What is best way to move a dead truck?

[yukionna]

We are using a car carrier this weekend to pickup a '66 Chevy truck that is not driveable. Any opinions out there on the best way to:

1) Get the truck onto the car carrier?
2) Get the truck off the car carrier and into the barn?

P.S.
The truck does have all its wheels and can be put in neutral but there is no steering except for manually pushing the wheels into the right direction.

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by yukionna

We are using a car carrier this weekend to pickup a '66 Chevy truck that is not driveable. Any opinions out there on the best way to:

1) Get the truck onto the car carrier?
2) Get the truck off the car carrier and into the barn?

P.S.
The truck does have all its wheels.

I can tell you how NOT to do it
We usually use either a come along or an electric winch of some sort to get the truck on the trailer, getting it off is usually the easy part. Just get it rolling and off it goes.

Aaron

[str8strm]

a come along? lots of friends and chock blocks?

[yukionna]

There is the "challenge" of course on the uphill "push" to get it up the car carrier ramps. Plus we have a "challenge" when we arrive home as the driveway has a 20 degree slope "up" into the barn.

[overlander63]

I have a 6,000 pound electric winch to pull dead vehicles onto trailers. It uses a 12 volt car battery, and cost about $130. You can anchor it to the tow vehicle, and a support in the barn. It may take a little time to make the movement, but is much easier than resorting to manual labor.

[yukionna]

Originally Posted by overlander63

I have a 6,000 pound electric winch to pull dead vehicles onto trailers. It uses a 12 volt car battery, and cost about $130.

Nice! I think that is the way to go. Where is a good place to buy one in that price range? I saw that Home Depot had a WARN Works one for $500 but that is more than I want to spend.

WARN Works
3200 AC-R Powered Winch & Integrated Carrier
Model 653200
$497

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by yukionna

Nice! I think that is the way to go. Where is a good place to buy one in that price range? I saw that Home Depot had a WARN Works one for $500 but that is more than I want to spend.

WARN Works
3200 AC-R Powered Winch & Integrated Carrier
Model 653200
$497

Try Northern Tools or Harbor Freight

Aaron

[Chuck]

oh, no, not ANOTHER one??!?!

yeah, a winch is probably the way to go....surprised you don't already have one, what with all those other toys...
Sam's club has something, I think. can't remember the weight rating on it, though.

[dwightdi]

They have manual winches that they use for boat trailers at most marinias. I have at least two of them. Usually use cables or straps for take - up. Rated at 1200 lbs and only takes a manual crank to run them. Should be able to by one for under $50 new for a good one.

[yukionna]

Originally Posted by Chuck

oh, no, not ANOTHER one??!?!

Yes.
I was trying to sneak this one in under your radar.
But I forgot you are a mod and see everything!

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by yukionna

Nice! I think that is the way to go. Where is a good place to buy one in that price range? I saw that Home Depot had a WARN Works one for $500 but that is more than I want to spend.

WARN Works
3200 AC-R Powered Winch & Integrated Carrier
Model 653200
$497

eBay: NEW 12 VOLT WINCH - 6000 POUND ROLLING! + MOUNTING KIT (item 190100385170 end time Apr-06-07 17:38:59 PDT)
There are several on there, this is the one I have.
I bought mine from Bumper to Bumper auto parts, they may have one in the store.

[safari57]

Come-a-longs work great if you have one, or two, with straps or chain to makeup the difference. Boat winches also work well if you've got one and can quickly build a base to mount it. For moving around on cement put a floor jack under the rearend. Kick or twist the front tires and it's easier to do this with the truck in motion. Keep wheel chocks close at all times or it can get away quick (blocks of wood work fine, so do old exhaust manifolds - What??? you don't have any of those laying around? ). And friends - what else are they for but to call on in your time of need.

Take pictures. They are always great fun to look at later and as my wife says after watching us load and unload cars a few times, they are also good for the coroner when we get stupid .

Take care, if it doesn't look safe it probably isn't, and if it's not that far get a price from a local tow company. You might be surprised if you compare the costs, your effort, the potential for damage to all concernd, versus just having it hauled in and dropped off. There's folks who pick up old cars out of yards and take them to the scrap yard and one of them may do this as well for a reasonable price. In that case just make sure they can deliver it without destroying it.

Barry

[rgesch]

Or, you can hire her:

[bjond]

I have one that looks like the ebay one and it works. Its made to hook over a trailer hitch. I had a receiver tube welded to the front of my car hauler trailer for this. I paid about $70 for it. I think Harbor Freight has them also.

[FreshAir]

For about $50 at most auto part stores is a 12v electric trailer hitch winch. They work pretty good. I have used mine to drag some sizeable logs up a hill.They are rated at 2000 lbs rolling so you 'may' have to inch the vehicle up the ramp a bit unless you can arrange it to go down to the ramps on say a driveway slope. To get it off just untie, back up and stop quickly (just kidding). Do get a couple other sets of helping hands.
Neil.

[eubank]

Last summer when I had the MG painted (totally stripped), I used a flatbed and a regular crank-style winch to get the car to and back from the paint shop. It was slow, but probably the way to go, given that this was a one-time operation.

Lynn

[Alumatube]

A winch or several folks pushing should be enough to get it up on the trailer--be sure to leave the trailer connected to the tow vehicle and the jack foot down. A little $20 boat winch should be fine for this (check the weight range). I used one of them for several years to get my racecar on and off my first trailer. You may want to jack the trailer tongue up some, depending on the angle of the ramps to the trailer. Once the front wheels are on the trailer you can let it down some or all of the way. Try to distribute the weight over the trailer wheels so you don't overload or over-unload the tongue.

PLEASE be sure to strap the truck down very carefully to the trailer. Do not strap the body to the trailer--it needs to ride on its suspension like it would on the street. Good strapping/chaining points are around the axles, around good solid frame members, or at towing loops or hooks. Don't strap at sharp edges that can cut through the straps with the motion from towing. You can also get those "bonnet" straps that go over the wheels, if you don't like the other way of strapping. You should leave the vehicle in neutral on the trailer once it is strapped down securely.

Since you have an uphill angle at the drop-off point, you can chain/strap/rope the back of the truck (axle, frame, *maybe* bumper depending on how solid it is) to something on or near the barn and ease the trailer forward to get the truck off. Saves a lot of effort winching. Be sure to have someone watching in the back to make sure nothing goes awry, and clear communications between the watcher and the driver of the tow vehicle. (If the jack foot is down on the trailer it may gouge the surface of the driveway unless it is a slider foot or wheel, so be careful.) Another way to get a vehicle off a trailer if it is downhill or flat and you have a rail at the front of your trailer is to use a long rope, wrap it one or two turns around the rail, then attach it to the vehicle on the trailer. Have someone push the vehicle off the trailer while you control the rate of descent with the rope (wear gloves!). Easy squeasy!

I have pushed, pulled, shoved, drug, driven and placed vehicles on trailers hundreds of times (between autocrossing, vintage racing, acquiring or selling vehicles, and hauling for friends), and I am paranoid about it each time. I have seen too many trailer/load problems that I NEVER want to have happen to me! Use your head and a good dollop of common sense and you will be fine.

Susan

[safari57]

And make sure to tell us what you ended up doing and how it went and include pictures .

Any time a parts car/truck/trailer comes home is exciting, in my life at least.
Barry

[yukionna]

Thanks to everyone for all the great advice. We are off shortly to start our adventure and will follow-up later with a story and photos.

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by yukionna

Thanks to everyone for all the great advice. We are off shortly to start our adventure and will follow-up later with a story and photos.

Don't forget to leave the video camera running...might be worth $10,000

Aaron