How to get towing most economically

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Hello Lew. Good question about my nephew, might be able to utilize him more. It was mostly a curiosity thing. It does stop as well as it jumps, accept when in tow, then it just pushes. NO most cars arent and where exactly is this age threshold? Do you think it will push the bus? Oh ya, he is 30something.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I know of a Prevost owner returning from FL with his brand new Vantare that cut his fuel a little close. He pulled off the interstate to get fuel, but because he misjudged he ran out just as he got across the highway at the end of the exit ramp. He ended up blocking all the lanes of traffic.

He was towing a Dodge Ram pickup and he had a friend with him, so they finally figured out two things for all reading this to learn. First, a Dodge Ram pickup with 4 wheel drive can push a stalled H3 to the side of the highway. One of the guys steered the Prevost, and the other drove the pickup.

The second lesson is that it is a pain in the a$$ to restart a Series 60 if you have run it out of fuel.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Thank you Jon. What did you think of my idea for the braking device. Ya dont have to use a rock, you can use some bar bell weights instead but I know you knew that! Ya know CATERPILLER has primer pumps. When you run them out you just pump them up an they restart absolutly normally. When servicing it I never put dirty fuel in the filters as to risk dirt getting in. Screw them on dry and pump them up. Always wondered why others dont do this.

HAPPY LABORDAY EVERYBODY

[MangoMike]

So Jon would you venture to say that running the fuel tanks dry is a worse sin than empty water tanks?

MM

[Joe Cannarozzi]

O/K Lew now ya got me thinkin. What if someone could figure out how to take one of these full size toads most of us pull and rig it to be used for a pony motor with a remote start and a few other such components. Sure would be nice ta have a little extra push every now and then. Dodge says it can pull 11000lb. It can certianly PUSH the same. Thats about 25% of our total gross weight. What do you think?

I think Ill post this idea at the virtual coach thread


You guys can compete for all the BLING in china. Nothing would be better than being able to be the first one to the top of the mountian! Especially with a bunch of us in route someware and all the 60series boys talking crap!

[MangoMike]

Now Joe, if yoiu really want to get serious about getting up that mountain.

joejet 406_2.jpg

MM

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Notice the 1 degree pitch on the top engine. This is to eliminate the nessessity for wings I like it

[Jon Wehrenberg]

"Ya know CATERPILLER has primer pumps. When you run them out you just pump them up an they restart absolutly normally. When servicing it I never put dirty fuel in the filters as to risk dirt getting in. Screw them on dry and pump them up. Always wondered why others dont do this."

OK Joe. Go lay down and see if Deb can take your temperature. I think you might be delerious.

First, You ain't supposed to run them out of fuel. It's on page one of Diesels for Dummies. Second, maybe I'm reading this wrong, but it suggests putting dirty fuel in the filter is not unusual. I was always of the opinion the reason for changing fuel filters was to get rid of dirt.

And somewhere else you want to have the toad push the coach?

And Mike....running out of fuel tops running out of water. In fact running out of fuel is only second to running out of oil or coolant.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

To have dirty fuel on the wrong side of the filter is not normal. When you are servicing filters and you prime them to put them on, you cant be absolutly for certian that theres no contaminants in the fuel that your pouring in that filter. Where are you getting the fuel from? Is the container absolutly clean? When I service that motor Im able to prime the filters with the prime pump and thus filling the filter with fuel that has gone THROUGH the filter element like it is supposto. Thats what I was refering to.

Riddle: Two dummies run out of fuel. One with a Detroit, One with a Cat. Who gets restarted without removing the filters or the use of eather?

Accept for trying to reasure Ray he could pull a small car with no brakes the rest of the stuff was entertainment, mostly, there might have been a touch of reality there.

[Ray Davis]

Well, the original topic on this thread was getting towing most economically. I want to report that I've just returned from almost 3500 miles, towing my Honda without any major issue.

I will mention one thing, however. I would NOT suggest getting the magnetic lights. Although it made hookup really simple, the cables from the bus to the back lights beat the paint in several places on my car to a scratched up mess. After the first day, Art helped me route the cables inside the car (for the most part), which helped, and I tried putting a soft rag around the cable where it had to be exposed. But, that still didn't work.

I think I will try to do what Kevin suggested, and that is embeded the lightbulbs somewhere in my current light socket area. In that way I don't have to re-wire for the braking system (which wants a relay inline if I'm wiring direct to the real lights)

So, other than the scratching from the wires, everything went extremely well, and it was certainly worth it to have a tow vehicle over the three weeks Kathy and I were on the road!

Thanks for all the advice.

Ray