Possible Rollback Purchase

Hollywood Ball · Apr 18, 2019

I’m considering starting a towing/hauling business on the side and may be in the market for an F-550 rollback truck towards the end of the year.

If you or someone you know is in the business of selling, let me know. Must be NEW, for tax planning purchases and won’t be acquired until December, also for tax planning purposes.

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welder516 · Apr 18, 2019

Chesapeake Ford will have new ones (Reosedal) , And the International company off Sulphur Spring Road (Arbutus)

We are down to one and had two at one time , the trucks saturated the market a few years back with every Tom , Dick & Harry running them and depressed the market . Might be better now .

I hardly ever run our for hire , only use it for our jobs .

I just noticed you are in NC & WV the places i mentioned are no good then (Sorry)

John from MD · Apr 18, 2019

http://www.danzibrothersinc.com/

This is a small, family owned business and I have known these guys for 30 years and they are as honest as they come. Above that, they are shooters, hunters, collectors and bikers to boot. They may be a ride from where you live but they are worth the ride. Rob is also one of the best mechanics I have met. He can fix airplanes, cars, guns, you name it.

traveller · Apr 18, 2019

The other day I was hanging out in PG while my kid attended a band practice. Saw a guy running a tow business using a Ford 'E' conversion van (classic 'shaggin wagon' ) and a tilt-top trailer. To load a car, he would bring out a car battery and clamp on the winch with on with big alligator clips from a set of jumper cables. Sparks flying, car came up on the deck sideways, quite a show to behold.

motorcoachdoug · Apr 18, 2019

Hollywood , If you are going to start a tow/hauling business what type of truck do you want? and what do you want to haul?? do you want to haul cars and or tow a trailer? Might want to look into getting a jerr Dan Rollback. They can be set up not only to haul vehicles but can be set up to tow trailers as well. Also what kind of amber lighting do you want on said vehicle? I have experience in driving rollbacks and towing trailers behind it as well. If you are going to be over 10,000 lbs you will have to get at least a DOT medical card plus US DOT numbers and so forth. Shoot me a PM if you want any type of help..

Hollywood Ball · Apr 18, 2019

welder516 said:
Chesapeake Ford will have new ones (Reosedal) , And the International company off Sulphur Spring Road (Arbutus)

We are down to one and had two at one time , the trucks saturated the market a few years back with every Tom , Dick & Harry running them and depressed the market . Might be better now .

I hardly ever run our for hire , only use it for our jobs .

I just noticed you are in NC & WV the places i mentioned are no good then (Sorry)

I am, but there’s no place in MD that’s too far for a good deal.

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Hollywood Ball · Apr 18, 2019

motorcoachdoug said:
Hollywood , If you are going to start a tow/hauling business what type of truck do you want? and what do you want to haul?? do you want to haul cars and or tow a trailer? Might want to look into getting a jerr Dan Rollback. They can be set up not only to haul vehicles but can be set up to tow trailers as well. Also what kind of amber lighting do you want on said vehicle? I have experience in driving rollbacks and towing trailers behind it as well. If you are going to be over 10,000 lbs you will have to get at least a DOT medical card plus US DOT numbers and so forth. Shoot me a PM if you want any type of help..

Thanks! I’m tentatively looking at F-550 trucks with around a 20-22’ bed. Early research shows GVW max around 20K on the 550s. Looking at passenger/light duty truck towing and accident recovery, primarily.

I’m the business manager for a gas and oil business here so I’m pretty familiar with DOT, IFTA/IRP, UCR, and PSC requirements. I’m actually quite confident on that side of things, but I know dick about towing.

This all hinges on my ability to recruit the right driver/operator to help get this off the ground.

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PapiBarcelona · Apr 18, 2019

Buy once, cry once. Get a tri axle rotator and start winching stuck 18 wheelers back on the pavement $1,500 a pop. LOL

RegularJay · Apr 18, 2019

Drove tow trucks for 3 different companies many years ago. Two used Ford Super Duty based trucks - the 3rd (last) company I worked for used Nissan UD's. Basically a medium duty truck. HUGE difference! The Nissan was an under stressed truck in rollback use and, once I used one for a while I realized how much better they were than the over-stressed Super Duty trucks had been. The "Cab Forward" design took some getting used to but paid off in maneuverability & visibility. With a decent sized car on the bed and another on the wheel lift you can feel how close you to the limits of the Super Duty - similar load on a UD was stress free. Really - check out a Real truck before you buy a pickup with heavy duty springs. I am a "Buy American" type of guy both those Nissan trucks sure were amazing tow platforms.

traveller · Apr 18, 2019

Hollywood Ball said:
This all hinges on my ability to recruit the right driver/operator to help get this off the ground.

It also hinges on your ability to grease the right palms at MSP, the sheriffs office and in the service departments of a number of car dealers (without getting caught).

ADR · Apr 18, 2019

traveller said:
It also hinges on your ability to grease the right palms at MSP, the sheriffs office and in the service departments of a number of car dealers (without getting caught).

No it really doesn't because he's not in Maryland and even if he was, police tow calls are based on either the vehicle owner/operators request if they're able to do so or whatever company is next on the list.

brownspotz · Apr 18, 2019

One word....Hino. amazing trucks. The interior reminds you of a Corolla.

Hollywood Ball · Apr 18, 2019

brownspotz said:
One word....Hino. amazing trucks. The interior reminds you of a Corolla.

Also, made in WV.

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Bertfish · Apr 18, 2019

Dad used to have a Chevy with a Jerrdan bed. Just for personal use. That truck was awesome and so friggin useful.

Hollywood Ball · Apr 19, 2019

RegularJay said:
Drove tow trucks for 3 different companies many years ago. Two used Ford Super Duty based trucks - the 3rd (last) company I worked for used Nissan UD's. Basically a medium duty truck. HUGE difference! The Nissan was an under stressed truck in rollback use and, once I used one for a while I realized how much better they were than the over-stressed Super Duty trucks had been. The "Cab Forward" design took some getting used to but paid off in maneuverability & visibility. With a decent sized car on the bed and another on the wheel lift you can feel how close you to the limits of the Super Duty - similar load on a UD was stress free. Really - check out a Real truck before you buy a pickup with heavy duty springs. I am a "Buy American" type of guy both those Nissan trucks sure were amazing tow platforms.

Hey, thanks!

Based on this and the Hino shoutout I’m going to go check these out. They have a nice cab over model with double cab option that looks appealing. And they have a factory about an hour away from me, there they may even be made. I’m not sure on what the WV factory does or does not produce.

Looks like they come equipped with stuff from the factory that might satisfy EDL requirements too.

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traveller · Apr 19, 2019

Once you go medium duty, you should probably open your search to include the respective Freightliner and International options.

PapiBarcelona · Apr 19, 2019

RegularJay said:
Drove tow trucks for 3 different companies many years ago. Two used Ford Super Duty based trucks - the 3rd (last) company I worked for used Nissan UD's. Basically a medium duty truck. HUGE difference! The Nissan was an under stressed truck in rollback use and, once I used one for a while I realized how much better they were than the over-stressed Super Duty trucks had been. The "Cab Forward" design took some getting used to but paid off in maneuverability & visibility. With a decent sized car on the bed and another on the wheel lift you can feel how close you to the limits of the Super Duty - similar load on a UD was stress free. Really - check out a Real truck before you buy a pickup with heavy duty springs. I am a "Buy American" type of guy both those Nissan trucks sure were amazing tow platforms.

How long ago?

I'd imagine one of the most noticeable things was the gutless 7.3L in a class 5 truck. I don't know what the powertrain in a Hino was. Stock Ford E4OD and 4R100's were pretty meh too

Hollywood Ball · Apr 19, 2019

traveller said:
Once you go medium duty, you should probably open your search to include the respective Freightliner and International options.

I’m not opposed to it but there’s a pretty big price jump there. The F-550 platform cost is right in line with my tax planning that will help get this off the ground.

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traveller · Apr 19, 2019

Hollywood Ball said:
I’m not opposed to it but there’s a pretty big price jump there. The F-550 platform cost is right in line with my tax planning that will help get this off the ground.

Understood, you just want to be careful not to do something to 'save taxes' that is in the grand scheme of things not a good business decision. Talk to your accountant, you may be able to opt for a less aggressive depreciation schedule and that way have further depreciation available for the next year (when the the thing hopefully makes you some money). Also worth looking at the re-sale value of a medium duty rollback vs. a pregnant pickup. Unless you need the lower profile to get into parking garages etc. there is little downside to the bigger vehicle. Also, you may be able to some better paying jobs with the bigger rig.

I am familiar with this scale vehicle from the fire department / ambulance side. Many departments have moved towards medium duty chassis for their ambos, not because patients have gotten so fat (they have), but because over the lifespan of a unit, dispatch reliability and maintenance are better on the medium duty chassis. You can get a Cummins engine and an Allison transmission rather than dealing with things that have been scaled up from light duty use. The downside is, if you break something, you pay 'big truck money' to get it fixed :eek:

.

Hollywood Ball · Apr 19, 2019

traveller said:
Understood, you just want to be careful not to do something to 'save taxes' that is in the grand scheme of things not a good business decision. Talk to your accountant, you may be able to opt for a less aggressive depreciation schedule and that way have further depreciation available for the next year (when the the thing hopefully makes you some money). Also worth looking at the re-sale value of a medium duty rollback vs. a pregnant pickup. Unless you need the lower profile to get into parking garages etc. there is little downside to the bigger vehicle. Also, you may be able to some better paying jobs with the bigger rig.

I am familiar with this scale vehicle from the fire department / ambulance side. Many departments have moved towards medium duty chassis for their ambos, not because patients have gotten so fat (they have), but because over the lifespan of a unit, dispatch reliability and maintenance are better on the medium duty chassis. You can get a Cummins engine and an Allison transmission rather than dealing with things that have been scaled up from light duty use. The downside is, if you break something, you pay 'big truck money' to get it fixed .

All great points. And your last one, regarding “big truck” maintenance and repairs, was also one I wanted to make.

This would a a HUGE purchase for me. So I’m hoping to meet and talk to some actual owners/users with similar setups before making a final decision. I’ve got the next 8 months to keep figuring it out.

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Possible Rollback Purchase

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