What tows you when you have a pick-up and large trailer?

[oldryder]

Presently have a DP. Considering the move to truck/trailer. Given unhappy experiences of cost and waiting for the giant tow truck needed for a DP I'm wondering if it's just as bad with a truck/trailer rig.

thanks to anyone taking the time to offer advice.

mark in MN

 

[Old_Crow]

Sounds like what you really need is a better roadside assistance. I've got FMCA, and when we broke down 40 miles west of Needles.CA, it only took them 45 minutes to get a truck to us, and cost me nothing extra for the 80 mile tow to Kingman.
I'm not a DP, I'm a 37' gasser, but they sent a big enough truck that they could have towed a Prevost , had I been in one.

I've heard of stories where people could get their truck towed but the company had no way to tow the trailer. In fact, one of my hosts last year towed his rig to Reno to trade it in. On the way back to the campground, his truck spit the driveshaft out. The CHP called me to find out if I had some way to drag the brand-new trailer off the road, because the tow company couldn't handle both the truck and trailer. Luckily, he bought a bumper pull. I was able to take the company truck and retrieve his trailer. If it had been a 5th wheel, I'm not sure what they would have done.

 

[Lou Schneider]

Any tow company that can recover a big rig tractor and trailer can tow an RV 5th wheel. In a pinch the RV trailer can couple either to a commercial tractor (the pin size is the same) or to the adapter plate the company uses to attach a disabled trailer to their tow truck. It's just a matter of the road service being competent enough to call an appropriate towing company.

If the 5th wheel is too damaged to tow on it's wheels you're looking at having it loaded onto the same kind of large flatbed trailer used for a motorhome.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Given unhappy experiences of cost and waiting for the giant tow truck needed for a DP I'm wondering if it's just as bad with a truck/trailer rig.

In my opinion it's about the same experience, whether good or bad. You need a roadside service that is competent & well-equipped (see the replies of the others) and it's usually worthwhile to be subscribed to an RV assist such as CoachNet or Good Sam to get help and cover the expense.

The availability of a good roadside service can vary a lot with your location and the time you need the service. Sometimes there isn't a service nearby, and sometimes they are busy helping others. Wait times can be anywhere from 30 minutes to many hours.

 

[Memtb]

Mark,
We considered a Class A at one time! But, my paranoia and my intimate relationship with Murphy has kept me with a tow behind or 5th wheel. In other words, I want the most likely source of a highway break down to be separate from my “home”, where much of my personal belongings and possibly expensive are located.
The motorized part (engines, transmissions, brakes, ect) provide the most likely causes of breakdowns!

Most any tow service can get your trailer to an rv park, where you and your belongings can await repairs while living in your “home”! I don’t want to be living in a motel room (extra $) while my motor home and my belongings are living at a shop where I have no direct control over “my stuff!!

Just my opinion on trailers vs motorhomes! memtb

 

[Matt_C]

Mark et al,

If you are going to travel in any RV (it is unlikely I will ever do other), part of being ready is knowing what you have and what you might need. None of the road service companies have any rolling stock of their own. They have computers and phone books and agreements with service providers all over the place. To this end, when you get the agent on the phone, be ready to be certain what you will need.

Most tow trucks these days are either "Wheel Lift" or "Roll Back"
A Wheel Lift truck has a means to lift the front wheels off the ground so the vehicle can be towed. Except that the lift capacity is somewhat limited (a 5000# is about top), they can move most RVs safely and without extending what damage may be.
A Roll Back has a large platform that can be extended and angled to allow an onboard winch to put the vehicle up on to that platform which is then pulled back to the frame. The capacity of these is largely limited to the low 30 foot length.

There are also "Heavy Duty" wreckers that are just huge versions of the tow trucks of all times. If a big MH does not have any rear end issues or damage, this may be a good choice.
The end all of this will be the "Landol" or "LoadAll" trucks. Think of these as a roll back on steroids. The whole trailer can be lowered and the load winched onto the deck for transport.

So, if you are going to travel in your own vehicle that is bigger than a SUV, know all about it.
Know what it weighs as it is today. (Pay the fee for a truck scale if you have to.)
Know how long the rig is from the front bumper to the rear bumper and any overhang.
Know how tall it stands off the road. If it has to go on a carrier, he will have to know where he can't go so he doesn't become a clip on YouTube.

I hope that this makes some readers think and learn.

Matt

 

[John From Detroit]

Sometimes and this depends on if the trailer is a 5er or a TT.

If it is a TT on a ball hitch many Flatbeds can put the tow vehicle on the bed and have a hitch ball adapter or 4 to tow the trailer with...

If it's a 5-er worst case they send two trucks or a tow truck and a tractor. Many tow companies are set up to tow 5-the wheel trailers (not all sadly)

Sometimes they tow them connected but this .... In many cases... is a no-no.