think he means enterprisetrucks.com, the same division that rents the box trucks for movers.

  • From: Baltimore, MD
  • Registered: 2010-05-20
  • Posts: 1,745

Re: While thrashing on the car dont neglect your tow vehicle!!!!

priapism wrote:

I think he means enterprisetrucks.com, the same division that rents the box trucks for movers.

Yeah. Those would be the ones. They usually sit on the same locations around here, though.

Driver, Pit Monkey, Rod Buster and Engine Fire Starter
Team FinalGear
  • Quiky
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  • Registered: 2010-01-27
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Re: While thrashing on the car dont neglect your tow vehicle!!!!

We managed to get a 2011 Chevy 2500HD as a rental from enterprise with the class 5+brake controller. 500 miles on the odometer at the time we picked it up. $600 to rent it for 7 days+insurance.  Didn't ask for a business name or anything, just took my information, charged my card, and gave me the keys.
Two weeks prior, we had a 2010 Dodge 2500 from the same location.  Brake controller+hitch, and the 5.7 hemi.
They only rent gas trucks now, due to too many idiots putting gas into their diesels.

http://pic.phyrefile.com/q/qu/quiky/2010/09/03/trailerhemi.jpg

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  • From: Choctaw, Oklahoma
  • Registered: 2009-11-12
  • Posts: 2,145

Re: While thrashing on the car dont neglect your tow vehicle!!!!

Don't neglect your wife's vehicle either. I finally got around to replacing the brakes on my wife's Accord. They were about the same thickness as the lead photo. Also had to replace the rotors. There goes my engine budget!