We have a tow set up for our 42' Country Coach diesel pusher. What wisdom can you all offer to watch for on the tow? We have FMCA Roadside Rescue. We are in the Phoenix Mesa area. Going 40 miles to the repair shop.
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Only have your rig towed via a low boy trailer. PERIOD. NO DISCUSSION.
If they lift your front end they will damage the mechanism that moves your generator in an out. Remember, you don't have an independent front suspension, not a solid axel.. Also, most tow trucks that lift the front, won't be able to handle the weight of your 42' rig. Be sure to check your weight with the tow company. Now if you have a 36 footer, it's a different story.
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Tiffin Wayfarer (now) Past Rigs: Triple E Regency; Country Coach(s) 2008 Affinity 45; 2007 Allure 42; 2005 Inspire 36; 2002 Allure 32
Only have your rig towed via a low boy trailer. PERIOD. NO DISCUSSION.
If they lift your front end they will damage the mechanism that moves your generator in an out. Remember, you don't have an independent front suspension, not a solid axel.. Also, most tow trucks that lift the front, won't be able to handle the weight of your 42' rig. Be sure to check your weight with the tow company. Now if you have a 36 footer, it's a different story.
If they lift the front tires how does it damage generator slide?
Have had my Forza towed twice . First time guys shows up big rig wrecker . and picked the coach up by the front axle and damaged the fiberglass bumper . The coach bounced on the bar ,going down the highway , and put stress cracks in the fiberglass . Had to remove chrome tailpipe extender as rear was very close to hitting the road . Things I learned : Take pic's before and after of front and rear of coach . Closeup of rig under your coach . Never too many pic's . If you sign anything date and time and signature .Copies and tow truck operator name and pic of license ,phone number , so you can call him as you follow him . Second time after accident I requested a flat bed tow . Waited 4 hour for it , but was worth it . Happened in Iowa so did not have to worry about being too high , power lines , over passes ,tree cover ,etc , was close to 15' . With any towing / breakdown get to a safe place for you and coach . Be prepared to wait for right equipment to get to you . Have all you info ready for person on phone . I have tire size ,engine info ,coach weight ,height ,width ready for them . Also know how your coach should be towed, from chassie provider . It can be a good or a bad time .
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Jim 2016 Forza 34 T 2014 Honda CRV
Well, the wrecker that towed me could tow a tank. $600K of tow truck, 40ft long by itself can tow anything.
Just make sure that the wrecker picks it up with the forks under the tires, not by the frame. Make sure the mud flap is secured so it can't hit the ground while on the hook.. Have the driver pull the drive shaft and not pull an axle.
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Don
2002 Country Coach Intrigue
If he goes with a wheel lift , make sure he doesn't raise the front very high. It will damage the tag. If he drops the drive shaft the caps need to be ducktaped tight and we saw a nightmare on here where the shop screwed up putting it back in. Destroyed the transmission. They can pull the axles instead if they have caps to hold the oil in. Messy but safer. Low boy , landal or kozad is best.
Correction to previous post --- "Remember, you ____ have an independent front suspension...."
Damage to the front gen slide shaft, motor, and gen exhaust. Fiberglas facia was also damaged, but that was minor and only visible if you looked under the coach. First tow company, that did the damage, paid for the repair promptly with no dispute.
Second tow company found the damage when the coach was on the trailer.
I will admit it is nerve racking to watch the process of putting a coach on a trailer. Having seen it done 3 times, watching your coach go through the process really gives you pause. In each case, the tow operators were very careful and made all movement of the coach loading in small increments.
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Tiffin Wayfarer (now) Past Rigs: Triple E Regency; Country Coach(s) 2008 Affinity 45; 2007 Allure 42; 2005 Inspire 36; 2002 Allure 32
I thought I would post our experience with the tow and what we learned. It takes great patience first of all. After many phone calls and 2 days waiting we found out that the tow trailer that we needed to clear bridges and lights in Phoenix on the way to repair is called a bus tow trailer. A low boy is too high, the landoll was not long enough but the bus trailer was good. I can't say enough good about Roadside Rescue and their assistance. They were willing to provide us whatever we needed to do the job to our satisfaction. We basically had to find out for ourselves by talking to many tow facilities to find out what trailer we needed and even then the tow facility tried to talk us out of the bus trailor by assuring us lifting the coach would be completed safe. After refusing that and insisting on the bus trailor, Roadside Rescue provided the extra funds needed to the tow facility and the tow preceded without any problems. It is very labor intensive and cost our Roadside Rescue big bucks but they never flinched on the price once we found out what we needed. Again we have a 2002 42 foot Affinity . Highly recommend Roadside Rescue. I dont know how to add in pictures or I would send some along.