First of all, thanks a million to everybody who responded on this
topic! All of the information, advice and anecdotes that y'all
provided have been very helpful and interesting. That tow bar TM was
especially interesting! I knew about the ETMs Online site, but I
didn't know that there was a TM covering the tow bar. I notice that it
covers the older style with the reversible clevis, but I'd guess that
it's still over 75% correct with respect to the newer tow bars.
The comments about how fast the 5-ton wreckers aren't, the weight of
the tow bar, and the 20 MPH towing speed limit recommended by the
towbar TM are making me have second thoughts about buying a 5-ton
wrecker or even a medium towbar anytime soon. I think a wrecker would
be a fun toy and would be a nice yard crane, but I don't have my own
yard in which to have a crane yet, it doesn't sound like it would be
the greatest way to tow home a truck from DRMO (especially on a
highway!), and I probably couldn't man-handle the towbar and other
paraphernalia by myself anyway. Sigh.
It was mentioned (maybe on-list, or maybe off-list) that an M816 with
an NHC250 engine would be somewhat less anemic. How long ago did the
production of those begin? Here in Kalifornia, I'm effectively limited
to large MVs that are 25 years or more old, due to weight fees of
about $1000 per year which are waived for vehicles registered as
Historical Vehicles and used in a restricted manner. Unless I can find
one made in or before 1976 and with a form 97 that shows the date (or
at least enough information on the various data plates to convince the
VIN inspector!), I'll need to pass it up for an older truck for that
reason alone.
So, on the one hand, the only "reasonable" (snort!) thing for me to do
would be to put off buying a wrecker until I win the lottery or IPO or
find a rich gal with a mental disorder that makes her like wackos like
me and not mind that I pay more attention to my trucks and my dog, and
then finally retire and buy the Big Ranch in Arizona/Nevada/Utah or
wherever, so I can finally keep my toys in the back yard, rather than
30 miles away in a hangar.
On the other hand, the thought that there are wreckers being
surplussed out through the DRMS for 1/3-1/2 the going rate, and that
they might be the LAST ONES, wreaks havoc with my obsessive-compulsive
personality (hey, you in the back, stop snickering!). Heck, the main
reason I bought that &@^*!& deuce van is because of Mr. Doyle's
dissertation a couple years ago on how Cheap and Good those LAST OF
THEIR KIND deuces at the friendly local DRMO were! Is that the same
sort of insanity that makes some people buy Anything for Which a
Coupon Arrived in the Mail? I'm in big trouble if the packing material
that the USPS guy stuffs in my mailbox to protect all of my important
bills ever starts having "$0.50 off on any green truck over 10,000
pounds GVWR" coupons. Especially if March or Vandenberg start having
free double coupons, or I get suckered into signing up for a Barstow
Club Card.
Darn, I already bid on Ebay for the Big Spanner Wrench I would need to
adjust the hydraulic something-or-other packing on my future wrecker.
Now I HAVE to buy a wrecker! I can't have a Big Wrench with nothing
Big to Wrench!
But I digress... So, does anybody want to talk some reason into or out
of me? :-)
-- Mark J. Blair, KE6MYK <mblair1@home.net> PGP 2.6.2 public key available from http://www.keyserver.net/ Web page: http://www.qsl.net/ke6myk/ DO NOT SEND ANY UNSOLICITED COMMERCIAL EMAIL TO THIS SITE PLEASE SEND PLAIN ASCII TEXT ONLY -- NO HTML OR QUOTED-PRINTABLE
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